Two of us arrived early Friday afternoon. A person who works at Cannery Row suggested we go have a torta, mole, tlayuda, or burrito in this small restaurant. We decided to go to Seaside before leaving Monterey just to try it out, like any good yelper would do after hearing the reviews. It was easy to find and it's located next to a thrift store and bakery. Parking lot was tiny and we decided to do street parking. We came in and sat ourselves down at a table. We thought we were going to order at counter, but we were greeted and given menus. They have bottles/cans of sodas. No soda fountain. We got two diet cokes and were given glasses of ice. Chips and 2 types of salsa also appeared on table along with napkins. After asking our server some questions, we tried: 1- tinga (chicken in red sauce) gordita with sour cream and lettuce. I liked it. 1- Pollo en mole burrito (some rice, corn, and beans inside). Huge! This was the husband's favorite. The mole is not too sweet and is heavy on cinnamon. 1-torta de milanesa (beef) like a sub sandwich with beans, chipotle mayo, avocado, and meat. My favorite type of torta. I'd get it again. 1-torta ahogada (al pastor) like a sub sandwich, covered in sauce ( you can choose between red, green, non spicy) There were some desserts in fridges along wall. We decided to order 2 burritos to go, asada & chile relleno. Then 3 more burritos, asada, al pastor, and Pollo en mole to drop off at my parents' home. I had half of an asada burrito and I'd have it again with some of the green sauce on the side. It had queso fresco inside of it which is a nice touch. read more

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I came on a Saturday afternoon and it was busy. Not a lot of parking. I was seated quickly. The menu is expansive, ranging from breakfast staples to dinner specials & an Oaxacan menu. One unisex bathroom for the restaurant. There is outdoor seating available. I ordered 2 chicken tamales w/ beans. The chips and salsa are good, fresh tortilla chips and a flavorful salsa that is not too spicy. As for the tamales, I got one that had chicken & jalapeños and the other one had chicken w/ mole sauce. Both were not made that day, as the masa surrounding the filling was very dry & crispy. As for the tamales themselves, they were delicious. The masa & filling was savory, and the salsa was a good complement. The beans were also great. Price of meal: $16.65 read more

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Do not go. The food is horrible not like before. When I complained about my order they didn't want to help. They were very rude. This place was my favorite for tortas but they are so nasty and quality very poor. read more

La Tortuga Torteria - Paid almost 20.00 for a smashed sandwich that was very cold, old, smashed. - Mexican Near Me - Seaside, California

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Good food. Reasonable prices. Great service that was very friendly! Not just Mexican - Oaxacan foods with their especialidas. read more

I learned about this place through my coach and friends at the gym. Note that I am not of the culture and do not have any expertise on the specifics of the food itself. But here I will provide some thoughts on my experience at La Tortuga. The tacos are all fire with excellent portions of meat. Chicken tacos are fine, but the carne asada tacos are my favorite. The salsa rojo is not spicy, more like a tomato puree. the salsa verde is spicy though. If you're extremely hungry, definitely go for the Cuban Torta (Breaded beef, roast pork, sausage, cheese, guac, peppers, and an awesome sauce). Also cannot go wrong with the tres leches cake. Great flavor with a nice spongy texture. The service in person and on the phone is great. You'll want to get the menu in hand or view online to read the descriptions. Some other recommendations I've gotten from friends include the carne asada torta, the chicken tinga, and the mole. Will have to check it out next time. read more

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La Tortuga has the best breakfast burritos around. All their choices including their soups are excellent, but if I'm in the mood for a breakfast burrito I only come here. Craving satisfied! read more

Very gentrified. Lacks so much flavor. Who tf puts queso fresco on ceviche. Super disappointed I used to love la tortuga years ago.

Absolutely fire. The hongos torta is phenomenal. If you're on a date don't get the tacos because there is no sophisticated way to eat them. But the fish tacos (both varieties) are great. Staff is so nice too. You should definitely try it out! read more

Love it. Tried the enfrijoladas con cecina and the chicken mole burrito. Both were great but next time I'm getting the mole - loved the flavor. The flan texture was amazing - more like a custard than a pudding. Wish I could visit more often. The staff are very helpful and kind. read more

La Tortuga Torteria - Enfrijoladas con cecina - Mexican Near Me - Seaside, California

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This smaller restaurant was very clean and well-run. We were seated immediately on a Saturday night and given 2 handmade salsas with homemade chips and the menu. I got the Chicken Mole: 1/2 chicken (large portion) with rice beans. This would be enough to share with 2 adults with smaller appetites. My husband got the huge MEAT 'volcano' Fajitas--which literally was enough for 2-3 people with smaller appetites. All-in-all, it was a good meal with us taking home a majority of the food. The lady servers were kind, and attentive. Plenty of free street parking around the place with numerous drink choices. read more

Food was delicious! Flan was perfect. Recommended it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Staff is very friendly and welcoming. Overall a great restaurant to just sit and enjoy coffee and company. read more

Came across this place on a Monterrey trip. Food/price value was reasonable. They had fresh cakes and desserts as well. Pretty calm area. Food was great and big portions as well. Friendly customer service. read more

Molcajete!!! Recommend by local friends and went to try it out. Ordered the molcajete enough for temp and leftovers. Place is spacious, staff wear masks and cleaned well each table when patrons left. Nice selection of agua Fresca and bottle soda. The owner came around and introduced himself. Large menu selection Yes, am returning. read more

The service was awesome! Our server Marcus M was very friendly and was on top of making sure we were taken care of. I give him a for him serving us! read more

If you are looking for true authentic Mexican food for pretty cheap in the Monterey area, La Tortuga is your place!! They are known for their tortas (Mexican style sandwiches), but their plates are really good!! We got the fajitas and the pork mole. The mole had a strong cinnamon taste to it, like a true mole if that's your thing. I would definitely reorder the fajitas again!! I got 1/2 steak, 1/2 chicken and both were seasoned to perfection. Comes with a good amount of rice and beans, and tortillas on the side. Out of all the fajitas I've had around the world, these may be my very favorite!! If you are a hot chocolate/coffee drinker their mugs are huge! My only complaint with this restaurant is that their service wasn't great. Set our order down on a few people's tables before bringing it to ours, never refillef water, etc. Great place for authentic California Mexican food!! read more

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The tortas are big and filling the green enchiladas were great we also had the asada nachos and it didn't disappoint

My wife had the Sopes and I had the Cubano Torta. WOW!!! Food was fantastic and so was the service. Chips and salsa were a great start read more

La Tortuga Torteria - Sopes - Mexican Near Me - Seaside, California

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It doesn't get any better than this for delicious, authentic Mexican food served with a smile.

Some of the best fish tacos I've ever had. Cute interior- The people running the place were on point, kind, responsive but not too much- Just really knew how to run a restaurant- Nothing but good things to say! read more

This is for the owner of the business, 2 Monday ago, 3 of us went for lunch, the first young girl came and threw the menus on the table (we expected at least a hello), then we realized that they didn't bring us chips, the others 4 tables did have chips on the table, the second young girl who brought us the food we asked for an order of tasajo (same with a very rude attitude) after almost 10 minutes of waiting we decided to cancel the order. The food is very good, it's just a matter of improving the service. read more

The tortas are the thing to order here. They're ! We love ordering a couple and sharing bites. You can't go wrong. Be sure to check out that bakery counter while you're there! read more

Great food. Friendly service. Authentic ambiance. Off street parking. Overall, the real deal. read more

I tried mole for the first time at this establishment. I had no idea that it would set the bar so high. Although since then I've tried it at other Restaurants I keep comparing it to that of which I've had here. I really feel like everything this establishment has to offer is authentic and homemade. The pricing is generally reasonable considering the quality of ingredients. I loved how they had vegetarian options and that's really what's going to keep me coming back for more. Although I was stuffed from the large portion sizes, I did not feel glutinous because all the ingredients were fresh and somewhat healthy. This along with the great service by our server is what will Encourage me to come back and tell others about this restaurant. read more

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All I can say it's BOMB! I always go for their enmoladas or green enchiladas. Every time we go down to the central coast I always make sure to visit this place. The staff is friendly and makes us feel welcomed each time. read more

La Tortuga Torteria - Enmoladas - Mexican Near Me - Seaside, California

Great first visit. Ordered the chicken tinga tostada and a modelo, $11! What a deal. Will be back to try the molcajete!

Food was great! Minus one star for service as many other have said. Had an order mix-up, so the food had to be remade. They did give us flan to make up for it and were nice about it but, I don't think I'd be able to convince my mom to come back with me in the future. Servings are big and food is really nicely spiced. Our group ordered: chicken chimichanga, chile relleno, enfrijoladas con cecina, and hurache. All the food was great, even with the order mixup, I would come back because the food was that good. It looks like a counter service restaurant when you walk in, but they do table service. Not really sure how they want it to work but we just walked up the counter and asked for a table and they sat us and gave us menus. Seems you can do take-out orders from the counter though which is convenient! read more

La Tortuga Torteria - enfrijoladas con cecina - Mexican Near Me - Seaside, California

This is possibly one of the best torta's I've ever had! The pictures do not do it justice. The service was fantastic. The guy who took my order was very sweet and attentive to the other customers. This was my first visit here but I can almost guarantee it will not be my last! read more

La Tortuga Torteria - Torta with Al Pastor - Mexican Near Me - Seaside, California

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Great authentic Mexican cuisine from Oaxaca. Service was very good and friendly. Food came out on time with no problems. Definitely recommend if you're in the area. read more

Good service here. My lengua burrito was big and fat, slightly greasy, but got the job done! I think the flavor became slightly dull with the beans, rice, and meat all together, however, it was still a tasty burrito. The caldo de res was comforting. It was hot and had big chunks of beef, carrots, and potatoes. Good prices for the amount of food you get. read more

La Tortuga Torteria - Caldo de res with flour tortillas - Mexican Near Me - Seaside, California

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Nearby, fast, large and filling portions, for a great price? 10 out of 10 from me! My very favorite is the Gorditas, which with a little of the provided salsa, is finger licking good! I always have to get the flan as well. Everything my sister and have tried goes from "good" to "great!" read more

La Tortuga Torteria - Tlayuda with chicken - bigger then expected but tasty! - Mexican Near Me - Seaside, California

Very fatty Chile verde burrito and the Al pastor burrito was equally bad with chunks of pineapple and burned and greasy The place was full so maybe we ordered the wrong thing? read more

Friendly staff and delicious food! The Tortas are great, the pozole is very yummy, and the cakes are delicious as well. A great stop for breakfast or lunch read more

The food is SOOOO GOOD. This place is underrated. All the food was good. The torts was INSANE. The service was really friendly too. read more

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Another good Mexican torteria (taqueria?)...but with a Oaxaca Mexico twist! My first visit was a group pick-up for my co-workers...and the main reason we chose LA Tortuga...was they open early (6:00am)...unlike the rest in our area that open from 8:00 to 9:00am. First thing I notice, arriving near 06:30...was the fact there was a steady steam of people, most very clearly workers, judging from their crew clothing and various trades/business trucks being parked outside. The 2 young women working the counter were very friendly...very efficient and obviously very experienced. The phone in orders were steady...walk-ins steady...all handled quickly and with little fuss. Very impressive to me Also...another big issue for me, is the cleanliness of a place. Mind you, I'm not germphobic in the least...but I always notice the front of the house at any restaurant. If it's dirty, it's guaranteed the back of the house, which you don't see, is likely to be quite a bit dirtier. Which means pay attention to how you feel after eating at such places...because while no restaurant wants to make customers ill...sometimes it as simple as not every cleanliness process is followed. Fortunately La Tortuga was spotlessly clean! Even the restroom...which is another great barometer for judging a restaurants commitment to sanitation...was not only spotless, but smelled pleasantly of cleaning products. Anyway, to shorten this review, our order for 9 people...some who made special requests...all turned out exactly as ordered. Everything was delicious and filling. All in all, I intend to go back...and not just to try everything else on their menu, which I intend to do...but because they have a Tres Leches cake in there that nearly made me cancel my breakfast burrito and have cake instead! If you haven't been to LA Tortuga...GO! read more

I ordered the Pastor tacos. The meat lacked a lot of flavor. The meat had no salt at all. The salsa also lacked flavor.. One of the worst tacos I had in a while. read more

The Al Pastor Burrito has pineapple chunks in it, and it's delicious! The only other thing I tried was the Shrimp Burrito "La Diabla." I've had great experiences here. read more

Casual sit down food with little ambiance but let me tell you the foods AWESOME. 10/10 will be back. We Got the Cuban torta and the Chile relleno torta. Huge sandwich, I'm a big eater and it was two meals for me. The meats were thick sliced and the ooeygoocheese generous. Chips and spicy salsa. read more

Had their breakfast burrito and it was good. Chopped bacon bits with potatoes. The portion was huge.

Must admit I was a little disappointed with the food considering all of the good yelp reviews I read before going. The food took extremely long to receive, which is not always a bad thing when it tastes good. But in this case, it wasn't worth the wait. read more

Such a hidden gem! This little taqueria has such a huge menu of delicious foods to choose from. My bf and I decided to come here and try it for the first time and we we are hooked! The food was fresh, and had so much flavor. They even have fresh options for dessert with cakes and pan dulce. read more

La Tortuga Torteria - Mexican Near Me - Seaside, California