La Penca Azul 1440 Park Street, Alameda, CA 94501

"I'm usually wary of any "authentic" Mexican restaurant serving nachos, but thankfully it wasn't all Tex Mex. Menu is very large and the plates are very generous. My happy hour classic margarita was great and the food is good quality. Unfortunately our server couldn't answer questions about plate size, but otherwise the ambience felt like Mexico :)"

"I like to come here because of the food and drinks. Happy hour starts at 2:00 and they have a nice menu. The peach and mango Margaritas are delicious. The enchiladas on the happy hour menu only come with the green sauce. They do not accept the gift cards from American express, MasterCard and a few others. Cash and credit cards only. They have hand sanitizers at every table. They have inside and outside seating as well"

"This review is for people who want to know what I consider to be a good restaurant. This Mexican restaurant is extremely popular with the locals and is well-known. The food is excellent, portions are large, service is amazing. Quality on all fronts is superb: shrimp are fresh and huge, chicken breast is used not thigh meat, chips are non oily, salsa is good [needs chunks of onion, pepper tho], fresh tortillas, etc. Also note the diversity and wide variety on the menu, all at good prices for California. Fish is fresh and can be used in all entrees. Note they also provide cold CANS of Diet Coke to ensure quality; not flat DC mixed w carbonated local tap water…blech. Also notice whole beans are offered not just lard infused refried beans. Utah’s mediocre Mexican restaurants need to come here to learn how it is done! Mostly they are garbage."

"DOS: 10/18/2023 7PMish Food: ordered Tamal, Beef Enchilada, Beef Taco. It was just ok. Not the best, not the worst. Beans were good though! Service: The lady taking my order made me repeat it like 5 times! No joke. She kept trying to give me chili rellenos for some reason. She did not come to check on me once after she gave me my food. Atmosphere: It was a lively place with an adjacent bar. Drinks: had a margarita or two and they were both pretty good."

"This place has INCREDIBLE service. These guys are so prompt it blows my mind. Chips and salsa is the best I’ve ever had. It has some smoky flavor (maybe chipotle?) that makes it addictive. Huge portions and great prices! I love this place!"