48 Best Mexican Restaurants near Half Moon Bay

“I was there with my daughter and we both have great appetite. plates have plenty of food and it was delicious so much that my daughter bought extra hot sauce she really enjoyed it well so do I. highly recommended and I will visit you guys again whenever I go back to California.“

“REVIEW UPATED 10/08/2025: They have turned themselves around and then some. They have now become one of our most frequently visited taquerias. Always friendly with great portions and delicious food!! Glad to see they have found their stride!

This is for the Half Moon Bay location. My family and I are locals and have been going here since they opened. I also frequent the Pacifica location. On 09/07/20 at about 1:30 I went in to order for my family. There was a new girl I had not seen before. I speak enough Spanish to get by. Suffice to say that she was deliberately messing with me. One of the cooks came up front, supposedly to help her, and from their banter it was clear they had no interest in helping me and thought it was funny to mess with me. They even discussed charging me for extra meat when I asked for cilantro on a burrito, and laughed about it. I simply walked out. I could speculate as to why they behaved this way, but I am only sharing the facts and what I know. I do know that while I MAY go back, if I see this particular crew, I will walk right out. I have never had this problem before, but this crew thought it would be more fun to mess with me instead of doing their jobs.“

“This took me far too long to write, but I wanted to find the right words to say. My husband and I had been waiting two long years to get married. We postponed twice because of the pandemic and in the course of that time changed our venue to San Benito House. Let me tell you, that was the BEST decision we ever made. Not only is the venue itself incredibly beautiful and the food so delicious, but Kai and his staff bent over backwards for us and all of our guests. Kai is the ultimate hype guy and he took what normally would have been a stressful event to plan, and made it so easy and fun. I would (and will) recommend that anyone who is wanting a Half Moon Bay wedding, that this is the ultimate place to go. Our guests are still talking about the day and if we could, we’d do it 1000 times over just to experience the magic again. Thank you, thank you, thank you! To Kai and the incredible staff, you are truly THE BEST.“

“Hidden gem right here in town. Family-run spot with awesome people and legit food — everything tastes super fresh. Their tacos and burritos are fire, and believe it or not, the fried chicken is some of the best around. Chill local spot that actually cares about what they serve. Support these guys, they’re the real deal.“

“These guys are exactly what we we’re looking for! Great margarita’s and really good food!“

“Food was good and the service was great. We rolled in 20 min to closing and so did quite a few other people and they were nice and didn't rush anyone which was nice. I had the chili relleno dinner and my guy has the barbacoa plate. The salas bar was fresh and delicious and the fresh churro was good.“

“No bathroom, Can't go wrong with anything here! Sometimes flies inside the restaurant but better then mordida/ tres amigos, same quality as gallina(good), burritos are gettin skinnier (not super meaty) tacos are ok for price point but still imo the best in hmb, definitely my go to noticed they don't put as much meat as used 2, I'll b back“

“Delicious food, super friendly service. A little slower than a typical restaurant, but that’s because everything is made to order and not sitting around in a pan waiting to be served. The food was amazing, and so pretty!“

“Great food an Service. Friendly staff and generous portions.“

“This is by far thee best spot for the most delicious and authentic Mexican food around hands down the best in the business the staff and super nice and their prices are great! The tostadas de ceviche, chile relleno burrito and birria ramen are just some of the crowd favorites too much to list I highly recommend them give them a try it’s a must!!!!“

“Me encanto les pedí un pastelito para mi niño y ellos le cantaron las mañanitas .no lo esperaba me gustó mucho!!!“

“Do you love going to Flavortown? How about dreaming with your eyes open? Then try these birria tacos. The first time I had it was from leftovers that my daughter brought home for lunch. Then I drove from Oakley to San Mateo to have them fresh. It was AMAZING! They provide extra stuff to add to the tacos, but it honestly didn’t need them. The meat was so tender & flavorful that I had to close my eyes so I could fully appreciate the taste. Then I added the extras one by one & it tasted like a new taco each time. I know it seems like I’m exaggerating, but it’s really that good! My only wish is that they had seating nearby & a second location closer to Oakley.“

“Still the best kept secret in San Mateo. I’m moving tomorrow and this food is what I’m going to miss the most. The portions are generous, the price is affordable, the service can’t be beat. Cash only. Small parking lot. Family owned and operated. The carne asada is delicious! Actually I haven’t had a bad meal here. Take away is available. You won't be disappointed . Skip the la cumbre and pancho villa. Come get the best!“

“The Super Shrimp Burrito is the best thing on the menu, idk what the chef does back there but he’s amazing. I literally come here maybe once every 2-3 weeks just because it’s so good. best thing to do is get chips and put it in the burrito. Fire!!!“

“Best Chile Verde I have had in years! Excellent food, friendly staff, and pleasant setting.“

“Great food. Fantastic value. Don’t tell people, it’s already too popular 😃“

“Hadn’t been here in nearly 30 years, we moved to Seattle, but back for vacation. Had to have the Cancun platter. Just like I remembered!!“

“I only submit reviews in situations where the experience was outside the norm in some way. In this case, the Nachos that I just scarred down might be the best I've ever eaten in my 40 years of life. I wish I took a picture before I started eating them because the chips were stacked really neatly with the toppings on top. It was actually very esthetically pleasing, which I assume probably took some effort. Well, it didn't go unnoticed. Absolutely delicious!!“

“Food delicious and authentic“

“I rarely leave food reviews, but this place deserves one. Fresh ingredients, tasted great, generous portions. Amazing value to boot. Handwritten thank you scribbled on the box, and easy ordering process.

If I could give this place 6 stars I would. Thanks for doing stuff the right way!“

“Each meal I’ve had here has been consistently fresh and well-prepared. Did I mention delicious? The staff is friendly and attentive.“

“Great food menu & fast service“

“los mejores tacos los recomiendo🤤“

“Best Chile Verde I have had in years! Excellent food, friendly staff, and pleasant setting.“

“We love the food and Fresca.“

“This was a great place! We loved it very much. We are from out of the area and enjoyed this cozy little café. It is so clean and the restrooms are beautiful. The inside is welcoming and the staff is simply amazing. I cannot recommend this place enough. Please go and then go again! Because you'll want more. Thank you for a great adventure. My husband and I appreciated your hospitality and the meal was more than we could have ever dreamed of.“

“L verdd q todo es súper rrica la comida y la atención es muy buena“

“great food great atmosphere love the people there and especiallythe food a lot of authenticity and the spices on point highly recommend...5 ⭐“

“Came for the camarones a la diabla (“Devil’s Shrimp”), which they don’t have on the menu but are happy to make it for you. I actually enjoy theirs more than El Farolito! Also HIGHLY recommend their pastor tacos. Their salsa is top-notch, which I am very picky about. So lucky I live two minutes away!

Parking: Park behind if you can’t find on street.“

“Ordered California Super Nachos with Cabeza to go ($13.68 after tax), which came with free chips. I will say the fries weren't crispy and the guacamole is watery, but this was phenomenal. The meat was so tender and flavorful, and it came with all three salsas which were great (the spicy one is no joke though). The phone orders cut out a lot and it can be a bit hard if you don't speak Spanish, but just try to speak clearly and it will be fine. Really freaking good stuff for the price point.“

“Great job on the hand made tortilla“

“This is my favorite spot for Mexican style seafood aka mariscos! So fresh and amazing ceviche and aguachile! The shrimp are just as amazing!“

“I had the Super Burrito with steak, and it was absolutely amazing — way better than any chain burrito out there. The flavor, the freshness, and the size (easily as big as my forearm!) made it a meal to remember. The salsa on the side was fantastic, too — just the right kick without overpowering the burrito. My only regret? Finding this place too late in my trip to go back again. Don’t miss it!“

“Very cute to-go place. Perfect for a quick lunch pick up especially if you work in South City. I got the unagi with egg (savory with a hint of sweetness) and takoyaki which were both hot and fresh! I want to try the fruit sando and pork sando next time.I purchased it at the Kei Sushi location.“

“I purchased the Super Nachos they were great the chips were fresh. The service was good the cook came out to check on me and asked about the food. I was pleased that they were very nice and attentive to their customers. Everyone was friendly and as a customer that is what I enjoyed the most. I've never been to a place where the cooks checked in on me about the food. See my plate below and the portion size was wonderful. I will definitely be returning for a second trip to try other items on the menu.“

“Great time to get away with your wife“

“We had red sangria, delicious seafood salad in a tostada shell, chicken enchilada, beef taco, chicken taco combo plate(not pictured) and fried ice cream in a tostada shell. It was so good like everything else we had before.“

“Shout out to this wonderful neighborhood spot serving up some great homestyle cuisine. I stopped in for breakfast and ordered chorizo with eggs. Everything was delicious and well seasoned. Fresh salsas and homemade tortillas rounded out the meal. The staff was very friendly and welcoming. If I lived in the neighborhood I would return again and again.“

“Excellent Cadillac margaritas!! Service and food is always great.“

“I recently grabbed lunch at a local taco truck, and the experience was delightful. The carne asada tacos were flavorful, and the spicy salsa added a nice kick. The staff was friendly, making the visit enjoyable. However, the tacos were priced at $3 each, which seemed a bit high for a food truck. Despite this, the quality of the food made it worthwhile“

“La atención y la comida muy buena“

“The best tasting Mexican food ever! I always order their Cabeza De Res burrito. Very few Mexican food trucks sell cows head. But this taco truck introduced me to this very flavorful dish. Please don’t hesitate to give tips, they always makes me feel so happy with their “piping hot foods” and free crispy warm nachos.“

“They are actually open after the listed closing time but they move the truck and park near the Safeway at Delaware and Peninsula instead. They're usually there from like 6PM to 9PM I thinkThe menu only lists res, chivo, and pollo as options but they also do all the other regular taqueria meats as wellGreat food, the super burritos and super quesadillas are unbelievably gigantic 5/5“

“good food with huge serves.. very casual.“

“I saw this place was 4.1 stars and didn't really have any expectations, but I was hungry and decided to go in. When I entered it was a little awkward at first only one table and I wasn't really greeted when I walked in. I ordered carnitas tacos and a carne asada burrito. The carnitas were juicy and crispy and they put a nice big size portion in the taco. The burrito was full of flavor the meat was well seasoned and the guacamole was really tasty. The lady, who i think was the owner was really nice. Usually when you order nowadays they don't give you tortilla chips anymore and she asked me how many tortilla chips I wanted, so that was cool. Give this okace a try they have great food.“

“Muy rico, todo el menudo, la barbacoa, los tacos, los mariscos delicioso se los recomiendo.“

“Finally!!!! Great authentic Mexican antojitos in San Mateo!!!! I came here two days in a row because my mouth, my belly and my brain are very happy!!! Trust me, sign up for the points because you'll be back!!! Prefer something healthy, get a juice, green, carrot and other nice available. I wish the place was larger, but the food is amazing!!!“