Mi Pueblo El Centro — Restaurant in Petaluma

We visited Mi Pueblo recently hoping for a satisfying Mexican meal, and our experience was a bit of a mixed bag, landing it at 2 stars for us.

On the positive side, we were seated very promptly, and the wait staff was consistently friendly and attentive throughout our visit. They even thoughtfully offered a free side of beans or tomatoes for our baby, which was a nice touch. Once our order was in, the food came out surprisingly fast. The atmosphere was typical for a Mexican restaurant – lively but not overly loud, which was fine.

However, several points detracted significantly from our experience. It took about 10 minutes before anyone came to take our initial drink order, and later, another 10 minutes passed before we had to flag down our waitress for refills. My wife, who ordered a Coke, was informed they only serve Pepsi, which is understandable but worth noting for Coke loyalists.

The main letdown was the food quality for my wife's combo plate. Her chicken taco came in what tasted like a pre-manufactured, Taco Bell-style shell rather than a fresh-fried one, which was disappointing for a dine-in restaurant. The cheese enchilada was barely warm, and the cheese inside was still cold and solidified, not melted and gooey as expected. Additionally, the combo plate came with what they call "coleslaw". My wife found it very out of place and unpleasant, noting a strong flavor of horseradish and vinegar. It was also plated in such a way that it spread onto other items on the plate. My carne asada chimichanga was decent in flavor but significantly smaller than any chimichanga I've ever received at a sit-down Mexican restaurant, feeling more like an appetizer size.

Finally, a particularly odd point was the drink refill policy. While my wife's Pepsi was refilled, I was informed that my Shirley Temple (my usual go-to at Mexican restaurants, often just soda with grenadine) would only get one refill and no free additional ones. I've never encountered a restaurant that doesn't offer free refills on a Shirley Temple, especially since it's just a soda mixture, usually just limiting extra cherries.

Despite the friendly service, the issues with the food quality for one order and the perplexing drink policy mean we'll likely be trying a different spot next time we're craving Mexican...

A Tale of 5 Chimichangas. So I think I've been to almost every Mi Pueblo location at this point. I'm missing Cotati and Santa Rosa, but I haven't had a reason to head up that way yet. So far I've hit San Anselmo, San Rafael, Novato, and the 2 Petaluma locations. At each location I always order the same thing- a chimichanga aka "the Chimi."

The San Anselmo location makes an absolute master piece. I've been going there for about 6 years and it's always done perfectly. The "Chimi" is humongous, lot's of meat, perfect proportions, and the sauce is neither too much or too little. On top of that the San Anselmo location also has the best salsa bar to combine with their perfect "Chimi." After that the rankings go as follows: b) 800 Petaluma Blvd. c) San Rafael d) Novato e) Kentucky Street

I just had a "Chimi" on Kentucky Street and it was the worst one that I've had. For starters the "Chimi" was about 6 inches long. When they brought it out I thought there was a mistake with the order. Usually a "Chimi" is so big that it's a meal for 2 full grown humanoids. This one was utterly pathetic in size. On top of that there was no sauce, no sour cream, a ton of shredded lettuce, and about enough meat to feed a chihuahua. It was a total let down.

They said that some locations offer a "Macho Chimi" that is a bigger than this one, and while that is true it still doesn't explain why this one was so pathetically small. At every other location the regular "Chimi" is the size of their super burrito, and this one was about 6 bites worth of food. For $13+ tax+tip it was a total joke. I'd steer clear of this Mi Pueblo if you are searching for the Holy Grails of Chimichangas....

I will say what I appreciate about them first. They actually understand that for many of us q a "Veggie Burrito" means there should ACTUALLY be vegetables included beyond lettuce and pico de gallo.

Although they could still use a good chef to come in and teach them how to add a little more flavor to it, it is at least more than the veggie burritos all around here.

Second thing that I like is that their staff are really nice and helpful.

Here is my issue: they advertise great margaritas, but honestly I have gotten way better from Chevy's.

Second, because their margaritas are not actually that great, I went there recently during happy hour. I ordered a house margarita and it tasted like mostly sweet and sour! Not good! Then, trying to be the good customer, I drank some of it down and then asked for a shot of tequila and a splash of soda water.

When it came time for the bill, they charged me for 2 drinks even though I had one drink, one shot of tequila to make up for how bad the first drink was. And on top of that I didn't ask for chips and salsa and when they offered, I told them no thank you, I was fine.

I, of course, still tipped really well because I really like their general staff and want to make sure they are cared for during these challenging times.

But honestly, I have been treated better at a chain Chevy's restaurant and served WAY better margaritas!!!

I am ALL about supporting local businesses, but I do not want to be taken for granted for doing that. I want to be treated likeike my business matters. Otherwise, I am taking my...