I haven't had a wet burrito in YEARS so I finally decided to give this spot a try. I came here for a work holiday party and honestly I don't understand why people are bashing on this place. First off, wet fish burrito was a hit. The sauce for it really helped pull all the flavors together compared to it being a plain burrito. I can still taste the crunchiness of the fish as well. My only thing is, it's too much sauce even thought it's "wet" for a reason. The compostable containers kinda got mushy when I let my burrito sit. Guacamole wise, pretty comparable to Chipotle. They are very generous with the portion. Chips were shaped differently which excited me. NOT PICTURED: Margarita and watermelon agua fresca. Watermelon agua fresca wasn't too sweet but a great chaser for my margarita. Marg was super strong oh my! Definitely a solid spot for when you're in the area! read more

Picante - guacamole - Mexican Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Super amazing Shrimp tacos! And quick and excellent service. They even let us park our bikes in their courtyard. read more

Picante - Shrimp taco. - Mexican Near Me - Berkeley, California

I bought a single carne asada burrito that cost me 17.00 and it was filled with rice and it was super dry. They forgot the sour cream guacamole and the picante. Jeepers The lady who brought the food to me was nice. read more

What happened after the renovation? This place was known for its take on Mexican street food but today's chicken salad and chile relleno had no taste and were very expensive. The relleno wasn't even fully cooked and included only one chile relleno, a small puddle of beans, and a scoop of rice for $21! Plus, as we were having lunch, a family let their two young girls run around the upholstered bench seating with their shoes on and not one member of the staff said anything. Who was going to wipe down the bench afterwards? read more

Plato de carne asada, meat was good, but the dish was so dull rice and beans no salsa no onions too dry

Returned after reading the bad reviews. Had not been there since the remodel. Not sure why the bad reviews. Food was good, plenty of meet in the tostada salad, just as I remember it.i liked the new dining room with all the interesting masks on the wall.salsa still free along with free chips with Tostada.i recommend the chicken mole, I don't care if someone is not making tortillas like they used to in the front. Yes the price has gone up. Be prepared to pay $25 forma meal and a drink but thats what it costs everywhere for decent food. My only complaint is no coke in a can unless you want diet. I-will never buy some off brand cola that is supposed to be better because it never is and i don't always want to pay more for Mexican coke. At least they haven't caved to The Pepsi generation. read more

I hadn't been to Picante since before the remodeling. I see a lot of people don't seem to like the new look. I actually found it to be an improvement. The interior space has much more natural light and it feels less cramped. I ordered a tostada with flour tortillas, carne asada, and black beans. The salad was enormous, so it felt worth the cost. I was surprised to see there was no salsa on the salad so I used the salsa they brought when I was seated. (I didn't like the chips that accompanied the salsa. Way too thick and hard.) The tostada was quite good. I'm glad I finally made it back. read more

Picante - Tostada with carne asada and black beans over flour tortillas. - Mexican Near Me - Berkeley, California

It's a legacy Mexican restaurant in Berkeley. I've been there many times, specially during pandemic in outdoor parking lot seating and take aways. Location is great with huge setting and now renovated beautifully inside. Staff are welcoming and attentive. Operations stays the same as before renovation (order to seat) where IMHO doesn't fit with this renovated restaurant anymore unless they want to keep it cheap / loose otherwise it's a pricy place for the quality of the food you get. This place has a potential to be fine dining Mexican (given highly improve the food and operation beforehand). Foods look and taste cheap but pricy! Perhaps burritos are the best out of everything else. Nachos are oily. Foods are salty and oily, again look and taste cheap. Decent amount of chic indoor and outdoor seatings. Exclusive parking lots. Easy accessible inside and outside. Separate vegan menu with many veggie options. I'll for sure be there again just because my niece loves the place and I occasionally take her there but I don't enjoy the operation and food. read more

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Sorry, to say but a very firm no... never again My kids are now 24 and 22 out of school but from a time they were a very young age here but can't they used to be one of our reasonable stop in points after a game or a night out... Always calm and inviting with many families with kids... Reasonable prices But that is certainly no longer... As I am sure it is with many other restaurants right now in this market... But this one is a firm no I went with a friend and paid $40 last night for dinner and one drink... The margarita... Though the nice attendant person told us in depth about how they brew it, it tasted like a popsicle melted in a glass of water thought it was too sweet and too fake limey tasting. It was in a short shaker glass and it came with... I actually measured it. It was a 2" x 2" x 3" ice cube in the glass... There was definitely not more than 3 ounces of drink in that glass. The food... Again I shouldn't perhaps judged by past remembrances, but it was a small plate with some beans and rice on the side... Very mediocre... I wouldn't say it was bad if it were $10 plate I would've thought it was an OK deal but it was a $21 plate The staff was very friendly... I don't like their new upgraded ambience, which is a little cold and sterile. I really liked the older place with okra walls in a feeling of charm... But that said in this market, their price might have been fine if it was actually good and for the price, the food is which put it at a pretty standard Mexican joint, it's just not a mix I would go back to. It wasn't worth the price for the quality of food they now serve. read more

One of my fav Mexican restaurants in the Bay Area, hands down! This place has grown and evolved considerably since my first visit about 15 years ago, but the food and drinks have remained as good as they've ever been.. a testament to the growth of their physical restaurant space. Everything here is so fresh, and the little things like chips, salsas, and tortillas real look y make their main dishes shine. read more

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A quality restaurant off the beaten path. This place has been here for years and the people who serve food here knowledgeable. West Berkeley is one of the most random neighborhoods, but you should try this establishment anyway. read more

You know.... Everyone can have an off night sometimes, and when the person on the phone takes your order and forgets to submit it .... That's bad enough... But when you get home and your Chicken quesadillas were not Chicken at all but Al Pastor... Well I have no words! Good help is really hard to find! OMG!!! Forget to submit my original order so when I get there, my food isn't even ready and then you make me wait some more and you still don't get my order right!!! read more

Food is mid, the price of the food absolutely does not match the quality that you are served, and service was not that great at least the people interacted. read more

Great food and even better service. I love their tortilla chips so much that sometimes I'll just order a pound of fresh chips to go.

My favorite Mexican restaurant continues to impress. Today I ordered three norteños style pork tamales with guajillo chile sauce. The plate came with refried beans and rice. I've made tamales before. These tamales are perfect. An amazing balance of textures and flavors. Order at the kiosk outside the entrance and they will deliver to a large outdoor area. Matt says check this place out read more

Picante - Three norteños style pork tamales with guajillo chile sauce - Mexican Near Me - Berkeley, California

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A day or two ago I received an email from Picante letting me know that they were extending their brunch menu to today, a Friday, as they did on the Monday of Indigenous Peoples Day. Kathy and I met here for brunch today. I arrived on time, a little before noon. and found street parking close by. Kathy was held up by a train and had to detour, so she was later. She called and asked me to order chilquiles for her, everything the same as mine except the eggs over easy. I got in line and Nick helped me. I ordered both dishes and a cup of English breakfast tea for me, requesting low fat milk--or oat milk, I forget now--and Stevia for me. He gave me one of those locator gadgets to put on the table. I put it there and then gathered napkins and silverware, My tea was brought and then the chilaquiles, much quicker than I expected. Kathy arrived not too long after. She went to the counter and ordered a horchata to drink. I ate some of the chilaquiles before Kathy arrived to try them fresh and hot out of the kitchen and they were fabulous, much better than the ones I brought home last time. Kathy enjoyed hers too, as well as the horchata. My tea was delicious and most welcome in today's chill. After I left I was feeling miffed that I had not been offered a refill, then realized it was self service and that it was on me to find hot water to refill my cup. Oh well. Lesson learned. Before I left the restaurant I found Nick behind the bar and asked him how crowded it got for weekend brunches because Kathy and I wanted to come back for more chilaquiles. He said it was busier than today but there would most probably be room inside. I expect I be back during the week for empanadas, but I will definitely be back for my chilquiles fix on a weekend! read more

Haven't visited since before the remodel, everything is so different but in a good way! Very modern and open interior with ample indoor/outdoor seating (yay heatlamps!). The menu is pretty much the same, prices have raised a bit but portions are still the same. My family ordered 3 burritos- our favorite. We were pleasantly surprised to see that chips now come free with the burrito. Delicious as usual, the flavors have stayed the same thank goodness. Only thing to note- we had added on guacamole and cheese to all our burritos and the distribution was very uneven. One of us ordered chile verde, and there seemed to be only a few chunks of meat which was pretty disappointing, the rest of us got chicken and there was enough. The employees offered us free soft serve, it was pretty good! Nothing special but fun to try. Picante is still my favorite Mexican food in Berkeley. Excited to come back! read more

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Good convenient high end Mexican food at a kinda reasonable price. I say high end because it's what you would find at a nice cloth napkin Mexican restaurant or cantina. My grandma and I went for lunch the other day, I got a tostada salad and she got a fish taco with rice and beans. I also got an Agua. Everything was suuuper tasty but it was about $55 for the both of us, which seemed fairly steep for what we got. The food is great though and I would go back just for the green salsa. The searing area is really nice, recently renovated. They did a great job!!! They also have a drive up order pick up area which is super convenient, they bring the food right to your car. It's good food, just not your hole in the wall Mexican taqueria and the prices reflect that. read more

This place has not only great, fresh food, but most of the menu is gluten free and celiac safe. If your celiac, I'll just say two words, and you need not read further: dedicated fryer We got the large super nachos with steak. It came out super fast, and was huge. My wife and I got plenty for dinner with just this one dish. For desert we got the organic soft serve vanilla ice cream with caramel sauce. The ice cream had a great flavor, like French vanilla ice cream, and was actually creamy, not like your usual fast food soft serve. The caramel sauce was deep brown, thick, and flavorful. It was clearly made in-house. The atmosphere is open air, clean, and comfortable. The service was excellent. I wish we could go back and try more stuff, but we're only in town for a few days. read more

Picante - Large Suoer Nachos with steak. - Mexican Near Me - Berkeley, California

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My family has been consistently coming here for 35+ years, they've consistently had good fresh Mexican food. If they've ever made a mistake they correct it right away. They forgot my flan once in a to go order and they gifted us with a dinner for two. I've tried everything on the menu but my favorite is the steak plate with black beans and green salsa with a watermelon agua, They've recently re-opened the inside of the restaurant and it looks completely different, very slick and modern. The service was just as good as I remembered. I will always refer everyone to this restaurant one of the best in the bay with consistent good service and food. 10/10 read more

Food was great but less than what i was expecting , Ordered online to get order smoothly & went well tipped cash maybe that was the issue but i didn't receive any cheese , avocado , or sour cream after paying 5$ extra , already over priced extras & to not receive was a disappointment to say the least . No Ambiance just a line of cars read more

Picante - Payed 5$ for quac ,cheese ,& sour cream but nothing was included - Mexican Near Me - Berkeley, California

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I've been a customer for over 20 years and one thing I can say is, their consistency is amazing. This is a Berkeley institution and I hope they're around for 20 more years. read more

I was brought here by a friend who loved the Picante he remembered from pre-Covid days. When we entered the building he hardly recognized the place: what had been a very cozy and classy ambience, like eating in someone's house and attractive garden, had been turned into this big, paved over, shiny and chrome fast-food style space with zero soul. To say we were disappointed by the remodel would be an understatement. I enjoyed my order of Cochinita Pibil, but my companion found his carne asada dry and bland. Luckily salsas are good here, and they were an easy fix for the carne asada. I feel like this place doesn't know what it wants to be. My friend recalls this joint as once being a more fine dining experience. It's now designed like a fast food place, but with high prices, and everything served more cafeteria style. Strange. read more

My family and I enjoy coming here when we can. I have ordered their soups and their carnitas bowl---I'm always very satisfied with the flavors and portions. Other family members have ordered the raja and papas, chili verde, chili relleno, and salads. Everyone loved their food items that they ordered. Their chips are super thick and crunchy. Guacamole is delicious and spicy. They have their own parking lot if you aren't able to find parking on the street. read more

A bit of a lunch fiasco. I ordered the shrimp bowl. It came deep fried, which is off my diet. I never imagined a Mexican restaurant would deep fry shrimp. I was convinced to switch to the shrimp Diablo, which tasted OK but when it arrived I learned it was was 4 shrimp.....for $26 (!!!!)... with rice and beans. I felt ripped off . The cashier was very kind to come check in how I was doing and offered me a fish taco as compensation. I asked for enchiladas and was brought a single enchilada. So for $26 I got four medium shrimp and an enchilada. I left hungry. read more

Stopped by here for an impromptu lunch since we were in the area. We were pleasantly surprised as Picante has totally remodeled the entire dining establishment. WOW!!! It's been a little while since we've been here but what an amazing transformation!!! Payment was quick on an electronic IPad device with tipping, if so desired. There's self water station. We had pork tamale, steak taco, carnitas taco with rice and beans. The rice & beans (pinto & black) came in two separate bowls that were heated, loved that touch. Indoor Dining Room was nicely accommodating as well as the decorative wall pieces. Outdoor tables as the weather gets warmer. Will be back soon to try other items on the menu. Private parking lot for your convenience. There's even a separate pickup area next door under a different roof. read more

Picante - Decorative wall decor - Mexican Near Me - Berkeley, California

I'm quite disappointed. The last couple of weeks I've ordered one of their bowls for lunch. They were packed with rice and beans and plenty of the protein (carnitas), lots of cheese. It was so large that I could make it last for 2 lunches. I get it this week (with chicken this time) and the bowl is a lot lighter, now with shredded cabbage and radishes to fill up the bowl and a lot less rice and beans and a bit less protein, with everything separated in the bowl instead of piled one top of one another. It will definitely not be enough for 2 lunches and is the same price as the last 2 times. I came here instead of Chipotle because it is a local business and the flavors are better. I am not sure I'll be getting a bowl here again, unless they go back to their original formula. Bummer. read more

My family of 4 used to love Picante. I don't know what happened but it's really gone downhill. Orders are incorrect and burritos are just rice despite price increases. It makes me so sad. read more

Newly remodeled space is clean, airy, and spacious. Location has always been in an odd space next to a mill and still order at the counter. Tried a few of their many selection of tacos but unfortunately all of them were lacking seasoning and too mild in flavor. (Insert sad face) No salt on the tables. No free chips and salsa. Sides such as rice and beans are charged separately. One positive, tortillas appeared to be fresh and home made. read more

Picante - Tacos - Mexican Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Disasterous remodel destroyed one of the most successful Mexican restaurants I'd ever seen. Very Berkeley tho to continue riding the $$$ to the sky and suddenly you're as sterile as a hospital or tech data center. Id feel bad for the owners except they've probably long relocated to second homes the world over. This place used to be gran central. Maybe it was a way of remaking it in the image of the world they actually inhabited. Who knows. But they also raised the prices even more. Business destroyed by too much success. read more

We love Picante, let me count the ways: 1. Gluten free that is fit for celiacs. 2. Super friendly staff. 3. Absolutely fab food that is authentic and delicious. 4. Got take out today, but their cantina is gorgeous and fun. Today, the delivery guy dropped our food at the wrong address. Picante, who wasn't at fault, remade the order and the manager delivered it personally! We love this place ever since 2015. read more

Handicap parking too far for comfort. Food choices were great but the prices and taste of food and portion size didn't match the price points. Tamales really $7 each? Wow, dry, over cooked and bland in taste (chicken). No Mexican restaurant in the Bay Area charges that much for a measly small single tamale. If you charge that much we would expect more or at least included toppings of cream and cheese. Really over priced for almost every item. Your already saving on no wait staff and self serve cafeteria style dinning, why over price your items. A bad expensive experience for us. First and last time. read more

Food is great. Service terrific. Ambiance is fun. And if you order pick up, you can drive up to get it rather than finding a parking space.

Lied about their hours. Not open, despite the sign outside and their web page. Try Trumer Brewery nearby instead. They serve food as well as great beer. read more

Been going to Picante for years but this last visit made me want to leave a review. The portions were huge! The large nachos fed 3 people! It might be on the pricier side but seems worth it for me. Big portions, super clean, great service, and quality ingredients. Every time I come it's consistently good and I appreciate that. Love the nachos, burritos, and shrimp tacos. They also have soft serve now and it is delicious. read more

We had most of their veggie options and all were tasty. Although I previously had the legumbres picadillo burrito and found it on the dry side, adding guacamole and sour cream did the trick and made it really good. I also appreciate their free refills on their ice tea. So far the service I experienced during lunchtime has always been great. read more

It's been a few years since we have been here and they remodeled recently. The remodeled space has been open for 10 months. The indoor seating has been pretty dramatically reduced in favor of patio seating. Delicious food, just as before. I had the chicken mole enchiladas and their mole is among my favorites. We also had chips and guacamole which tastes so fresh and yummy. Hubby had cochinita pibil burrito and the flavor was so good he didn't add anything, which is very unusual for him! The employees are friendly but if you are looking to be waited on, this is not the place. read more

Picante - Chicken mole enchiladas - Mexican Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Delicious fish tacos! And great rajas. Love the tostada salad. And full bar- had La Hermana Margarita which was amazing. read more

Picante - Mexican Near Me - Berkeley, California

Used to be our go to.....Beautifully renovated and great customer service but food portions are way too small and the quality (tamales hard; cold burrito) was disappointing especially at the current price point. Won't return. read more

Holy crap!!! Picante is terrible now. The food quality is nothing like it was 6 months ago. I don't know what the heck happened. After 20 years this is my last visit. I feel bad because they dumped ALL their money into renovation and didn't seem to leave much for food quality. 2 burritos and 2 margaritas for $62.00 without tip?! I expect FAR better than this. Sad day. read more