The Green Enchilada — Restaurant in Pacifica

"The Green Enchilada" opened just five days ago (December 20, 2009). They are a quick-service place. Not quite as speedy as fast-food, but much better quality and attention to detail.

The main attribute setting this new restaurant apart from other Mexican establishments is their stated use of organic ingredients and free-range meat. This dedication faces you as you enter with the slogan on their window "Don't Panic, It's Organic".

I am a fan of using naturally raised produce and animals grown without the use of exotic fertilizers and hormones, or other "weird" help. But good food also requires planning and preparation to go along with the ingredients.

My personal favorite at ANY Mexican place is the tamale. The Green Enchilada professes to make their own tamales so a tamale plate was my first experience. The plate comes with the standard rice and beans, plus either cooked mixed vegetables or coleslaw. The extra I chose this visits was the steamed mixed veggies.

The Tamale: I ordered the pork tamale. My grandmother used to make them all the time and this is a hard mark to measure up to. The Green Enchilada does a great job balancing between filling and masa. The pork and seasoning has good flavor even if it does need a little more "Zip!". The tamale is wrapped in a banana leaf instead of a corn husk. The leaf adds a nice flavor. The tamale isn't as good as grandmas' perfection, but its better than any other sold in a Pacifica restaurant. Good enough that I already dropped by again to order Dos Mas y Coke!

The Mexican Rice: The rice was good but lacked a little zing. To me, it seemed the rice needed a little more "Mexican" in the rice. Another thing I noticed whether it was on purpose or not was a decrease in the amount of salt used. This is a healthy option but the flavor was affected. Don't get me wrong as the rice was still good and I finished ALL off it..

The Beans: Chose the refried bean this time around. Decent but like the rice they took the goal of being lighter on the salt. Once again the flavor was affected but I still finished the beans. I may try another bean option the next time around (there are a total of three kinds of beans to choose from for the plates.)

The Steamed Veggies: A nice mix of a couple of kinds of sliced squash and sliced carrots steamed to perfection. I found this side order to be an excellent departure from fast-food fare. I wish steamed mixed-veggie sides were an option everywhere!

The Packaging: The box is not something to eat, but at least you won't have to worry about the package sitting in the landfill either. The Green Enchilada uses packaging from Tater Ware, a company that makes a potato starch based take-out package. The package worked well for transporting my tamale plate home. The best thing is the package and the uneaten food (there was none) can be thrown out into the compost pile. I highly praise The Green Enchilada on their choice of biodegradable take-out boxes.

The Price: The total cost for my tamale plate on this visit was $7.04. A great value in my book! A follow up visit for two tamales with a drink cost me $10.26.

Overall: I count the whole take-out tamale plate as a win. I was already back to The Green Enchilada second time for another meal.

A last comment on my order,, I had enough to eat but I would have appreciated some chips and salsa to go with the plate. Not a huge pile, just some for taste and scooping. Chips and salsa are offered as a separately chargeable item but a small amount with the order would be nice.

If you decide to eat at The Green Enchilada you won't find many tables and only 14 tall chairs. But your visit will be pleasant anyway since they have completely renovated the location. The place is bright, airy and a pleasing to the eye.

The Green Enchilada also serves breakfast.

I commend Joe, Renee, and Rebeca on a great effort for this new Pacifica restaurant. I recommend The Green Enchilada for at least a visit or three.

Since this initial review you can now come find...

I have heavily weighted food and service in my review. In my opinion, this is the healthiest and best tasting Mexican food in the bay area.

If you're looking for a salt/grease bomb 💣 look elsewhere as you will be disappointed with the food here. If you want "stand out" Mexican food and you frequently go out to eat Mexican food, you will likely be disappointed as the levels of salt and fat in "normal" Mexican food are very high compared to this food.

If you're looking for the healthiest and tastiest Mexican food in the bay (maybe in all of nor cal), this is the spot for you. All organic, low salt, and appropriately seasoned foods make this place my #1 favorite place to eat out in the bay.

Other notes: -Only offers outdoor seating and it's usually cold/windy out. If you want to "dine in" know that you'll be dining out so bundle up. -An extensive menu. -The beans defy...

The most underrated Mexican that I know of anywhere in the Bay. Getting delicious flavor forward Mexican food all while being able to consume clean meat is really special. My vegetarian wife and I love Green Enchilada and we have been regulars for many years.

I have always stuck with the al pastor, pollo, carnitas or the carne asada for meat.

If you are a vegetarian do yourself a favor and get what we get every time. It is as good as any meat dish. Be sure you are adamant about listing every ingredient when you order it. Order a bean and cheese burrito with refried beans, cheese, avocado, onion, and cilantro. Be sure nothing else gets added like rice, lettuce, or even Pico de Gallo. We have indeed confirmed on many occasions that there is no animal fat, lard or grease added to any of the beans.

Enjoy!

Enjoy with your favorite salsa, all...