We have only ordered takeout, and only during a global pandemic - but this place is GOOD. We moved here from San Diego last year and have been pretty disappointed in a lot of the food we have had thus far...but we are NOT disappointed in Mama Coco. Yum! I cannot wait to go there when things are open again. read more

This place is amazing! Super fresh and great service. I'll be back. They have ceviche, the Pacifica beer is imported from mazatlan. Try the salmon veracruzano and smile. read more

Mama Coco - Mexican Near Me - Menlo Park, California

I took my mom here last night for an early birthday dinner. We both left very satisfied, and pleased with the food and the whole experience. Parking, even on El Camino, was fairly easy, although there are free lots within short walking distance around the corner. We were seated by Monica, the owner's wife, who offered us inside seating or seating on the patio; we opted for the patio, which was very pleasant. The owner, Omar, came out, introduced himself and thanked us for coming in to dine. That was a nice surprise! Chips and salsa were served along with water. My mom requested no ice, which the server complied with. Thanks! My mom ordered the chicken enchiladas, and I ordered the cochinita pibil (suckling pig). While one person complained about the portion sizes, to me my plate was just perfect. Not too big, just right. I received about 6-8 ounces of the pig, which was really nicely spiced. It was indeed tender, and had some pickled onion and finely chopped fresh radish and fresh orange sections on top, that complimented it nicely. The coconut rice had chunks of chayote in it, and again it was about 6 ounces, or maybe a little over 1/2 cup total (which I think is a totally reasonable serving). There was a crunchy, zesty little salad of jicama and mango as well, dressed in lime and sprinkled with cilantro. It was so visually appealing, and it tasted delicious as well. It was the right amount of food, and very fresh. My mom's enchiladas looked tasty and fresh, and had shredded lettuce and crema drizzled over them. They were served with red rice and black refried beans. We didn't get dessert, so I can't attest to those. One note to the restaurant: the dessert menu seemed limited, both in number and flavor. Both desserts seemed "vanilla" based in flavor: one was a bread pudding, the other a vanilla flan. While those are safe bets for most palates, it might behoove you to branch out with other options, while keeping within the parameters of traditional Mexican inspiration. Just a suggestion. Service was well-paced I felt. It wasn't pushy, it wasn't slow; it was "Goldilocks"= just right. I will definitely be recommending this place, and coming back. Thank you Omar and Monica, and the rest of your restaurant staff for a very pleasant dining experience! read more

After weeks of cooking at home our family decided to order food for pickup. We considered a number of restaurants and cuisines in the area but unanimously agreed on the home cooked tasting dishes at Mama Coco's! Their Pescado Asada, Mariscada and Mole Enchiladas are simply the best and have been our "go to" dishes when we would dine in and now while sheltered at home! From our family to the Mama Coco family and team, Thank You for being open during this time and continuing to serve our favorite Mexican dishes! read more

The food, service and setting were great at Mama Coco tonight! We ordered the enchilada and tostada salad and both dishes were very tasty. We also tried the churros and they were delicious! The restaurant was not crowded tonight and service was very quick and the waiter was friendly and helpful. This place is great for dates and it is also kid friendly and roomy. I highly recommend this spot for dining out in Menlo Park! read more

This unassuming spot delivers delicious food, and has easily become one of our go to restaurants. The guac is among the better ones I've had and is especially delicious with the crumbly cotija sprinkled on top. If you get the Tostada Ensalada, go with the filet of salmon as your protein. Mama Coco cooks it so perfectly that it melts in your mouth. Service always comes with a smile. The people here are the type that ask how your day is going and genuinely care about providing you a great experience. read more

Poor service and food. I had requested all sauces on the side. After about 25 minute, when the food arrived the sauce was on the steak. They took it back and "fixed" it by washing the steak, and brought it back to me within 5 minutes. I ate the somewhat wet stake as I did not have anymore time to go back and forth with them. First time. Drove 7 miles to get there. Won't go back. read more

My sister and I met at Mama Coco's with Yelp 5 star reviews raising our expectations. I ordered the Ensalada Poblano with salmon ($16). Since the waiter went out of his way to recommend the Camarones a la Diabla to my sister, she eagerly took his advice and ordered them ($16) along with an Horchata ($3). We both wanted to try the Empanadas so we ordered them also ($11). My Ensalada consisted of a cereal bowl with some chopped romaine, a few slices of avocado, one piece of onion, a few tiny pieces of chopped tomato, a few strands of bell pepper covered in a ho hum vinaigrette and a smallish piece of fishy smelling grilled salmon. I was really disappointed when I saw it and even more unhappy when I tasted it. It was at the most lackluster and sad. My sister said that her Camarones dish was tasteless and the black beans had a bad taste. We both thought that the empanadas (one each) were really oily and dark brown in color signaling that maybe they were fried too long. Unfortunately they were also rather tasteless. I had to ask for more paper napkins in order to blot off some of the excess frying oil. Yuck! My sister and I are half Mexican so we have lifelong experiences of eating outstanding Mexican food prepared by our grandmother and aunts. The food we ordered at Mama Coco's was truly disappointing. It was doubly disappointing when the check came and we paid $28.75 EACH! (including tip) for a VERY poor-tasting lunch. We won't be coming back here... ever. read more

Probably the worst meal we've eaten out in some time. Waiter brought the wrong order out, food was mediocre at best, and the staff took no responsibility for the screw-ups. Add a loud, soulless room and it all added up to a bad experience. Much better everything at Del Sol a few blocks away! read more

This is a new restaurant, and as one would expect, things were a bit confused. We were the first to go in. We sat at a table that needed to be cleaned and reset. After we were assured it would be, we waited five minutes and nothing happened. We switched tables. In the meantime, two other couples came in. The waiter took their order before ours. When we finally ordered the service was slow. The food when it finally came was ok, but not great. The salad was warm and served on a warm plate, the beef was tough and overcooked, and they included a full grilled jalapenyo pepper that almost killed me. We ordered Sangria. The brought two large glasses that tasted fine, but the drinks had no ice. I had to ask for ice three times before we finally got some ice. The bill was reasonable, but overall I would say the food was mediocre at best. We will not go back. read more

Excellent spot for dinner and drinks. My wife and I live nearby and wanted to walk to dinner in Menlo Park. We walked by many of the same spots and stumbled across this new gem. I've been looking for a fun, casual outdoor spot with great drinks. This is all of the above. Omar and his wife have done a great job breathing some life into this scene. I will definitely be back, especially for a margarita and more of that pork dish. read more

Came here with my husband and as we were waiting for our food we realized it was taking longer than usual so my husband asked the owner the status on our order and suddenly the owner started yelling at his employees and at my husband in front of a bunch of customers. He was being very disrespectful I don't know how his employees can deal with that type of boss. The employee was trying to calm him down a little yet he wasn't listening. Never will I come back here again. Maybe he should take some advice from the employee. I tell all my friends about this place and we have all stopped coming. Food is great but there's no point of coming to this place and help support such a disrespectful owner. read more

My husband and I took our infant in his stroller out for dinner after a hectic day. Having a small child with you for dinner can always be challenging, and finding restaurants that accommodate kids is even more challenging. The fabulously friendly staff at Mama Coco made as feel as if we were guests invited into their home. We were offered seating anywhere we wanted and decided on the spacious back patio, where we had plenty of room for our stroller and fussy baby. There was a play area set up for children and the staff seemed just thrilled that we had brought our baby. Our server was the most darling woman who provided warm, efficient service and was personable and kind to us. Our meal was delicious, fresh, and fast. We had the ceviche de pescado as an appetizer, and it was very tasty. We also both had the serrano margaritas, and they were so good - just a little spicy, salty, and seemed nicely boozy. My husband had the carnita a la tampiquena, and it was tender and zesty. The mole enchilada was delicious - lots of fabulous flavors playing together without being overwhelming. I had the cochinita pibil, and if I had been at home I would have licked the plate. The pork was falling apart and juicy with the most incredible sauce - highly recommend this dish! Thank you so much to the staff at Mama Coco. When we left the restaurant I had the biggest smile on my face from meeting so many nice people. We will definitely be back, and would encourage anyone looking for a delicious and friendly place to eat to stop in and eat. read more

My girlfriend and I had dinner there a couple nights ago and were immediately made repeat customers. The staff is incredibly friendly and attentive and the food was amazing! I had the braised pork and my girlfriend had the salmon. We started with empanadas and they were absolutely delicious. I ended up getting the braised pork for my entree and could not have been any happier with it. It was seasoned just right, and the portion was spot on. The rice and salad that came with it made for very tasty companions when wrapped up with the pork in a corn tortilla. My girlfriend had the salmon and she enjoyed it very much. If we lived closer to the area, we would make this a regular haunt for sure! read more

I give Mama Coco 1 star and that's being more than generous. After waiting in line outside for 20 minutes, My wife, daughter and I thought "must be a good place"....people willing to wait to get in. Once we got in we lingered over an average bowl guacamole & chips. So far no major problems. I ordered a dish I saw on the TV show Dinning Out Bay Area that one of the panel members on the show raved about. It was a pan seared fish dish that I really wanted to try. And then we waited....and waited.....and waited. After licking the guacamole off the bottom of the bowl with my pinky finger I asked my wife "how long have we been sitting here"? My estimate was about 40 minutes. By this time I was officially starving, but I convinced myself this must be a great meal coming and worth the wait. Finally after what must have been an hour wait for our food the waiter hustles up our meals with apologies included....only one problem. My fish dish with all the trimmings which I clearly ordered turned out to be some lame fish tacos. He wanted to take back my order to get it right but I had no interest in waiting another hour for my food. The tacos were stale and on the side "you guessed it", warmed over re-fried beans and rice. REALLY....come on Dinning Out Bay Area! If you're going to give such a glowing review of such a second rate restaraunt, know what you're talking about. If I want good fish tacos I'd go down the road to Lu Lu's where they serve awesome fish and shrimp tacos, loaded with beautifully fresh fish and shrimp!!!! Stuck with a bill over $70.00 bucks I'm surprised they didn't stamp "SUCKER" on our foreheads as we left. Don't waste your money and more importantly don't waste your time. read more

Affordable and authentic! Try the chicken mole or chile relleno. Great addition to Meno Park

It was okay in terms of food. It was not as flavorful as I had hoped and my beer was served warm. Will probably not be coming back.

Delicious food here. I can't believe we haven't eaten here before. I had the shredded pork shoulder served with rice and a yummy mango salad. Everything was fresh and beautiful, with sharp, complex flavors. My husband had the chicken mole, which was also fantastic. We'll definitely be back. I want to try the enchiladas. The only minor downside was the service was less than stellar. Our server was very nice but a little inattentive. Getting the check took awhile--and then waiting for them to come take our credit card took longer than it should. read more

Went here for lunch going off yelp reviews and was very disappointed. I had a chicken burrito and the wife had the chicken sandwich. The chicken in the burrito and on the sandwich seemed like it was your typical frozen chicken breast from the store. The beans and other items in the burrito did not taste home made but rather out of a can ( very cafeteria style). I eat a lot of Mexican food and this was one of the worst I have tried. read more

Firstly, let me say that Omar & Monica have made mexican food what it should be, delicious, hand made, fresh and from recipes that are straight from what could be a book called "my mom used to make it the best!". From the guacamole, the salsa and the freshly made chips to the suckling pork and endless tortillas, this place is the place I want to tell everyone to try. My wife and I went there for dinner with some friends and we watched the owners Omar & Monica continually circle the room to make sure that everything was satisfactory with all they're guests and not once did they seem overbearing or intense. In fact, I stopped Omar when he had made it to our table and I asked him how business had started since they took over from the previous owner. He explained in the first week, they had run out of food on one of the days due to the demand over a lunch period... I mean come on, if that is not a good sign of customer satisfaction that I have no idea what is?! The interior is classic feeling and they have closed off the outdoor seating area with cozy lighting and a kids area so the family can relax and enjoy the great food. I had the suckling pig and will most definitely be heading back for more. I hope people have the time to try this place as it's the only mexican restaurant I've been to that stands out for the food instead of the margarita. Loved it! read more

Knowing that this is a new restaurant and that it takes time to sort out all logistics, my husband and I still find this to be one of the most disappointing dining experience we have ever had. The service is slow. The staff looks untrained. The food is not good. We ordered two drinks and two entrees. Some chips in our basket were soft and soggy. My margarita was "weak" and tasteless. My husband's beef was really tough. My pork was definitely not coming from a suckling pig, as it claims. No difference from any pork shoulder. Quantity was so small for our entrees, I thought they mistakenly brought us appetizers we did not order. read more

I'm not a California native or even a resident but I am well aware of the superiority the State has over other states in the country when it comes to Mexican food. This place was no exception. Had the trio of tacos...believe it was listed as a app. Simple, but was very good and filling, at least for me at the time. Along with the awesome complementary chips, I was good to go. They allow byob, at least wine bottles, and charge a "relatively" reasonable $15 corkage fee. Nice atmosphere and pleasant service. All in all...was chill. Would come back. read more

Didn't sit down and eat, but ordered to go. First off the staff is very friendly. Cute little place to eat. Love the decor, very welcoming. I ordered a burrito bowl salad with beef. As I waited for my order to be done, the owner offered me some water. Which you don't really get while waiting for your order. Definite plus. When my order was done, I went back to work, and ate it. The dish had lots of flavor, and a kick too it. I definitely loved it!! You got a good portion size too. I wanted to save some for my dinner, but it was so good I had to eat it all. This place is a little pricey, but it is located in Menlo Park. I don't live in the area, but I do work in the area. You're not paying $15 for a tiny salad, like I said good portion size. Definitely worth the price you pay for. I am definitely coming back again! read more

Pastor burrito was really good. My wife had the burrito salad and the aioli added a wonderful taste.

Great new place - we came by on a Friday evening after 9pm, after seeing a film at the nearby Guild Theater. The food was well-prepared, nicely presented, and out-of--the ordinary. I had the chile relleno - you get a choice of fillings. I chose vegetarian which had very nice roasted vegees and the pepper itself was roasted not fried. This was a fresh, healthy, and very satisfying chile relleno, NOT the conventional fried melty mess. My wife had a vegetarian burrito which was also very tasty and healthfully prepared. Both dishes were ample and well-priced. Service was quick and friendly. We'll definitely be back to try the other dishes on the menu. read more

Excellent food, great atmosphere and stuff. Stayed in the area for 2 days, had lunch here on the first and decided to come back for the second time the next day - did not regret it. Highly recommend. read more

What an excellent place!! Very welcoming!! Make sure to talk to Omar, he's awesome!! True customer service!

Here the food is cooked from the heart. The family seeks flavor in the food from the moles, salsas, and cochinita pibil (the spicy pork flavor). I like how the food is affordable, yet the servings are ample. We were treated to the legacy of the cook from growing up in her grandmother's kitchen in Mexico City to now in Menlo Park. For me a meal is part food, and part of the exchange with those providing the food, and Mama Coco's succeeds at both. read more

First time trying this place, I ordered a pick up order. The staff was very friendly and helpful. I ordered the shrimp tacos and shrimp ceviche. The shrimp tacos were amazing. I'm honestly not sure what was all in it, but the combination was delicious. The ceviche, I personally wasn't a fan of. Also, the shrimp was not deveined and I am definitely not a fan of shrimp waste left on my food. The chips had a strange taste, I ended up tossing them. I would definitely still order the shrimp tacos, even though they were $15 for four which is a lot, but compared to somewhere like Rubios where each taco is $5, the price for delicious shrimp tacos at $3.75 here is worth it to me. read more

Love this place! Omar and team always take amazing care of us and the food is wonderful. The sangria is to die for so we typically grab a pitcher. The first time we went we didn't realize that there was a back patio and now we always sit outside. The ambience is lovely with little lights around the fence. This is one of our favorite spots and we can not recommend it enough! Check it out. read more

The only reason this gets two stars is because of the waiter he was very attentive but the food was not that great and the drinks were even worse! read more

Do not know how this place has 4.5 stars. It is a mediocre mexican place that is not authentic in any way. Pros: Has a nice patio, a good place to bring little kids, and reasonably priced. Cons: below average food. read more

Amazing! Omar and his team created a fantastic atmosphere and evening for our CPLANE Christmas party! (He even had his wife craft a special holiday menu for us!) The food was fabulous! Don't miss the Chicken mole and the Pork! Yummy! read more

Great decor, food and service. Hubby and I celebrated Cinco de Mayo a day late and it's a good thing we did, because they ran out of food on May 5! We got margaritas: solid. They went down easily. Guacamole for an app: really good. I ordered the Enchiladas de Mariscos, which usually include crab, shrimp, and snapper. I mentioned to the waiter that I don't love crustacean and he said he could make it sans crab & shrimp. So dang good. Really. The sauce on top was light and creamy and paired perfectly with the snapper. Hubby ordered the beef short ribs. I tried a small bite and the meat was exceptionally tender. After dinner, we shared an apple tart with vanilla ice cream. Yummy. read more

Solid. Short menu. Nothing innovative, wish it was more mexico city focus, but good combo of casual and tasty

Great service but the food wasn't great. Ordered a margarita and it tasted like a watered down Skinny Girl Margarita....salsa was no bueno...meat was tough..again service was wonderful but not feelin it read more

Food was not spectacular. I agree with some questioning how this place got 4.5 stars. I had the carne asada burrito that had more rice and beans than anything else. My husband had the enchiladas which were pretty good. Both entrees not worth coming back for though. It was nice that they had a child friendly environment in their patio, however, the play sets were so dirty that my son wasn't able to take advantage of them. They definitely needed to be cleaned. Was expecting more after reading the other reviews. Too bad. read more

I was really impressed by this place-the food was so fresh and creative and the service was friendly and attentive-we ordered the kale salad, the salmon dinner entree, margaritas ( big and strong!) as well as the insanely yummy bread pudding that our server recommended. I really liked the outdoor seating area and all the bright vibrant colors that they used to paint and decorate the place- overall a great addition to downtown Menlo Park read more

First time restaurateur so you can imagine they've got a lot of links to work out. Super slow and incredibly uneven service That being said... Food was fresh and tasty Definitely could use more salsa / hot sauce selection I'll give them a few more tries before making a final verdict. Hopefully we have a new winner in Menlo park cuz we're a bit desperate out here read more

Delicious high end Mexican food. We parked our bikes on the patio and soaked in the sunshine while we ate a few small plates. Outstanding empanadas and guacamole. Delightful friendly service. We'll be back. read more