Mini Combo Chili Rellano & Taco $10.75
Mini Combo Chili Rellano & Tamale $10.75
Medium Margarita $6.50
Updated 11/22/2009
Returned to Mexico Cafe for lunch on Sunday. The restaurant was quite busy. Service was much improved this trip. I liked the tamale so well I ordered another one. The chili rellano was made with a fresh chili not canned. The taco was stuffed with shredded beef, crisp, and not greasy at all. The margarita was fantastic, a great blend of sweet and sour, triple sec and tequila. Everyone was happy, will return again when I have a craving for old style traditional Mexican food.
Pork Tamale Lunch Special $7.75
Mexico Cafe
892 E Highland Ave
San Bernardino, CA 92404
(909) 882-3000
Today was my first visit to Mexico Cafe. It is located on Highland Ave between Waterman and Del Rosa. The sign outside says since 1951, wow, 58 years in the same location. It looks like your typical Mexican restaurant from the outside. When I entered there was an overpowering smell of disinfectant. The only seating observable was a small bar area. I though this was not going to turn out good. The hostess led me around the wall to a very large restaurant.
It appeared to be doing good business for almost two in the afternoon. No disinfectant smell in the dining room. Service was just a bit slow but was adequate. I was not kept waiting for any long period of time. After seating I was handed a regular menu and a lunch special menu. The regular menu items are a little more expensive than average. The two item combo was $10.75, the three item was $12.00. I decided to order from the lunch special menu. It was small but they had plenty of items to choose from. One of the choices was a one item combo with choice of Taco, Enchilada, Chili Rellano, Mini Tostada or Pork Tamale. I chose the pork tamale served with rice and beans, with tortillas on request.
The lunch was served with a nice size bowl of fresh tortilla chips and salsa. The salsa was good, it has a fresh tomato base with onions, cilantro and chili. The lunch was served and did not quite know what to expect from the looks. It was a large tamale, covered in a brownish sauce. Most tamales this size are full of doughy corn masa with dried out meat. Not this tamale, it had a fairly thin crust of masa. It was stuffed with shredded pork. The sauce was a great accompaniment to the tamale. I spiced up the tamale by adding some of the salsa. This tamale was very good and I would love to go back for another. The rice and beans were very also very tasty. The meal was topped off by a scoop of corn cake, a signature item at El Torito. I used my chips to eat the beans.
Mexico Cafe is an old style Mexican restaurant. I liked the decor, they had a patio with a beautiful fountain for outdoor dining. This is how El Torito was in the old days. Good basic Sonoran style food served in a friendly atmosphere. The portions were filling and too much for me to eat in one sitting. I was pleasantry surprised by Mexico Cafe, it took me back to a simpler time. In my former life I was a manager at the Toluca Lake El Torito #2 across from the Burbank studios. I think it was opened in the early fifties also. This was before they started experimenting with the menu and screwed things up. The menu at Mexico Cafe advertises that they are famous for their Margarita, unfortunately was not able to imbibe. The prices were a little higher than some places but I think the value is there. I will return to Mexico Cafe with my family and see if they agree.
Food ****
Ambiance ***
Service **
Cost $$
Repeat - Yes
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