El Palenque Taqueria

Has a very authentic mom and pop shop feel! Great food, fast service! Not big enough for eat in but you won’t be disappointed with the food!

They forgot to put cheese on my nachos! So disappointed. Don’t know what to say. Only have two stars because food was OK. Expensive as well.

The food in this place is amazing! You get a lot of food at a great price. The menu is diverse and the service is great. Highly recommend El Palenque.
My favorite items are the prawn quesadilla and the prawn burrito.

Most legit, tasty and inexpensive Mexican joint ever! Get the green salsa! Unlike most burrito shops this place has chicken that doesn’t suck! I like the chicken more than the steak!

I come here all the time. It’s my go-​to for cheap and fast food. This is a cheaper alternative to Chipotle and is comparable to Charlie’s and Pancho Villa.
I’m a fan of their burritos and the way the tortilla is prepared. It’s slightly crispy and goes really well with the soft innards of the burrito. If you’re looking for the best value, the best value item on the menu is the tacos plate. They’ve raised their prices twice in the last year, but they still come in cheaper than other options. Meals come with chips and choice of salsa.

Fastest, most delicious veggie burrito I’ve had in a long time. Friendly service. Worth the trip! Shrimp tostada also tasty :)

Okay, so the Tacos are $ 2 each now, but this place is still one of the most solid taco joints on the peninsula. The freshness of the meats are in a league of their own. At other taco joints their precooked meats are often dried out and the reheating process doesn’t bring them back to life. Totally different here. The lengua, cabeza, and pastor are just top notch! Always juicy and fresh tasting. Still a bargain in my book.

This is a solid taqueria in the Peninsula! El Palenque is tucked away behind a residential area in San Mateo, but there are a few different stores along this small strip mall type area. My friend and I stopped by for lunch around 12:30pm on a Monday, and although they had a constant stream of customers coming in and out, we were able to order and receive our food quickly. I tried their Super Burrito w/​Carne Asada (Rice, Salsa, Onions, Cilantro, Cheese, Sour Cream, Avocado, $ 6.50,
), which was a giant burrito served steaming hot. This is a great deal for the price since they don’t skimp on the meat, and I could barely finish half of it since I was also eating the complimentary tortilla chips. My only complaint is that there was barely any cheese or sour cream, so I would pay more to get extra of each the next time around. They had 4 different types of salsa– green salsa, pico de gallo, spicy pico de gallo, spicy red salsa, and my favorites were the green salsa and spicy pico de gallo. There are a few tables to sit at as well as a long counter if you want to dine in. I will definitely be back for more burritos and to their their other items! Parking was easy since there is a small lot with a good number of spots.

I love their food! Their carne asada tacos are amazing. I like the fried pork tacos too. Salsa’s are fresh and authentic. I love spicy hot and they have that covered. The «soupy beans» (that’s what I call them) are so perfectly cooked and the rice is the best I’ve eaten in a long time.
I would give them 5 stars if they had more tables to stay there and eat. They are pretty busy with to go orders. No alcohol so take out is a good option. They do have some «breakfast» items but don’t open until 10:00. Close at 8:30.
Busy neighborhood, right across the street from a school.
Try this place, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Got lost on our way home from San Francisco with two starving children. We found this place, and devoured breakfast burritos that were SO GOOD! If you find yourself in the neighborhood, it’s worth the stop.

Been looking a long time for a good taqueria, and finally ventured out a little further than normal based upon the Unilocal reviews, and glad I did.
The super nachos were good and the portions large. Would highly recommend.
The el pastor tacos were flavorful and the ingredients were fresh.
The only downside was the breakdown in communication. I ordered the cheese enchiladas for my wife and said I wanted no beans or anything. Was asked if I wanted lettuce, said no, nothing. When I got home, there was sour cream and avocado. They were still good.
I will definitely be back.

I came strictly for the highly recommended carne asada torta but ended up also splitting a carne asada quesadilla with a coworker. The torta was legit, with a super fresh sandwich roll (in a torta its all about the bread!), and their quesadilla rivals the best suezas in the City. I also had a refreshing horchata on the side, along with their fresh tortilla chips. Overall, I think I’ve found a new «go-​to» taqueria whenever I’m in the Burlingame-​San Mateo border area. Highly recommended!
Tip: Order the carne asada torta with a «steak-​style» instead of the standard chopped up beef. Delicious!

hidden on the east side of the 101 off 3^rd… standard menu over counter… order and wait… breakfast burrito $ 5.25 with chips included… salsa prepackaged and stacked for the taking… breakfast burrito contains chorizo, eggs and salsa only… hefty gut-​busting burrito… chorizo and egg in every bite… could have used more egg and little less chorizo to balance better, but a good breakfast burrito overall…

Excellent value and delicious food! Let’s face it, it’s not easy to find a delicious taqueria on the Peninsula, but this place is on point. The lengua tacos were juicy, with large chunks of meat tossed with cilantro and onions. The shrimp tostada was also tasty, with generous dollops of avocado. You can tell most everything is house made, with the exception of the store bought tostada shell. Overall, lunch was delicious (and my wallet was happy too since each taco was less than $ 2 each). My only critique is that the carnitas taco was a bit over salted. Did I still eat it? Yes! LOL.

Price = 4 stars Portions are huge!
Food = 3+ Burritos are ok — Great if you’re super hungry and ingredients are fresh. Flavorwise, there are better options but you can’t beat the price for what you get.
Staff is really nice and we’ve always been served very quickly.

This place is busy. 2:00pm on a Tuesday afternoon. I consider myself a good judge of good mexican food. This place is authentic, better than average. Dishes are freshly made with good flavor.
The super nachos are a must try. VERY GOOD. I ordered the Taco Plate, carnitas were fried to get the crispy edges, cilantro /​onions were fresh and their salsa has just the right amount of bite. Nice portion of meat.
My wife ordered a wet burrito, it looked delicious from my side of the table. She said it was pretty good, good flavor, with a good portion of meat.
If you like avocado, this is a place to come.
SERVICE was okay. English is the 2^nd language here. No complaints. We had to clear the table to make way for us to sit, but I would do that anywhere for a good meal.
Would I come back, that would be a YES.
A little out of the way. a few blocks off the freeway.
Not a lot of good «clean» spots for good mexican food in San Mateo.. I’m glad we found this place via Unilocal

This place was ok. I was kind of excited because of all the reviews but it didn’t really live up to the hype. It’s a hidden local spot for sure. Tucked away in San Mateo. The place was a small taqueria. We got a super carne asada burrito and a super quesadilla with chicken. The burrito size was great. Filled with rice and guac, pinto beans and carne asada. The carne asada needs to be seasoned more. Had little flavor. They don’t even give selection for beans. No black beans available. No Bueno. Overall it kind of lacked flavor in the meat and sauces. The quesadilla was better though. I liked it. This was filled with everything. Cheese, chicken, jalepenos, sour cream.etc. Much much better.
All in all, there are better places to try in San Mateo for taquerias.

Hungry for dinner? Not a problem! My coworker and I walked here for dinner (which maybe we shouldn’t have), but it was worth the money!
It was about a 13 minute walk from our hotel. We got to the taqueria and realized just how small the place was. Maybe max people they could fit was 10 – 15. I ordered their super nachos with no beans and my coworker ordered their enchiladas. We got free chips and dip :) BEST PART lol
I didn’t finish my super nachos because it was HUMUNGO! I paid $ 6.75 for a plate of nachos that would have probably lasted me for days!
If you’re close by and hungry, I’d definitely suggest this place!

Oh. My. God.
Made a stop for lunch here on the way to San Franciso, which turned out to be the best decision ever. The fact that this was in a residential area was a good sign.
I was craving tacos because good tacos are nigh on impossible to find in mainland Europe so I figured I might capitalize on the opportunity while in California.
I ordered the tacos al pastor and the beef tacos with sour cream and avocado. They were so good. Everything tasted so good and fresh. I liked it so much infact I ordered a second portion.
The dipping sauces that came with the complimentary tortilla chips were nice too. This was also the first Salsa Verde I could eat without burning my tongue (I’m quite sensitive to heat). Prices are very reasonable, especially for the quality of the food.
I also like that they had Mexican coke, which is pretty much like European coke and tastes way better (because of the real sugar and no sodium added).
All in all, I have nothing bad to say about this place at all and would definitely return if I’m in the area again.

I came here with one of my coworkers for a quick lunch. I ordered a torta (basically a sandwich) with al pastor (pork) for the first time, and I was so impressed!!! When my order came out, the torta was huge and I knew I could save half for a snack later. It was stuffed with pastor, avocado, cheese, sour cream, lettuce, and tomatoes. I was so glad I picked the pastor over the carne asada because it was cooked really well and the seasoning/​marinade is on point here. It brings a lot of flavor to the sandwich!
Each order also comes with chips and salsa, which is always a plus! The light green salsa is amazing, as well as the pico de gallo! The service is really quick here, and they cater to the to-​go crowd by having the salsas pre-​packaged and empty takeout boxes on the side. My coworker and I were in and out of the restaurant in 20 – 30 minutes. Not bad!