Used to be good a few years ago. Â The last few times eating here were quite, to say the least, disappointing. Â The bland chile verde looks like it comes out of can. Â The old looking carnitas are tasteless, bone dry and tough. Â All the tables were dirty, the trash cans were overflowing, the water dispenser was empty, no chips, no salsa, the burritos are what most places would call a Baby Burrito, but without the baby's price tag. Â Prices are high, but portions and quality of food is extremely low. Â Really sad to say I can't go back again.
Review Source:Good taqueria. Â Great veggie burritos. Â Quick service. Â Enclosed "patio" with plexiglass windows which can make it cool. Â Paint all over the windows. Â Picnic tables that need to be power washed. Â These are all good signs. Â Guys have always been pleasant, especially the ones that bring out your food. Â Another good sign is that Mexicans actually eat here. Â Tres Amigos, while decent, is filled with gringos. Â I will go where my Mexican friends go!
Review Source:Definitely a dive burrito joint, but they make the best burritos, salsa and nachos on the planet! I've been coming in since I was five years old and have learned not to order the meat, but the vegetarian burritos are worth whatever's running around in the back. Plus, the have Jarritos with real sugar!
Review Source:I don't how these people are giving 4 and 5 stars. Any Taco Bell is better!
We live in the area and decided to try this place. We should have left when we walked past the kitchen and saw a frozen block of chicken meat thawing in the sun while the "cook" sawed off the thawed out meat.
I don't recall what we had, it wasn't memorable. What was memorable is both of us not feeling well after we ate.
No offense to the Coastside folks but I'm assuming that they don't know good Mexican food when you eat or even see it. El Gran does NOT deserve any where near a 4 star average. They should be grateful that their customer base thinks this is "good" quality Mexican.
1st off, you know something is up when every single employee of a restaurant is male. No sexism intended, but common now, you need at least 1 lady to put passion into how the food is made and delivered. Let's face it, 80% of us men are slackers and half ass most of the stuff we do. This is the 1st big problem that El Gran faces.
Prices are remarkably higher than most other taquerias so you expect the quality of the food to be exceptional as well right? Not here. The big flaw is that they use some TERRIBLE quality meat. Notice how every other piece of chicken or steak you bite into is extremely hard or disgustingly chewy? That's pure fattt... And probably why the "meat" has no flavor. 2nd strike is when you pick up their burritos they completely fall apart. Common cooks, you've had practice all day wrapping hundreds of burritos and you still can't correctly wrap 1 up?
Then a crucial coaching moment for the cashiers. PLEASE tell your manager to go out and buy a pair of tongs to dish out chips to the customers. We don't want anything to do with your dirty ass hands reaching into the chip bucket to give us our chips. You've been counting filthy dollar bills and coins all day, god knows what type of germs are now on the chips.
Only reasons El Gran receives a 2 star rating:
- Good laugh to see the food runners deliver 80% of customers' orders to the wrong tables
- The flan was actually pretty solid (probably made by an employee's wife and refrigerated throughout the day)
- The pico de gallo was fresh
- The restaurant used to be a small house and is now converted to a restaurant, now that's uniqueness!
I pulled up and immediately had second thoughts. It certainly doesn't look like someplace I'd want get food, but I was really hungry and heard it was good. My first impression didn't change when I entered the building, probably strengthened it.
The burrito was very good, (no gristly bits, flavorful rice, good ratios) the chips were fresh and the salsa was yummy. The drunk little Mexican guy singing in the corner reminded me of Speedy Gonzalez's cousin, Slow Poke, and provided plenty of entertainment during my meal. Â :-)
Will stop by again!
I can't get enough of this place! It is definitely a shack, so better for take out. But the food is UUUUUHMAZING. They hands down have the best tamale's I've ever had. Their burritos, tacos, nachos, all delicious.
The food comes out quick, and it is cheap! Definitely worth stopping by
As many had said, yes its not the most attractive place that calls you from the Highway, but...these are the places you DO want to try sometimes. Put on your "lets try it "hat on and go for it.
So, food is good, not the best Taqueria I've had but considering its in HMB, its descent enough to go if your felling like a fast Mexican food place (Taqueria). The chips n salsa are good as well. I 've ordered a burrito, which was good and filling, I've ordered a super nacho plate which was very good, (better than burrito), and the last time I went I ordered a taco salad. It was huge and filling too. I would say the salad and nachos took the top. The prices are descent, but as they put it before can be just a little cheaper considering the location and look of the place. But everyone has their op's so taste and judge for yourself. Again, PLEASE don't expect "Mission" style plates here, cause you not ganna get it. The guys behind the counter don't look "gangster" as a reviewer said, all three times I've gone i"ve seen just a nice guy in the front taking orders with or without a smile, but otherwise friendly and nice overall. Anyways, I wouldn't  judge ppl on their appearances, as some ppl do.
Bottom line, give this place a shot and make the call for yourself. 3 times for me and haven't had a disappointing time yet.
At first glance, it's a dump on the side of the road. The front parking lot isn't paved. In fact, it's a converted house.
It's menu is nailed to the wall with faded pictures for some of the items and hand written prices. They have wood picnic tables and benches to eat on. It's cold on cold days, so bring a coat. It's indoors, but I use that term loosely.
The gang member at the counter...err, I mean "employee", will take your order in a very unpleasant way that leaves you wondering if you need to worry about spit or other surprises in your meal.
Surprisingly they take credit cards & debit cards. I won't be surprised if the number gets stolen and used elsewhere.
I ordered a carne asada super burrito ($7). It was okay. It had a lot of fatty meat chunks in it, which is a good sign that they are using lower grade meat. They use pinto beans and it did have cheese, rice, guacamole and sour cream in it.
I also tried a Carne Asada taco ($2). It was good for the price. It also had fatty meat chunks.
Neither the taco or the burrito were spicy at all. I expected more flavor from a place that looked so run-down, like it was in the middle of Mexico.
Usually the dive-y places are good, this place was below average on all levels...comfort, convenience, service & quality.
Anyways, this place will do in a pinch but isn't good enough to charge $7 for a "super" burrito that was definitely below average. I'd say try your luck elsewhere, especially if you want to be warm while you eat.
I now have a new favorite place I'm going to visit when in HMB. Â This place is seriously legit. Â Prices are so cheap! Â I can't believe it? Â Horchata is $1.50 and it is the style I really like. Â Bean and Cheese burrito was so good. Â
The reason why we've never been here before, is because driving along the highway, it looks super scary. Â Like, um...not going to that place. Â It is a shack with some windows and picnic benches. Â But the joke was on me, because this place is really good. Â Try it out, but bring a jacket, it is pretty cold in there, since in reality you are still outside.
It's not in business because of it's ambiance (hey - it's a Taco shack). Â But there's a reason every local on that side of the hill gets their tacos and - BEST Burrito in NORCAL. Â Period.
The key is they steam their chicken (keeps it moist - vs. everyone else who grills and has dried out/ chewy meat). Â Soooo good.
Cruising down Hwy 1 enjoying the surfside views and wetsuit locals, my pal and I developed a hankering for some cheap, authentic Mexican. Just before hitting Half Moon Bay, we pulled into this roadside pitstop to find a ramshackle retreat straight out of a Tarantino movie.
Inside, there's an order at the window approach with picnic tables strewn throughout. The nachos were pretty lackluster but the tacos proved a more solid selection.
If you're just planning to cruise down past Pacifica and find yourself hungry for tacos, skip the landmark Taco Bell and log a few more miles to El Gran Amigo. You can even bring your dog so long as you snag the lone outdoor table.
The boyfriend grew up getting his Mexican fix here...and brought me back so I could have a taste. Â I ordered the carne asada and al pastor tacos and some horchata. Â Everything was delicious...my complaints?A bit too greasy for my taste, but whatever, grease is flavor, right? Â They chips are also a bit paltry...I wish they were a bit more generous because those chips are damn tasty.
The boyfriend loves this place a lot, so I was in trouble if I didn't like it...good thing I enjoyed it!
Disclaimer: This place is amazing BUT it is the absolute most divey food establishment I have EVER been to. It's not so much a restaurant as a kitchen attached to a rickety shack with picnic tables set up so the freezing ocean winds whip you in the face as you huddle over your paper tray of tortilla chips and salsa.
But the suffering is worth it, especially for the super quesadillas. Every taqueria on the Coastside has a speciality (Happy Taco has the best nachos, Three Amigos has the best chips and salsa, etc) - but El Gran has by far the best super quesadillas because they aren't so much quesadillas as they are grilled stuffed to the gills flavor explosions.
Also, rumor has it you used to be able to buy a "Green Burritto" with a little extra some some in it. Like weed. Allegedly.
On the way to the tide pools, my fam and I decided to grab what we thought would be a "quick bite," but boy were we WRONG!
I have NEVER waited so long for Mexican food in my life! Â Yes its a dive, but according to Guy Fieri these are the places to hit up. Â It took them ~20 minutes to whip up 2 tacos, 1 quesadilla, and 1 burrito. Â
The food: Â It was good, but not good enough to make me come back. Â The highlight was really the salsa - it reminded me a little of la vic's in san jose because of its creamy consistency, but it just wasn't spicy enough.
Sorry HMB, your "authentic" mexican spot needs to step it up.
This is a dive - AND, I love it. Â This place is real. Â Run by real people, who want to make an honest buck. Â The food is tasty, fresh, and good value. Â I've never gotten sick from their food. Â Their "free" drinking water comes from the tap. Â The staff is courteous, efficient, and professional. - EVEN for a dive. Â I've gotten much less quality service from places that are 5 times pricier. Â Don't let this shack close down!
After revisiting a few more times in 2011, I no longer highly recommend this place. Â The food is decent. Â Not as fresh as I had tasted in 2010...some indigestion from rancid oil/fat. Â Otherwise the people working here are still friendly.
Bring cash.
if you like extra hot sauce, they have a creamy sauce that is pretty potent, in addition to the salsa fresca.
If you were going for a bean and cheese burrito then I would recommend this place. Â Too much fat in any of the meats to even take a bite out of :( Â
The steak had no flavor as well as the chicken. Â
I have tried to go back to this place because of the convenience of the location, but it has not been any better than the first time. Â Sad...
I am giving it 2 stars only because the black bean and lettuce burrito I finally had was really good. Â I guess I could have made that at home...
They are always so busy, must make money. Â Maybe should put some into the decor. Very dumpy!
I love this place.
Burritos, quesadillas, tacos, enchiladas...it's all good.
There are two ways I like tortilla chips: thick and cold, or  thin and warm.  El Gran Amigo has 'em super thick, and with a rockin' salsa, emphasis on the ROCKIN' SALSA.
And yes, it's a bit of a run down shack of a place, but come on, it's a shack with some excellent eats.
Hands down best Burrito on the coast. Â I admit - It took me a long time to go in - lets face it - it does not look that appealing from the road, or even when you get in there - but their food is always excellent - made fresh and hot to order. Â Â
There is nothing better than taking a fresh burrito from El Gran to the beach! Â Superb!
TAQUERIA ON THE COAST
We were hungry before we set out for our walk on the beach and stopped by this little shack right on the side of Highway 1. Â It resembled and outdoor patio with windows and there were flies buzzing around the dirty tables. Â We stared at the jumbled menu posted on the wall; some of the menu items had pictures. Â We decided to order the following:
Vegetarian Burrito
L ordered the vegetarian burrito and was not happy because it was mostly rice, shredded lettuce, and a sprinkling of cheese. Â I cannot believe there were no beans in a vegetarian burrito! Â My guess is the beans were cooked in lard so this disqualified them from being included in the burrito.
Shrimp Fajitas
I ordered the shrimp fajitas and it was a generous serving.  The shrimp were sautéed with onions, bell peppers, and mushrooms and served with refried beans, rice, cheese, guacamole, sour cream, and corn tortillas on the side.  The refried beans and rice were nothing to yelp about and the guacamole was very runny.
I liked the homemade chips and salsa they served but I will order something different on my next visit. Â Worth a stop if your hungry but remember to bring your jacket because, it can get cold.
Even though I have eaten here several times, I always shudder a little when I look at the grimy front door of El Gran Amigo. Â Would it kill somebody to use a little 409 on the door, at least a few times a year?!?!
Lack of pride in appearance says a lot about a place. Â I can't imagine the kitchen looks much better. Â Still, the tacos, burritos, and quesadillas are decent here. Â I find the tamales awfully dry. Â The indoor picnic tables make for a fun, casual atmosphere. Â All in all, there are better taquerias on the coast.
I thought I wrote a review about this place a long time ago...must of dissappeared! Hmm!
Looks are deceiving. Â It is pretty much an enclosed patio with picnic tables and benches. Â And can be frickin' cold as hell in the winter!! Â I love that this place is packed at lunch time with men in fancy shoes and men in painter clothes, kids and skaters and boring people like me! Â Its a good sign to me when I see all these people.
We have been coming here - more frequently when we lived in SF - for years! Â My favorites are their tamales! Â Huge size with a nice ratio of maize and meat. Â Sometimes I order w/a combo of rice & beans or by themselves.
I also love the carnitas - especially in nachos! Â They use real cheese in the nachos, sometimes not enough but packed with plenty of meat!
The tacos are really good too!
The quesedilla's are SO good - especially cheese in a corn tortilla! Yummy cheesey goodness!
Hubby likes the al pastor! Â Usually the plate not in a burrito.
Didn't like the torta, but was trying something different at the time.
Service is quick even when there is a line of people.
Chips adn Salsa is pretty grubbin' too! Â Usually have to ask for more chips because we ate that quick!
Stopping here is a must when I'm on the Coast. I used to live in Montara, and would always stop at El Gran after a bad day at work. Nothing cheers me up more than their BBQ pork burrito with lots of hot sauce and salsa.
I'm not going to pretend I wasn't a little scared the first time my friends took me here for dinner. It's a little shady looking from the outside, but my friends were all locals and swore that it was the best, so in we went. I had the chicken super burrito, which was amazing. Loved the fresh salsa too.
Now El Gran is my favorite stop along the Hwy 1. I always take my friends here when they are visiting. Where else can you get a great burrito and beer at 10 AM?
My boyfriend is something of a burrito connoisseur so wherever he tells me a good burrito is to be found, I follow.
What was different about El Gran Amigo however, is that this is quite possibly everything I've ever wanted in a Taqueria...a dirty cinderblock building stuck to a crappy shack, and filled with Mexican gentlemen in oversized cowboy hats enjoying their food.
Everything I consumed was terrific. From their delicious chips and salsa to their cantaloupe water. However, the shrimp super burrito is by far the crown jewel of this magical kingdom of Mexican food. Creamy, cheesy, shrimpy and exploding with flavor, it is worth every penny of the $8.00 it will set you back.
Highly recommended!
This place is a total dive--it would not be out of place in, say, Tijuana. I was a little surprised to find it just west of Palo Alto. Because I've watched too many episodes of No Reservations, the spare, dingey interior led me to expect that I would soon be eating incredible, authentic Mexican food.
It was good but I was a little disappointed. I had the shrimp taco, which was tasty, but very small (2 or 3 pieces of shrimp). Â For $7 I expected more food. I also had the chicken tamale, which was wrapped in a corn husk or banana leaf, I'm not sure which. The husk was wrapped into the tamale so that in order to eat the tamale I had to unroll the husk out of it and the whole thing fell apart. Very messy. Â On the plus side, the tamale was twice as big as the shrimp taco, for $1.50.
Being on vacation, I ordered a beer. The cashier asked if I wanted it "for here or to go?" Hilarious!
I'm surprised at all the high ratings for El Gran Amigo. Â La Playa (in Pacifica) and Tres Amigos (in HMB) are far far superior. Â
Let's start with the salsa:
The first thing I look at when reviewing a Mexican restaurant is their salsa - in part, because it's the first thing you are served and you eat chips and salsa while you wait for your food. Â El Gran has the basic cut up tomatoes, cilantro, pepper and onion salsa that you can get anywhere. Â The guacamole isn't good either. Â Their hot salsa is blended and isn't much more than what you'd get out of a medium hot sauce bottle. Â Â
The food follows the same pattern as the salsa: Â basic and indistinct. Â I've tried most of their menu at this point (I live nearby) and honestly there isn't anything that I've tried that keeps me coming back on a regular basis. Â Instead of a 2 minute drive, I'll drive 15 minutes north or south to get good Mexican food. Â
Service: Â Is good and friendly. Â That much I will agree with from the people who are giving this place 140 stars or whatever. Â
Cleanliness note: Â I don't mind hole in the wall places, but I wouldn't exactly characterize this place as "clean". Â
Bottom line, this place is "just ok". Â You won't walk away from a meal here thinking how great it was unless you just returned from a recent desert exile. Â That said, you also won't walk away thinking it was terrible either.
Can I have six stars? Â Or, like, twenty?
I taught high school in HMB for two years and lived in Moss Beach for one, and one of the first things I asked the students was, "Okay, where's the GOOD Mexican food?" Â Popular response was/is 3 Amigos in HMB proper, but a few kids slyly said... EL GRAN!
Um, I don't have the words. Â It's a COMPLETE and utter dive and quite frankly I trust that in my Mexican food. Â I lived basically across the street from el Gran... like, you can see the corner I lived on the little movey map-thing to the right. Â :) Â In addition to getting fat (it was so worth it), I got to know the staff, as well, and they're just the best. Â I've had literally everything on the menu and it's just top-notch. Â My fav is absolutely the chile relleno.... if you're a relleno afficianado such as myself, you're gonna die.
This is by far the best Mexican food on the coastside, and, well... I'm gonna go get some right now!
Okay this is gonna be hard to explain, but here goes...
The place is a fricking nasty dive... dirty walls, old paint on old paint, dirty windows, crusty old bathrooms... Need I say more?
YES! but the remainder is why I rated it 5 stars...
The FOOD is what makes this place... oh yes and the atmosphere of the surroundings...
1. It IS the cheapest place on the coast for a meal of potentially MAMMOTH proportions.
2. I have tried just about everything and its ALL GOOD!
3. You can eat in or take out
4. You can eat in whatever you damn well please.
5. You can meet new friends across the picnic tables while you wait.
6. Your food is brought right out, fresh hot and oh so good!
7. You get homemade chips and mild salsa ( I think it is)
I'll take El Gran Amigo, even if I have to sit on the ground, cus the food is the best.
We recently tried this place and we will definitely go back. So many things on the menu that I want to try! The sauce on the enchiladas was so yummy - smoky and thick but with just the right amount of heat. The ingredients all seemed high quality, and I'm picky about that kind of thing. The salsa was fresh (pico de gallo really) and tasty with the thick chips.
I saw a sign that said they do tamales on weekends - that will be part of our order next time. This place does remind me of something you'd see in Mexico... quaint but simple and rustic. I agree with another poster who said it's better than Tres Amigos - we use to drive down to HMB every few weeks for Tres but not anymore... haven't tried the El Gran Linda Mar location - something about the ambiance at the original will keep me going back there whenever I can.
It was a beautiful, warm sunny day so my friend and I took off on Saturday morning to explore Pacifica and Moss Beach and make one of the many  taquerias Stop #9 on the "Eat my way through SF" weekend tour.
The lucky taqueria we ended up at was El Gran Amigo Taqueria. I was craving some shrimp but wasn't hungry enough for the super shrimp burrito so I asked the guy behind the counter if I could order shrimp tacos even though they don't list shrimp tacos on their menu. He checked with the chef and said I could. By the way, all the guys who work here are in their mid 20's-late 30's.
The Chips and Salsa blew my mind... that was some of the freshest pico de gallo I've ever had! and my shrimp tacos???? I DEVOURED them!!!! The shrimp was seasoned very well! We were sitting outside because it was a nice day, so when I went inside to ask for some hot sauce and limes I only walked out with limes. I didn't see any hot sauce laying around and figured I shouldn't ask for any.... it didn't matter my food was so amazing I've been thinking about those shrimp tacos since!!!
Solid solid solid. The ambience reminds me of Baja... los exitos jamming with the volume at max on 10 watt Radio Shack speakers, bright glopped-on paint, yellow pictures of food items definitely not professionally done, a dirt parking lot in front that kicks up nicely on a summer's after....
Then.... carnitas autenticas! Shrimp burrito is a must. Service is great, quick, and they keep the place clean. Carne asada is ol' school good... and that's about all I've had there, cause why mess with a good thing.
This place always delivers what I want. I am not going to go off the deep end and call it the best, or my favorite, but it is damn good. They are super at making what you want, even if you get complicated with your order. The meat has been fresh and tasty, and the veggie, plentiful. When not in the city, this is one of my favorites. If you want to have a nice walk by the coast, and then grab a burrito for lunch or dinner, I suggest this place. Then again, you can go to downtown Half Moon Bay and pay way too much for food that is no where near as good to feel special and romantic (then try the sushi place). awwww.
Try the chicken...
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