Summary based on several lunches: --good choice in the 4th Street area. See also Brennan's and, farther afield, Vik's. --better than average Mexican type food --better than ok counter type service --good parking except under crush conditions --two unisex bathrooms tucked in the back (good 4th Street resource) read more

Tacubaya - Taco al pastor (actual size) - Mexican Near Me - Berkeley, California

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The food is OK. It is more of a fast food place than a restaurant. They can do better to improve the experience.

Good little taqueria for lunch while shopping. Has been around for a long time and before the fancier shops popping up. Had the potatoes and sweet plantain apps and a tamal. Food is good but nothing extraordinary! read more

Pork tacos...my favorite!!! Whenever I am in this part of town, I head for these tacos. I would say they're pricy, but that really depends on your budget, yeah? Anyhow, regardless of price I find its always worth it to grab these babies. They also have a super sour and sweet limeade drink that they make. It's delicious. I usually end up here when I'm making a Mac Cosmetics run. 4th Street is a nice area and the restaurant is huge, very spacious in a good way. Plus, they have delightful outdoor seating. read more

Tacubaya - Pork tacos. So yummy! - Mexican Near Me - Berkeley, California

One star, only because of the food. The attitude there was short, rude, disrespectful, impatient, and unprofessional, especially the women. It wasn't that busy, they can't use that for an excuse, doesn't make me want to go back. I took a chance writing this, because I really don't think this is going to change. read more

I love their taco lingua with a beef tongue- simply amazing. My husband loves their sope de chorizo y pappa

Amazing quality food. I love the pastor, lengua, and enchiladas. I wish the menu would change more often. Chicken tacos are also underrated. Also, even when you order ahead, you have to wait for someone to get you your bag and food gets cold. I would advise not ordering ahead of time. But if you have the time to wait, it is fantastic. Nice outdoor seating area as well. read more

I was really hungry and the food came out fast but was cold. The taco was not great sadly and had what seemed like crunchy bits of pineapple, and the salsa was disappointing . Maybe I will go back and have a better experience. The cashier didn't have a good attitude either , maybe just an off night. read more

My husband and I went on a Sunday at noon and the line was all the way out the door! After waiting in line for about 10 minutes, I saw two seats open up at the bar and had to practically run across the restaurant to grab them. I ordered the chicken taco's which were really good but only after I drenched them in lime and hot sauce. My husband had the steak taco's and proclaimed that they are the best steak taco's that he has ever had. The chips and guacamole were amazing! So fresh and not salty at all. I ordered a cup of decaf with my food and it was piping hot and arrived with all the fixings, which was a nice touch. We thought about ordering the churro's and I'm so glad we decided to pass on them, although I'm sure they would have been more than worth it. We were too full to even think about anymore food, let alone sugar! We will be back! read more

Tacubaya - chips and guacamole - Mexican Near Me - Berkeley, California

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I was craving for some authentic Hispanic food and decided to stop by at this establishment. Usually the food here is spot on but today seems like they drop the ball. I order the Menudo and a recommendation from the host. What the host recommended was actually pretty good but the Menudo was bad. I mean it was like eating corn oil. I couldn't believe how bad it was. I love Menudo. I used to eat it all the time when I was younger. As I got older maybe once a year. Today I was expecting something good, especially for the price, instead I received something not even edible. Word of advice, stick to what you know and don't make something that will tarnish your establishment. read more

I tried the Chile relleno and it was okay. Filling but nothing too exciting. The aqua fresca (strawberry) was really good, it was the right amount of sweet and ice. The inside is super pink/red and the music is an upbeat mix of songs. The open kitchen is a nice touch. read more

Tacubaya - Torta al pastor was pretty good. It was a lot larger than I expected. Came with a side of pickled vegetables. - Mexican Near Me - Berkeley, California

Came here for lunch since Betty's Coastal Diner was full, and the host in charge was obnoxious with my husband and I. Tacubaya was close to our parking space so we figured we would give it a go. You order at the counter as you enter the restaurant. Friendly staff, and cute decor, very Hispanic with the bright colors I personally love. I asked for the most popular dish which is a spicy Chicken soup with avocado, lots of chicken, and cheese. Husband had the same soup, plus a very good Fish Taco. We ordered chips, and guacamole which were exceptionally good. Got a Mexican Wedding Cake cookie for dessert. Although it was a good size, the taste was super bland. read more

A place this pretentious should, at least, have good tasting food. Sadly, it doesn't. The food is average, at best. Ambiance is a cross between phony ethnic and ivory tower elitist. read more

I have had this restaurant on my "to try" list for a long time and I finally had the chance to try it out. The food was amazing and lived up to the hype. I loved that the tortillas are hand made. The staff was helpful and friendly from the cashiers to the kitchen and waiters. The al pastor had a little to much sauce on it for my taste and the lengua was not the best I've had in my life, but overall I would come back. read more

Tacubaya - Mole tamale, lengua and al pastor tacos - Mexican Near Me - Berkeley, California

I usually go to Cafe Rogue right next door for oysters, but wanted to try something special after seeing a customer dining outside on the beautiful patio at Tacubaya. The tortilla soup seemed kind of expensive for a bowl of soup, about $10 after tax a a dollar tip, but it was so delish! Big chunks of avocado and cheese in a spicy broth with crispy tortilla pieces. Super tasty. read more

Tacubaya - Tortilla soup is yummy! - Mexican Near Me - Berkeley, California

This place was super bomb!!! And wait time was faster then expected due to covid and it being super crowded!! New favorite stop for Mexican will definitely be back!!! read more

Not accommodating for vegans. This is one of those places where they don't let you substitute cheese or eggs for avocado or another non animal product side. They make you take off the animal product and then purchase sides. I took eggs and cheese off my dish and paid $5 for a quarter of an avocado to supplement the tortilla and beans. The food is delicious don't get me wrong, but it's so frustrating to take half the food out of a meal and be charged and end up paying $20 for a plate of beans and tortillas and avocado. I really don't complain much but this is a recent change and it really disappointed me. read more

Tacubaya - $5 side of avocado - Mexican Near Me - Berkeley, California

Mediocre, overpriced Mexican food. I've been here several times and have been consistently disappointed. Servers generally looked annoyed to help you (especially the tall, younger kid at the cash register). I'd suggest literally any other Latin restaurant in the area for a better experience. read more

tacubaya !!! I love! Torta de pastor is delicious! Papas con crema and the tacos al pastor long time eating here and all very delicious thanks for cooking for us !!! Tacos de lengua ! Tamales! Asada taco! Sopa de tortilla! Pastel de chocolate! read more

Love getting the fish tacos here with a refreshing horchata for lunch. Of their tacos, the fish is my favorite and the Sope de Chorizo Y Papas is good as well! The food has always come out fairly quickly which is a plus, and it's one of the more reasonably priced places to eat in the area. read more

The pollo tacos were mediocre at best. The taxi shells were deep fried and because of their thickness were super greasy. The chicken was bland and almost tasteless, as was the pico de Gallo. The tortilla soup tasted like Campbell's veggie soup with salsa added, and was heavy handed. With so much amazing Mexican and for the price I expected way more. read more

Favorite lunch spot in all of Berkeley. We always get fish tacos, chips and guac. The rest of the menu looks equally delicious but this is all I want every time! Fast paced, open kitchen, fun atmosphere, outdoor seating. Delicious. read more

Horchata, tacos, and chips. Friendly and fast I don't know what else to ask for. read more

Great casual dining experience. We were a party of 4. 2 of us had salads and 2 had chicken enchiladas. We also shared chips and salsa and chips and guacamole. Everything was delicious! read more

The food here is fresh, authentic and delicious. I love their cocktails as well. The service is amazing. The decor is beautiful. Definitely one of my favorite spots. read more

Yum . Great fast food, great hours, great prices. I can't seem to bring myself to give it less stars because of the train though... cause the train is loud. This is not "great food" in the sense of what my hubby and I joke as "a tablecloth restaurant" ... you know like bringing someone somewhere you want to impress. It's just good local fare with a little reggaton music vibe for flavor. Bring your friends and chat... talk sports or re-la-tion-ships haha.. laugh a lot- tell jokes, be happy.... whatever, just EAT! I'm a vegetarian and the salad is good. Hubby eats meat and loves the pork. read more

The quality of food was not good. The cashier was very rude. I won't ever go here. Had soft and crispy taco. None was good. Enchilada with raw chicken. Guacamole not bad. read more

Tacubaya - Mexican Near Me - Berkeley, California

First time here. I arrived about 3 on Tuesday. No line. I ordered a torta al pastor. I also ordered a michelada, which I have never had before. I asked the cashier what beer would go best with that. After saying I prefer light over dark beer, they recommended modelo especial. Beer arrived in about 10 minutes, order 5 minutes after. Although I have nothing to compare it to, Michelada was excellent. My torta al pastor was delicious. I could barely finish it. (Although in my old(er) years, my appetite has diminished somewhat.)! Service was excellent, food was fabulous, no complaints, everything was fine. I even got a chance to chat with owner Dona for a couple of minutes. She asked me for my opinion of the restaurant and seemed genuinely interested in my opinion. I told her everything was wonderful; and it was! read more

Thought this place was awesome! And cool decor and aesthetic as well. Guac and mezcal marg were on point, and they let dogs on the patio so win win in my opinion. Will be back soon! read more

66% RATIO OF HAIR TO BITES! This place is generally okay. It's a bit bland for Mexican food, but it's not awful and usually fresh and sanitary. BUT .... yesterday I ordered a shrimp ceviche special and was about two bites in before my friend noticed a HAIR IN MY FOOD, glimmering in the afternoon sunlight. Gross! I looked at the line, and it was super crowded and started thinking "Hmmm, maybe ONE HAIR won't kill me." So, against my better judgment (and in the midst of my friend silently judging my choice) and because I have worked in a restaurant before, I was going to let it go. Until I found a SECOND HAIR! This hair was NOT lying on top, having blown over by the Berkeley wind. It was clearly MIXED IN to the food! So, that's too much, right - three bites and two hairs??? (For those counting, it's 66% of bites with hair.) So, I return it - fine they will take it off my bill. SO HERE IS THE REALLY TERRIBLE PART - - - BEFORE ORDERING THE CEVICHE, i ASKED IF IT WAS ALREADY MADE, (because I would have liked to omit something), and they said YES, so NOT MADE TO ORDER. I got it anyway. The people ordering it after I returned the hairy mess also got it, and the people after them, and so on, and so on, because the kitchen DID NOT THROW IT OUT! Here's an interesting twist - none of the chefs working that day had hair that length so, I think the hair happened in prep, not that it matters but it wasn't the guys there to blame. Would I like something else? Again, against my better judgment I ask for a carne asada taco (for which I was charged - no apology taco?) Anyway, underseasoned, boring asada, but edible and HAIRLESS, so bonus! Seriously, if y'all ever go to Mexico City - it will kill this place for you. Not worth the wait, the money, or the effort to locate random hairs. P.S. BUSSING MY OWN TABLE: I also had to go and get a shift towel and wipe down our table before we seated ourselves because the people working there only wipe one table down out of three, and ours was not the lucky winner (apparently hadn't been in several hours, given the dried salsas and such on it.) So much for the tip I added to my card! read more

Great tacos! Got the soft al pastor tacos. Flavorful, just the right amount of sauce for the amount of meat. The meat was tender and juicy. Not spicy. I got the strawberry fresca. Obviously home made and fresh. Would recommend to anyone shopping on 4th street in Berkeley. read more

Tacubaya - Mexican Near Me - Berkeley, California

Tacos are huge and hearty. Had the fish and Al pastor tacos. Highly recommended and service was prompt

Bummer re move to bigger digs next door. More expensive, less choices for lower cost food. Have morphed into a typical restaurant. While food is still excellent, will no longer tempt me while driving around Berkeley. Oakland location preferable given compassion. read more

2.5 -but the staff was super nice. Came here for lunch today. The place was hopping with business and there is plenty of room for seating . All staff was friendly, helpful and efficient and the establishment was very clean. We ordered chips and salsa, beef enchiladas and a tostada with sweet potatoes and chicken. The chips were thick and very hard and the salsa was just generic with little to no flavor. The enchilada was better, but again- lacked flavor. Nothing special about it. The tostada was not good and the meat was tough - although it had more flavor than the rest. I don't think I would come here again. Meh..just OK. read more

Tacubaya - Enchiladas - Mexican Near Me - Berkeley, California

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This restaurant never fails to make delicious grub. The Chile rellenos were great when I was vegetarian and now I love the ceviche. The drinks are pretty good too! read more

Service is not that great here. And the food is not that great. Do not recommend this place. If you want good salsa, I would rather you take the time to go to picante nearby. read more

I should have known better than to chow Mexican at a joint that serves Blue Bottle coffee. Spawned by the team behind Temescal institution, Doña Tomas, the white-washed Mexican and mark-up was to be expected, yet the $3.50 price tags on cafeteria-style tacos and horchata still made my head spin. Hoping for healthy, farm-to-table quick eats, I snapped up pair of pescado and asada tacos though the chile rellenos and tortas sounded enticing. Well, the hand-pressed tortillas sure were good....... Bland fish, gristly beef, hard old limes, flavorless pickled veggies. Really, now? Return will not be possible unless the following criteria are met: - I'm in the area, anyway. - It's after 6pm and the rest of the street has shut down. - I'm positively ravenous. - It's a weekday so they're offering the 2 tacos and beer for $8.50. Otherwise, she's all yours, folks. read more

Tacubaya is probably one of the more wallet friendly options for dining around 4th Street, but it is certainly no less delicious! Single tacos run for $3-4 bucks a pop, but the are larger than your average street taco so I'm alright with that price point. The lengua taco in particular I have found to be consistently great... Tacubaya does a great job of cooking it down to such a tender state! Most recently I also had the tuna ceviche- large enough portion to have as a meal just by itself. This ceviche was prepare a little "saucier" than most other ceviches I have encountered in the past.... a filling yet refreshing sauce comprised of a blend of red peppers (quite mild though... so don't worry, you can spice it up with your desired level of hot sauce afterwards!) fresh diced onions, avocado, lime, and of course, the raw tuna. This tasty concoction was generously poured over a bed of tortilla chips. So good! I quite enjoy the choice of regular table seating or bar stools- from where you can see the folks in kitchen cooking up the meats, pickling some veggies, or even pressing/cooking up fresh tortillas. Very cool! read more

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I've lunched at Tacubaya a few times now, and although it's pricey bourgeois Mexican food there's something alluring about it. The location definitely helps: right in the heart of the 4th St shopping district, with plenty of sunny outdoor tables and good people watching. You're in the heart of the upscale Berkeley action, the service moves fast, and the food is creative and not-too-filling (which is a good thing when you need to go dress shopping afterwards). It's basically gourmet taqueria food, fancy twists on standard items like tacos, tamales, burritos. I usually go for the slow-roasted pork tacos ("Al Pastor", $3.15). My friend ordered their tostada of the day which had plantains, yams, with black bean puree and avocado crema. I was so jealous! I tried one of their sides called "Camote", pureed sweet potatoes...definitely more like dessert than lunch, but super delish. As long as you prepared to pay a little more for the fancy ingredients and prime outdoor seating, Tacubaya makes for a pleasant pit-stop. read more

How is it you kids say it here on Yelp? nom nom nom? Tacubaya is haute Mexi, and I guess pricey. Today we had a vegetarian tamale with chard and other goodness. Delish. Precious? mayhap. Also a few fish tacos and one chicken for the eater of meat. Also awesome. The homemade tortillas are the shizznet, as you kids say. We were here around three o'clock and all of the outside tables were filthy. Looked like a shift change was about to happen, and I'm sure people bringing other food come and sully up the tables, but jeez. read more