El Palenque Taqueria — Restaurant in San Mateo

Okay, food reviews are solely based on opinion. I love vanilla ice cream and my daughter loves chocolate ice cream. Neither one of us are wrong. With that being said, I hate to leave a negative review especially if the people behind the counter and in the kitchen are nice but this is a food review and I got to call it like it is. My son is the Mexican food aficionado. He literally looks at reviews, four stars and above and we hit them up. We live in Hayward so this was a drive to San Mateo but he wanted to try it. I got him two pastor tacos, two carne asada tacos and two carnitas tacos with a side of rice. He said these were some of the worst tacos he has ever had. I saw his carnitas and laughed. They were small cubes of meat no bigger than the size of a kernel of corn. Not shredded, roasted pork that I am accustomed to seeing from bomb Mexican food restaurants. Hell, I can make screaming carnitas and I'm as white as the driven snow. Preheat your oven to 325°. Cut pork shoulder into two - three inch chunks. Season liberally with good kosher salt. Bring enough lard in a dutch oven up to medium high heat so when you put in your pork shoulder chunks a few of the pieces are not completely submerged. Trust me, you don't want all of your carnitas submerged. Smash a whole head of garlic and throw it in the pot. Don't worry about the garlic skin. Throw it in the oven for about 3 to 3.5 hours and you will have absolute bliss! I don't know why Mexican restaurants can't get this dish right. It's one of the most simplest dishes to make and make good. As for the carne asada and pastor. Flavorless, overcooked and dry. The rice was also flavorless. The lady behind the counter was nice. The guys cooking in the back seemed nice but I'm not here to rate their kindness. I'm here to rate their food and it was terrible. If you live in the East Bay and you want real Mexican food the way it should be cooked go to Tacos Mi Rancho in Oakland by Lake Merritt. It's a food truck that's been there for more than 20 years. That alone speaks volumes. Longevity is everything in the restaurant...

I'm so glad I found this place. After eating fast food for the last couple days I'm sick and tired of just eating stuff that I can get back home. So I set out to search for some authentic Mexican cuisine. And that's when I stumble upon El Palenque taqueria. after reading all the reviews I knew that this place was a spot that I was going to have to visit. I drove over from the hotel and this place is easily found right around the corner. Since I scoped out the menu before leaving, I already knew what I was going to order. So once I stepped inside, a procedure up to the counter and placed my order. as I sat back and waited for my order, I watched as locals came in and out. Not very long after placing my order, my orders ready to go. I grabbed my bag and headed now back to my hotel. once back my room I opened up all the to-go containers and I was floored at the size portions of the food. I opted for three different varieties of taco... Lingua, cabeza, carnitas and the side of rice and beans. After eating these tacos, I had somewhat of a religious experience. I couldn't believe how delicious food was and how affordable it is as well. It was so good and I was so impressed that I went back the following day for lunch and it took my colleague along me. This time I ordered the steak platter and again, I couldn't believe how much food I was getting for the price I paid. This taqueria has made my list of go to places when when I'm in...

After nearly 2 weeks in Canada we were craving some good mexican food that we were missing. Looked up places near us on the way home and came across El Palenque and the others in the little strip next to them. What a nice find, three unique Mexican restaurants side by side. They were friendly when we walked in and took our order. She brought out chips and salsa for us since we ate in. It was nice to see how busy the cooks were as people were coming and going with several orders for take out, made us feel good about coming here. I got a super burrito and my wife a regular burrito. Both were really good, she had the pastor and really enjoyed it. I was glad to get the super with the avocado, but I probably could have cut some of the dairy out. Either way, it was really good and filling. I was glad that these weren't as salty as the Mexican markets near our house but still packed with delicious spices. Nice little seating area inside, it was comfortable for the three of us. Next time we're going to/from SFO we'll be likely to...