Best burritos in Novato... so far. Things are changing, all over, as are prices and portions and…read morequality These guys are very friendly, you get a lot of food for your money, and the food is excellent. Native Californian speaking here, with 30 years in San Diego, so... (Btw, no in SoCal puts rice in burritos.)

Delicious food, filling, very flavorful but not too heavy. Chicken fajitas were wonderful…read more Very pleasant staff.

So I've heard plenty about this place and wanted to check it out because honestly the places around…read moretown in Novato that are Mexican food just don't really cut it. Don't get me wrong. They're fine, but just not true Mexican food.. I'm really glad that I did and I was not disappointed. The weight staff was on top of everything took our drink orders right away offered appetizers. We ordered the guacamole and I got to tell you the guacamole was to die for it did not taste processed or anything. I probably could've eaten the whole bowl because it was that good and the serving was huge! My husband ordered the chicken enchiladas with a green sauce, which she did offer two other options for sauce and he opted for the green sauce cause he thought it wouldn't be that spicy, but it was a tad bit spicy for him. It comes with a rice and beans your choice of whether you want black beans or pinto beans and of course he chose black beans because he loves black beans. The rice is not your typical side of rice that you normally get at a Mexican restaurant it has so much flavor in it and it was very light and fluffy. I ordered the Carne Asada tacos with pinto beans. And again it was very tasty. I could not finish my second taco just because I was filling up on all the guacamole and a beer before hand so I ended up taking my food home. The flavors in my tacos were so good and it was not dry steak. It was so moist and tender. You could probably cut it with a fork! The flavors were just perfectly matched and not too spicy. We will definitely go back there again and try a few more things off the menu. They are open fairly late so that's a plus. It's definitely a must try place so hope to see you there soon! Before I go, let's talk about the decor. It is so nicely decorated in there. It makes you wanna stay a little bit longer just because it makes it so nice and comfy. They redid the place much to a heritage. Definitely gonna go back!

For a restaurant that's been open for four years, I'm surprised our experience revealed so many…read moreopportunities to smooth out the kinks. The owner, manager, or a staff member might benefit from a walkthrough to experience the restaurant from a patron's point of view. I'm not going to list everything because I'd rather not complain. For instance, the ladies' restroom has no light when you first enter, so it's quite dark. A very loud whine also continued the entire time I was in the restroom, which was extremely unnerving. Upon our arrival, the hostess was efficient but not personable. Perhaps she was overworked, but only a handful of patrons were dining before 5 p.m. The restaurant offers several rooms to choose from. To the left of the huge cow in the reception area sits a lovely bar. A separate room accommodates a large party or meeting, while a spacious indoor dining room and an outdoor patio with a large tree offer additional options. Large paintings and various sizes of statues featuring Día de los Muertos themes are delightful to view--almost like visiting a museum. We chose the covered outdoor patio on a lovely summer early evening with pleasant weather. Only one other table was occupied. Oddly, a random thwack repeatedly came from the canvas wall covering near us, which distracted us as we talked throughout our visit. We could also occasionally hear traffic zooming by, accompanied by loud Latin music or the roar of an engine. I chose the grilled fish tacos with a side salad, all beautifully plated. However, the sauce was watery and leaked considerably from the thick tacos, which appeared to be homemade. The tortillas had a peculiar bitter taste and fell apart as soon as I picked them up. My companion preferred two chicken enchiladas, but the server said the plate comes with three. I thought that was odd since most restaurants serve just two, so he simply conceded his request. The restaurant played loud, upbeat Cuban music, so don't expect soothing music to calmly accompany your meal. As we were leaving, a large gathering of workers was chatting among themselves. I was surprised that neither they nor the hostess acknowledged us or thanked us for visiting.

The Padre Macho Burrito can literally feed a family of four!! It comes in an extra long bread loaf…read morepan and fills the entire pan. My husband and I split one with carnitas and we still only ate half. Delicious fillings. The staff was extremely friendly and my take out order was prepared quickly. I ordered once I had arrived there. All the salsas have quite a kick to them. We will be back.

The flavor of this food reminds me of my old neighborhood in Chicago. We dined outside near the…read moredelightful fountain. It was a warm 77 degrees. Quiet. Then a family with an honestly adorably sweet young fella dined sent to us. Very sweet. I ordered 5 street tacos: cabesa, lengua, chorizo, pollo asado, y carnitas. Exquisite. You just have to try your favorite 5 from the list of 12 possible meat choices. Awesome. My companion had the 3 (is that the new usual 2 these days) enchiladas: shredded chicken and carnitas. Excellent. Oh! And the non-alcoholic margarita is the best in the area.

Over a week ago, we were driving south to San Francisco through Novato when we decided to have…read moredinner, and Mexican food won the majority vote! We chose to try a new place, and El Rey caught our attention. We arrived around 7:30, and the restaurant wasn't busy since it was a Sunday evening. Looking at the menu, I was drawn to their ceviche. We decided to start with guacamole and chips, share a ceviche, and have a Quesadilla con Carne Asada. The guacamole was fresh and well-made, the ceviche was exceptionally delicious, and the quesadilla was very well prepared and tasty. Our server was very friendly and helpful with our questions, and we even shared a few good laughs. The service was excellent. El Rey has been a local spot in Novato for many years, family-owned and known for serving traditional Mexican dishes in a welcoming setting. It has built a reputation in the community as a reliable place for a hearty meal, and many locals have been coming here for decades. The restaurant is a standalone building in a shopping center and offers a large seating area. They also have an outdoor seating area, which I imagine would be especially nice on a warm evening. As a first-time visitor, I left impressed. The food, service, and relaxed atmosphere made for a very enjoyable stop on our drive. We would definitely come back again the next time we're in Novato.

Well, how things evolve over time. My dad was JONESING for menudo Sunday morning, and it was too…read moreearly to visit any of his usual weekend Mexican haunts. My wife called around to find that El Rey was open - and had menudo. What we didn't realize was that there was a full-on buffet-style brunch going on every Sunday from 9-2. First, the aromas were intoxicating. Second, there was a HUGE buffet line with Pozole, Menudo, rice & beans, chilaquiles, sausage or eggs with chorizo, veggies, potatoes, huevos ranchero, birria, quesabirria tacos, EVEN American brunch favorites like scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, and pancakes (but why eat those when there is AMAZING Mexican buffet to choose from?). Coffee/soda also included, and desserts including fruits and custards. I figured for sure it was upwards of $30 a head for the buffet, but the bill comes and it's like $68 for the three of us! What a value! BTW, everything I had was delish. Fresh. Hot. Tasty. And the fact that 90% of the people dining at the restaurant were Latinx tells you all you need to know. Highly recommend this brunch, Novato!

This is a small but delightful restaurant in the fast, casual ethnic food category. There's a lot…read moreof Mexican food restaurants out there, which are great, but this restaurant specializes in central American food. If you haven't become familiar with it yet, give it a try! Their pupusa and their tamales are delicious. And you don't have to spend a lot of money to get great tasting food. I only spent $11 for example on my recent lunch there and got two items which filled me up sufficiently. I'll definitely be going back to Cocina Antigua on my rounds through Novato

Homemade tortillas, great flavors/seasoning. I've been looking for good tacos in Marin and there…read moreare only a couple of decent spots - this is definitely at the top for me so far!

UPDATED REVIEW:…read more What a disappointment! My family placed a lunch order for take out for Mother's Day that did not meet expectations. We knew they would be very busy today so we made sure to place the order early at 11:00. My mom only wanted a cheese enchilada but unfortunately it was about 1/3 of the size of the usual cheese enchiladas that my dad ordered. We did not order a child size enchilada! I called to voice my concerns and the lady that answered the phone was the same frazzled person I had called my order in to. She was clearly very busy and overwhelmed with the volume of Mothers Day orders they were not prepared for. She apologized and did not show any concern to make the order right. I ended up sharing my chicken quesedilla with mom, but have noted that after this experience we wont be going back to Tommy's Salsa anytime soon. Do better Tommy's Salsa by ensuring that all to go orders are properly prepared to meet customer expectations.

Worst Mexican food I've ever had. Tortilla was hard? Never seen that before. Birria was flavorless…read more Chile relleno was soggy. To top it all off, it took 30 mins more than the 20 mins they quoted me for my food to be ready. Skip this place....hand made tortillas yeah right. It tasted like I was eating a cracker.

We happened upon this sweet spot on a Friday night. We sat up front and got an amazing show with…read morethe live music. They were awesome! Service was great! Drinks were lovely. We just got in before happy hour ended and it made our trip even better. We shared a salad and each ordered happy hour tacos. The flan we ordered for dessert was amazing. And I don't normally even like flan. It was the best I've ever had. Great place to try out!

Am liking this place more than before. Went with daughter-in-law, wife and one grandchild for lunch…read moreand it was OK. Mexican Jarrito sodas are $5 each, a glass of Modelo beer is $7 and a small orange juice is $6. Prices, to us, are high. Yes, it is in California, but Mexican dishes are not that expensive to make. Eli was our server and he did a good job with us. The Conchinita Pibil Tacos plate ($21) is a Yucatán Peninsula dish of deeply flavorful pulled pork, marinated in citrus and achiote (those tiny red seeds common in the Americas) paste. Served with pickled onions on corn tortillas. They were OK. Huevos Rancheros ($19) were, as expected, fried eggs over corn tortillas and slathered with green and red sauces. Pretty good. Most expensive was the five Street Taco Plate ($48), an outrageous price for five street tacos. Of course, you could choose what protein you wanted in those five tacos, but... We will be back as son's family like it very much. We...not so much.

Carnitas Fajitas!! Even more delicious than they are fun to say! I highly recommend them. So savory…read moreand flavorful. I've had the carnitas many times in enchiladas but not as fajitas. Wow! I chose a salad with their excellent chipotle cream dressing, instead of rice and beans. They are always happy to accommodate my food sensitivities and preferences. Today we also enjoyed a peach margarita made with fresh peaches picked from their tree! They always have fun seasonal margarita specials, but my favorite is still their house-made margarita with Patrón Silver. I don't order margaritas anywhere else anymore!

I usually avoid writing bad reviews for small businesses, and at the time didn't think I would…read morebecause I know how hard it is to run a business today- even though the food was terrible. But after some days I realize that I think food safety is a concern here- so I feel I must share our experience so that others can avoid it, or the restaurant can know that the lack of effort or maybe skill by the cooks is noticeable, and they are way overpriced for such terrible food. First off my friend who is allergic to dairy specifically asked for no cheese, no sour cream, I believe she even said she is allergic. Not written down, which always makes me nervous. Well, when she bit into it, it had cheese. They offered to make her another, she said she didn't want it, and they did anyways, a communication error maybe. The food was bland- couldn't taste any seasoning or spice, and tasted like it was days old and microwaved, beans dry and bland, as was the rice, it was clear the miniature shrimp in her taco was canned. I know food is more expensive these days, but this was bottom of the barrel food quality. I've had much better Mexican food probably using the same lower quality ingredients, but at least they know how to properly prepare the food and season it. This was nowhere near the tasty Mexican food I can get in East Oakland by a non restaurant owner selling food in their front yard, food trucks, even Taco Bell. That food is tasty. This was just awful. Even the Arnold Palmer was the worst I've ever had. And I'm comparing it to mixing the Minute Maid lemonade and Nestea at Carl's Jr., which was far better. Was it that nobody ever cleans the fountain pumps, which needs to be done regularly or else it spurts mold into your drink? The taste I would describe it as was "funky". Gave two stars and not one, only because they at least were apologetic about the cheese and tried to make it right, but THAT was NOT a $60 meal!!! As I've said, I've had MUCH better food cooked by many different types of places. This was absolutely substandard, and we both spent the rest of the day and the night with upset stomachs, which is what makes me wonder what their food safety standards are like.

I was told about this restaurant recently and finally got the chance to go for lunch. Fabulous…read morechips and salsas. I got two tacos -- birria and chorizo -- and both were delightfully delicious. Plentiful portion. Over the past few months, I have also been ordering two dozen or more tamales for takeout each month to share with day laborers in Novato. They are consistently absolutely perfect and devoured with gusto. All in all, great food and great people.

Always a pit stop after I finish getting my nails done next door whenever I feel like picking up a…read morequick snack to take home. Today their gelatin desserts spoke to me from their refrigerated section containing salsas, guacamole, & flan. Their gelatin cups aren't too sweet and are a yummy treat. Take one or some home!

Maya Palenque has the best fish tacos and micheladas! The tacos are fresh, flavorful, and perfectly…read morecooked, and the michelada is always delicious. Definitely one of my favorite spots.

Large freeway-adjacent Mexican restaurants are a thing I've long noticed, Maya Palenque being one…read moreof several to be found as you traverse north on Highway 101. I've often wondered about such places, fantasizing that they may be great but if Maya Palenque is representative of the genre I've been missing nothing. The dishes here were nice enough in presentation. The place itself is very large and the menu quite extensive. I ordered the Taco Salad with grilled chicken and though there was nothing wrong with it, I'm someone who requires spice with my Mexican food choices. Green and red salsas were delivered to my table and - wow - I've never tasted salsas that had zero spiciness. Now I have. These added exactly nothing to the taste profile making it clear that were I desirous of any spiciness it would have to come from Tapatio or Tabasco. If you're okay with very bland Mexican fare, Maya Palenque is serving it up. My curiosity about large, freeway-adjacent Mexican restaurants has been satisfied and no further exploration of the genre is required.