Came here on a Tuesday evening. The street was pretty quiet, which made dining outside pretty pleasant. The restaurant had some festive lights hung around the dining area and were nice enough to turn on the heat when it started to get a little chilly. Both the manager and our waitress were very nice. Guacamole: 4/5. This was a pretty healthily portion of guac that tasted very fresh. It was a nice addition to the chips and sauces that we got as part of the meal. I believe one of the sauces had habenaro peppers in it, so it had quite a kick. Pollo al Chipotle: 4/5. The meal included a healthy slab of chicken with a nicely flavored chipotle sauce drizzled on top. The meat was cooked just right and was nicely complemented with the sauce. It also came with rice and beans, and I was quite full afterwards. read more

I was so excited to see this restaurant in San Carlos. I had been to the Menlo Park location a few years ago and loved the food. It's a very casual environment with great food. The dishes are always comfort food for me. I sat outside on a Friday afternoon. The restaurant has a tent set up outside along with some tables set up alongside the restaurant. I got the chicken enchilada verde. It comes with two enchiladas , rice, and beans. It was a perfect size serving and really hit the spot. I'm so happy to have the restaurant nearby so I can introduce the rest of the family to it. We love Mexican food and often times order in for our family dinners. I know we'll be ordering from here in the near future. read more

Every delicious dish cooked with love! Came here with my 7 friends and we were welcomed like family and left with our bellies full! We started with chips & guacamole, Mama Coco empanadas and fish ceviche to start, each full of fresh flavors and beautiful presentation. And a whole variety of drinks to match, great menu :) For my main dish I had their cochinita pibil with coconut rice and wow, that meat was so tender and flavorful! The rice was smooth and creamy (not sweet) and balanced with the pork nicely. I tried my friend's mole enchiladas -- now I know what everyone is raving about! One is chicken, one beef. I would order all of those dishes again and then some! Highly recommend eating here, friendly (and masked!) staff, clean, festive atmosphere, and home style food. Locally owned family business. read more

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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

weekend stroll along laurel and stopping by mama coco for lunch...$10 kid's menu available along with plenty of choices for the adults...water and menu provided...deciding on the kid's carne asada quesadilla with the steak on the side...gladly accommodating the request...for the adults, taking the al pastor burrito $16 and requesting wet for $3 extra...mole beef enchilada $22 for the 2nd dish...small quesadilla arriving first with melting cheese folded over a warm flour tortilla...daughter enjoying the quesadilla, but refusing to touch the rice or beans...carne asada was seasoned well, hot and fresh....the mole enchilada and wet burrito following after...pair of enchiladas covered in dark mole with subtle sweetness and little heat...it was delicious....the wet burrito was a behemoth covered in red sauce and melting sprinkle of cheese...good burrito with well-balanced ratio of filling...not sure why receipt shows menlo park (2nd location), but roughly $67 total after tax and tip for 1 child and 2 adults with no drinks... read more

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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

Yass! Definitely give this place a try! We got their Torta de Milanesa and the Tacos con pollo y salsa verde! The torta was super filling but at the same time not uncomfortably heavy. The meat was so tender and the salad has a bit of bite to it-- as my boyfriend said (in a good way). I think he was describing a little spice it had! He said it was amazing! I had the tacos and the salsa was amazing and light! And the chicken was moist and filled with flavor! The chips were an added bonus they have a delightful crunch! Definitely would come back!! I really want to try the tamales! read more

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Full admission I was so hurt to see Santorini's gone only to be replaced with another Mexican restaurant. I finally gave this place a chance and will do so again and again. I placed my order for pick up with a breeze and I was greeted by a very kind gentleman with a wonderful sense of humor. Now, on to the foot, I started off with ceviche de camaron for my appetizer and was pleasantly impressed! It's freshness and flavors wowed me. I brought some to my mom and and she devoured the rest, praising its freshness. For my entree I ordered the fish tacos and hoped for the best. My taste buds were dancing for more! The fine slices of hicama and mango made the taco POP. If I would've paid attention to its contents I would've asked for it on the side but I inhaled 3 of the 4 fish tacos. I'm excited to go back and try more of their dishes and my mom is eager to make the trip too. read more

Mama Coco - Ceviche de Camaron - Mexican Near Me - San Carlos, California

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Nachos, margaritas and wine pours were good, Tostada Ensalada was not quite to my taste (heavy on mint) and service was too slow for our needs. We arrived for a quick dinner before picking up kids from their afternoon activity and happened to catch the last 45min or so of happy hour. At the time there were two other tables wrapping up, so it didn't seem busy. After checking in with the wait staff and picking a seat outside, we ended up having to venture back inside a few times to get menus and then our order taken. Drinks were reasonably prompt, but we waited for a plate of nachos and a salad with salmon for about 35 min, at which point I made another trip back in to have our order wrapped to go and to settle our check. If you've got all afternoon to hang out and aren't terribly hungry, give it a shot, but we probably won't be back - we have a couple solid Mexican favorites in the area with instantaneous service that fit our needs a bit better. read more

While this place isn't bad, it certainly does not live up to the high prices they charge. Their prices are comparable to more upscale local Mexican restaurants, such as Milagros or Quinta Sol, but the food quality and service of Mama Coco's does not live up to their price tag. The margaritas taste really cheap and are low quality. And the guacamole is very watery and seems exactly like the stuff you get from Safeway or Trader Joe's, it's definitely not made fresh in house. My enchiladas were tasty, but the ingredients just felt kind of lower quality. Also, my food came out lukewarm and I had to flag down our server to ask for it to be heated up. Our server did not speak English at all, so I had to speak Spanish to get her to understand what I needed. There was no apology for my food coming out cold. I would rate this place higher if they did not charge the prices of an upscale Mexican restaurant. The food isn't bad and it's a quaint/cozy vibe, but if they charge such a high price point they should deliver higher quality both in food and in service. read more

I really want to support San Carlos businesses and I wish we had a great Mexican restaurant downtown but the food here is really lacking. First, the chips are pretty tasteless. The salsa they came with felt like it had been sitting out for awhile. I wish there was a Mexican establishment in the area that fried their own tortilla chips and served them fresh. The nachos and enchiladas were pretty mediocre. My kids had the kids burrito and my daughter complained there were small pebbles in her beans. We won't be going back. La cornetta is far superior to this place! 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

Love the atmosphere here. We sit outside & it's right be the downtown park in San Mateo. It just has a fun vibe. I usually get one of their salads and they are seriously delicious & pretty filling. read more

I've become somewhat of a regular. The food is consistently great. Great place to try specialty Mexican dishes with high quality ingredients. Things that have impressed me - mole enchiladas - the mole has just the right amount of sweetness. My go to dish however is the Carne a la tampiquena. It's a great combo plate of skirt steak, rice, beans, peppers, guacamole, and some sort of mole doused enchilada with cheese. It's a firework show of flavors that all compliment each other perfectly. I've developed a craving for this specific dish and it's all I ever order. Only reason I am not giving 5 stars is because I was craving this dish and even though I came at 7:30pm on a Monday (30 mins before closing), they didn't seat us! I don't live in San Carlos and made an effort to drive here They should either update their weekday hours to close at 7:30pm if they are going to close the kitchen 30 mins early. I barely have time to get home from work and make it over at that point.. good thing is the neighboring Italians restaurants stay open a little later so was able to grab some great food nearby. read more

Yummy, we will be back! Enjoyed the fish taco plate, guacamole, and horchatas. 4 fish tacos are great to share- the fish is lightly crispy and so tasty! The mango and jicama topping is refreshing and the crema has a nice kick. Outdoor seating is very inviting and colorful and the staff is friendly. Every other dish that came out to other tables looked like something I'd like to try so hope to be back soon. read more

Mama Coco - Horchatas and guacamole - Mexican Near Me - San Carlos, California

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This was my first time trying Mama Coco and I already look forward to returning. I ordered a Chicken Burrito Bowl to go and it was really delicious. Cilantro-lime rice, thin tortilla strips, sour cream and a mild, yummy chipotle aioli came mixed with romaine lettuce, the protein of my choice (marinated grilled chicken) and sauteed green bell peppers. The result? Super tasty bowl! I will order it again, but only after I try a few other different dishes first since a lot of their menu appeals to me. My husband ordered the pork tamales, which came with red rice and beans, and he really enjoyed it. It was a warm day, so we appreciated that a member of the wait staff offered us a seat and glasses of water while we waited for our order. Delicious, authentic Mexican food. My only regret is that we didn't try it sooner. Another wonderful Check, Please! suggestion. Will definitely return again. read more

I came across this restaurant when I was searching for Mexican food in San Carlos. It's fairly new and I was very happy to have founded it‼ Location is nice in Downtown San Carlos with easy parking nearby and patio dining was setup very nicely with overhead heater and safe distance in between tables. Fajitas Quesadillas was delicious The staff was pleasant and helpful. I want to go back already‼ read more

Mama Coco - Mexican Near Me - San Carlos, California

Good Chili Rellenos, very good service and a great day to eat in their outdoor dining are.

The food was good from what I had. The guac was AMAZING!!! It was very flavorful. I ordered the sopitas and my friend ordered the tacos (4). Everything looked and tasted delicious. The sopes I had one chicken one beef. It was a decent size and filling. Service was good. The margaritas were strong. The ambiance could have been better. Insides a little depressing, so we sat outside. I would eat here again. read more

We happened to be in the San Carlos area and I was struck with a Mexican Food craving. We found this place on Laurel street that offers outdoor seating (no indoor it seems at this time). The service was quick and they would check on us at least a couple of times. The chicken enchiladas by far are my favorite. But everything we ordered was pretty good. The beef burrito I struggled with as the meat was unique in how it was seasoned/marinated. May have to try a different protein in my burrito next time. Nonetheless, we had a great experience. While there we observed a lot of families sitting down to have dinner. Good for both young and older kids. read more

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Don't waste your money. Such a shame to have leave one star. I work 2 doors down, so could have been a regular here! $14.80 for a veggie burrito that was near tasteless. Additionally, it was filled with near raw carrots and zucchini, which was not on the menu! I dislike both and wouldn't have ordered it had that been in the description. Very disappointed. The green burrito at Carl's Jr. has a better burrito than this place. And it's not even that good, that says a lot. Seriously though, go to the place on San Carlos Ave for real Mexican. Mama coco is a waste. read more

Mama Coco - Mexican Near Me - San Carlos, California

I ordered a margarita, and this is what I got (see pic): A mostly empty cup of nothing! Do you see any ice? I don't. Is this the stingiest pour of margarita you've ever seen? I will never order from this place again. read more

Mama Coco - A margarita with hardly any margarita and no ice - Mexican Near Me - San Carlos, California

One of my favorite spots in all of downtown San Carlos, and also a great spot to bring visitors to for some really good food with a casual ambiance. Love their decorated patio seating (which also features heaters for chilly nights). The staff is always super warm and friendly, and the food is always great (they have a lot of delicacy dishes that are less commonly found at other Mexican restaurants). My favorite is their cochinita pibil (marinated pork shoulder cooked in banana leaves, served with a side of coconut rice and mango-jicama salad) - it's so tender and flavorful- perfect for if you're feeling extra peckish! Their drink selection is pretty wide- they offer an assortment of tasty margaritas, mojitos, and other mixed drinks! read more

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

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Really overpriced for what it is. The chicken in my burrito bowl salad had a bunch of tiny bones in it, and the salad itself was over-drenched and overpowered by the chipotle flavor and made my husband sick. Service was fine, I'd maybe come back for a margarita and the $4 chips/salsa, but otherwise I don't recommend this, sadly. read more

I was craving Mexican food today, and I thought, "hmm, let me try mama coco!" The seating area was nice. I ordered queso fundido, the shrimp tacos, and the carne asada tacos. I was so excited! My mom even said, "wow, we should come here more often. It's so nice to sit outside."... then the food arrived... the queso fundido was literally melted cheese in a tiny orange pot... it honestly tasted like they microwaved some cheese.. it had NO flavor, it was oily had had little pieces of cactus...and then they gave us tortillas to dip into the cheese. The tortillas were bad! Like how can corn tortillas taste bad?! Anyways, the shrimp tacos had 2 pieces of shrimp in each one. It was slathered with some mayo type thing and slices of fruit and a random orange slice.. then it was time to try the Asada tacos... I took 1 bite, and at that moment, I knew..it was not okay.. it tasted like boiled, dry, chopped up meat...it looked like it was ground beef with no flavor and it was cold...I told my mom to try hers and she was like... what the heck... I even told her that I'd take the loss, and we can eat somewhere else! Lol.. but my mom was like, let's just see if they can replace the Asada tacos with shrimp tacos... You guys.. the unbelievable happened...we kindly.. like super nice, asked the waitress if it would maybe be possible to replace the tacos with shrimp ones.. she became SO defensive, and I kid you not! She grabbed the meat off of my plate and squished it in between her fingers, and then explained to us that we were the first people ever not to like it. She explained how they cooked the meat and implied that we didn't know how carne asada is cooked or how it was supposed to taste... I kept kicking my mom under the table to signal to her to let the lady get whatever she wanted to say out of her system..and I kept nodding like, oooooh okay... but she kept on picking up the meat from my plate! In her hands!! Squishing it in between her fingers to show us that it was good?!? ... anyways, the shrimp tacos came out. She put them on the table with an attitude. I didn't want to offend her because it didn't taste that good either, so I ate what I could. Then I put stuff into a napkin.. and when the waitress wasn't staring at us, giving us the evil eye from the doorway, I walked over to the park next door to throw the napkin with the food away because I didn't want want to upset her!.. I felt like a child and that she was going to scold me.. anyways, the whole experience was weird--$ 40 for everything. I would not recommend it. The food has no flavor... I hope they can take some of the suggestions and use them as constructive feedback. It would be great to have a yummy Mexican restaurant in the neighborhood... but sadly, this wasn't the one for me... read more

Their fish tacos are some of the best I have ever had. They are grilled not deep fried. They use red snapper when most places use either cod or tilapia. The way they cooked it was perfect and melt in your mouth and you get four nice small tacos and they use this really nice I think it's like a Chipotle aioli but it's really mild with tasty flavor. They have red rice which is really nice or you can sub for coconut rice which is to die for but beware it does have dairy in it. My friend had the pork shoulder which is the cochinita and it was really good too you could definitely turn it into tacos as well. The servers were awesome and very kind. I've been there twice now and the food is always great and so is the service. My friend got a non-alcoholic hibiscus drink which was very refreshing and had a low amount of sugar in it it was a perfect balance. read more

It has been a pretty significant time since I wrote my last review and well I had to have an experience that inspired me to resurrect from my Yelp retirement. This establishment was it. It could be because I haven't had my mother's home cooking for quite some time or maybe because i was dining with close friends but i found the food especially acceptable. As a group we shared the guacamole, ceviche de camaron and the empanadas. I'll speak to the guacamole and the ceviche as both were common fare in my household growing up. Empanadas while very good, I can't speak to my upbringing as they weren't common in my particular part of the motherland. The guacamole took me back to mom in her molcajete laboring away at grinding avocados with the onions, and tomates. Very fresh, very delicious. No blender here my friends, this guacamole was made by hand. The ceviche was as I remember my father making, nice fresh shrimp, avocados, tomates, cebollas (onions) a hint of ketchup (well that's my assumption). brought back memories for sure. For my main dish I went with the fish tacos. You get 4 hearty tacos full of fish, cabbage, onions and dressing. Biting into the tacos it took my back to my visit to San Felipe in Baja when I was much younger. Now the impressive part here is that normally in Baja you fry the fish in a batter but from what i could tell the tacos had grilled fish but still quite rich and full flavor. I'm glad I was recommended this place and I highly suggest it. The food is exceptional home cooking. Everyone at my table enjoyed their meals. A friend had the mole enchiladas and my goodness that mole was a dark, rich color just like I remember my grandma making. Definitely coming back to try that. read more

The food was great. I ordered the chipotle chicken enchiladas and it was one of the best enchiladas I have had. Unfortunately the SERVICE IS SUBPAR. The restaurant had a nice outdoor seating area with maybe a table or 2 inside. We walked inside to be seated and someone in the back told us to take a seat anywhere outside (while not getting up from where ever they were in the back). We grabbed our own menus and chose a table. The restaurant was empty with only one other party seated. We waited for about 10 minutes for someone to take our order before going inside to ask if our waitress was as coming since we were hungry. After requesting services the waitress came out and took our order. The food came out quickly, but the waitress never came out to check on us and only appeared when our food and drinks were available. After we finished eating, again we were waiting around for 10 minutes until deciding to go inside and ask to be pay since we were ready to leave. All in all the food is great but the service ruined the experience of eating out at a restaurant. I would recommend ordering take out. Great food with a great location and potential to be a nice dining experience. Unfortunately with the current service and having to get up and go inside everytime to find your waitress, I would only order takeout moving forward. read more

Mama Coco - Chipotle Enchiladas - Mexican Near Me - San Carlos, California

We love Mama Coco's! Whether it's for lunch or dinner, the food is always fresh and delicious! The staff are also very friendly and efficient. read more

Food is very good. Cozy place friendly stuff. Adorable prices. Highly recommend for seafood lovers.

Had an early dinner on Mother's Day. Waitress struggled with English to start. She didn't mention upon ordering that they can't make a blended margarita which on its own is a travesty. Ceviche was runny and snapper didn't seem fresh as the fish was already breaking down. For $15 I expect better. Chips are super bland. Almost like cardboard. After a couple reminders an ultimatum to either bring out the sole entree and final piece of the meal after 50 minutes (and they weren't even close to capacity) they bring out the fish tacos that are basically stuck on a bed of beans. The tortillas were falling apart from being soggy and I resorted to using a fork and knife rather than the usual grab and eat. Needless to say this is my last visit to MamaCoco. read more

This is our third time here for lunch. The food is good. The service is pathetic. This Friday afternoon at 1PM.. We sat outside, we were the ONLY customers here. The only ones. The waitress took our order, dropped it off and that was pretty much it. Never asked us if we wanted more drinks, etc etc. When we were done, we could hear her in the rest. talking with her coworkers and finally came out. Mgr/owner, PLEASE give this person some basic training. (she has waited on us before and we just assumed she was new and did not know what to do) Again, the food is good, mole enchiladas, sea food enchiladas, etc. This place would be better off as a takeout only. read more

Amazing food and enormous portions and the owner is super friendly. This place rivals Mexican food from the East Bay.

Though a sampling of some of the other reviews seems a bit mixed, we really liked Mama Coco. Full disclosure...my very first impression could have been better because when I arrived and asked for our takeout order it quickly became apparent that a small problem had happened. Because of some confusion on another customer's part between the Menlo Park and San Carlos locations, and because the customer's husband has the same first name as I have, my order was accidently given to the other customer. Particularly since the San Carlos location is just getting going this strikes me as pretty understandable and forgivable. Making it even more OK, the manager bought me a free beer and the added wait time was maybe only 10 minutes. So, no harm, no foul as they say. Absent that small issue, everything else was top notch. We had the Cochinita Pibil (thanks to Susan K. for her review of it), and it was super tasty. To complement the pork we felt like a seafood dish would be the thing so we tried the Mariscada. Also excellent...seafood very fresh and not overcooked, really good flavors. We'll be back for sure! read more

I ordered a plate with four tacos and a margarita, my girlfriend got a plate with four tacos and a margarita, my friend got a burrito and a Michelada. 20 minutes after we finished eating they brought out a bill for $112! 20 minutes after that they came back to process the payment. I don't know how we can go out and get tacos and a burrito and have one drink and have it cost $112! Neither the food nor the service or anywhere near that good. Should've gone to literally any other Mexican food place. Will never return. read more

The atmosphere is good sitting outside. The service is okay. But the food really is below average. The meat don't have flavor, and the pork and steak are really overcooked. We actually picked this place because we want to try a more expensive Mexican restaurants. We have a few cheaper Mexican restaurants we like and gp regularly, and want to try something fancier for a change. I have to say it's a big disappointment. The food is much worse, and everything's way overprized. I am surprised it got many 4 and 5 stars, but I don't want to take the chance to try a second time, there are just so many more better Mexican restaurants in Redwood city. read more

Excited to see Mama Coco in San Carlos! Wonderful friendly service and I LOVE their Cochinta Pibil. Can't wait to return and try more things and maybe some Margaritas! read more

Mama Coco - Cochinta Pibil - Mexican Near Me - San Carlos, California

I think this place is a tad pricey but the food was very good. We had the fish ceviche, the tacos, the shrimp diablo, and a vegetarian burrito. I enjoyed the ceviche but it definitely like cocktail sauce. The tacos were very good! The burrito and the shrimp dish were also very good. We will likely try other things from here. The staff were very friendly. read more

Tried the calamari, the taco plate (4 tacos, 1 fish & shrimp, 1 chicken, 1 cochinita pibil, 1 beef) and Jamaica to gulp it down. The highlights were the chicken taco and the fish and shrimp taco. The cochinita taco was quite oily, the pineapple on top gave it great taste but lacking the cochinita punch of flavor. The calamari were spongy and lacking flavor on all fronts (batter and calamari itself). The beef taco was ok, the texture of the beef was a bit grainy, the beef flavor was not there 100%. The Jamaica beverage had great floral flavor and not too sweet. Staff was super attentive and diligent. read more

First grilled fish tacos I've actually liked. Fantastic flavor, quantity, and quality. I'm hooked and recommend for those looking for good Mexican food in San Carlos. read more