30 Best Mexican Restaurants near Brookdale

“Great food, really good service. What more could you ask for?!Kid-friendliness: We are a larger family (four kids) and, not only were they warm and welcoming to us all, they also rearranged tables to accommodate us more comfortably. Thanks!“

“Fantastic first time to this family owned spot. Sat on patio while the music played inside on a great Sunday Morning. The service was just as great as the homemade food. Extraordinary. We will go again our first time there coming from up north“

“Went to Copal on Easter Sunday 2024. We had a 4:45 pm reservation that was made online two days prior and verified via return phone call on Saturday.My friend had a screen shot of her online verification since it was for a holiday and she intended to stop by in person to verify but since Copal called her back to confirm she didn't worry about it. I used to live in Oaxaca and I was super excited.The wait staff were vivacious, friendly and attentive. My friend had enchiladas, I had the Quesadillas del Mercado. We also got sides of Chapulines and Nopalitos. I really wanted to try the green mole but didn't want another entire entree. They graciously accomodated with a side of green mole and a side of grilled chicken. I also got Aqua de Jamaica. Everything was delicious! I skipped the beans becsuse they were too firm but my friend loved them. The nopalitos were chopped into a salsa with onions. The Quesadillas were fantastic and more than I could finish at one meal, and the grilled chicken was beyond amazing. It brought back memories of the father/daughter butcher team that I used to buy from at the Mercado near Abrahan Castellanos- the meat is cut thin snd pounded very flat over a block of ice so that it is tender and cooks easily. The Chapulunes were big and as good as homemade, yum! I will definitely order chicken with green mole in the future but I will opt for take out.The downsides: The interior seating area has terrible acoustics and glare from outdoors. It might be better after dark.The bathroom seemed to be flooded and in need of repair. The person at the host station seemed to be focused on driving patrons out rather than welcoming them in, which was very puzzling. The host rattled off about five different suggestions as to why we must be mistaken in the three seconds it took for my friend to bring up the screen shot of the confirmation. The reservation was not on their books. So be sure to take a screen shot of your reservation and be prepared to be treated like a door crasher.Bottom line, the food is outstanding and I will definitely order take out from Copal in the future.“

“La Katrina was delicious! The murals are bright and welcoming. Four of us came for breakfast and were very happy: chilaquiles red and green, huevos rancheros, and breakfast burrito. Delicious food. Full salsa bar including fresh fruit, great coffee.“

“Food was very fresh and delicious. $2 tacos on Tuesday. Water had lots of citrus in it which was real tasty, free coffee with meals, chips and salsa tasted really fresh and homemade. Chips were served hot out of the oven and included with the meal. Best Mexican food around.Vegetarian options: Lots of veggie options.“

“Great food. I ordered my favorite. Quesabirria taco. Delicious! Ive been wanting to stop here for quite some time. I drive by it alot during work. The guys are soo nice and made ordering easy. The taco was full of flavorful meat, it was heavy. I could barelyy eat it all to be honest. I like that it came with grilled onions on the side. Definately stopping by again. They do take card payments. I was able to use a restroom in the nearby building. Parking lot is small and if your like me and drive a big vehicle, your better off parking on the street.“

“chips are fantastic! salsa and chip bar is brilliant!! quesadilla was perfect amount of cheese and crisp. brought a steak torta to my friends house three hours north, even being that old they said it was best torta ever. they want to drive down to just come get it fresh!“

“Sunday morning brunch regular at the bar for about a year now. Esteban and Luis are the BEST! :) Always friendly while pouring the most delicious custom Skinny Margueritas, couldn't ask for better bar staff. The only other thing I could ask for is a jalapeno burger menu offering which is the only thing missing from their menu. Other than that, 5/5.“

“Good tacos, but the quesabirria is so damn good! Beware: it's the kind of food that you don't want to stop eating because it's so yummy, even when you're stuffed! Recently you can't tip on the card though, so it's more of a hassle, otherwise it would be 5 stars.“

“We love eating at this place. We drive down from Felton to eat here all the time. They have super good carnitas and taco salad and basically everything. Plus the artwork on the walls is super cool and it’s been a family owned local business “

“Okay I am soooo serious when I say they have THE BEST super burritos here. I got the carne asada (steak). The meat was seasoned and cooked perfectly and the best part it had NO CHEWY fat gristle! The picture truly does it no justice. The amount of other toppings was harmony to the steak. The super comes with rice, beans, sour cream, guacamole, cheese and meat. I added pico de gallo bite to bite and boy it was just delicious. I am sad they only have two locations and both are in Scotts Valley. But I will say it's good enough to take the 45 minute drive.“

“Luv their menu!!! It's nice to sit outside or meet a client on the lovely patio. The fajitas are the best, the homemade chips & salsa (ask for the spicy habenero) are an extra $2, just wow! Try Taco Teusdays and Thirsty Thursdays for some deals ?“

“Good food and good service and very nice and friendly people me and my mom like to come here all the time it's great ???Vegetarian options: I'm not sure about there veggie menuParking: Plenty of parkingKid-friendliness: They don't care about your kid being thereWheelchair accessibility: They have room to get around“

“Tasty chile rellenos with rice and beans. Very nice taco and enchilada. So cheesy! We were expecting salty or oily but we got neither so it was great. You can set up your thick tortilla chips with pico de gallo or a couple of other salsas. You order up front counter, pay and they bring your food to you.“

“This is such a hidden gem!All the food I've had there is delicious from the tacos to the crazy pineapple - it's SO good with the seafood sauteed with pineapple just like I had in Mexico.On Fridays they have a mariachi band come in and play and initially I was kind of anxious but it quickly became clear that the musicians were there because this was an opportunity to have fun! They made it clear that we didn't have to pay to get serenaded or play a song but they were so fun that we ended up staying long after we were done eating. Passion project or not, we still ended up leaving the mariachis a tip with the wait staff lol“

“I've visited Santa Cruz numerous times, and I was so excited to finally discover this spot! We were driving through on the way to Monterey and decided to stop over for lunch. I had the "mini" chicken California burrito, which was huge and definitely fills you up as a meal. Their "large" burrito was listed as 5 lbs! My friends tried their tacos which looked amazing - besides mixing up one taco (carne asada instead of salmon), service was great and friendly! Seating is outside, the weather was perfect to enjoy lunch at one of the tables around the corner.“

“I love los pinos! One of my favorite taqueria's in town. I always get their super burrito either with al pastor or carne asada. Both are great. I got catering from them as well for a small party. They sell their meat by the pound (carne, pork, chicken, etc) and it made everything so easy for me. I'll be back again and again!“

“LOVE Freshly grilled fish Huge portions. One taco would've been enough for me. Quick walk from Whalers car wash. LIKE Fish and shrimp tacos were decent. Salsa bar and freshly made chips. MEH Not particularly flavorful. I'll try the meat next time.“

“One of the best burritos and tacos that I've ever eaten there the flavor is good, but what really stands out is the tenderness of the chicken meat that they serve so good so juicyVegetarian options: All items can be modified so there's no meat in it just need to ask“

“I had just eaten a 3-course meal at Bad Animal (Hanloh residency--my second favorite Thai restaurant after Kin Khao in San Francisco!) and thought, "I could really go for some tacos." Taqueria Jalapeños was nearby and on the right side of jank for me to check it out. Unfortunately it was like, 9:50 PM, so I resigned myself to gazing wistfully at the menu from outside. After all, I'm not gonna roll into the shop 10 minutes before closing. The place was empty, and they were obviously cleaning up. Out of the blue, a guy rounds the corner with broom in hand saying, "You can come in, you know!" I didn't immediately register he was an employee (I was tired) and lamented, "They're closing in 10 minutes." He waved us in anyway, and shuffled into the store and took our order. I'm guessing since we were in there, people assumed it was still open. By 10, there was a crowd and the workers ended up closing late. Sorry! Despite the fact that it was literally closing time and he was justifiably exhausted, he beamed at us when we gave him our order. I don't normally rate on service or ambience (I personally only care about food), but he was extremely friendly. Now on to the food: it was good. My "measure" for checking out a new place are the carnitas, lengua (mostly because it's my favorite), and salsa. For carnitas, I'm looking for crispy outer parts and soft, confit-like inner parts. For lengua, I prefer large chunks, so I can get the full texture of the tongue. Neither should be too salty, and they should pair well with the house salsa. Taqueria Jalapeños' salsa is bright, sour, and disarmingly spicy. It goes perfectly with the rich meat, but the heat sneaks up on you. It went from "This is pretty mild" to "Oops" real quick. Get an agua fresca! TL;DR Taqueria Jalapeños hit all my requirements.“

“I've been coming here since I was a little kid! The food is super yummy. We especially like the carnitas, el pastor, chorizo, and brc burritos! The burritos typically are big enough for two. And those chips are simply the best. The restaurant itself is okay if you are in a hurry, but I highly recommend taking your food to go and eating your food in the park or at Henry Cowell. As for the service, the staff is usually happy to explain and make conversation, even when there's a language barrier.“

“Had the veggie tacos - I was expecting the same old fajita veggies and maybe beans that most restaurants have; but these were very good and fresh. Excellent dish and excellent portions (3 is kind of a lot of food...)Also had a flour quesadilla which was great.Will definitely come back.“

“Amazing, you can actually hear yourself think and carry on a conversation in this place! Pleasant staff, comfortable seating, nice atmosphere and I love the mosaic tile art flooring. The food was good, with large servings. I was planning on taking half home for later but I ate the whole thing. I don't know where I put it! I'd definitely go here again for a chill, casual eating experience. Prices weren't so bad either, considering the rise in cost of living lately.“

“I arrived just as this little corner taqueria was closing. They were kind enough to let us order a couple of items. Best quesadilla and taco! I will try this place again when they're not closing. The food was very good and the service was great.“

“Hubby and I stopped here on a rainy afternoon for lunch. We ordered the Al pastor sope and chicken nachos. Both were excellent in flavor and portion size. It wasn't greasy or salty like other heavy Mexican food. The ladies behind the counter were friendly and prices were reasonable for the quality. They now offer Mexican hot chocolate!“

“Needed some late night food and swung in here for some grub… The service was great and the food was amazing! We had a mix of asada tacos, fish tacos, breakfast burrito & a side of rice… My wife claimed the fish tacos were the best she’s ever had and the asada tacos were delicious! We’ll definitely return!“

“What I expect from a Taqueria with a bonus! Big portions, good food, small dining area. Bonus is that the people behind the counter are awesome and having a dairy issue they can accommodate. They know what's in the food and how it's prepared. Did I mention it's fast! So if you have a dairy issue but want real food, stop by here.Parking: Few spots but never had a problem finding one when I went.Dietary restrictions: Non dairy available (no milk, no butter, no cheese)“

“I've come here numerous times and they never fail to make the food delicious!I got the Quesabirria Tacos this time (I have gotten tortas and tacos every other time). I thought the flag was a nice addition, so I decided to take a picture and review it this time!If you are ever at the Capitola Mall, you should stop by, the food is definitely as delicious as it looks!“

“Fantastic healthy find in midtown Santa Cruz. Organic Mexican food caught my eye. Most taqueria restaurants don’t have health and wellness in mind. Viva’s is the only Mexican restaurant that is forward thinking about what they are serving the community. I needed to find a place that will accommodate my need to have gluten free meals and this place has several to choose from and they are easy makes on the menu. I ordered the chicken enchilada plate. I am 100% satisfied with flavor, portion size and pricing. The staff was attentive and helpful. I would make the 3+ hour drive just to get this place again.Vegetarian options: Vegetarian and vegan options. Plenty of fresh and organic ingredients and many veggie meals to pick from without needing to make alterations.Kid-friendliness: Safe and friendly kid seatingParking: Parking is hard to come by. We parked in the Big O parking lot next door and just walked over.Wheelchair accessibility: Easily can move around restaurant with wheelchairDietary restrictions: Plenty of Gluten-free and vegan options“

“Food is authentic and made to order. Small place which does have its own parking lot, walking distance to the pier and boardwalk. Order at the counter and self serve from there. Always busy and fills up fast. An established business that doesn't disappoint every time!“