El Talpense Mexican Restaurant — Restaurant in Berkeley

6/25/22 Today I had the Surf&Turf Burrito wet with salsa verde, this burrito is HUGE! Delicious and filling, don't eat too many chips or you might not finish it? 6/11/22 I tried the Camerones A La Plancha for lunch today, lots of delicious pan fried shrimp, rice and beans, salad and shredded lettuce. 6/4/22 We went there for dinner for the first time. I had the Chile Verde dinner, tender pork and lots of good food! 5/21/22 The Abondigas Soup is really good and tasty with 4 delicious meatballs. 5/8/22 The Birria really hit the spot on a cool spring day! This is a big, filling bowl of beef soup, lots of beef and with the delicious hand made tortillas no room for dessert! 4/24/22 The Super Tacos are just that and even better on Sundays when you can get them with the home made tortillas, they only make the tortillas on Sundays. Just to let every know this is a new restaurant that opened 10-11 months ago. Any reviews older than that seem to reflect the previous restaurant. 4/3/22 I had the street tacos, 4 different fillings, very good! Next time I'll try Super Tacos made with their own tortillas! The owner said that they could make the strret tacos with their own tortillas. 3/20/22 I tried the Carne En Su Jugo, a special dish from the owner's home state of Jalisco and it was delicious! It's a Beef Stew with Bacon, beans and some diced onions and avocado. It also came with some fresh tortillas. They showed me how they made them to order in the kitchen. See the pictures of the process that I took today. 3/13/22 I believe this is a new business that recently opened in place of another Mexican restaurant that closed during the pandemic? So any older reviews shouldn't reflect on El Tapense. 3/13/22 We like the place so much last Sunday that we came back to try some more items that caught our eye on their Menu! First up today was the Vegan Sopa Aztecs, wow, this is creamy and rich soup, more like a stew. Next up was the Abondigas Soup, perfect for a cool and cloudy day. I would order it again when I have had a chance to try other items from their Menu. Last but not least, making a return to the table was the Two Vegan Enchiladas! We can't wait to return next Sunday to try something else from the Menu and we might get to try some fresh house made tortillas! 3/6/22 Our first time eating here at El Talpense. We got there as they opened Sunday. We were drawn to trying out the food since their Menu was 7-8 pages total and included a page of Vegan items, plus everything you would hope to see on a menu for this Mexican restaurant! Single Tacos, Burritos, Huevos Rancheros to entrees and big Combo plates. I had the Chorizo Con Huevo, Al Pastor Taco, chips and guacamole. We have to go back next week to try more items from that big menu. I asked the owner if they are going to have a Vegan version of the Chorizo Con Huevo? They are working on it to get the results same as the one...

TERRIBLE experience and incredibly unprofessional staff who think life-threatening food allergies are a joke, and throw temper tantrums if you ask for clarification..

My friend has a severe peanut allergy (anaphylactic), and she has been hospitalized due to cross-contamination at other restaurants. When she asked the waiter if peanuts were used in the kitchen, he was dismissive and vague, initially saying there were none, then mentioning there might be some in the mole sauce. He didn’t give a clear answer and even joked about the allergy, telling us to "relax" and that "no one has died here." He then brought our drinks and jokingly said they had peanuts in them, saying, "Here’s your peanut margarita." Who does that??

When my friend decided not to eat for safety reasons, HE THREW HER DISH in the trash in front of her and said, “fine, then don’t.” All we did was ask for clarification on an allergy!! A temper tantrum is completely unacceptable, especially from someone who may have been the manager. We wanted to be safe since we've gotten burned at other restaurants.

This was an eye-opening experience. Our soccer group has been coming here for years, but after this, we will NEVER return. The staff is rude, dismissive of serious allergies, and undoubtedly unprofessional. If you have any food allergies, I strongly advise you to AVOID this place.They think life-threatening allergies are a joke and they're in the...

This is one of the few sit down restaurants with wait staff service that is super close to UC Berkeley's campus, which is a big plus. They've got a to-go window as well, if you are jonesing for a burrito and want to leave quickly.

The menu is a very standard Mexican restaurant menu. There are various combos to mix and match for a meal; taco, tamale, enchilada, flautas. Up to three items on the large combo plate with a good amount of rice and beans as well. The only downside is the price of those combos, which can get pretty high.

Burritos will run about $15-20, which is a little high, but makes sense considering you're also getting help from wait staff, and complimentary chips and salsa.

Most recently, I sat for lunch and ordered a chicken fajita burrito and an iced tea. The team was refilled multiple times, and they brought some extra types of salsas for the burrito if I wanted to try them out. I paid around $30 total after tip.

I frequently see large groups of people dining there, as well as small groups and...