10/14/07

Waste of money and stomach space

by bperla

I was really disappointed, and will definitely NEVER be going back or recommending this place to anyone.

My reasons? Looking at the menu (which was hard to read because of poor lighting...and no "in hand" menus to speak of...) there was some variety, but not the traditional variety you see in Mexican restaurants. I couldn't even see where to order a side of tortillas. For the prices, I expected a large, filling taco or enchilada, right? Or at least it coming with a side of rice, but no, all sides must be ordered separately.

Got the food promptly, but the taco was the diameter of a coke can, with a tablespoon of meat and a teaspoon of guacamole, no garnish, no nothing. Thoroughly angry at the outrageous price they had charged me. AND, HORRIBLE service, the waiter didn't bring us our tortillas, nor our rice, and mixed up our orders. Not to mention they were all out of flour tortillas, and didn't bother to tell us. I would not have paid for the coaster sized, cold corn tortillas they gave us instead.

Overall, a crappy place to go eat. Poor "service", poor ambiance, poor food, poor portions, ridiculous prices.

If I could give it negative stars I would, believe me. I'm all in favor of getting a taco bell in place, it's much better that this moneysucker.

• Pros: Fast
• Cons: Everything else you're looking for in a restaurant.

09/15/06

Unique menu, but....

by hezmodo

I liked the idea; cafeteria style, unique offerings in a nicely decorated place. The food was fairly good, I'll grant that, but the prices are quite high. Two of us ordered al pastor tortas, which were tasty enough, but lacked any garnish, either on the torta or on the plate. Come on folks, throw some lettuce on there! or tomato! Anything! And I have had better al pastor at the (TOU forbids me to use the word that they are called) street coaches, even though Tacubaya's was okay. Another guest ordered an enchilada, and got an enchilada. Nothing else. She liked it, but we all left feeling unsatisfied. All sides have to be ordered separately, unless you get an expensive plato. The food was tasty, and I could see trying it again, but only if they make it seem a little more value-oriented. Service isn't really an issue; there isn't any. In spite of my complaints here, I do have to say it's probably cheaper to eat a small nosh here than any of the other 4th street eateries. Remember I said small nosh. Not meal.

• Pros: casual environment, lively decor, unique mexican menu
• Cons: No sides/garnishes included, staff aren't very friendly, parking can sometimes be a pain

12/15/05

de-lish

by spylicious

It love this place for a quick and tasy lunch or dinner. The servers are friendly and casual but I wouldn't call it "service." Think cafeteria-style, pour-your-own-water, etc.

The reason to go is the food. They have delicious a la cart fish tacos, sopes, tortas and tamales. (No burritos here but you won't miss them!) And the corn on the cob is addictive. As are the churros. Y-U-M.

12/14/05

Taco Time...& Sopes too!!!

by oaklandeater

YUM!!! How long did it take to get some great mexican food on 4th St.? There are so many wonderful things to eat on this menu. The tacos are all excellent...especially the fish tacos, fried, with aioli...mmmm! The sope with potatoes and chorizo is a worthy addiction. The guacamole rocks, the churros are too good, the chilaquiles are unusual and totally tasty...I could go on. The owners of Dona Tomas have created another cool, yummy and definitely worthwhile eating experience...please tell me you've eaten at Dona Tomas.

• Pros: variety, organic meats, friendly staff

06/20/05

Just what the area needs

by laketahoekid

Okay

...so the RITZ CARLTON or CHEZ PANISSE

it is not.

Quality-value ingredients and reasonable prices: FOURTH STREET and the rest of Berkeley

needs more places like TACUBAYA

03/18/05

Huh?

by jimmydeanstonecold

I can't imagine why anyone would think this was a good restaurant.

The service was poor. The place looked like it had been ransacked. They were out of chips. At lunch time. On a Saturday.

The salsa was old and mushy. We had an OK soup but the rest of the food was inedible. Sorry to say, this place is way off the mark, and not cheap!

• Pros: charming decor
• Cons: bad food, overpriced, bad service

06/02/04

West Berkeley gets a little hotter, thanks to this swank taqueria.

by Contributor

The Scene
This spinoff of upscale Mexican favorite Doña Tomas, tucked way in the back of a Fourth Street shopping complex, is painted with intense monochromatic splashes of red, pink and orange. Families line up to order at the counter, saddle themselves with silverware and beverages, and settle into wood tables under enormous wrought-iron chandeliers.

The Food
The menu is chock-full of top-quality northern Mexican breakfast and lunch items handled with panache. Barbecued Niman Ranch pork fills al pastor tacos, while cactus in revueltos norteños is a crunchy foil to the surrounding melange of scrambled eggs, tomatoes and green onions. Sopa de tortilla is a slurp-worthy exercise in overkill, loaded with chicken, avocado, spinach and globs of cheese. Entrees arrive with handmade corn tortillas (wrapped in foil to retain their warmth) and bland black beans topped with cotija cheese. Churros are eggy deep-fried delights that scream for a bowlful of spicy-sweet cafe de olla.

11/08/03

Good lunch

by lilcheese2

we've gone to this place a couple of times and i really liked the lunch, but the breakfast wasn't that great. We had tacos and tamales one day and the food was pretty good. The service was a bit slow considering how few people were there at the time, but the space is really comfortable and colorful. The breakfast i though was just okay. The flavors were kind of lacking and i felt myself missing the kind of mexican breakfast you can get in the mission...

• Pros: great space, good lunch
• Cons: slow service, a bit overpriced, funky hours