Pancho Villa is a Taqueria on B Street in San Mateo that I reviewed for my Examiner.com webpage. I’m not sure if any of my b&c readers have been following my Examiner page, but Pancho’s was so good that I think it should cross over.
Plus, then I can just point you to something I’ve already written instead of write something new. Lazy? Maybe. It’s been a busy week, what do you want from me?…
El Rancho Taqueria is a countertop-conveyorbelt-style setup along one edge of the El Rancho Supermercado across from Trader Joe’s on Redwood Road in Castro Valley. What I mean is that it’s a Subway Sandwiches sort of deal with one long glass-protected counter where you order and watch as the cooks assemble your order in front of you. You then make your way down the length of the counter and pay at the end. When we went the other day, there was a line of a few people in front of us and the service was sloooow….
This taqueria is tucked away on Amador Plaza Road in Dublin, just across the street from Target. And actually, it’s not really “tucked” anywhere – it’s right on the road for all to see as they drive by, though you do have to be on Amador Plaza Road to see it – it’s not on the main Boulevard. Azteca is in an unassuming commercial string of buildings, plain stucco, gently slopipng roofs; nice but not elaborate. Our trip to the nearby Target had suffered due to extreme hunger grumpiness, so we needed a place nearby and we had no time for arguing. Azteca did it’s duty in this regard….
Otaez is a Mexican restaurant (with full bar, as noted on their site) with two locations: Oakland and Alameda. My family had Sunday brunch at the Alameda location a couple weeks ago and had a decent experience. Because we only had brunch, however, I’m not qualified to comment on the diversity of their menu or the speediness of their standard service, since we only received minimal buffet-style waitress visits. Therefore, I write only of the Otaez brunch buffet.
Mexican brunch buffet is all the rage in my little life at the moment. Never have I had so many Mexican Sunday brunches as I have in the last couple months (note: I’ve only had about four). See my El Torito review for further notes on this fact. Because El Torito is actually the only other restaurant where I have experienced the Mex brunch buffet, it’s hard not to compare one to the other. And if I had to choose, I’d choose El Torito….
La Piñata opened its first restaurant in Hayward in 1983 and has since expanded to five other Bay Area locations. Apparently they are doing quite well. We patronized the original Hayward location the other day, and were a bit surprised by what we found.
This restaurant is tiny. Like, the size of my mom’s living room tiny. I counted 14 tables in the whole joint, and that’s with very little walking room in between. When we arrived it was packed. Note to readers, 6.30pm on a Friday is actually quite busy for La Piñata. Tons of people already seemed to have gotten the message and were traipsing in and out procuring take-away. Good call. But we were committed to a dine-in dinner, so we stood in wait for a table….
El Torito is a chain restaurant – it’s true. I try to stay away from reviewing chain restaurants as a rule, but eventually I end up at one and I just want to blog about it. And after patronizing El Torito’s Sunday Brunch for a second time, I think it’s time something was put into writing.
There are almost 60 El Torito’s all around California and one or two in Arizona and Oregon. It’s an established chain; there isn’t a whole lot of mystery lying in wait behind those sandblasted doors. But being a chain doesn’t necessarily mean that the quality is low or that it is not authentic – it really just means that it’s consistent among the different locations. Or at least that’s what it’s supposed to mean. And even though I can’t comment specifically on the consistency (I’ve only been to the San Leandro and Foster City locations), I can say the food is good. More specifically, the Sunday brunch is excellent….
Don Jose’s is an age old Castro Valley delight. It’s been here since before I was, proudly heading up the ever-changing lineup at Castro Village shopping center on Castro Valley Boulevard in, yes, Castro Valley. I’ve been frequenting DJ’s since I was a kid on-and-off with my family. It’s a solid restaurant, and my most recent visit has left me intrigued and wanting more.
The shopping center where Don Jose’s is located houses dozens of shops and restaurants. And though I often overlook the rest of this area, relying only on DJ’s and Loard’s, there actually appears to be some other interesting restaurants sharing the space, and I hope to try the good-looking Indian place next time around….
My dad tells me that Tacos Uruapan, on the corner of Industrial Parkway and Huntwood Avenue in Hayward, used to be just a little taco stand. For years, it was just one of those vans stationed on the same corner where the restaurant is now, selling tacos and other delicious treats all day long. Apparently they were more than a bit popular.
And I see why. Their food is delicious. I never patronized the place when it was solely a taco stand, and, frankly, taco stands in general turn me off so I may never have gathered the courage. But, according to their website, they finally saved the money to build a full-blown restaurant after almost 20 years working just out of the taco truck. And it appears that the place is flourishing….