For these prices, you'd expect table service. Warm ambiance. Hot, tasty food. What you get is a cafeteria style experience. Cold to lukewarm food that seems to have been made hours earlier and kept on a barely functioning steam table. When you walk in,it takes time realize that what looks like a bar at the end of a hallway is actually where you order and pay, like fast food only way more expensive. They give you a number and you find a seat at a cafeteria style table in a cavernous room. A few minutes later, your order is dropped off. Utensils, water, napkins are somewhere else. A glass fronted cooler containing sauces in squeeze bottles sits across the room. Would love to find a local Mexican restaurant for "date night." This isn't it. read more

Order online. Drive up. Check in. They drop food right on your seat. You never have to get out of your car! So I drive home. There in less than 5. Pull into driveway. Get out. Walk around to passenger door. Get food. Close door. Take 8 steps. Bottom falls out of wet paper bag. Not a total loss. THE FOOD: COLD. VERY. Yummy hot and spicy low (as in NO) sodium guacamole =0 Chips good texture=2 Pork =3 Beans. Typical always bland=1 Value for money=1. I know this is what passes as Mexican. I've been here many times. This just happens to be the worst I've ever had. And the bag thing? 3 leaking plastic cups of pickled veg make a big whole in a paper bag. Think folks read more

Picante - Damages - Mexican Near Me - Berkeley, California

Unfortunately for us they changed their menu and removed what we always ate. Caveat is that the food has always been good. read more

$72 for "dinner" for 2 ??!!, omfg. 2 margaritas (@$12 each) 1 chicken burrito @$16.75 (for a "super" which means they add cheese & guac -standard burrito fillings at most taco trucks we frequently visit) and 3 fish tacos @$17. really depressing tent area to eat outside (construction ongoing so no indoor seating). fall from grace, as another reviewer put it. Sorry Picante, we'll miss you -you've lost 2 more customers! read more

Falling from Grace Like so many eateries in Berkeley, high prices are being matched with dropping service. Food is inconsistent- either wildly amazing or one step up from microwaved taco-truck next day leftover. read more

Food used to be pretty good for non authentic Mexican but the prices are outrageous now. I guess they need to pay for their remodeling so you will now pay $30 for 3 Tacos . 4 of us went here for dinner and with no alcohol and just regular drinks our bill was nearly $200. They must be out their minds. Food for local hipsters and yuppies that sip wine with tamales and don't care about prices. read more

Sad story. They took away all the things tat made it great, food, table service, ambiance, creativity, even friendliness. The tortillas are not even corn, everything is pre-prepared. I will never go here again. read more

The new and improved Picante (indoor dining space)! Picante absolutely revolutionized our takeout experience during the pandemic. The curbside pickup operation was a godsend and I'm happy they're continuing with it. That being said, we were really looking forward to the remodeling of their indoor dining space, but it was everything we could have hoped for! The new space is beautifully decorated and has plenty of seating (they still have the outdoor patio area as well). Service is always friendly and the food tastes even better on actual plates instead of takeout containers. We're so happy to have our go-to Friday night dinner spot back again. Thanks, Picante! read more

Just not what it was known for. The remodel to the interior has created a noisy, crowded space akin to an upscale McDonald's. The food has lost its classic Mexican cultural attention to detail, watery beans can flood a plate, and the indigenous complex flavors of mole sauces are gone. For literally decades we favored this spot almost weekly. Now better to make the trip to SF Mission or Mexico itself. read more

Excited to visit Picante! It's been awhile since I was there. I was thinking of a Chile Verde plate. A last moment change of heart thought of having a wet burrito version might be better. It was not. In fact it was the worst burrito I've ever had. After a longer than normal wait (the table buzzer never worked) it arrived. Wet it was not. Drenched in green sauce, it could have been la sopa. So much sauce I had to drain it on another plate. I opened it up to just eat the fillings. Very little pork inside. I'm really at a loss of words. Definitely not up to the Picante standards you'd expect. read more

Picante - Huveo Ranchero done righteous! - Mexican Near Me - Berkeley, California

We had finished washing our cars at the quarter wash and in search of a bite to eat. After running through the list of usual suspects, our niece's ears perked up when I mentioned Picante. She had a craving that needed to be fulfilled - a carnitas burrito (we had gone on a late night run for street tacos and burritos a couple of days before and the truck was out of carnitas). The chips and dips came out pretty quickly, but it was busy and had a longer than usual wait for the rest of our food, close to 20 minutes. The trio of dips - guacamole, salsa fresca and sikil pa'k (a spicy pumpkin seed salsa) - kept us busy nibbling. I love their chips! I found the pumpkin seed salsa addictive. the flavour was enough to keep me interested. It was spicy, but not too spicy. A new fave. My pozole rojo was delicious and filling. Love the chile de arbol salsa that comes with so you can dip your chips into it or drizzle it into your soup. I couldn't finish my bowl and packed it up to take home. Our niece was in carnitas heaven, she ate with a smile on her lips. Hubby's rajas con papas tostada salad looked good. The servers and staff were very efficient. Everyone was friendly and courteous. They were also patient with me at the cash register when I couldn't make up my mind. All in all, a good visit this time around. read more

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LATEST VISIT 1.5* I haven't eaten here in a wile so I went back for lunch. I got the fish burrito as a bowl. I am shocked that it was so disappointing. The bowl only had rice, beans and 3 pieces of fish with some mango salsa. No sauce, no greens of any kind and tasted bland and dry. 2/10. This was served with a side of their free tortilla chips which was the best thing about the meal. So I was unhappy with the lunch, only filled up on the chips and spent $13.70!!!!!! I will not be back unfortunately. --- First visit: 3.5 * This place is easy to spot in the neighbourhood because it has a nice sit out ideal for a sunny afternoon. We tried it for lunch and the way to order is pretty straight forward. After paying you get a clicker and when your meal is ready it will buzz for the pick up. If you are seated in the restaurant they serve it on your table. That's a nice touch. Their menu is pretty elaborate and they offer something for everyone. The prices are not the most affordable if compared to other places but the quality of products used justified the cost. The menu says they use Monterey market seafood etc and I love that initiative. Don't mind paying a little extra at all for good quality. I tried the fish burrito which comes with a mango salsa. Guac is my weakness hence the addition is critical. The whole meal cost me $14.00 approx. The food came out fairly quickly and was very well packed and presented. The flavour was good too. The fish was well cooked 8/10 and the guac was fresh. Their rice was good but I wish their ratio of rice to fish was different. I tasted the rice before anything else and even though it was good rice I wish I tasted other things more. The mango salsa was a good addition. The burrito does look heavy and big big actually is easy to eat and does not make you feel heavy at all. Overall a good burrito, maybe not life changing but reliable. 7/10. I will be back to try other things for sure and to enjoy the sun. read more

Great dining experience ruined by attitude from the cashier/order taker. Three of us ordered lunch and beers. Tacos, Chile rellenos, chips & guac. Food came pretty quickly. I realized that I wanted more spice so went and asked for some salsa. He asked me which one of the four, I said I don't know . Can I have one each? And I got read the riot act! Between the three of us we spent over $80 on lunch and we are being given a hard time for the tiny 1oz salsas?! The food was good but... BTW unexpectedly the salsa verde was spicier than the habanero! read more

The food, service and ambiance were all great. They did mess up our order a little but they comped the whole bill for the person whose food got messed up which I thought was way more than what was needed. 10/10 would recommend! read more

East bay burrito review #16 First bite 5/7 Meat 6/7 Beans 5/7 Rice 4/7 Cheese 5/7 Tortilla 4/7 Salsa 6/7 Overall 5/7 All the ingredients were fine, but someone all together they were less magical than I hoped. Salsa had flavor but almost no heat. I can't really knock it for that as there were hotter options read more

We tried ordering at 10:30am for a noon delivery. We filed an online delivery using their website (not Yelp). When we called to check up on our order around 11:50am, Picante staff let us know they did not receive an order. Please test/remove the delivery option on your website daily. I will not be relying on their online ordering moving forward unfortunately until there is confirmation it actually works. read more

Picante - Mexican Near Me - Berkeley, California

If you're looking for real mexican food, don't come here. Pozole is salty, tacos are dry burritos are super cold and you will barely find 4 chunks of meat. Prices are outrageous for such bad food. I do not recommend it, I'm a cook and I'm mexican too( born and reaised), I ve been to different restaurants and worked for 2 different catering companies in SF. I do not recommend this at all. Please appreciate your money, effort and time. read more

Picante - Mexican Near Me - Berkeley, California

It's lossed it's Mexican authentic flavor ,my God Ive tasted frozen burritos that had more flavor

Called to reserve a space for 24 about an hour ahead (graduation party). Was told no problem by the manager, we will save you a spot. Arrive to find a "reserved" section and when I asked was told it was mine. Turns out it was another party and after we left there was no spot for us. Manager came and showed where he planned to put us but never came back to check. Basically had to grab our own tables. Wouldn't have been an issue if I wasn't told they could accommodate. Then food took 45+ minutes. Go elsewhere read more

If you only order one thing here, it has to be the nachos! Crazy crispy chips with all the fixings. We ordered one to share for the table and I could have gobbled it all up myself. We also got the Azteca soup, which was rich and flavorful. I love the dried herbs, lime and raw onions on the side so you can adjust your flavor as you wish. The Chile verde plate was also a winner. The pork was really tender! If comes with tortillas too. We came here on a weekend and there's an extensive brunch menu in addition to the regular menu. We got the Mexican hot chocolate (only available on weekends) too. Rich and delish! Fresh tortillas made to order and if you take your kiddies to watch, they give 'em a free one hot off the press. read more

Picante - Chile verde plate ($16.95) - Mexican Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Underwhelming food. No different nor better than any other Taqueria. So that makes this place overpriced! The setting was cute, until we saw the query next-door. Kinda gross for an open air concept. read more

El picante ya no es comida mexicana , pedimos empanadas estaban muy cruda la masa .toda la decoracion ya no es mexicana el menu' no tiene variedad y aparte no tienen nada bueno, no saben cocinar . NO abran negocios si no saben de cocina.No tiene nada de autentico. antes estaba mucho mejor ! No lo recomiendo !!!!! read more

Mid, very mid. Everything was mid. First, we ordered a burrito, the three taco meal, and a quesadilla with chicken. The burrito and quesadilla were ripoffs, both of them being around $14 and being skinny and skimpy. I wouldn't recommend those. But the three taco meal was decent, they gave much more food than the burrito and quesadilla. Their service was pretty aloof, it was outside in the parking lot and you order everything by kiosk. Overall, I wouldn't recommend this for people, and we won't be returning. read more

Had the red enchiladas with chicken, when I asked for grilled jalapenos with them I was told that they didn't carry fresh jalapeños which to be honest was completely shocking to me for a Mexican restaurant NAMED PICANTE I then told the very nice lady with little stars on her face who was taking orders that I was skeptical if they had anything spicy and when she told me they had a Habanero salsa that was spicy and all that did was give me false hope. For the enchiladas part they looked very good but the sauce was desperately lacking in flavor and they wouldn't even let me mix and match the types of enchiladas so I wasn't able to see if the others were just as unfortunate. The beer is overpriced and unless you're an older person with no prior experience of real Mexican food I'm sure its very nice, flashy pretty plates served with an impressive bar but that's about where it stops. I won't be going back on principle. They're named picante with no picoso, truly disappointing. read more

I live in the neighborhood and used to love Picante. The last time I went there on $2 taco night it was an unmitigated disaster. I think I waited about 1:20 for three tacos and nachos. Their prices are absolutely bonkers, too. Went to order tonight and I see their once ridiculously-priced $6 street taco is now almost $7??? I canceled my order and will not go back again. Bummer. I like their chips, but other places have chips, too. Check out Sol Taqueria up the street-it's what Picante used to be (plus free chips!) read more

I only get the peppers and potatoes burrito and chips and guacamole but it's always good. The pickup is easy but it's a nice place to eat in. read more

Well, if the saying "if it ain't broke don't fix it' was an operating model, it wasn't followed here. I hadn't been in years so when I arrived I found that all the funky Mexican Eatery type charm has been completely extinguished. It was as if the designers from Chipotle rolled in and said, "Everything! Gone!" The food was fine but the atmosphere was sterile to the point of distraction. Too bad. read more

Sadly the fall from grace here has been cliff style. Mind you I just removed a 5 star review after YEARS of patronage. Also this review is not poor because of their remodel. The seating area stunk of bleach, it was not busy at all. After 35 MINUTES I walked back to the utterly disorganized and downright fraudulent ordering stand where our soggy food had been forgotten. Picante is at risk of not only going out of business but the food is now MICROWAVE STYLE AIRPLANE FOOD. Save your money, in fact stay hungry because this business is one to abandon. Almost forgot to mention they served us 1 pound of chips when we clearly selected smaller a smaller portion. If you enjoy unclear, inconvenient bad service and rude staff you will love it here. Just be prepared to leave nauseous and hungry. I simply cannot believe it and deserve a 100% refund for the unsafe food being served. read more

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I've been coming here for at LEAST 15 years. I love their carne super burritos. The super comes with cheese, sour cream, and guac. They give you a choice on beans, which I like that option as well. I add their red salsa to it. You don't need it since each bite has flavor already. The tortilla is soft and melts in your mouth with the burrito. We ordered the carnitas nachos this time. Chips are strips so it's difficult to grab everything in one bite, and the carnitas were grouped together, but still tasty. read more

Picante - Half size super carnitas nachos - Mexican Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Take out said ready in 20, so far it's been 40 mins and staff is just surly. No "I'm so sorry" or anything. I tipped generously in the app and wish I hadn't. This just isn't service and while I understand things happen, pls train your staff to communicate w waiting guests. read more

Oh my goodness! Hadn't been here for about 5 years. They've completely remodeled, and it's beautifully done. There are doors that open the entire restaurant to the gorgeous patio! The food was delicious as always, with large portions. The burritos and bowls now come with a side of chips and salsa. It's very clean and inviting. The servers were very friendly, as were the cashiers. Food was reasonably priced. Definitely will be back. read more

Haha, yay! I used to work around the corner from here in the 90's! And it was great. Anyone remember summit bikes? Today, it is super post apocalyptic safe to eat here, which is so very berkeley, but I enjoyed it! It's kinda like going on a ride at Disneyland. The food and drinks are still just as simple and fresh and delicious, so it was fun! read more

Picante - Carnitas taco plate watermelon Fresca grubbing in the area - Mexican Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Welp my family can't eat here anymore because the prices are insane. $8 for this microscopic kid's burrito is too embarrassing to purchase. Adult burritos are also much smaller than they used to be and $18 for a super. No more tamale plates is a real tragedy. On to the next burrito place! read more

Picante - Tiny $8 kid's burrito - Mexican Near Me - Berkeley, California

Just BAD, the food is not good, the portions are small and the prices are high. I DON'T recommend this place if you want to eat Mexican food cus is not. The service is ok. read more

The tostadas are delicious. Love the newly renovated indoor- outdoor dining area (as does my dog).

It's a really popular place. And it's actually bigger than it seems which was a nice surprise. Hubbers mentioned he's driven by here many times but never really got the chance to stop by. Since I was in that rare mood for Mexican food, and it was nearby, the timing couldn't be more perfect. Separate lines for dine-in and to-go orders. While waiting our turn, I noticed how expensive their non-alcoholic drinks are: $5.85 for root beer on tap, $4.40 for house brewed iced tea, $5.95 for hot chocolate?!?! I might as well get a beer for a couple of quarters more! Hubbers went for their cochinita pibil tacos with a side of black beans, a single order of fried shrimp taco and a watermelon drink to wash it all down. I got a fish burrito with refried beans and cantaloupe drink. Also got chips and guac to start. Total damage: $52. I thought it was pricey for Mexican food, but with some good Yelp reviews, I wanted to leave room for judgment on their food. Self serve for sauces and condiments inside small refrigerators located in a couple of spots within the restaurant. Self serve for utensils and water as well. Our orders came though not too long after. Chips and guac: check. My burrito: check. Hubbers' shrimp taco: check. It was paired with a carnitas taco which we didn't order, so that was weird. Then our number was taken away. Where were Hubbers cochinita pibil tacos?! He caught up to our server and asked about it. Long story short, there was a bit of mix up with the orders (which explained the surprise carnitas taco on our table.) Hubbers was assured his food will be delivered shortly. The chips and guac were delicious. Chips were fried crisp and salted perfect. The guac was perfectly seasoned. We both enjoyed this starter. My main course, however was severely disappointing. Way too much beans and way too much rice. The mango salsa was so scarce, I was able to count how many small slices of mango cubes were actually placed in this huge burrito. The fried fish had pretty much dissolved into the rice and beans, it was barely noticeable. I didn't bother touching the other half. Overall, there was nothing likable about this, so SKIP IT. (Hubbers tried it. He disliked it as well.) I took a bite out of the "comp'd" carnitas taco and that was horrible as well. It lacked flavor and the meat was a bit chewy. Nope. Hubbers, on the other hand, enjoyed his meal. So, there's that. FOOD: 2. (0 for the burrito. 4 for the chips and guac.) SERVICE: 2. For the mishap. VALUE: 1. Way too expensive for Mexican grub. PARKING: A couple of private lots across the street from each other at the end of the block. Street parking also available. OVERALL: 1.5. They do have a following. There was still a line practically out the door as Hubbers and I walked out. I may have just ordered the wrong thing, but even sans that and considering their price point, well... enough of a deterrent for me. read more

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I love Picante! I would frequent the restaurant when I lived closer, and stil drop by when I am in the area. I used to always get their super burrito pollo asado. Plus, I always had to have it with their green salsa. I have also had their chips and guacamole. I love the taste of the guacamole and the chips are fresh, nice and crisp! I was super excited to see they added burrito bowls! I am not a fan of tortillas though I do like Picante's. I mean burrito filled with beans and rice plus a tortilla, that's a lot of carbs, lol. So now my new favorite order is the super burrito bowl pollo asado. They nicely pack the bowl, which I appreciate. There are two small parking lots, you can park at as well as street parking. With Covid, they have adapted with curbside pick up. I actually prefer this method better. They have a tent set up outside where you pay and get your food. It is contactless so they will hold the card reader to you and you can insert your card. You can also order online so do not have to pay when you get there. I prefer phoning in my order and paying there. I truly love their curbside pick up and hope they continue this post-Covid! read more

I am a longtime customer ofpicante. Their food and drinks are wonderful. The best chips in town and the best guacamole too. The remodel is nice, but the vibe is completely different now. Three of us dined and did not order very much food and no alcohol and the bill came to over $70! As another customer experienced, a huge rat came through the restaurant. It doesn't freak me out too much because I have had a rat invasion in my kitchen as well and I know it has nothing to do with lack of cleanliness , but that being said, the prices are really high. All the vines are gone from the patio and the interior is nice, but honestly, a little boring. the colorfulness has disappeared. Sadly, Picante will no longer be my go to for casual Mexican. Hopefully, they will get the rat problem under control without using poison. read more

Wow! I never discover this restaurant before on Sixth Street in Berkeley. I would had thought all the eateries would be near University Ave or San Pablo Ave. The whole time I been working in Berkeley for a year I never thought of trying out Picante until recently. I heard of Picante from someone that works at Whole Foods Market off Gilman Street. I ask him about places to eat at around Berkeley and he told me about Picante off Sixth Street which I thought it was just houses in that block. I was amazed that there was a restaurant on Sixth Street. I had their Steak Burrito which was amazing. Don't let the price fool you because the taste of it is worth your money. Sure you can have Chipotle off San Pablo Ave but if you want a good burrito give Picante a try. This location currently does phone or online order. I love how they prepare people to order ahead of time compare to coming in person to order. They surely know the protocol of the pandemic. Check out Picante if you are in the Gilman Street area. read more

Food continues to be good. Service is always great. . I miss the old atmosphere in the restaurant. Now it feels like you are eating in a hotel restaurant. My 2 cents read more