El Palmar Restaurant

This place sucks. Friend took me and my son here, the food was so blah. I ordered the enchiladas and tamal plate, they put this nasty canned sauce all over my food with cheddar cheese. WTF? Where is the queso fresco? The beans were slightly burned, the pico de gallo at the salsa bar was a joke, it didn’t have any chiles in it at all. They brought my friends food and mine, but I had to remind them that my son’s food was still not here. They brought it 10 minutes later… simple nachos, wow. When we were paying, I saw that they had champurrado so I ordered a few to go for us, they took like 10 minutes to warm it up, and it wasn’t even warm. Food is not authentic, really bland, and service was slow. Will never come back here.

Your order will be up in 10 minutes. 35 minutes later. Hey how about no gauc in my wife’s burrito. She is allergic. Oh. I see you forgot. How about serve three people behind me first. Check. The food was really bland. Stay away.

I had the molcajete– it was gross. Usually you grill the meats and place a small amount of spicy salsa in the middle — but instead all the meat was cooked with a tomato sauce that tasted from a can. The Nopales were raw and there was absolutely no flavor.
My husband had the machaca it didn’t have any flavor and the rice and beans were ok. The only good thing they had were my kids chicken tenders and fries.
I honestly think someone that is not Mexican is cooking in that kitchen. Or have the wrong recipes. Never going there again. I feel bad because the people that work there were really nice.

I’m only giving this place 2 stars because the food was edible and the horchata was alright. With that being said the service was HORRIBLE. Our waitress wasn’t so welcoming, our food took about 32 – 35 minutes and when we got it I asked why it took so long all the waitress said was «there were lots of orders before you», are you kidding me? The place was practically empty! Grrr, we didn’t even get a ‘sorry’ from her. Will never come back here again.
P. S. Their kitchen is filthy too! Had to pay at the register because our waitress never came to give us our check.

Food: ⁵⁄₅
The «quesadilla con flor de calabaza» (squash blossom) is one of the best quesadillas I’ve ever had (vegetarian). To be honest, I come here only for the quesadilla.
Service: ⁴⁄₅
Nice people who give great service at the counter but do not check on you later (except to clean up after you left). You can not purchase drinks from the market next door, but that is understandable. Expect to pay more for drinks at the restaurant compared to the market.
Location: ⁵⁄₅
Downtown Novato is a great location. The Mexican market is right next door which is convenient if you need to purchase some groceries.
Tip: Parking can be hassle but there is additional parking behind the building.
Atmosphere: ⁴⁄₅
Feels lonely and quiet (which can be nice depending on your mood). Décor is cool but nothing exceptional. Outdoor seating is not the best.

DAVES FAVORITES, I have been coming here for years. Priced right, homemade food, tastes great.

While visiting the parents, we came here over another Mexican rest.
SERVICE: HORRIBLE. Nearly left. Waitress dropped off a tiny bit of chips for 5 people. Seemingly, either no one uses their grey matter or they are cheap or just are programmed like a robot. If you have 2 people, you bring a small amount of chips and salsa (maybe that’s cool but you could bring a large chips (some places do) but seriously??? a tiny chips for 5 people and same salsa amount you bring for 1 person??? No common sense. The waitress brought chips+salsa, came back once with waters, then never came back to check on us for chip/​salsa refills. The food took almost 30 minutes! She never came back as we dined on the patio. Finally, one of our diners was upset and went in to fetch her. No apologies, acted like that was normal. In the top 10 of WORST service. They need to teach their waitresses some manners and service skills. F– (would have had 5 stars but service so bad, it lost 2 stars there)
Food: Excellent Carne Asada burritos and HUGE! I liked that it was BIG! Others loved their taco salad, a tostada. Food A or A-​!!!
So combined, it came to a «C» or 3 stars. Sad cuz the food is VERY good. Get with it owners of this place. Train your waitresses!

I love coming here for the $ 1.25 Happy hour tacos (M-​F 2−6pm). But on my recent visit, I noticed some worrisome safety & sanitation issues.
1) there are lots of flies in the kitchen (flies can transport food bourne illnesses).
2) I noticed an ink stain on my plate under my tacos. Like an imprint from a label or something. This tells me that dishes may not be cleaned very well.
3) I saw the cook touching his clothes while on the line. Dirty dirty.
If I looked in the kitchen… I think I would be scared of what I could find. I am not just knit-​picky. I am recently Serv-​safe certified.

Hole in the wall. The have a market attached to the restaurant with great meat and cheese. Tacos are good, the burritos are huge. The sope is a really good.

I will start this review with a little background on myself. I consider me to a sort of a burrito/​Mexican cusine «snob» as I was spoiled by the multitude of Mexican eateries while living in San Francisco, my favorites where: Gordo (24^th Ave. and Clement, their Flour Quesadilla is the best I ever had and they make it like no one I have ever seen. Pick your protein and add rice, salsa, sour cream, and enjoy a slice of heaven) El Farolito (24^th St and Mission), and Taqueria Menudo (Mission and Ocean, they had THE BEST AL PASTOR EVER).
When i moved to Marin Co, my first Task was to find a burrito spot to call my own. I tried many in the Novato/​San Rafael area (Bahia, La Familia, Mi Familia, Picante, Taqueria Fiesta, La Hacienda, Las Guitarras, etc…) but finally settled on Taqueria San Jose in San Rafael, the one under the freeway. Their prices were good, it met my criteria for being a «cutty» place, the food itself was great with regard to both taste/​authenticity and portion size (the burritos are HUGE), and i love their free chips and salsa bar, which for some reason you dont get in San Fran. All good except that they are in San Rafael and I am in Novato.
So, following a particularly dissapointing meal from La Hacienda, I decided to give El Palmar a shot. First off, its not fair to compare them to restaurants like Mi Pueblo, La Piñata, or Las Guitarras. Those are more of a «sit down» type of place where you bring the family, friends, colleagues after work, and hang out and have margaritas while you are eating. They have big dining rooms and outdoor patios that accomodate large crowds and their prices are higher than what you would pay at other places.
El Palmar is not that and it does not aspire to be that. El Palmar is closer to La Hacienda, Taqueria Fiesta, Novato Market, type of place. You go there for lunch or dinner and grab something to go, to bring home, like I do, and enjoy it with the family or friends. Though they have inside seating, its not so big and very simple, nothing hanging from the ceiling or nailed to the walls, just a cool mural on one of their walls. Their prices are resonable and their food is very good, it can be inconsistent as it depends on who is cooking the food on that particular day and it’s just not a 5 stat joint, thats why i give them 3 stars. Otherwise, the ladies that take your orders, and white are also servers, are always friendly and courteous. My favorites there are Burritos with Al Pastor or Carnitas, my wife and kids like the Pollo Asado. But if you are going to eat there try the Molcahete (I think thats how its spelled) its an AWSOME seafood dish served in a sizzling clay bowl, very unique. Their Super Nachos are very good as are the Tacos and the Taco Salad. The food comes out fast and we enjoy a nice familiy dinner at home for under $ 30, of course it all come with free chips and i load up on the Pico, which is always fresh, and the marinated Jalapenos. El Palmar has become my go to place for Mexican in Novato and if you just keep it in the right perspective, it came become yours too.

Pit stop on the way home from Mendocino county. Great small spot! I had the babacoa plate and it was delish. Super burritos are definitely super, and wet. Service was really friendly and there weren’t too many people so food was quick. Get the michelada w negra modeling and thank me later!

I ate here once and it was great. The next time, I ordered a pork to make and it was one of the worst things I have ever eaten. If you are in the mood for Mexican food, check mi pueblo or La piñata (real taquila margaritas).

I had a burrito with shredded chicken. It was delicious. Plenty of avocado inside and all the ingredients were fresh. It’s a pretty laid back establishment but with a good following. People were always coming in and out. There’s also a latino grocery store that’s connected. Staff was professional and courteous.

This is my favorite Mexican place in Novato. The salsa bar is stocked with a variety of salsas in different heats. The food is delicious and the staff are friendly!

Amazing Mexican food. During dinner the restaurant seating can fill up so I usually get my food to-​go. My favorite tostadas in Novato.

Taco Tuesdays are the BEST! The street style tacos are $ 1.25 When it is to hot out or I am to tired on Tuesdays I call up and order them and the whole family is satisfied! They also do delicious GIGANTIC burritos that are easily enough for two people or two meals. Yum!

I used to think only Southern Cali had the best taco shops. However, a friend of mine took me to El Palmar, and I loved it.

I’ve tried a few Mexican places in the area and this one stands out. I ordered chicken fajitas and the portions of chicken and veggies was huge and tasty. Add to that beans and rice and corn tortillas and you have one stuffed but satisfied customer. The refried beans were tasty and I can’t remember getting so many tortillas with a meal. It was a little over $ 12. I think that’s very reasonable for a good size meal. They have beer and a free salsa bar. And I almost forgot the free tortilla chips with your meal. (I hate places that charge for them). You order at the register and they bring you your food. We sat outside. There’s a Mexican store right next door as well. Muy bueno

Whenever Im in the mood for Mexican food I go HERE! My favorite is their burrito al pastor. I also like their specials. I do not eat rice or beans and are always accomodating to my needs (with the exception of one time).
Im only giving it four stars because the seats are arranged in a weird way. They seem to be set up for big parties, which I rarely see, but maybe I have gone during slow time…
Overall, food is good and their customer service is adequate (it has improved lately). I enjoy the outdoor seating and during summer is GREAT!
Highly recommended if you are looking for some authentic Mexican food!

When you want cheap and good food, this is the place to go. This is one of the places the local know about and stays hidden away in plain sight.
The food is good, and authentic, not the stuff you bet at Taco B377 or Chip0tl3. Rice an beans are always hot and fresh and the menu is vast with plenty of choices to order.
The staff/​owner is very accommodating, so if you don’t see your favorite dish on the menu, ask them about it and they more then likely whip it up for you.
If you are adventurous or missing mom food from the «mother land» check it out, they’ve got some good «Menudo» on the weekend that is to die for.
If I had to dock points I would do it just because of their salsa bar. Some days is great and fresh, others it might need some work.