Good Mexican food in Redwood City

January 28, 2012 3:16 PM

My husband will be in Redwood City (attending this event) for work over the next fortnight and wants to take his team to a good Mexican restaurant there. Any recommendations? Walking distance would be good but not crucial.
posted by tracicle to food & drink (8 answers total)

If he's into taquerias, Taquería Mi Ranchito in downtown San Carlos is pretty good, but the closest one is El Matate in Belmont. It's highly rated and I remember it being pretty good when I worked in the area (about 12 years ago).

My favorite Mexican Restaurant in the area is La Fiesta on Villa in Mountain View, about 12 miles to the south. For taquerías in Redwood City, I have a soft spot for Rosita's Taco Stop on Woodside Road, which is driving distance.

There are lots of good little Mexican places in Redwood City, particularly on Middlefield Road west of 5th Street, in a primarily Hispanic neighborhood that's on the border of Atherton and Redwood City.

Finally, if he's looking for something that participated in a Guiness World Record, one of the most universally praised burrito joints in the Bay Area is La Costeña Taquería in Mountain View. It's a little off by itself at Old Middlefield Way and Rengstorff Ave, but it's more than worth any effort required to give it a try.

The Bay Area has lots of other Mexican places to recommend. Wow, is it dinner time yet?
posted by phoebus at 4:22 PM on January 28, 2012

The place I miss most since I moved off the Peninsula is Palo Alto Sol. Definitely not walkable from Redwood City, but yummmm.
posted by troublesome at 6:41 PM on January 28, 2012 [1 favorite]

Oh wow, tracicle, I live not too far from there. Sadly, that hotel where the conference is being held is pretty much not walkable to anything, it's in the middle of office park desolation. (And it's officially Redwood City but not really close to anywhere in Redwood City- Belmont is closer, or San Carlos.) But the closest reasonably good place would be El Metate in Belmont.

There's another little family-run Mexican place in a totally out of the way spot of otherwise light industrial area, and I am momentarily blanking on the name. I'll come back when I remember it.
posted by ambrosia at 7:51 PM on January 28, 2012

ambrosia, dollars to donuts you're talking about Huipil, which is (sadly) closed.

Yes, that Sofitel is in a fairly bleak, unwalkable location. So, I think your husband should count on driving.

So, here's the thing: Mexican restaurants come in all flavors and stripes, ranging from elegant sit-down fine dining to taquerias in gas stations with killer carnitas. What kind of experience is your husband looking for? If you ask Bay Area food types what the "best" Mexican restaurant is, chances are fair that you're going to get a rapturous description of a hole-in-the-wall joint with three tables that each seat two; I could imagine a place like that would make for an awkward and unfun outing for a larger group looking for comfortable seating, a selection of delicious tequilas, attentive waitstaff, party atmosphere, etc.

There have been suggestions for taqueria-type Mexican restaurants (order at the counter, seating wherever, cheap, casual), so I'll toss in a couple of recs for more sit-down places (which will harm my foodie street cred). These both are about 10 minutes driving from the hotel and both will suit a larger group with table service, drinks, and pretty good food.
- Milagros in downtown Redwood City, which has a lot of nice cocktails, some good food, and a very cheerful atmosphere
- Chevy's in Foster City (yes, a chain, but not the most terrible one, and this particular location is on the lagoon in Foster City, which is actively pleasant. The tortilla chips are addictive.)

Are you looking for more authentic/inexpensive/out-of-the-way gems where you feel like you may actually be in Latin America? Or someplace fun and breezy to eat chips and drink margaritas?
posted by purpleclover at 11:08 PM on January 28, 2012

Yup, you'll pretty much have to drive. And yes, you're closer to San Carlos/Belmont than to Redwood City proper, but Redwood City's probably a better destination. There are some truly spectacular hole-in-the-wall places, but if you're looking for a non-chain place with a festive atmosphere that can comfortably and smoothly accommodate a large group of co-workers, the local go-to is Milagros, which purpleclover just mentioned above.

If you're up for finding a great hole-in-the-wall, you need to read this. Then crossreference with Chowhound and Yelp.
posted by tangerine at 11:39 PM on January 28, 2012

He has a team of about 30 so it'll need to be somewhere that can seat large groups (sorry, that's sort of important). We used to live in Santa Cruz but are kiwis, and his team is very international, not a local among them. To me "good" Mexican is authentic but really it only needs to satisfy and entertain an eclectic bunch, so anything tasty will do.

It's hard to gauge from google maps, but I should have remembered that pretty much anything east of 101 in that area will be hard to walk from. Thanks for the advice so far!
posted by tracicle at 12:01 AM on January 29, 2012

With a group that size, do they have a facility available for hosting a catered dinner?
posted by germdisco at 12:35 AM on January 29, 2012

purpleclover is right, I was talking about Huipil, which is a bummer.

Thirding Milagros, especially for the size group you have.
posted by ambrosia at 6:58 AM on January 29, 2012