Las Palmas Super Burritos and Heros

Had the most bizarre experience in this place one evening a few months ago. Popped in for a quick taco to go around 6:30 to find a middle-​aged Asian gentleman loudly berating two African American teens, a young woman and man. They were saying nothing, and looking bent under, like it happened frequently.
The young woman approached the register as the older man (presumably the owner) stalked to the back. I ordered my taco and tried to make a little banter. She was completely mortified and hardly responded. I stepped away from the counter to wait for my food and the young man who was to prepare the food leaned over and said, you didn’t take your number. I smiled and glanced around at the empty room and replied chuckling, I’m sure you’ll remember which one is mine. He looked at me very seriously and said, take the number or you might not get your food. He looked over his shoulder. I’ve seen it happen, he said. I looked at the young woman and she was nodding. I took the number.
I have no memory of the food I got that night, but I will never forget that strange hostage situation vibe. True story. Stay away.

I saw a lot of reviews saying how horrible the the workers are, so I was a little afraid to eat there, but one day out of pure laziness and unwillingness to go more that a few steps from my door for food, I took the risk and went inside.
To my surprise the workers were nice and helpful. The guy explained the menu and suggested choices and the cute cashier joked with me about her, «awesome playlist.»
The food was decent, I ordered wings and chips, it’s nothing to do a backflip over, but it was good.
The next time I’m starving and unwilling, I’ll probably waltz back in for a snack.

My church is about to have a fish fry, and I wondered out loud about the nearby competition. We are planning a ½ lbs. fish dinner with sides for $ 10. I was told this one place, Las Palmas, gives more than that. So I tried it, and true, it seemed like a good 12 oz of fish, but on a more costly dinner with one side. My side was onion rings, and they were made with chopped onions with no taste. The catfish was rather tasteless too, as was the packet of hot-​sauce that came with it. I can’t say exactly what the dinner cost, because they made me give the receipt back to get my carry out bag, though I never left the store and was one of only 3 people in there. I also paid in cash, believing the other reviewers about the extra charge for credit or debit. But, to their credit, it only took about 10 minutes to fry. So, if you want a good portion of bland, inconvenient fried catfish quickly, this is your place.

I only order fried fish from this place when I go. Honestly, its good, nothing special, just basic fried fish. The place is Korean owned but they obviously hire black workers because the surrounding community is largely African-​American and they know that makes us more likely to support the business. The black workers are friendly but the Koreans that own it have a condescending manner when dealing with the customers. I don’t think I will support this place anymore because it’s one thing for foreigners to open businesses in black communities. However, its a totally different thing when the owners are condescending towards the customers who support their business. This offends me.

So this place is one of the few walkable take-​out joints near me, so I’ve tried it a few times. The burger was «meh» but I have to say I love their chicken strips and fries. The chicken is actual white meat and they seem to be possibly battered and fried fresh. The fries are also my favorite steak cut fries. Just a little too much salt, though. The wait time is long, but if it means the food is prepared fresh, I’m ok with that. I worry more when it’s super quick! Definitely divey, but tasty.

My colleague and I ordered today and it was AWFUL!!! There must be new owners; I have been going to this location for a couple of years and I have never had a compliant. Today the shrimp, snapper and catfish had absolutely no seasoning at all; it taste like they poured the cornmeal out of the box rolled the fish in it and dropped it into the grease. They didn’t even have salt on it. I will no longer be eating there.

I was doing some laundry next store and decided to pop in for a bit to eat. Everything about this place screams «Meh…»
The lady taking orders was monotonic, slow and curt. BTW they charge extra for debit.
The place was fairly busy which at first seemed promising. It quickly became clear that is was due to wait time and not popularity. I ordered a $ 5 chicken strip meal and had to wait about 15 mins. A few customers in front of me were complaining about their waits.
Unlike most of the reviews here, my portion size was not impressive. The chicken strips were small and about 50% breading. The fries were under salted. Nothing tasted bad but i am not motivated to go back.

smallest Las Palmas ever seen. more diverse menu. items pricey, portions large. quality depends on items ordered.
menu: burgers, burrios, fish & chips, oysters/​shrimps, fries, smoothies, tacos, fried chicken, enchiladas, cakes…
eats:$ 5 fish
–2 piece fish and fries
–catfish and snapper, nice size fillets
lite cornmeal breading with flavorful fish.
–steak fries not crispy, mushy, not fried enough.
crumbs:
–las palmas in fruitvale, oaktown, known for burritos
–would only go for the seafood here.
–service seems slow if you can get it, after that, it’s a breeze.
–cash onluy?

This place seems to be under new ownership and its terrible. I ordered an oyster sandwich to go and it was so awful that I felt like driving back to Berkeley to toss it on the counter. They took maybe one or two oyster and cut them in little pieces for a full size bun. The taste was awful! I used to stop here on the way home because the food was good plus the size of the portions was substantial.
DRIVE PASS THIS PLACE, DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY!!! iF ORDERING TO GO, CHECK OUT YOUR FOOD BEFORE YOU LEAVE!!!

Read the bad reviews, laughed at the obviously fake glowing reviews, and had the quesadilla. I was doing laundry and needed some convenient fare. The amount of oil in the chicken and cheese quesadilla was enough to fill my SUV engine, a few times. I can see how it might be nice when hung over, but otherwise, I fear for my arteries, but only somewhat as I did consciously make the choice to eat it. In summary, not awesome. Not the worlds worst food, but I likely will not return. Friendly staff though, I’ll give ‘em that. I just feel bad they have to represent the poor food :(

2.5 Stars
I came in here to get a dinner since the bar I was at across the street doesn’t serve food. The menu confused me. The name of the establishment means mexican, but the menu itself wasn’t mexican. They aim to please — serving burritos, tacos, enchiladas, fried food, burgers, fried chicken, and cakes. I ordered the beef burrito, and had the choice of burrito wrapper — tomato, plain, or spinach. The burrito itself was decent, but the fried mozarella sticks was a bit hard in the middle.
Quaint hole in the wall, with LCD TVs displaying the menu. Polite staff. Add on 60 cents if paying with debit card & minimum $ 10 for credit card.

This place is really convenient for me to go for lunch. The prices are pretty steep for lunch. A burger, fries, and soda will cost you a little over ten dollars. The burgers and onion rings are too greasy for my taste, but the chicken tenders and fries are food.

The tacos and burritos served here are like the ones my mom used to make growing up. My Norwegian mother in rural Minnesota using the Ortega taco kit. Needless to say, there are better Mexican restaurants, with better prices.

This place is convent to my work, way over priced for the food that isn’t authentic or traditional Mexican restaurant at all. other then that the rest of the food isn’t much to talk about. But they make a OK fish and chip if your not looking for a battered style

I walked in and the catfish was smelling so good I automatically wanted it and the garlic fries were so yummy! Price is very decent, they offer a HUGE variety of food (tacos, enchilada platters, super burritos, fish, oysters, chicken wings, the list goes on!

This place has has history. It’s was a popular 90s spot, I’m told. Now, down to brass tacks. I got the enchilada plate, flavorless pintos, rice with no character and 3 enchiladas, smothered with the works. The Enchiladas were decent and flavorful. The sour cream was really good, taste like old school crème fresh and limes. The pico de gallo was pretty damn tasty too. Next time I’ll hold the hot sauce because it kills the food and you get bored with the taste before, you ever get full. So, yeah all things being equal, combined with the über friendly staff, I’d eat there again.

5 stars for the service and VERY nice people working there.
0 stars for the worst burrito I’ve ever had in my life.
If you are on the lookout for authentic Mexican and/​or SF-​style burritos this is NOT the place for you. Beans undercooked. Rice bland. Tortilla bland and soft (not grilled/​toasted/​warmed). I’m glad I said yes to jalapeño because otherwise my super-​vegetarian would have had NO flavor at all.
Definitely large, but size doesn’t count at all when the flavor isn’t there. This place also serves fish and chips, as well as I think some other sandwiches and fried things. Perhaps those are good. Steer clear of the Mexican, and if you try the other menu items post the results here.
The employees couldn’t be friendlier or more service oriented, so I hope the food improves!

Possibly the biggest burrito let-​down ever.
Las Palmas is a small, quaint place. A hole-​in-​the-​wall. The calculus is there for a great little diner. Calculus was never my strong subject, though, and I was really wrong about this place. The burrito was HUGE, but it was tepid. Even the chicken was only slightly warmer han room temperature. Also, the wrapping, that thing I forget the name of that’s made our of corn. You know what I’m talking about; well, they didn’t toast it so it kept coming undone and dripping stuff out the sides and bottom. Another negative, this burrito had so much water and juice in it that it was soggy.
A big negative for me, their pop is in cans, not from a fountain. This means no free refills, and that’s pretty unacceptable.
In addition to the burrito and pop, I also got friend mozzarella sticks. They were the kind you can buy at Safeway in the freezer section. And eve nfried, they weren’t really all that hot. Literally, the dude took them out of the frier and hand them to me. I should have burned my tongue biting into the first one, by all rights, but didn’t. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad I didn’t burn my tongue.
There are a few nice things here. The seating area is clean and inviting, they have a good selection, and they recycle. However, Las Palmas is not a place I can recommend in god faith.

THIS IS NOT A MEXICAN FOOD RESTAURANT.
If you eat here while disregarding that basic assumption, you might have an ok meal. However, I was in the mood for a good burrito and Las Palmas was last on my short list of places to still try in the neighborhood. The minute I walked in the door I had a feeling that something was «not right». When I ordered my burrito and the lady behind the counter told me they were «out of guacamole» that was my 2^nd hint that things were not as they seemed at Las Palmas. When a stream of neighborhood locals came in after me and ordered everything on the menu EXCEPT the Mexican food, I KNEW I was in trouble.
The «burrito» I consumed here most defiantly slides into the TOP position of my personal «Top 5 Worst Meals» ever purchased from an establishment EVER. Nothing was cooked, simply reheated or straight cold. Cheap– store bought tortillas. Can opener «prepared» enchilada sauce. Rice that was dry and stale and not even remotely seasoned as Spanish rice should be. Beans were decent, but probably canned. The lettuce was YELLOW and I picked around it in fear.
The only thing that apparently qualifies this as a Mexican restaurant seems to be the name and that they compulsorily serve you rice and beans with your meal for some reason? Again, no one except me ordered any of the Mexican food. People were getting items like hot wings, fish & chips, and smoothies in rapid succession.
The prices are steep as well, 2 plain burritos & 2 lemonades set me back $ 17.50. They charge $ 1.00per for a scoop of cold, canned red enchilada sauce on your «wet burrito» and a .50 surcharge for using a debt card ($ 10 min). Thank god they were out of guacamole or I might have cleared $ 20.
My advice to the owners of this «restaurant» is that if you purchase a store and can not afford to paint over the sign in order to reflect what you actually sell– you probably shouldn’t be running a business. Don’t sell me rice & beans simply to complete some sort of complex ruse in your mind that you are running a taco shop. I don’t run around buying up old retail space where Chinese restaurants used to be and attempt to served peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with a side of white rice and soy sauce. Las Palmas serves food that tastes as if someone born and raised at the north pole read a book with a description of what Mexican food is, then attempted to recreate it on their own with items they found in their kitchen and no first hand knowledge of the actual food.
I really can not express more what a sham Las Palmas is. Please, please, please do not ever considering giving these people your money.

«Possibly the hugest burrito I’ve ever had»
Normally I go right for the super burrito, after all the «regular» ones are almost always a poor substitute for the fatty beast that people really want. Why get dry when you can drench it in sour cream and guac. Here it was only after cradling the child like monster of a burrito did we look at the menu to see that the regular for $ 5.99 includes all the stuff supers are made of. So save the $ 1 and don’t bust your gut wide open trying to force feed yourself something that no human should endure. Also it didn’t help that half way through the burrito we discovered a burnt like taste that we didn’t notice 3000 calories before. Strange how that is…
Also the fish and chips (substitute chips for rice and pinto beans) was actually pretty darn tasty. Not the usual heavily battered fare, but actual lightly battered fish, not too far from the overpriced Cajun fish that Angelines serves for twice the price one mile down. Worth the try IMHO.
Finally I think I will go back to try the sweet potato fries, not something you find in many burrito shops.
That’s all folks.