My wife and I just had dinner at Rafael's and we ordered amolcahete and it was the best one we've ever had, so much flavor and the meats were so tender, lushous sauce and the service was excellent as always. Treat yourself to this restaurant you won't be disappointed read more

The food is so delicious. The service is kind and family friendly. The ambiance is clean and classy. read more

Rafael Mexican Grill - Shrimp Regular Burrito - Mexican Near Me - Salinas, California

Our first visit. Food was very good. Next time will try the Chile Rellenos which they were out of with this visit. Friendly staff. Delicious salsa. read more

Service was amazing, food was probably the best I've ever had in Salinas. I sat outside and the area was relatively quiet which was nice. Honestly 5 stars I would definitely come back and recommend to others. The staff was great and super sweet! read more

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Got Carrie out. Ordered salsa and chips. There was no salsa. I had a taco salad. It was goopy and lacked lettuce. The chicken had no flavor and was dry. The fish in the fish tacos was chopped in little pieces and it was very odd. Really mediocre. read more

This was my first time at this location and the staff was so incredibly nice!! She attended to us quickly and with a great attitude. The food was good and there is a ton of it. It's a casual spot for sure and there are four TVs available and lots of seating. I do concur with some of the past reviews that the beans are not the best but the shrimp dishes themselves were good. I'm interested to try burritos/tacos read more

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Agua de Jamaica was a 3 out of 10. California burrito was a 3 out of 10, $17 for a really small burrito didn't even have guacamole pico de gallo inside only cheese, Carne Asada and fries. Really disappointed. read more

Tired of not getting what I paid for. They screw up my takeout order too often. I ordered carne asada fries recently, got home and there was no carne asada... ordered a breakfast plate today, got home and there were no tortillas... I only order 2 or 3 items maximum it shouldn't be that difficult to double check these things. Really annoying. Never going back. read more

I've been in this restaurant twice. The first time was hen I discovered it as a DoorDash driver. I picked up an order for a customer and was so impressed by my first visit to the restaurant that I knew I needed to return to experience it for myself. So, that's exactly what my husband and I did a week ago. Upon approaching this restaurant, it's not much, to be honest. You find a patio in front with several tables surrounded by a charming little wooden fence. Upon entry, you'll be pleased to see it's an impeccably clean environment. You can tell they take pride in their establishment by the way they keep it beautifully well kept. The tables are cleared and cleaned in a reasonable amount of time after guests leave. The floors are kept swept and spills are taken care of right away. This is definitely a plus in my book! Now, as for the food; I had the Super Burrito Bowl. It offers you your choice of meat with Rice, Whole Beans, Red Salsa, Sour Cream, Cheese, Lettuce, Guacamole, and Pico de Gallo (description copied from their website). I chose the birria and I was not disappointed! They use beef for theirs and stew it in a super flavorful broth that is well seasoned and not spicy. Yes, I'm a lightweight when it comes to spice/heat. You can spice this up if you like with their salsa or ask for spicy components to be added such as jalapenos, but it was absolutely perfect for me. I wish I could have had an entire mug of the broth to sip! It was that good! Now, my husband chose a couple of tacos with carne asada and the nachos. This is where they lost a star. The nachos are...well...mediocre at best. I'm sorry but that's just the truth. The cheese sauce is just awful. Our server even told us after she'd brought it to us and he started eating them that she doesn't actually recommend the nachos. Well, if she doesn't why didn't she tell us that to begin with? Hmm. Ok. In all, aside from the nachos, this was a pleasant experience, though. We will definitely return. read more

They have a nice decor on the wall that says: "Great food, Great friends, Great times".... and this place is just that. Excellent food! The place is clean, and our server greeted us with a smile! Awesome service! read more

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Had the birria with broth and coctel de camarón con pulpo (Shrimp cocktail with octopus). Everything was fresh and delicious. I was really impressed with the shrimp cocktail. Will def keep coming back. read more

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Fast, friendly service. Food tastes great. Portions are great. I've ordered online for delivery, dined in and ordered to go and food is constantly good. My teams and I love this place is close to our home. If they're busy they do warn you there is a wait of 15 or so before your food is ready and I appreciate that because if you're in a hurry you can go somewhere else (I've been in that situation and couldn't have waited so the warning was welcomed). I will always comeback. I'd say I've been there a good 8 different times before this review. We've ordered burritos, caldo de camarones (excellent flavor!) chicken flautas, chicken enchiladas, carnitas and beef flautas. These are our go to dishes. Enjoy! read more

Rafael Mexican Grill - Carnitas plate - Mexican Near Me - Salinas, California

We decided to give Rafael Mexican Grill a try and went right before lunch. The restaurant wasn't busy, yet we had to request menus and chips. The chips were not fresh, the salsa was okay. Unfortunately the food here didn't stand out. My friend ordered Chilaquiles and detected an odd vinegar flavor in them. She ate the eggs and left the rest of her meal. I had a vegetarian burrito and it was lackluster. It consisted of rice, beans, lettuce and salsa. No avocado or anything to make it memorable. The service was friendly but agonizingly slow. I would not recommend Rafael's if you were on a 30 minute lunch break unless you called your meal in ahead of time. read more

We visited today and dined in the outdoor patio area. The food was so good! I would say some of the best shrimp tacos I've had in Salinas - the salsa! Whatever the salsa recipe is (on the tacos), you guys are doing something right. Shrimp or fish tacos are only $2.50 ! The chavela was $9.99, served in a pretty large glass - good size. - Outdoor seating available - To-Go available - Good prices - Good sized menu for whatever you're craving! - Alcohol available - Excellent service (very friendly and got our order out quickly) Couldn't ask for a better meal - delicious and at a great price. Thank You! This will definitely be our go-to spot for shrimp tacos. read more

Rafael Mexican Grill - Shrimp tacos ($2.50 ea), Chavela ($9.99 - large glass!) - Mexican Near Me - Salinas, California

Very good food and wonderful service. The ingredients were fresh and the presentation delightful. The interior decorations are nice and it is well lit inside. The dining area is always very clean and organized. read more

Rafael Mexican Grill - Inside - Mexican Near Me - Salinas, California

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We love going to Rafael's. My personal favorite is the Big Taco-Fish or shrimp. I always get it and it always tastes fresh. My husband loves their street tacos especially the Pastor. We've had several others like the Flautas plate, carne asada nachos, molcajete, and other plates. So far, everything we've has been really good. We've been going there for 6 years now and it's still good. In my opinion, they have the best horchata. I don't like it when it tastes like sweet bubble gum or has that artificial taste. This one is really good. And I really like the decor, I know that they have made some changes, and it was for the better. I looks nice and clean there. Would recommend going to Rafael's for good food and even great service. read more

Food was great service is friendly and fast would highly-rated recommend this place

Went In yesterday, had decided another restaurant because it was super busy got this one near us and stopped by and we weren't disappointed as soon as I walked in the vibe felt cozy and comfortable we sat down and the server was very polite we ordered the food was also delicious we had great service and great food definitely recommend this place it's very nice to dine out and have good service he was attentive and checked on us more than two times very happy with our visit read more

Rafael Mexican Grill - Mexican Near Me - Salinas, California

Nice people and good food. My wife and I like meeting there for lunch. Also have great breakfast menu. Definitely recommend this place.

It's pretty okay for food but today was a miss for me I ordered a California burrito and it was just a bean and cheese burrito and the tacos were dry read more

Super friendly, awesome service, and wonderful food/ drinks. We come every week without fail. Angie and the whole team are great (: read more

We ordered 4 asada tacos, asada fries, asada burrito, and this shrimp stuffed platter with rice and beans to go. All plates were delicious and flavorful. The portions were just right. We will definitely be back. read more

Wonderful taquitos! Everything is very good highly recommend We order online mostly for delivery but we will be returning to going in ti order since a little cheaper! read more

When I have a craving for super nachos this is the place I go. They put both melted nacho cheese and shredded cheese on to with your choice of meat. read more

Must say was pretty disappointed in the food I had here. Had a chicken burrito and chicken was dry. It was edible but not very good or flavorful. Also had a crunchy carnitas taco. I think the worst carnitas I've ever had. It was so dry couldn't even chew it. Had to just toss the thing. A bright note was a friend had a torta that was good but her taquitos not so much. Staff was friendly but the food was not good. Maybe it was a bad day because other reviews seemed good that is why we tried it. Will not go back. Gave two stars due to staff. Food zero stars. read more

I like coming here for Sunday morning Huevos Rancheros and have given a positive review in the past. Today was my dog's birthday, so I thought a party was in order, so thought of this place because they have some out door tables. Sat down outside, waited 5 minutes, peeked inside, they weren't busy at all. Waited 5 more minutes without being acknowledged at all and left. Very disappointing. If restaurants don't have somebody taking a gaze-around for new customers, they need to be a drive-through. read more

Come here for great Mexican food and a big ol' Chavela (which was also delicious)! Carne asada fries are great and the portion size is generous for the price. Comes with your choice of meat, sour cream, guacamole, jalepenos, cheese, and pico de gallo. This is my boyfriend's go-to order. I had the vegetarian burrito which is huge and flavorful. Hard to go wrong with a burrito! The interior is plain but serviceable. The workers are efficient and were very helpful with the questions we had. Come here for delicious, reasonably-priced Mexican food! read more

Rafael Mexican Grill - HUGE Chavelas... and tasty too! - Mexican Near Me - Salinas, California

Most of the Food was good. My personal favorite were the asada Tacos & Queso Birriar tacos. We got a big order for a big family and we all enjoyed eating little bits of everything!! read more

Ordered this to go (Covid19 of course). We had the Aguachiles, Coctel de Camaron and some chips and salsa. We also ordered two micheladas to go. This place did not disappoint! The cocktail was delish and had a TON of shrimp. Not like most places that skimp an add too much onion and tomato. It was perfect and we were upset we didn't get two. The aguachiles had the perfect amount of spicy and again a great amount of shrimp! The salsa was so good! When this is over, I will be taking the hour or more drive to visit this place for lunch and have a beer. I recommend if you are driving thru or want to detour from Monterey to stop here. read more

Ordered a bunch of tacos - pretty good. I liked the Asada the best. Wasn't disappointing but did not blow me away. I would go back, or stop there if I happened to be passing by. read more

I'm sorry to post a bad review but this was the worst Mexican food I've ever had in my life. I could barely eat it, it was so bad (it was like swallowing awful medicine). It's a shame because the staff were delightfully friendly and the prices were reasonable. I was hoping to get some authentic Mexican cooking but was greatly disappointed-- wish I'd gone to Chipotle, where the food is consistently flavorful, fast and a great value. Oh well... read more

Great place to have lunch, quick service and delicious food. We had Carne Asada nachos and potato crispy tacos both were very good. We will definitely be back for lunch. read more

Rafael Mexican Grill - Crispy potato tacos - Mexican Near Me - Salinas, California

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Best tacos I've had in Salinas, and some of the best street tacos I've had, ever. I had carnitas, and it was so crispy, so juicy, just right. Highly recommend. They were also super nice, and the inside of the restaurant is comfortable and inviting. Big tables for families. read more

As a vegetarian I find it unreasonable that a breakfast burrito with potato and egg cost the same as an azada burrito with rice and beans. I understand the prices have increased on almost everything but potatoes and eggs don't make up near the cost of meat. The staff has always been pleasant and friendly, and my order ready for pick up on time. read more

This place is for sure a must try! My favorite things to eat here are the California burrito and the asada fries. The food is super delicious and I love it! Please stop by and eat here whenever you get a moment. You will not regret this tasty place! read more

Great food and service I get the enchiladas of cheese or chicken are good mom loves this place

food was a sloppy mess. I ordered enchiladas, it tasted like it came out of a can sauce and the whole plate was drenched in it and the beans and rice obviously had gone bad. disgusting! never again! I didn't say anything because I have anxiety and couldn't muster the courage to say something. I also ordered a asada taco and it was dry and tasteless as if they made it a few days ago and reheated it. read more

Their rice and beans tasted old like they have been cooked and recooked for a week. And the horchata that I received tasted expired , I don't even know how they can just hand that out, do they not check it? Not coming back, their food did not taste authentically Mexican. I should've known by how bland their salsa was. Made me mad, I was hungry read more

Close to my home. Friendly and good customer service. Clean restaurant and great food!

I went with my family since it's close but it was so fake tasting. The beans taste straight out of a can and the rice not good. We basically ate what we ordered but would not return. read more