Went in for dinner and was immediately seated. Tables got seated around us after and all got served before us. After 15 mins we never got served and walked out. Wait staff stood around and made their rounds and completely ignored us. Our table never got approached for drinks or our order. Extremely disappointed. read more

Best chips and salsa in town!! We've been eating here for years and it's always delicious. The location is not ideal and parking can be hard, but it's totally worth it. The cheese enchiladas are really good. The servers are always very friendly and fairly attentive. It's our families favorite restaurant. read more

Fun staff at this location, and always quality food! Being downtown for work a lot it's nice to hit the local places, and this is one of those places you go back to again and again. I believe I ordered the Chicken Flautas last time, great taste, made fresh, definitely recommended. read more

It closed before 8:30 on Saturday. May want to update that. Drove across town to enjoy cheese enchiladas but had turn about and head to Rancho Grande. Which was just as good. read more

I've been here several times over the years with the most recent time being a few months ago. It's not my favorite mexican restaurant in Bakersfield, but it is okay. The restaurant has been open over 50 plus years so they must be doing something right. I've tried their enchildas suiza, chimichangas, tacos, and nachos. Although, each dish was good, there was nothing that truly stood out to me. In other words, there was nothing that I craved for that would make me want to come back again and again and again.... The service has always been fine, and it doesn't take too long to get our orders filled. The prices are right in line with other similar restaurants. If you're in there area of town, then they are worth trying. read more

We had an early dinner and I enjoyed every minute of it. Chilo was very attentive and it was a good time. Thanks Mexicali for getting the bar going again. read more

Mexicali is the most overrated Mexican food in Bako. It is fine and if you have an aversion to spicy food this is sure to be your type of place. They do have a very comfy bar and tasty margaritas so all is not lost. Two blocks north is La Costa. They are much better. read more

They do not like seniors. They offered me a Senior Citizens discount card when I turned 65, 7 years ago. The card does say "Between 4 p.m. & 6 p.m." , however, for the last 7 years they have been giving me the discount since I eat dinner between 3:15 & 3:45, three times a week. The last time I went (6/29/2019) the refused it because it was not 4:00 p.m.. The original family that started the restaurant and there kids are now gone and the grand kids are running it and they do not seem to care about helping seniors. I have dined at Mexicali for over 60 years for both lunch and dinner spending about $ 30.00 ( not including the tip) each time, and as I stated above usually about 3 times per week, I guess loyalty and old age is not what this young generation wants for their establishment. Now another Mexican style restaurant will benefit from my business. read more

Great food just as I remember from the 60's. Excellent service. We come here often from Utah and are never disappointed. Thanks for the memories! read more

Food: Bad Service: Worse. We had to wait for service and to have our drinks refilled. The food was cold and even if hot the flavor was bland to just plain bad. They gor half the orders wrong in a party of 8. We had to wait 15 min to get the bill after asking for it and when it came it was all together when we aksed for seperate checks. Another 15 min went by and we were overchargedon 3 out of 5 bills. read more

I have been in a lot of Mexican restaurants but this is the worst. ..the food is over price and with no taste at all...the lady put the plates on the table with out saying anything about the plates been super hot and I say no beans but Doble rise and I guess they don't do Doble here because I got just the regular amount of rise but yeah got charge the same ....don't come here if you looking for good time, food and good price read more

Mexicali Restaurants - Chile relleno.... - Mexican Near Me - Bakersfield, California

I have been eating at Mexicali since I was a kid. I am 62 now and whenever I get back to Bakersfield, I try to go and have great Mexican food. Great service as well. read more

During the time of this pandemic, we have been taking extra steps to avoid leaving the house. Some weekends though, you just want a chance to eat out and have a good margarita. That's where Mexicali comes in and anyone who has ever been here knows their margaritas are worth it! Unfortunately, I did not think and call in my order so, when I walked in their front door at 8:04 pm they asked if i did. Imagine the disappointment that immediately came thinking those delicious meals and magnificent margs would have to wait until another day! Thankfully the manager himself said he would be happy to take our order and ensure we left happy. They were all very friendly, efficient and thankfully safe thanks to a good manager providing adequate PPE for serving the public. The margaritas come pre-mixed in a sealed Mason jar perfect for transporting to my backyard. I am always impressed with the service but this weekend was fantastic. A special thanks to those not only still serving the public but also to the manager willing to take an order past closing. Thank you all! read more

Bakersfield has more Mexican restaurants than you can imagine. Mexacalli is t known for its creativity or authenticity to a specific Mexican cuisine. It is known for being a traditional spot for folks from Bakersfield. The food is consistently well- prepared. The chips are always fresh and the strong tomato-based salsa is unique. If you are trying to go "foodie" then ask for anything off menu or the specials. Otherwise, stick to the basics on the menu and you will not be wowed but you will be pleased. Lastly, Mexacalli accommodates large groups and caters to them well. I cannot tell you the number of functions we have had here from birthday parties to business lunches. The staff are always friendly, courteous and meet your needs. This can be recommended for a slice of Bakersfield. read more

Mexicali Restaurants - Posole - yum! - Mexican Near Me - Bakersfield, California

I hadn't been here in 20 years so out of morbid curiosity decided to get dinner. Kinda a mistake. Got the fajitas, because how do you mess up fajitas. Well by not cooking them properly. The meat was obviously not cooked with the onion and pepper. I imagine there are bins for the cooked items and then they just heap it on your plate. It's faster to be certain but the taste is bland and uninteresting. That being said, the service was great and my waiter could not have been nicer. But I might wait another 20 years before I come back. read more

The service was good. The food was not. In a town filled with excellent cuisine and just as excellent choices of cuisine, you really need to stand out with tasty food and awesome service. Unfortunately Mexicali does neither EDIT: I have food poisoning read more

The food was very good, the restaurant looked so beautiful with all the Christmas decorations. I went with a party of the 3 and the waitress was absolutely horrible. Extremely rude. No people skills whatsoever. I will not be returning. read more

Service is not the same.. new waitresses are rude and not friendly at all.. the waitress that claims to be from the Bay Area, she's bogus--she food poisoned us--three days in bed...what a b read more

First time to visit Mexicali with my classmate, J. She lives in Bako and has been going to this restaurant forever. Great recommendation - I always love going to a new place. FOOD: Ordered beef flautas which came with pinto beans and Spanish style rice. It was very gingo-style, however, that didn't stop from eating everything! Salsa seemed Pace-like, but decent nonetheless. DRINK: Strawberry margarita - yum! AMBIANCE: Kind of reminded me of Ernie's in Eagle Rock, CA. They really don't look the same, but that was the feeling I had when I walked in. SERVICE: Quick Would definitely go back! read more

I had the most Delish Cottage Cheese taco salad at this place. Considering the small town feel this has gotta be one of the most charming Mexican Restaurants I've been to. read more

Mexicali Restaurants - Mexican Near Me - Bakersfield, California

Consistency, consistency, consistency!! That is definitely what Mexicali's has going for it. It is always good and everything you order on the menu always tastes great!! My family and I have been coming here since I was a baby. Family memories aside, I really have always enjoyed the food! I have traveled the world and still craved some good ol' Mexicali's now and then! We have known the owner and manager for years. Many times he would even come and dine with us like we were family. There is no doubt this is a family owned and run operation. I know and I hope Mexicali's will be around for my children to visit Bako and eat the yummy food!!! read more

Waitress Mariana was outstanding! Attentive, with correct, hot, orders! On a busy busy Friday night. They give a senior discount. Who knew? Try the green salsa. It was more like homemade. Wish they had sides of Pico de Gallo and/or jalapeños. We felt we got good value for our tourist dollars. read more

Pros, Cons, then summary. Went here with my family and a large group of friends. PROS--Food is great. I'm very critical (but fair) when it comes to Mexican food because it is my favorite. The food tastes great and the portions are fine. Beans, cheese, rice, etc. are plentiful. I happen to like the location. Not too busy of a street and near Rabobank Arena and the hotel I was staying at. CONS--Only had bottles for beer. If you are a restaurant, have beer on tap. It does make a difference. Place was a tad run-down. Invest in some newer chairs and tables, and hide the broken stuff in the back. Have a TV somewhere, I want to watch sports and eat. Would I go here again? Yes. The food was good and portions generous. I would give my $$ to Mexicali again. read more

I've been eating at Mexicali since I was a kid, and just recently they closed Mexicali West which was the location I often went to..they had the best chili conqueso.. So, I went to the downtown location for my favorite appetizer, not once, not twice, but several times in hopes that it would be as good as Mexi West. It is not the same, in fact, is awful.. it's old and the cheese is gummy.. I'm so upset that each time I go back I'm disappointed.. I wish they would make a fresh batch daily but apparently people don't order it enough.. bummer! I miss Mexi West for that reason.. read more

No! You can tell right away from the chips and salsa. Cadillac Margarita, nope it was awful.

We go here every year after our daughter performs in the Nutcracker. Tonight is the last time I will ever step foot in this restaurant. We were the first of six large tables seated in the back room. After over 1 1/2 hours, every table who had arrived after our party had received their food except us. We inquired about our meal and another 10 minutes went by with no response. I asked for a manager, and when the manager came by he gave the excuse that they were "busy." When I said they weren't too busy to provide all of the other tables with their food, the "manager" laughed at me. After a few choice words he said not to disrespect him, denied laughing at me in front of my entire family and walked off never to return. Everyone's food was cold and they did little to compensate us on our bill. Not to mention the back room smelled like the bathroom when we first got there. I would suggest the health department visit this place soon. It is not what it use to be, and makes me miss Mexicali-West even more. Worst dining experience in my life. read more

Mexicali is a mystery to me. A mystery as to how they can stay in business in a city such as Bakersfield. Service is good, the people are friendly. The food? I have had food just as good from the frozen food section at Smart and Final. Really don't think we will return. read more

This place was recommended by a local, but on the way there we almost did not make it because of reading the reviews. To our pleasant surprise we loved the ambiance, the home made salsa was great. The Chili Verde was delicious and the chili Colorado was the best I have in my life being from Los Angeles it goes unsaid that we have to pick a very good if not excellent Mexican restaurant. read more

The place is very nice in the inside is like an old hacienda. The food is mainly so so is more American style. Is more caterer for Americans. Than I am more into authentic Mexican but is not bad at old. For those people that me Mexican American food. The salsa needs to be more spicy is more tomatoes by for other palates would be good. read more

We made sure to be the first ones in the door on a late Saturday morning that we knew would bring many customers due to a busy convention center weekend. Sure enough, the crowd began to roll in after we got our orders in and got served, predictably quickly, too. My mate's huevos rancheros were predictably delicious, as well. I ordered a chile verde burrito and was rewarded for making a sound choice. Every bite was a succulent experience. A long family tradition of consistently fine quality food is the reason that Northern Mexico style cuisine dominates its menu. If you are a chocolate lover, then you will be delighted with their salivation-inducing Chocolate Taco, a savory creation of a gently folded, deep-fried flour tortilla dipped in chocolate which is quickly hardened, then filled with chocolate mousse, and trimmed with whipped cream, chocolate sauce, nuts and a cherry. Since moving away from Bakersfield 44 years ago, I haven't been here as often as I would like, but this fine dining experience will make me return on the next trip, for sure. I realized at first bite that I shouldn't have waited so long to return. read more

Always the place to be!! George the bartender is why we continue to visit. George's margaritas are always consistently delicious. And the appetizers are always so delectable. read more

WARNING!!! DO NOT EAT AT THIS PLACE. Hands down the worst service I've ever had in my life. Arrived at 2:55pm got seated and then our waitress came over and dropped off chips and asked what we wanted to drink. A couple of minutes later she returned with our sodas. After this we were completely ignored. During this time there were 3 other waiters that had tables around us and they visited their tables at least 2 times each. Our waitress had a table on the opposite side of the room and she checked in on them 2 times while ignoring us. There were a total of 5 tables with customers including ours. After about 10 minutes the chips were finished. Sodas were empty and nobody returned to check in and/or take our order. We kept scooting our menus closer to the edge of the table to give them the hint we were ready to order. Finally at 3:22 when we couldn't scoot the menus any further without throwing them on the ground and 20 minutes of being ignored we got up and went to the front register and asked to pay for our drinks. Which they offered to not charge us for. I refused to take the sodas for free and paid for them. I wasn't there to ask them for anything free. The only difference between us and the other 4 tables was that they were clearly white. Mind you my wife is white and I'm half Italian but apparently our darker colored hair made us not white enough to be served. In a Mexican restaurant of all places. The waitress' name was Roxie apparently. And Ruben if you're reading this, you and your entire staff have a long way to go when it comes to customer service and understanding that in your business you thrive or die based on your customers. So keeping them happy and providing good customer service means they will spread the word and come back therefore making your business thrive. That concept is apparently foreign to your entire staff especially Roxie. This post will be going up on any websites I can find so everyone is aware of the type of service this establishment provides. read more

I find that the farther north I travel from the US/Mexico border, the more and more challenging it is to find SAVORY Mexican cuisine. Soooo....I'm not really expecting too much most of the time. Mexicali fits in my "okay" category - kinda like Marieta's in La Mesa. Quaint is the first thought that comes to my mind when I think of this place; a slightly antiquated restaurant, large Rancho style furnishings (booths clothed in brightly colored Native inspired geomatric patterned fabrics, stressed wooden cabinets, folklore/historic inspired paintings adorn the walls, and funnest of all - probably about three large, sprawling tree branches draped with shear fabrics and tiny holiday lights perched precariously in the ceiling trusses. The place screams "campy" in a happy, friendly kind of way. I late-lunched here with my guy around 3:00 pm. The place was deserted when we entered, however the staff was on it - we were seated immediately, the waitstaff lingered out of eyeshot while we made our culinary decisions and promptly took our orders when we indicated our readiness. Our waitress was patient, friendly and quick to offer her opinions (which read sincere) on everything from the carnitas to the chiles. The chips were great, the salsa was good - guacamole made at our table = best. We ordered from the house special combinations - standard taco/tamale/enchilada plates - and were not disappointed. I peeked inside the bar on the way out - again - QUAINT, slightly campy - with velvet mariachi sombreros decorating the walls, a festive cantina look. I can see this being a great spot for some serious happy hour take-downs - you know the ones - you and your entire gal-pal party squad meet up to put a hurtin' on the tequila; or as a great spot to take visiting relatives or varied palettes who crave Mexican food, but can't take too much in the way of chiles or desired more Americanized dishes. read more

Oh no. Bland. Chips were the best part. No, scratch that. Our waiter was very good and he knew his menu. A professional. Unfortunately the guacamole lacked salt, spice, and flavor. We were here to celebrate a birthday party, and after the guacamole it was a down hill spiral. I feel so bad for putting this. It's an older restaurant with the decor to match. Staff was friendly and the place was clean. Had a very bland taco with bland chili relleno. No salt. No spice. No garlic. The salsa as I quoted to my wife. Hey that's spicy marinara sauce. The cheese was cheddar and just bad. This had seem like a very big Bakersfield favorite, why? I have no clue. This was my worst Mexican food ever. It was bad for authentic or non authentic. Ouch. Very watered down. I want this place to succeed I don't want to see a local business close, but get someone in the kitchen that can taste flavor. read more

The food was delicious, service was on point, all for a very good price. The owner went above and beyond to ensure that we had a great meal. Highly recommend. read more

Went for the tortilla soup -watch out way too salty and couldn't finish it . Service was poor. I asked for tortillas as I guess it is separate from the meal. The waitress took forever to bring them. I didn't even get retried beans but instead got sautéed vegetables with my meal. Definitely not worth it read more

What a darling place! The ambiance is great for date night or a weeknight quick bite. The food was typical but pretty darn good nonetheless. Try the sangria. read more

Mexicali Restaurants - Chicken taquitos. The refried beans were so good! It had whole beans, not just a pasty mess. - Mexican Near Me - Bakersfield, California

Always good! Came in late on Friday night, service was great. Food is hot and made to order, always a good choice.

My family has been coming here for ages. Any celebration, pre game, post game and date night, you know where you'll find usI really don't even need to leave a persuasive review because the food, service and atmosphere speaks for itself. The true gem of this place is Tish. She's a bar area waitress that keeps us coming back for more. She's prompt, accurate, and witty. We love her to death and always make sure we're in her section :) read more

Very rude waiters, I'm from out of town and came here to enjoy my evening and the waiters rolled their eyes at me as I asked for green salsa. If your having a bad day, don't bring your attitude with you! Very unprofessional! When I'm at work it's my job to serve the food and make my costumes happy! I'm unpleased with their service. read more