Friend and I were looking for a hearty late lunch and are so glad we remembered Mama Coco's. We enjoyed chicken nachos & the tamarind margarita and quite honestly it reminded me why I love this place so much. Is it the most authentic and is everything on the meal enjoyable? The reviews say no but every time I've come I've had a great experience! I literally contemplated doordashing our exact meal the next day. Margarita included. The tamarind one is heavenllllly. Not too sweet either. My friend and I agreed that the chicken nachos are perfectly portioned. These aren't your basic nachos and quite honestly I couldn't figure out why they were so good until I looked at the menu description. It's the chipotle aioli and the chihuahua cheese on top of all the fresh ingredients they use! read more

Was looking forward to eating at Mama Coco on a beautiful hot March night like last summer but unfortunately we will not be coming here again. We had the worst service tonight I was really surprised. From the minute we sat down the waitress was inside sitting scrolling on her phone , she finally came out to bring us a bottle of warm water to drink then went back inside to look on her phone until I asked her if we can have some ice and service. They also now make you pay $6 for chips and salsa! Food was nothing spectacular. Prices definitely do not equal what you get. Had a $26 Shrimp Quesadilla that looked like an appetizer. We were so irritated by the waitress that by the time the food came we just ate and left. read more

Mama Coco - $26 for this? - Mexican Near Me - San Carlos, California

Expensive for no reason! I recently visited this Mexican restaurant and unfortunately had a very disappointing experience. We ordered the guacamole and tortas, and I was honestly shocked by the pricing for such basic items. For what I paid, I expected much better quality and flavor. The guacamole tasted completely bland, very far from authentic Mexican flavor. It lacked freshness, seasoning, and that vibrant taste you usually expect. The torta was equally underwhelming and felt very basic - that couldn't even finish, with nothing special to justify the high price. Considering how expensive everything was, I truly feel it would be better to grab food from a local food truck, which is often much tastier and more authentic at a fraction of the price. Overall, super expensive and not worth it. I wouldn't return. read more

Ate here cause I wanted tacos but honestly I should have just stuck to El Grullense. Ordered: - Calamari, tasted old and not fresh - Taco plate, meat quality did not taste good, had hard pieces of meat, and the tortilla texture was stale unfortunately Service felt inconsistent and slow. I think the worst part was that the water bottle container silicone cap was moldy... read more

Mama Coco - Calamari and taco plate - Mexican Near Me - San Carlos, California

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Mama Coco, are you trying to take me to the Underworld? I got so sick from food poisoning here that I was throwing up and exhausted the next day and had to only have liquids the next day. This was the only food I ate that day because I skipped breakfast and by tge time I got home after eating here I was vomiting multiple times. I really wanted to like this place but I can't risk going back. 1. Temperature is so important. I could tell my soup was reheated, and poorly at that. Barely lukewarm. My enchiladas that they hastily put together also had temperature issues. They need to make these dishes hot and fresh and just not reheat leftovers. The chicken tortilla soup I'm sure is what made me sick. Like I said the soup was barely lukewarm and when I was eating the chicken it definitely did not taste fresh and neither were the veggies. 2. Lacking Flavor!!! They need to season their meat. The beef enchiladas were very bland and my coworkers tamales were dry. Once again with so many other restaurants this could be a problem with why it was empty during lunch time. My coworker also disliked her salad. She took like 3 bites and was done. That's pretty sad. The horchata was a little too sweet for me, so once again a 3 average stars. Paid extra for the chips and salsa. Not worth it. Green salsa which was just okay and pico de gallo and cold chips. Would not get this again. The churro was probably the best thing here. My coworker who did not get sick did say her tamales smelled stale and wasn't that good either. With so many restaurants in San Carlos, this place needs to work on so many things to up their food game. read more

Mama Coco - I got food poisoning here, it was the only thing I ate and when I got home I started vomiting - Mexican Near Me - San Carlos, California

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I really appreciate having Mama Coco here in San Carlos! Besides their food being great, they have a more regional focus than other Mexican restaurants in the area, so you can get things beyond the typical taquería fare. I really love their cochinita pibil, which has a fantastic achiote flavor and a fall-apart-tender texture. As a the main entree on a plate, it comes with coconut rice and a salad of shredded mango and jicama. Both sides are delicious on their own; the rice is creamy but not overly soft, and the salad is bright, crisp, and the right level of sweet. But more importantly, both sides really pair well with the pork, letting it shine as the star of the dish. Their staff are super friendly and pretty attentive, even with the volume of dine-in and to-go orders they're handling. Plus, they've made good use of their outdoor dining space on Laurel. read more

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The happy hr tacos are great, I wasn't expecting much from happy hr tacos but what I got was excellence and for a great price. The tacos had lots of meat and very tasty, the shell was a great size, crispy and delicious also. read more

Went here when it opened, but I was not an avid Yelper then. It was cute on the outside, but the food was awful. The rice was nowhere near the taste of Mexican red rice, it tasted very white washed. And it was overpriced. I did go to the mama Coco location in Menlo Park, and the food was a little bit tastier. The service is decent at both locations, not as fast as it could be. read more

3.5 stars, rounded up because I really love some of the stuff. Been coming here since they opened, because their plates are quite something. Every Mexican places (even comparing the same style/region) seem to have some specialty, and my favourite stuff here is the chile relleno: always delicious no matter what you put in it, with some kicker rice and beans. We've also enjoyed their ceviche, enchiladas and empanadas. Overall, I feel like their food is quite nice for dining in, and it's a step up from a regular taqueria. On why it's not a full 4 star: The restaurant has an outside parklet area, which is supposedly nice but often either too boxed in (so it's hot), or too windy (the Bay Area..!). There aren't a lot of tables inside. The last few times we went, it wasn't adequately staffed, the parklet area is quite littered (from previous patrons), and the restaurant closed early. I've seen similar things at the Menlo Park station -- I sure hope they'll hang on because it's such a nice little restaurant. read more

Amazing food & excellent service. Small restaurant, but great enclosed patio seating with heaters & fans. Great for a quick drink & appetizer or a larger meal with friends. GET THE GUACAMOLE !!!!! So so good. read more

This place is genuinely great Mexican food, it's a shame it has anything below five stars. The tamalas and enchiladas are really excellent. Great staff and ambiance, their coffee mugs are especially cool read more

I hate leaving bad reviews for small businesses, but this was seriously the worst Mexican food I've ever had. The chips were fine, but the salsa that came with it was just salsa verde that they bought from a jar at a grocery store. The tortilla was stale and there was zero flavor at all in the chicken burrito I got, and it came out at room temperature. $30 for a burrito and chips and salsa; overpriced and horrible food. read more

Delicious, cute ambiance and great service. I Especially loved the mole, it was delicious.

This place is the very best. We come here weekly. Everything on the menu is great, we cycle through the options to change it up but always start with a Cadillac margarita. Service is fast and friendly. We love the parklet option when the weather permits. Love pollo con mole, fish tacos, Mariscada, carne a la tampiquena, cochinita pibil, chipotle enchiladas, pescado asado... but really it's all great. Family friendly. read more

Burrito was delicious and good service. Outdoor seating is nice. Would recommend for a quick lunch.

My husband and I had just finished hiking in the mountains west of Redwood City and were hungry. My husband typically likes really hearty food, so I knew some mexican cooking would really appeal to him. This place has a mom and pop shop sort of vibe. The inside is a little dim, but there is a nice seating area outside on the blocked-off street. It was cold that day but the heat warmers outside did not even need to be turned on, somehow the outdoor seating area seemed to trap heat well. It was also nice having an outdoor seating area because my dad brought his maltippoo along. We ordered some chips and guacamole as an appetizer and it was so delicious ! The guacamole was a good mixture of chunky and smooth, plus the chips were warm and fresh ! I also ordered horchata which is my favorite drink ever and I really loved their version of it, it definitely felt less watered down that some other places that server horchata. My husband ordered a dish with steak (I'm so sory I can't remember the name) while I ordered the a shrimp fajita dish. It was soo tasty ! I feel like it is hard to make shrimp taste good with cheese, and they did an excellent job. I also had never had coconut rice before but I thought it was tasty to go along with the shrimp and fajitas. Service was also very friendly and did not take too long ! We would definitely love to come back here again and would recommend this establishment ! read more

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Came here on a Friday night and got seated right away. It's kid friendly and has a kids menu. We got a pitcher of margaritas and shared it among 4 people. Most of the items were authentic Mexicans dishes. I wanted to try something new and got the cochinta pibil which is a pork dish. The meat was tender. They have seatings both inside and outside. read more

Mama Coco - Cochinita Pibil Plate - Mexican Near Me - San Carlos, California

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Decided to check this place out last minute since my friend and I were in need of some food before we shopped. So glad we stopped by here as their fish tacos really hit the spot. Must try their tamarind Margarita, it was pleasantly easy to drink and got tipsy off one. Sangria was pretty good too. The staff were very friendly and kept checking on us to see if we were enjoying the food. Went there on a Wednesday so not a lot of people. Clean and cute restaurant. The patio had space for little kids to play in so great for families with little ones. read more

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Never had the opportunity to try MamaCoco before. Tried their 4 Taco Plate. Each taco was different and held a generous portion of food / chicken, beef, pork and shrimp with pineapple. Included were chips & guacamole & salsa. It was a chilly evening so I tried their tortilla soup (very tasty). Over all a pleasant fast delivery - I'll go back again when I'm in the area. read more

WTH? This was the worst "Mexican" meal I've ever had. I'm not even sure if this qualifies as Mexican food. This is based on a Pick Up Order. First, when ordering, I asked for "No Sour Cream due to allergies" and of course my meal had LOTS of cream all over it. So I had to scrape off or eat around the cream. Second, the Guacamole did not even look real, like in the pictures. Third, the ground meat was mostly gristle. The flavor was totally lacking. Every part of the dish seemed like ingredients that were from a can via Sysco Foods and just put together. Fourth, the only way to order a Quesadilla online was under the child's menu. While it was listed in the Child's menu section, the size was something that would have been appropriate for an American Girl Doll. Fifth, when I picked up the order, I was ignored for 5 minutes and I was the only one in there. In hindsight, that was a red flag. While the price was expensive for what it was, I understand that running a restaurant is difficult in this area. But at this point, what I got from this restaurant... I would have preferred Taco Bell, and I haven't been to one in over a decade. I'm not sure how this restaurant has garnered so many good reviews, but it seems most of the patrons of San Carlos downtown restaurants are lacking some authentic taste buds. read more

Decent Mexican spot in downtown San Carlos. Ordered the flautas with beef and they were surprisingly good. Margaritas were good also. Service is on the slower side. read more

Mama Coco - Flautas with beef - Mexican Near Me - San Carlos, California

Not always attentive to their customers, but once they are, they're pretty good. I like the tacos the best

We stopped by downtown San Carlos for some lunch on our way to Filoli. I've never been- cute downtown. The outdoor space at Mama Coco looked appealing to us. Quick friendly service and great food. I had the tamales and my husband had the torta. Yum! read more

Mama Coco has a nice assortment of dishes and offer most optionally as vegetarian, chicken, or beef. Their fully loaded nachos look as great as they taste. The chicken mole enchiladas are deelish. Service is excellent. read more

Mama Coco - Chicken Mole Enchiladas are really gooood!!! - Mexican Near Me - San Carlos, California

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Oh man. Delicious food and amazing service! The whole downtown area of San Carlos is a foodie paradise. I have yet to really explore many of the eateries and bars but this year, I am going to eat my heart out in this area. All the dishes came out hot and flavorful. The owner has a couple different locations and this one just had the one year anniversary! Through the pandemic it made it through and it's not a surprise because the food is really good. It's not your typical greasy Mexican taqueria, which is one of my favorite meals lol. This place is elevated and the ingredients are so fresh and the combination of spices is on point. The cocktails and Mexican style beers like the chavela is so refreshing. If it's your first chavela come here and order it with the Modela Negra, let's just say you'll be hooked. That cheese fondue appetizer in the croquette is so good with the chips, rich cheesy goodness with a little hint of roasted green jalapenos. Cannot wait to come back! Parking is a hit or miss here, just gotta be lucky especially on weekends. They take reservations, especially for big parties and I highly recommend it! read more

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Two of my best friends arranged a bachelorette dinner at Mama Coco to celebrate my upcoming wedding. The restaurant has a small patio street-side, a small dining area indoors, and a larger table on the sidewalk. The menu had lots of tempting options but I went with the pescado asado (red snapper), which came with coconut rice, sautéed veggies, and squash puree. The fish was fresh and tender, and the accompaniments the perfect compliment. We ordered guacamole as well, which was tasty. Their tortilla chips were just ok. Friendly service, though come with patience when they are busy. Parking in a nearby lot. Prices were reasonable for the portions and quality. read more

Mama Coco - Pescado asado with coconut rice - Mexican Near Me - San Carlos, California

Came here for a friday team lunch and came away satisfied. The patio is nice to enjoy and there's enough space so you don't feel crammed together with other tables. I had the Torta de milanesa lunch and left perfectly full and not overstuffed! read more

Mama Coco - Torta de Milanesa Lunch - Mexican Near Me - San Carlos, California

I will never return to this retaurant. It is my first time ordering here. We have many good Mexican restaurants in San Carlos. This is not one of them. I ordred take out. My fish taco was soo bad. The fish had gone bad. I could not eat it. I also ordered Nachos. Twice while ordering the nachos I asked for extra guacamole. I did not receive extra guacomole. The Nahos had some weird tangy sauce tht I have never tasted in any other mexican dish. I order Mexican very often. I literally threw out my entire dinner. I don't know how anyone could go to this rstauant twice. read more

Came here with the hubs on a day date for a light lunch. Sitting outside was great and the service was fairly attentive. Had the calamari, which I feel like you don't find too often at Mexican restaurants. I like the little kick of heat but it was too oily to be crispy. We also had the fish tacos because it seemed like everyone on Yelp had loved it. It wasn't bad and I did like that I got 4 tacos but nothing stood out. I would come again if I was looking for a spot to chill outside and was in the neighborhood but I wouldn't go out of my way to stop in. Sorry! read more

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In love with mama coco Staff is super nice and welcoming Food portions was great! I ordered the fish tacos with rice and beans yummy and the guac was great too loved the chips Over all 5 stars can't wait to go back and try more! read more

Mama Coco - Beautiful location - Mexican Near Me - San Carlos, California

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Cute place. Nice outdoor seating. Good food but probably wouldn't go back. We ordered empanadas which were really good with the sauce. They were kind of soggy and not crispy like most. But i really liked the thick taste of the empanada bready part. I ordered the fish tacos which were pretty good. Felt healthy and fresh. The burrito was also pretty good. Again, good food but nothing id crave to come back. Except maybe the sauce. Service was great! read more

the cook isnt using glove grabbing everything with his hands. I would hope they talk to him about that. I don't want to naje a big deal about it but that's kinda a big thing now a days read more

Walking by this Laurel Street newcomer this afternoon got me hankering to try some of their cuisine. So glad I did because they're total sweethearts and I'm in love with their food! I love fish tacos and always looking to try new varieties! I ordered the fish taco plate; 4 tacos with rice and beans. I also ordered the guacamole and chips appetizer. I initially thought the fish taco plate was 2 tacos, dang there's 4 nestled together like newborn babies in the hospital in the to-go container! I love it! Also, their tortillas are really unique and they brown them a little before prepping the tacos, so good!!! The smoky aioli sauce with jicama slices are super nice touch and really make these fish tacos my new go-to, to-go! Guacamole appetizer with chips is another go-to item! Chips are not over salty or greasy. The gauc is great and chunky with onions and tomatoes. Super friendly, family owned establishment also located in Menlo Park. The owner warned me as I left with my food, "you're gonna love it, I guarantee!" Ahhh, he's right! I will definitely return often! Give them try! read more

Mama Coco - Fish Tacos Plate, so good!!! - Mexican Near Me - San Carlos, California

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I didn't take photos. Let me describe instead. I love a good Cochinita Pibil. We were a group of 6 and no one really wanted to share with me, so they ordered other things (pollo con mole, flautas, suizas de maricos...) None had heard of Cochinta Pibil before. My dish came, a beautiful generous serving of succulent slow roasted pork in savory sauce, fresh sectioned oranges on top, coconut rice on one side, mango salad on the other. Other dishes looked good too, the mole is red, different (fresher tasting) from the dark brown one normally finds. The suizas with the green sauce looked good too, but everyone (except the pescatarian) agreed that mine was the best. I will be going back just to share this dish with my husband. I love to cook, but don't think I could make this better at home, I will also get that jalapeño Margarita again. Not too spicy, just enough. Well done Mama Coco, you have a new fan for high end Mexican food...especially the pork. read more

Very good food but mediocre service. My go to is the Conchinita Pibil Plate,but any of the seafood dishes or the 4 taco plate are also fantastic. I love this dish because of the unique flavors of the slow cooked pork with the gorgeous and unique flavors of annato seeds, banana leaves and orange. This is the first place that I have tried this dish and I looked into making it at home... forget about it. It involves more than 24 hours, an underground oven of hot stones. In other words, get this dish here! The accompanying sticky coconut rice and slaw of radish, mango, cucumber are perfect yin and Yang warm and soft, salty and cold, crunchy sweet. This is the restaurant to try new things instead of going with burritos, quesadillas or fajitas. The mole is fantastic and the ceviche is so good. All of the sauces are all wonderful. Service is consistently average. I was out on the patio and the restaurant had one other party. One of the servers claimed to be very busy with delivery orders. You won't feel rushed and the food comes out hot, but my iced tea refill and request for tortillas yielded waits that led to a subtracted star. read more

Mama Coco - Cochinita Pibil Plate - Mexican Near Me - San Carlos, California

Enchilada was the best!!! I was so hungry for lunch during my break n craving Mexican dish. Wasn't expecting that this place would be so nice. Service was great, food presentation was impressive, and it was delicious. Would definitely come back and also recommend this place. I should've taken pic of the food but couldn't wait to eat. lol read more

What a find! Mama Coco is a very unsuspecting place located on Laurel Ave in San Carlos. But as soon as I saw they had queso fundido on the menu, I knew I had to give this place a shot. My husband and I came here for a pre-dinner snack after work and got the queso fundido, the empanadas, and a bowl of their tortilla soup. The queso fundido was by far my favorite - super cheesey and flavorful and paired with a few warm corn tortillas on the side - total bliss. The empanadas were a close second - they were nicely toasted and full of cheesy flavor - these were my husband's favorite dish. The tortilla soup was a nice lighter side to go with the heavier cheese dishes. We ended up deciding to get an order of mole chicken enchiladas to go - when we dug into this later on, we were both blown away by how delicious this was. Mole tends to be a hit or miss for me, but this dish was definitely a hit. The mole sauce had just the right combo of ingredients to make it savory and rich without too much of one ingredient taking over. Would definitely recommend coming by to check out Mama Coco - we will for sure be back. read more

My family and I have been going to Mama Coco for a couple months now and we LOVE IT. It is the perfect spot to bring young ones as they have a play area for us parents to enjoy some tasty margaritas. The outside is beaut and perfectly set up for a date night with the kids. The service is always great, with friendly faces every time. It's inspiring to see a family working together and creating something so special. In a time when small businesses need our support more than ever, I'm proud to spend my money here. Highly recommend stopping by--you won't be disappointed! read more

I'd been wanting to try this place for awhile and finally got here with a friend a few months ago. Since then, I've been 3 more times! I can't get enough of their awesome margaritas - the strawberry and jalapeño are my favorite, though I'm still waiting to try the tamarind one. They put Gabon on the rims, which is amazing and so much better than salt! The food here is also excellent, I'm partial to the enchiladas with green salsa, but have also had the burrito and have been with friends who've had the tacos and flautas. All excellent! I love that the enchiladas have a flavorful, not too spicy, sauce and their meat is really good! Obviously, I always have to get guac because it's extra just like me, and they have a really wonderful guac and house salsa. Their chips are crunchy and taste freshly made - never too thin or stale like other places I've been too. I got a to-go burrito for my husband last time, and he said it was excellent. They did a fantastic job of bringing it right as we were finishing up so it wouldn't be all soggy. Their staff is friendly, professional, and accommodating, and service here is very quick. 10/10 would recommend and already craving another trip in as I write this review... read more

Pretty Dissatisfied We tried this for the first time and were let down by it. We were initially intrigued by how good it looked in the pictures but what came out on the plate was not what was photographed. The guac was obviously out of a cheap tub or bag and was $14 which felt outrageous once it came to the table. Chips were also out of a cheap bag and somewhat stale. My last gripe about the quality was the beans. At a Mexican restaurant, you can't be serving canned beans, especially at their prices. You usually get what you pay for but it felt like we paid for the real deal and got knock off Mexican food. The upside is that their menu has a lot of great options, it's just that the execution fell short. If they went away from bagged and canned food and served some fresh authentic ingredients, this place would be a hit. I'm sure some of the food is fresh but tonight we ate out of the can. read more