Not fancy, not $$, but really good. I had fried pork and al pastor Tacos - he had a breakfast burrito with steak and potatoes, all we're excellent . we were driving from st jose up to to Ashland and Jacksonville  for a short stay and Roberta's was far and away the best food of the trip and did I mention the bet value?
Review Source:After reading the reviews on Yelp before traveling North on I-5, I decided to try out Roberta's for a quick dinner. Â I wasn't disappointed. Â Yes, it's a hole-in-the-wall taco shop with outdoor seating and all the nuance that comes with eating in a parking lot. Â I'm not usually a fan of tacos, but the price was right ($1.45/each) to try 'em out. Â I had a carne asada (steak) taco, a pollo (chicken) taco, and a bbq pork taco. Â They were all amazing! Â I did have to wait longer than I expected, which just makes me think they are cooked fresh to order. Â The workers were friendly enough. Â As for the carne asada, the meat was crispy, almost as if fried. Â I loved this about it, although I could see how others might think it was 'burnt'. Â To me, the crispiness added some depth to the flavor and gave it additional texture in my mouth. Â I wanted to stop there on the way back home, but was anxious to make good time.
If I'm ever back near Williams, I assure you I will be eating at Roberta's.
That said, Roberta's is not for everyone. Â It is unassuming, authentic, and no-thrills. Â If you like air conditioning, a waitress, or ambience, Granzella's next door looked to fit the bill. Â If you want delicious tacos for not a lot of money, Roberta's is Numero Uno.
As someone else said, if you're buzzing down the 5 do yourself a favor and stop here for tacos or tamales. Very good, totally legit. And don't spend your money at some crappy fast-food joint.
It's not awesome, but it gets the extra star for being the best thing right off the 5.
And as a bonus, there's a farmer's market just down the block where we got some excellent produce.
Pastor quesadilla excellent the first time, and the second visit the meat was cooked too long, Â Asada tacos were good, service was fast, and price was good. Be aware that there is no indoor seating, with only tables outside the order window. I'll go again and try for another good pastor quesadilla, but I might ask for a taste of the meat before I do so.
Review Source:Stopped by here with a friend after work. Â The burritos were mediocre at best, and lacked any spice or much flavor. Â When I saw my friend again two days later, he said he ended up getting sick later that night, and that the food from the taqueria in Williams was the only likely culprit. Next time we will spring for a little extra money to upgrade to Granzella's. Â I just wanted to try something new this time, but did not find an experience worth returning to.
Review Source:If you happen to be driving on I-5 though the food desert that is Northern California, do yourself a favor and stop at Roberta's. It's about as good as you're going to do on this part of the 5, and it's a whole lot better than the fast-food chains.
When you get off the freeway, just look for the yellow shack! There is plenty of parking and it's not a tourist trap like Granzella's.
The tacos here are legit. Order them and you will not be disappointed. We tried the pastor, carnitas, and chicken. They were all good, but I think the pastor was my favorite.
Do not order the aquas frescas (basically sugar water from a soda fountain). And unless you're really craving them, also skip the chips (which were tasteless and not fresh).
This is a really random, out of the way spot off the 5 in NorCal. Â I was driving in a caravan of trucks pulling trailers back from Oregon and we needed a gas stop and hoped to find a taco joint to refuel ourselves as well. Â We scored with this spot! Â
In my opinion, Roberta's is exactly how a side-of-the-road taco/Mexican place ought to be.  Tacos done right. You park in a gravel parking lot next to the idling big rigs, stroll through the blazing sun to the brightly-painted yellow cinderblock building, duck into a little window out front and place your order.  I rattled mine off in Spanish for a little extra "cred" and was rewarded with a pair of meaty tacos al pastor, already dressed with just the right combination of cilantro, onions, & salsa, with a side of sliced radishes and escabeche (pickled jalepeños, onion, & carrot).  I love a place that says "no, we'll make the way they are supposed to be eaten, not make you pick the salsas and figure out the right combo".  And I really agreed with the way they did these.
The tacos were authentic without being grisly at all - nice meaty chunks of marinated pork, diced small enough for a taco, but not minced into a hash like some places trying to use "junk meat" for their tacos. Â The tortillas were store-bought, but fresh and the salsa had a great kick to it.
One friend ordered a quesadilla al pastor. Â I'm generally not a quesadilla guy, but I have to say that it was one of the best-looking quesadillas I've ever seen. Â Not too goey, lots of clunky goodies inside, and a nice toasted exterior wrapping it all up. IIRC it was dressed with a generous scoop of guacamole.
To drink, I had home-made horchata (rice drink) and it was good, but a bit sweet, even by Mexican standards.
I can guarantee that the next time I'm driving down the 5 from way up north, I'll plan my trip to be at Roberta's for lunch. Â With places like this, why do Burger Kings even exist?
Pros:
Better than fast food.
Tasty meat.
Tasty salsa.
Huge burritos
Decent prices.
Cons:
Bees swarming the dumpster and trying to get in the car.
No apparent sign of a bathroom.
Interaction with proprietors limited to very small window.
Salsa hard to come by.
Slow to make burritos even when we were the only customers.
Burrito ingredients not well distributed.
This place is absolute garbage. If you live in Williams you have not much else of a choice for Mexican food, if your passing by on I-5 its best that you keep driving and look for something else.
the food is alright, nothing to write home about, the woman behind the counter is rude as can be.
she slammed the window shut once when the customer in front of me for asking how much a burrito was!
Also they are super stingy with their salsa and various condiments, act as if they are going to go out of business by giving out an extra salsa. Which come out in small portions as it is and usually take a very long time to come out.
Some food is alright, but most burritos are packed with rice and beans with little to no meat or cheese. Once even sold me a chicken burrito with only 2 strips of chicken and no meat and then got mad when I complained.
In short this establishment is a very shrewd business run by an even voracious and prude owner. Don't care about the quality of their food or the their customers satisfaction, they simply want to "milk" their patrons.
Unfortunately  you don't have much of a choice in Williams and the owner knows it so, they make no attempt to increase quality.
Fair at best based on my one stop here. The chips were nice and crisp, not greasy at all, and the guacamole was pretty good. The salsa wasn't my favorite, but pretty good. The carne asada burrito was 90% (mushy) beans and rice. I only ate half as I could feel my stomach swelling.
I'll try it one more time, but if the next isn't much better it will be Granzella's from now on.
It's hard for me to imagine stopping in Williams somewhere besides Granzellas, but I'm betting that Roberta's holds a good chance at beating them out on future trips along I5. Â My husband is a cheap taco connoisseur and proclaimed them to be some of the best he's had in recent memory. Â I like that they come with pickled carrots and jalapenos. Â Anyone can stick some shredded pork in a tortilla. Â It's all in the details. Â
Minus one star because their bathroom was not functional and their horchata was a bit too sweet.
The other reviews are totally accurate! I can't pass by Robertas without stopping! I travel thru Williams often and always get my plate of pastor tacos! I try the pastor at least one taco at every place I go for Mexican, none match the flavor and texture of Roberta's pastor!
Great place to sit, stretch and have some great grub! Have personally recomended to many friends and by word of mouth it is no longer a hidden gem! Go there eat good drive safe!
Driving down I-5, I stopped in Williams to get some snacks for the ride back to Martinez, and happened across this place, "Roberta's Taqueria". Â Just off the "William's" exit on the West side of I-5, it's stand out YELLOW color naturally attracts a glance.
I had two chicken Taco's, ordering during the lunch hour. Â There was a steady flow of maybe 1/3 Latino's with a very mixed group for the balance - which to me was a good sign, along with the many cars parked in the adjoining gravel lot. Â So I had to try it...
The tacos were very good...although only available in (double corn) soft tortillas. Â They had a great taste. Â And very hot off the grill. Â This seemed to NOT be a fast food place, as the two tacos took maybe 10-minutes to prepare, and the chicken was piping hot! Although I prefer crispy shells, these were excellent.
The had a simple menu, with an outside eating area, and maybe 1/2 of the folks were taking their food to go.
The taco's came in nice tortillas with onions, cilantro, and a healthy supply of nice chicken accompanied in a light, dry chicken juice or sauce. Â Jalepenos, radishes and carrots were included - but on the side.
Definately worth a stop. Â They also have many other standard Mexican food items, including tamales, enchiladas, and more...
Driving up I-5 last week, we started getting hungry and pulled off a couple times in search of food. Â We saw this taqueria in Williams and were instantly intrigued by the signs advertising tamales, so we stopped here. Â A customer outside remarked that this was his regular I-5 stop, claiming they have "the best burritos this side of San Diego". Â While the carnitas burrito was really good, I still claim La Bamba Taqueria in Mountain View to be my favorite. Â The pork tamales here were indeed delicious, and I would stop here again on the next road trip.
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