Mexican Restaurant
An amazing find in Cancun! Porfirio’s is a Mexican restaurant in Cancun, right at tourist area Zona Hotelera, just north of the Hard Rock Hotel. We wanted to get some Mexican food and luckily this place was a short 7 minute walk from our hotel. (What is the point of eating sushi in Mexico?) Reviews were good. Porfirio is more than a restaurant, with on going dj’d music videos, live mariachi’s, it was the whole package.
Last Update: 2018
Foodnut travels, eats, and tells. We’re based in San Francisco but have flown all over the place. We love Mexican food and find some of the best in Cancun.
We recently finished up our latest culinary tour of Cancun in 2018. Other reviews farther down are from previous trips. Cancun is a world class destination full of great food. Most of the Mexican food was superior to that in the San Francisco Bay Area. The service is on another level here.
Why did we dine here? – Californios is a Two Michelin Star (in 2017) Mexican Restaurant in San Francisco, the highest rating of its type in the US. We were intrigued and hesitated to come here, but finally succumbed to all the positive accolades and were glad we did. ($177 for Mexican food?!) Chef Val M. Cantu crafts cuisine of the highest regard, having moved up from a popup years ago. Open the really heavy door and you will enter this fairly small restuarant. It almost seems like it should be twice the size, and a little less dark – hard edged.
Photo Courtesy LV Mar
Why did we dine here? – LV Mar is a Latin focus restaurant in downtown Redwood City that serves Elevated Latin tapas, platters & cocktails in a modern, comfortably upscale dining room and sidewalk patio. They also run the nearby La Viga, which is a more casual. We had a good experience at La Viga, so it was natural for us to try this restaurant. Last visit was for dinner in 2018
Why did we dine here? – Wonderful food at great prices. La Viga derives from the massive central seafood market in Mexico City where our chef Manuel Martinez (Left Bank, Reposado) comes from. They focus food with local sustainable ingredients and draw a huge crowd. This restaurant has a high 4.5 rating on Yelp from almost 1000 reviewers. A friend tipped us off.
Modern Mexican bliss in SF. Why did we dine here? – Cala is Mexico City’s Gabriela Camara first restaurant in the United Stats. She is renown for her Contramar in Mexico City. Finally we get a taste of modern Mexican cuisine, outside of the usual Americanized dishes. This restaurant is a welcome change from all the me-two new restaurants serving the same old New California cuisine of Kale, Deviled eggs, ahi tuna, pork belly, etc!! Needless to say, this was #1 on our hit list.
Taqueria La Cumbre Mexican Restaurant has a location in San Francisco and San Mateo. We tried the one in San Mateo, located near Caltrain. They have everything from burritos to tacos to caldos to plates. The San Francisco location has lines often times. Our last visit was in 2017. The great thing about his place is the parking lot!
Why did we dine here? – El Sinaloense is a hidden gem of a Mexican restaurant in San Mateo that few know about, but those that come, return. Tucked away behind a Safeway, this place is one of the top Mexican restaurants in San Mateo, if not the best. Lots of locals and families come here for dinner. A friend recommended this spot, so we gave it a try. It is actually difficult to find a good Mexican restaurant. Forget about recommending Chevy’s.
Insider Tip – Service can be slow, so do not come in a hurry.
Why did we dine here? – Don Pisto’s is a Mexican restaurant in San Francisco’s North Beach area. We’ve had it on our radar for a while.
They have a famous Wednesday only Hamburguesa ($11) marinated in bacon and onions, guacamole, that we unfortunately did not get to try.
Yes, we don’t eat at French Laundry everyday.. we do eat everyday food. We recently visited Chevy’s and has a some very good Guacamole. Fresh Hass avocados seasoned to your taste with diced jalapenos, fresh cilantro, fresh tomato, onion and fresh squeezed lime.
La Pinata Mexicatesen is a Salvadorean/Mexican restaurant in San Mateo, near the Caltrain station. It is located in an area that is full of Hispanic businesses and opened in early 2008.
Amigos Grill is a Mexican restaurant in Portola Valley’s Ladera shopping center, about 1/4 mile west of Highway 280 on Alpine Road.
El Farolito is a Mexican Restaurant with several locations in San Francisco’s Mission district, Oakland, South San Francisco, Santa Rosa, and Rohnert Park. We visited the 24th street location.
Gordo Taqueria is a long standing Mexican Restaurant in the San Francisco Bay Area, with 5 locations. We went to the original Clement st location in San Francisco that opened in 1977. Burritoeater ranks it highly.
Taqueria Cancun is a friend’s Mexican restaurant favorite. They’re located in the heart of the Mission district and take cash only. They have 2 other locations in San Francisco.
This place is popular with the late night crowd as it is open very late.
Nopalito is a new San Francisco restaurant serving authentic traditional Mexican cuisine from the popular restaurant Nopa folks. It is located across the street from the San Francisco DMV, next to upscale grocery store Falletti’s Plaza. They use local, sustainable, and organic ingredients and have some small plates as well as some more expensive big plates. The place was still very new when we visited them for dinner. Lots of Hispanic cooks were cooking the cuisine. This is a place for a quick bite, not much lingering.
El Norteno is a Mexican mobile food truck in San Francisco. They won the burritoeater 2008 finals. They are located in a parking lot across the street from the Hall of Justice.
Decor, Vibe – ‘Roach Coach’ mobile dining with tacos, burritos, and Tortas in a variety of meats including tongue, cabeza, tripas. Very high 98 food inspection score.
El Tonayense is a Mexican restaurant with lots of mobile food trucks throughout San Francisco. They have been featured on PBS’s Check Please TV show. They are parked on the side of the Best Buy at 14th St and Harrison in San Francisco so we decided to give them a try even though we were not hungry.
Decor, Vibe – ‘Roach Coach’ mobile dining with tacos, burritos, and Tortas in a variety of meats including brains, head and cheek.
El Coleguita 2 is a popular seafood restaurant for the locals, in the Marina Vallarta area. It is located in the boat marina for Puerto Vallarta. An english version of the menu is available. The place was consistenly packed, while most other restaurants had only a couple tables occupied.
Marisco 8 Tostada is a popular seafood restaurant for the locals, in the Marina Vallarta area. It is located around the corner from the boat marina for Puerto Vallarta. The place was consistenly packed, while most other restaurants had only a couple tables occupied. They serve lots of seafood with a minimal amount of cooking.
El Arrayan has been named Best Mexican In Vallarta for 3 years in a row by Frommer’s and is a Fodor’s Pick. It is located in the heart of the city a couple blocks from the main drag. English translations of the menu are available.
We stopped by for a quick snack. The paintings on the walls look great.
Cafe de Olla serves reasonably priced Mexican fare in Puerto Vallarta.
It is located in the central district, a couple blocks from the beach and is a busy place that does not take reservations.
