A wonderful place. The food was very good, the service attentive, the restaurant clean & tidy, and the salsa had just the right heat - warm & flavorful. I'm a fan read more

Yummy food! I had the Horchata which was delicious and sweet and the Chile Verde was the perfect level of spice. Service was very quick. Best meal I've had hiking in northern CA read more

This place was great for a random small town mexican restaurant! My husband and I both ordered burritos and they were huge which was nice and they tasted good! No complaints, place was clean and servers were very nice. read more

I go so far back, I still remember when this place was "The Flame Coffee Shop." I've eaten here at Gonzales couple of times before, but I've never done a review. I decided to do a to go order, as the fast EV charging station was about a mile up the road. Too far to eat at the restaurant while waiting for my vehicle to charge. The restaurant was bright and clean, and everybody was friendly. It was a Saturday, so they were not doing the lunch specials. I decided to do the two item combo, a Carnitas tamale, and a chile relleno. It also came with rice and refried beans. They provided me with a bowl of chips and salsa while I waited for my food. The chips and salsa were very good. The chips were crisp and not greasy at all, and the salsa had just a little bit of a spice to it. Just enough that I knew it was there. The food came. There was a lot of food. So much, there were two to go containers. One had my main course, and then the other was the rice and beans. The food was just the right temperature The main course was a good size portion, and they were extremely generous with the rice and beans. The main course was very good. The breading on the. Chile relleno was delicious, it was not soggy, and the chile had a good flavor without being too spicy. The cheese was delicious, and it was just the right amount. On the tamale, they were very generous with the Carnitas, and they were delicious. They had a good flavor, and they had a good crisp to them. Just the way I like my Carnitas. I would say that the masa on the tamale was a tiny bit dry , and I wish there would've been more sauce on the chile relleno. There was some sauce, But it was absorbed by the breading. Still, overall, very good. The rice had a good texture, and was delicious. The beans were a little bit soupy, but overall also had a very good flavor. Overall, a very good meal. For food, soda, tax, and tip, Yes, the price is a little bit on the higher end, but I get it. It's Willow Creek. The food has to be brought in. Considering the quantity and quality of the food, the price was reasonable. This is a great place to stop when passing through town. Thank you! read more

Gonzalez Mexican Restaurant - The tamale and chile relleno. - Mexican Near Me - Willow Creek, California

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Not much culinary selection in this town so we opted for this place as our prior attempt with the steakhouse failed miserably. Pros: Family owned Excellent service Food was quick Salsa was great and appeared homemade Chips were fresh and homemade Cons: Pretty bland, standard American/ Mexican food Tostada was lackluster and the shredded chicken, while red in color, didn't have any real flavor or spice/seasoning Fajitas were warm, but not hot It's probably the best you can get in Willow Creek but the caveat being there's very little selection here and most of it is subpar. read more

Unfortunately, this was the worst place we ate at during our vacation in California and it was where we went on our last night in town. It took quite a while just to get our drinks after ordering, and when they finally arrived, the margaritas were weak and watery. Definitely not worth $13. The food was no better. The carne asada was paper-thin, dry, and completely lacking in flavor. To make matters worse, one person in our group of six didn't even get their meal until the rest of us were nearly finished. Apparently, the server forgot to write it down. With all that being said, the salsa was good. Even though Willow Creek doesn't have a lot of dining options, I'd still suggest looking elsewhere. This place just isn't worth the time or money. read more

Gonzalez Mexican Restaurant - Carne Asada Dinner - Mexican Near Me - Willow Creek, California

PROS: Food came out fast Fab frijoles Friendly service Decent price$ Clean surroundings Unique location Cons: More agua fresca selections Less shredded cheese and/or offer Mexican cheese A dabble of guacamole on plate goes a long way read more

We rolled into town and were looking for lunch. The original place we had in mind was closed and we saw Gonzalez was open. We gave it a shot. The food was really good. Their refied beans were the best I've ever tasted. I had the lunch sized chili verde which is a pork dish. The pork was super tender, flaking with small pressure of the fork. The pork also had good flavor as well as the verde sauce. The lunch portion was more than I could eat. I couldn't imagine the dinner portion! If we are ever back in town, Gonzalez would definitely be high up on options. The ambiance is casual, but clean. It's a smaller seating area. I don't know what the one star reviewer had dealt with, personally. Neither my husband nor I got sick from our meals. I have a very sensitive stomach, and not issues here! We both hopped onto our motorcycles after and rode ~150 miles on twisty roads. No problem. Also, I wish I took a photo of my meal, but it visually looked very appetizing. read more

These folks are so nice, and they serve up some very tasty food along with a friendly smile! I eat lunch here quite often with friends, and it is always enjoyable, and I never leave hungry! My favorite is the luncheon wet carnitas burrito! It is a healthy portion and I usually take some home for my dinner later that evening! The staff is warm and friendly, serving up wonderful Mexican food. My favorite place to eat in Willow Creek! read more

We were in town for 2 days to check out houses in the area. We did a different restaurant each meal. We went to this restaurant the first night, I went right for the dish I am the most critical about : carnitas. I was expecting average to be the best I would get, I was very surprised to find out that this restaurant was the closest to preparing Carnitas to the way it was prepared in Tijuana I have ever had. The meat was perfect the Pico de Gallo was some of the best I had as well. I may have to come back to the town just for the Carnitas. read more

they do a very nice job at this place. been here twice never disappointed the food is solid the service is friendly. I'll be going back

Great food before the covid hit and now they are just ok They must of changed there cook. read more

Stopped at the Museum next door and asked for recommendations for places to eat in Willow Creek. Gonzalez Mexican was their top recommendation. The food was great! Nice atmosphere. Clean and well decorated. And we had a wonderful young lady as our server who gave us plenty of attention. Lastly the salsa was tasty and hot! :-) read more

If you're familiar with Willow Creek, then you know that there aren't a lot of options for restaurants. We stopped in during Covid for take-out. My husband ordered a quesadilla, which he loved, and I ordered a Steak Guacamole Salad. The description of the salad was very vague and I didn't realize there would be dairy (cheese) on it, but luckily, there wasn't that much. It only took about 10 minutes for our food to be ready, which was a huge plus. The only shocking thing to me was that this is the only Mexican restaurant I have been to so far that did NOT have black beans as an option. Regardless, I was happy to support this small business during what is a tough time for everyone. read more

Gonzalez Mexican Restaurant - Back side of tri-fold menu - Mexican Near Me - Willow Creek, California

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Favorite restaurant by far! I love Gina she works so hard to make that place run smoothly. She's the only waitress and I appreciate her more than she knows. The fact that she can remember my exact order when I come in all I have to do is look at her and nod my head and she already knows highly recommend going here! read more

Best salsa and huge portions! The sweet woman serving us was taking care of all of us even when it got busy. Corona and Negra Modelo on draft hit the spot. read more

Can't say enough good things about this place! First time ordering from here and will definitely order again. Service was prompt and our food as ready in 20 minutes for 8 people! The carnitas were tender and perfectly seasoned. They were delicious in the Taco Supreme (huge taco salad with all the fixings) and the tortas. The roll used for the tortas was soft, but substantial. The salsa and guacamole were also tasty. Excellent meal!! read more

Stopped in here after a long detour through Redwood National Park on Bald Hills Rd. We had a large party, 10 people in total, and we were all very pleased with the awesome food and great service!!! Plenty of space to park. Easy to see from the street if you're passing through. We ordered almost everything off the menu between all of us and left very satisfied. read more

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I've been here before and the service is always sub par. The waitresses act like you're a burden and like it's a chore to take your order. Seriously, they seem like they hate their job. I got a shrimp supreme quesadilla, and all the condiments were just thrown on top like a bowl of crap. How is anyone supposed to eat a quesadilla like this? In all my years of eating Mexican food, in Mexico and ALL around the world. NEVER EVER have I had a quesadilla served like that. But the condiments on the side. Seriously WTF? read more

Gonzalez Mexican Restaurant - SUPREME QUESADILLA. - Mexican Near Me - Willow Creek, California

Good food and excellent service. The steak fajita burritos were huge and tasty. The fish tacos were delicious. They also have Negro Modelo, my favorite beer, on tap which made my wait for take-out very pleasant. read more

After returning home from picking up a carne asada fajita burrito from Gonzales, I quickly realized something was off. Visiting from San Diego, I seem to understand a tad more than these posser Mexican't's. As you can clearly see my "carne asada" is clearly replaced with fatty prime rib left over from a pre-expired Covid-19 secondary business "Bigfoot Steakhouse". You should be ashamed!! Most disgusting front of mexican food I've ever attempted to eat. read more

Gonzalez Mexican Restaurant - Carne asada OR expired PRIME RIB------ - Mexican Near Me - Willow Creek, California

One of the few restaurants off of the 299. Unfortunately it was not our greatest meal. My husbands meal was missing his taco and his enchilada was not cooked nor was his burrito. Also ridiculously overpriced for what looks like a very small town. I guess when there are few options you can charge what you want. My taco salad was good. Chips tasted stale. read more

Authentic & Delicious! Chili Rellanos and Chicken Enchiladas are my testers for any mexican food place - and they passed with flying colors. The place is clean, the staff are smiling & bright-eyed and attentive. Starting with the chips & salsas, here you go... The Salsas!! Yum. Menu has all the usual wants, and the food delivers at a great price point!! Don't go ta gas station for authentic food - not in Willow Creek, at least. read more

Always great service and food is amazing. We always stop here when driving through willow creek.

Not so good. I had the enchiladas. The cheese wasnt melted inside the tortilla. The sauce was very bitter due to all the chili powder. I know they're arent a lot of options in this tiny town, but the diner might be a better choice. read more

The food was good but the service is horrible. We are literally the only table in use and the food comes out 1 at a time with big lulls between. If your not in a hurry the food is good though. read more

I have eaten here multiple times. the first time I asked if their shrimp was fresh or frozen. the owner told me that he caught the shrimp in the river that morning. obviously he was kidding, but assured me that the shrimp was fresh. I ordered the camarones a la diabla. Not only was the shrimp previously frozen, it was also old, overcooked, and extremely tough. I have also had the tamales (not good), the burritos (not good), the enchiladas (okay), the tacos (little under average), but the reason I am writing today is the soup. There is a restaraunt down the street called "Bigfoot Diner" that is owne e by the same man. last weekend we were there and I ordered a side of Albondigas Soup with my meal. My wife loved it, and the waiter told us that they make it in bulk at the Mexican restaraunt and freeze it, then heat it when somebody orders it. So we came here today because my wife wanted some more soup. The menu lists it at $9 and I asked the waitress if it was a large bowl. she assured us it was an extremely large helping. When it came out, we were disgusted by the size of it. It was smaller than a portion I would give my 6 year old......for $9!!!! The food has always been slightly below average and the prices extremely high, but we like to support local businesses. This will be the last time we visit this establishment. The same waitress is always here and seems very unhappy. There is not a pleasant bone in her body. Save yourself the time and the disappointment. This place is guilty of highway robbery. Between the prices, the portion sizes, the poor service, and the poor quality of the food, you should avoid this place at all costs. read more

Gonzalez Mexican Restaurant - Small bowl of Albondigas Soup halfway full for $9!!! - Mexican Near Me - Willow Creek, California

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Given the current ratings, I was very pleasantly surprised with this place! Ordered the prawns and they were cooked perfectly. Order came out fairly quick. Owner was also extremely friendly. read more

I was very pleased with food enough for a big man. They would have gotten 5 stars but, they weren't to attentive to coming back (we were the only one's in there for awhile) to even fill our water until we all done. The main thing was the food was great. I'll surely go back. read more

WOW! That sums up my experience here. The waitress was very fast in bringing fresh tortilla chips and salsa to my table, also taking my drink order. She kept my glass full, which is definitely a plus in my book! When my enchilada, burrito, and taco combo came out I was blown away by the amount of food on the plate! I ate my chicken taco and half the enchilada and was soooo stuffed! I took the rest home and had it for lunch the next day...it may have been even better reheated. Everything tasted fresh and made to order, so you may have to wait for your food but I guarantee it's worth it. I'm definitely returning, I just wish we had this kind of food in the midwest! read more

Great mexican restaurant! I passed this place on 299 from Redding to the coast. First time eating here, & it was well worth it! Prices are well worth it. Portion sizes are huge. Service prompt & friendly. & most importantly food is fresh & done right! Give it a try. read more

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We were staying just outside of town, and there are not too many places in Willow Creek to east, so we had to give Gonzalez Mexican Restaurant a try. It was certainly good enough. The three of us arrived between lunch and dinner so it was not super crowded, and we got seated and served pretty quickly. The restaurant seemed clean, and everything looked tidy. The meal did not take long to arrive and the food itself was just ok, though. The cheese inside my enchiladas was not melted, and the sauce itself was fairly bland. I have had much worse Mexican food, but I have also had a lot better. For California eaters they might need to step things up a bit. As far as the service goes, it was good too, though there were no refills on the chips or drinks. I am not sure if this was on purpose, or if the server just did not notice. All in all, if you are cruising through town on the 299, it is a safe enough place to stop for a bite to eat. read more

Decent enough Mexican food. With not many options to choose from this place is a good one. The chicken bowl with tortillas on the side seemed like an especially good choice (others in my party got that) but my burrito was also totally decent and giant. Server didn't seem particularly interested in doing her job however, and was borderline giving us attitude. read more

After a nauseous drive on the 299, Mexican food! What a treat... a margarita for me! The waitress had to work the dining area and take out phone calls all by herself. I did enjoy the endless chips and salsas. I ordered the pork chile verde bowl. The pork was inedible but the verde sauce was good. Overall this restaurant was ok. read more

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The worst "Mexican" food I've ever tasted. The beef was swimming in grease. Completely flavorless and totally over priced! A terrible experience each time. Will not go back. read more

Clean, good service and food. Made us fresh coffee in the afternoon, much appreciated on our log drive home.

Worst service ever at a Mexican restaurant. The food was decent but I've never been charged for chips at a sit down restaurant before. The basket of chips she brought us every time was not even half full! They only gave me 2 tortillas to eat my fajitas and then charged me an extra $2 for 2 more tortillas so I could finish my dinner. Bad service and mediocre food. Won't be stopping here again. read more

This was the first time I ordered something there and I don't know who taught them to cook burritos!! I have been living in Arizona since 2002 and in the Phoenix area and Yuma area they know how to cook Mexican not the slop at Gonzalez Mexican Restaurant or the ones in Eureka area!! I ordered a carne asada burrito and what do they do?? Just like in Eureka they pour enchilada sauce all over it!! A real carne asada burrito is wrapped in a flour tortilla with carne asada, refried beans, rice, avocado slices, sour cream and pico de gallo sauce which you can eat by hand and pour red salsa on each bite!!! I suggest they check out Julioberto's Fresh Mexican Food in Glendale, Arizona!!!! Also the price at Julioberto's for a carne asada burrito is $7.95 and at Gonzalez is over $15.00 and you get one small salsa!!! read more

What a great surprise this place was - I love Mexican food and to find this in tiny Willow Creek was unbelievable, plus Corona on TAP - hard to find that I think they also had several other Mexican Beer on tap as well. I ordered the Taco Salad and man was it awesome. Ever in Willow Creek try Gonzalez out, great great staff and owners. read more

Garbage, this place has smelt like melting plastic or Styrofoam the two times I went there. The food is pretty run of the mill Sysco processed garbage, most certainly all cancer prone GMO corn and probably oils from similarly based crops. People are pretty inclined to organic and wholesome local food in this region, we need a Mexican place that represents this properly. read more