Alfonso's Authentic Mexican Food

Great food! great service! Locally owned, this place is clean and friendly with fresh ingredients like homage corn tortillas. I had the siete mares with corn tortillas. Yum! My kids had enchiladas and I snuck a taste. All very good. I will be back

Daddy Alfonso’s: Where to start? Firstly, the atmosphere, food and service were superb, excellent, phenomenal. I wept from pure euphoria the nanosecond i stepped into this establishment. The food tasted of Jesus Christs bread and wine. The food flirted with my taste buds. The instant my eye caught the fibers of the tables and my tush connected with the surface of the chairs, I fainted on the spot. My dopamine levels were so off the charts from the experience that I was rushed to the ER, and due to this I am physically incapable of breathing and had my heart replaced by a machine. It was a worthy experience.

Amazing Food, made with quality ingredients. I highly recommend!

Great fresh delicious food. Friendly welcoming waitress.

Atmosphere was super upbeat from the moment we walked in. The guy that was waiting on us was super nice and friendly and the food came pretty quick! All of it was very good- we ordered Carnitas, Carne Asada, Tostadas, and Churros. Super big portions, and everything is fairly priced. Give it a try!

Around 6pm on Friday, late August 2020 I spotted outdoor seating in front of the Alfonso's Authentic Mexican Food dining room which was restricted to take out only. I knew about the Subway and Pizza but this place was something new with an open table outside! My friend and I were relieved to be able to actually sit and get service for the first time in months! The service was top notch for an early experiment in County Health and Safety social distancing. They knew how to keep it small, with just 3 tables with space between us and the "to go" pickup inside. The menu was really spectacular! It was beautifully presented and detailed, one of the nicest I've seen in all of Castroville and Moss Landing areas. I studied it a while and then asked if they had a specialty not listed on the menu or the board: Menudo. I figured I'd be happy either way the kitchen could manage, but to my surprise an incredible serving was prepared - the best I have ever had! Absolutely beyond my expectations! This is the best Mexican dining experience I have had had since... Pepper's in Pacific Grove a while ago! Alfonso's is traditional Mexican fine dining menu that is done with seriousness and style that is up to par with the finer establishments on the Monterey Peninsula, and a full step above anything else I've been to in that area. Its priced a little higher than the other nearby spots, and its worth it! Highly recommended!

Loved the coziness inside and the food was just amazing. I had Enchiladas Alfonsos. Quantity was so good that I could've shared with someone, but taste made me a mean person and I put it in the fridge for later lol. Loved the food here, highly recommended.

The waiter was very kind. Chips and salsa were very good, and included two types of salsa. Spicy and mild. The Jarritos drink was amazing. Food was great! I recommend coming here!!!

Alfonso's Authentic Mexican Food was a cool surprise on our way down to Carmel. Like many have mentioned, the restaurant is in an unassuming strip mall next to a Roundhouse Pizza. We were just looking to pick up something along the way off the freeway and this fit the bill. Quick 10 min pick up and we were on the road again. The Super Burrito was amazing bursting with flavors. The Carne Asada Fries definitely hit the spot. They did not skimp on the sauces and guacamole And guess what? It wasn't expensive at all! You get a lot of food for your money. I definitely recommend anyone on a road trip to stop by Alfonso's!

Wife and I went for a drive and stopped in Castroville for lunch. Although they very busy, they were quick and friendly. The deep fried artichokes were really good. The entrees were also delicious. If you go be sure to save room for the made in house Flan. Will definitely be back.

Very good food and very generous portions! We had the artichoke enchilada which was pretty good, but I guess I'm just not that into artichokes.. The wet burrito however was really good, and huge!

We have been coming to Alfonso's for many years. Not only do they have the most delicious Mexican food. The owners always come by and talk to you by name. The wait staff has excellent customer service. They are now doing Italian food on Fridays. It is also delicious. We will be going back for many years.

First time visiting here on the way to monterey. I would definitely go out of my way to eat here again, and again, and again. Not your typical Mexican restaurant with an above average and original menu. Everything from the chips and salsa to the beans and rice that accompanied my main dish was exceptionally well made and tasty!

Came in for a quick bite to eat, chit chat, and enjoy each other's company. I had a crispy chicken taco, mom had soft shredded beef and Joseph had a plate of fish and chips. His fish were 3 hearty and fried golden brown. Condiments to complement the fish's flavor. Plenty of fries to fill the plate! He had to take some home for a snack later. By the way, the prices were terrific for the amount of food u received. They've been here several times, I will surely be back.

Great service and absolutely amazing food. Very clean inside great little selection of beer and wine. I would highly recommend if your looking for a great little spot to impress your friends and loved ones with. 5 stars try it out you wont be disappointed.

Came in for a late late lunch and ordered the Chile Verde and carne asada burrito and the calamari appetizer. Food was excellent and service was great. Clean restaurant and I'd recommend it. I'd be going back when I'm in the area.

Loved it food was nice and hot. Nice place to eat after golfing in Monterey

We love coming to this place. The food is excellent and reasonably priced. We had been coming here for a little while when we found out that on a lot of Fridays they also serve Italian food along with their regular menu. So we came on a Friday and the Italian food was amazing too. The staff has always been helpful and friendly. Update 11/23: They recently stopped doing Italian food on Fridays.

Amazing food! Machaca breakfast, bean and cheese burrito, corn tortillas, all of it so delicious. Some of the best I've ever had. And the service was great. She was friendly, helpful, and got the perfect balance of being attentive without being too attentive. Coming back tonight for dinner! Also some of the prettiest plating I've seen in a Mexican restaurant.

This simple clean airy Restsurant & Bar serves some of the best food in the County. Today I tried the Pozole. I was pleasantly surprised by the fresh clean taste of the corn and light gravy. All the flavors blended perfectly with a slightly tangy taste because of the nice fat slice of lemon. It was such a delight savoring this simple dish. The shrimp ceviche was totally off the hook. You have to try this spot.

One of the best moles I've ever had, the super burrito was huge, and the chips tasted really fresh. Definitely plan on coming back the next time I come down here.

I like the Fajitas, its grilled fresh with a ton of flavor. Best ive had in a while, it comes pipping hot, so you known its cooked right. The waitet or owner guy is really nice and gave me a discount card for free meal with every 10 visits. I might just come back next time i pass by.

I have passed this spot more times than I can count shopping at Santa Fe. So happy to have stopped in. Delicious broth in the siete mares and the snapper vera cruz had a rich sauce that was good enough to be eaten by the spoonful. The seafood and crab were extremely fresh.

Made with pride and care, these plates were special. Thee posole was everything I wanted. Mighty taste, lots of richly flavored hominy with all proper condiments. Special artichoke and carnitas enchilada plate. Fabulous. Grilled tender artichoke and pork chunks swimming in plate lickable sauce.

It’s clean it’s real good Mexican food and they serve very generous portions, I had the machaca breakfast and omg delicious 🤌🏼♥️♥️♥️

Very friendly service. We ordered takeout and it was delicious! Large portions and the corn tortillas in the tacos were made at the restaurant, not store bought.

Nice and clean place , we asked the waitress what they are known for , she suggested Artichoke enchiladas. We ordered them and it was very delicious. The waitress was very nice and accommodating.

Located in Castroville, the "Artichoke Capital of the World", Alfonso's has some interesting twists on standard Mexican fare. We stopped by after an exciting morning of whale watching on Monterey Bay. Our table shared an appetizer of fried squid, and I ordered one of the daily specials, carnitas and artichoke enchiladas (pictured). The calamari came in large pieces, lightly breaded and fried. The portion size was a bit small, or maybe it felt that way because they were so tasty and I wanted to keep eating them! The enchiladas were stuffed with crispy and tender carnitas and fresh artichokes.The rice and beans were good too. The prices were reasonable. Overall, a great experience!

Stopped in for dinner on way back from the beach. I ordered the carnitas plate and, wow! The best I've had ever at a restaurant. Very soft, tasty and very good. Portions were great. Friendly service. Other people in my party got enchiladas and chile relleno, they all said it was great. Definitely will be back.

abraham raoof

Loved it food was nice and hot. Nice place to eat after golfing in Monterey

David Olais

Came in for a late late lunch and ordered the Chile Verde and carne asada burrito and the calamari appetizer. Food was excellent and service was great. Clean restaurant and I'd recommend it. I'd be going back when I'm in the area.

Craig and Rocky !

We love coming to this place. The food is excellent and reasonably priced. We had been coming here for a little while when we found out that on a lot of Fridays they also serve Italian food along with their regular menu. So we came on a Friday and the Italian food was amazing too. The staff has always been helpful and friendly. Update 11/23: They recently stopped doing Italian food on Fridays.

Mike Davidson

Amazing food! Machaca breakfast, bean and cheese burrito, corn tortillas, all of it so delicious. Some of the best I've ever had. And the service was great. She was friendly, helpful, and got the perfect balance of being attentive without being too attentive. Coming back tonight for dinner! Also some of the prettiest plating I've seen in a Mexican restaurant.

Demi

One of the best moles I've ever had, the super burrito was huge, and the chips tasted really fresh. Definitely plan on coming back the next time I come down here.

Fulldistance Going

This simple clean airy Restsurant & Bar serves some of the best food in the County. Today I tried the Pozole. I was pleasantly surprised by the fresh clean taste of the corn and light gravy. All the flavors blended perfectly with a slightly tangy taste because of the nice fat slice of lemon. It was such a delight savoring this simple dish. The shrimp ceviche was totally off the hook. You have to try this spot.

Sharon Lavender (323FlowerBomb)

It’s clean it’s real good Mexican food and they serve very generous portions, I had the machaca breakfast and omg delicious 🤌🏼♥️♥️♥️

Ke Z

I like the Fajitas, its grilled fresh with a ton of flavor. Best ive had in a while, it comes pipping hot, so you known its cooked right. The waitet or owner guy is really nice and gave me a discount card for free meal with every 10 visits. I might just come back next time i pass by.

Dr. Shannon D

I have passed this spot more times than I can count shopping at Santa Fe. So happy to have stopped in. Delicious broth in the siete mares and the snapper vera cruz had a rich sauce that was good enough to be eaten by the spoonful. The seafood and crab were extremely fresh.

Debbie Cusic

Made with pride and care, these plates were special. Thee posole was everything I wanted. Mighty taste, lots of richly flavored hominy with all proper condiments. Special artichoke and carnitas enchilada plate. Fabulous. Grilled tender artichoke and pork chunks swimming in plate lickable sauce.

Christina Jain

Very friendly service. We ordered takeout and it was delicious! Large portions and the corn tortillas in the tacos were made at the restaurant, not store bought.

Jay Mousavi

Nice and clean place , we asked the waitress what they are known for , she suggested Artichoke enchiladas. We ordered them and it was very delicious. The waitress was very nice and accommodating.

Andrew Kao

Located in Castroville, the "Artichoke Capital of the World", Alfonso's has some interesting twists on standard Mexican fare. We stopped by after an exciting morning of whale watching on Monterey Bay. Our table shared an appetizer of fried squid, and I ordered one of the daily specials, carnitas and artichoke enchiladas (pictured). The calamari came in large pieces, lightly breaded and fried. The portion size was a bit small, or maybe it felt that way because they were so tasty and I wanted to keep eating them! The enchiladas were stuffed with crispy and tender carnitas and fresh artichokes.The rice and beans were good too. The prices were reasonable. Overall, a great experience!

jason ramos

Stopped in for dinner on way back from the beach. I ordered the carnitas plate and, wow! The best I've had ever at a restaurant. Very soft, tasty and very good. Portions were great. Friendly service. Other people in my party got enchiladas and chile relleno, they all said it was great. Definitely will be back.

Amazing customer service, recommendations, and food, oh my god, finally a great spot, super picky with Mexican food as my mother was an amazing cook, and am rarely satisfied or hardly impressed with the Mexican food in San Francisco, 5 stars on the bistec ranchera plate, WOW

Frank

Amazing customer service, recommendations, and food, oh my god, finally a great spot, super picky with Mexican food as my mother was an amazing cook, and am rarely satisfied or hardly impressed with the Mexican food in San Francisco, 5 stars on the bistec ranchera plate, WOW

I’ve been wanting to try this place forever. The owner is big on having everything, including the tortillas, be home made and traditional. If you want delicious traditional Mexican food then this is the place. If you are more a fan of Chicano food like what the taqueros sell, this might not be the restaurant for you. The food is definitely different than most the places around here. The staff and owner are top of the line and amazing people. I just took away one star because my burrito had massive chunks of steak in it rather than bite size. The steak was also chewy.

We stop in on a regular. Great food and service

Good flavor and good portion size for the combination plate. I ordered easy cheese and my only gripe was it was full of cheese. I would come back and eat inside because it was clean and the people were friendly.

Nice popular Mexican restaurant in the middle of artichoke capital of the world. Enjoyed the deep fried artichoke hearts. They came out piping hot and were delicious. Generous portion. I had the special of the day which was the salmon and shrimp. Salmon in my opinion was overcooked however, the shrimp was cooked perfectly. My friends had the carne asada nachos which were of generous portion and my other friend had the wet burrito. Everybody was happy. No air conditioning in the restaurant which made for a warmer environment. Service was decent but nothing over the top or remarkable about it. Would go back again.

april

Good flavor and good portion size for the combination plate. I ordered easy cheese and my only gripe was it was full of cheese. I would come back and eat inside because it was clean and the people were friendly.

Tomas Snider

Nice popular Mexican restaurant in the middle of artichoke capital of the world. Enjoyed the deep fried artichoke hearts. They came out piping hot and were delicious. Generous portion. I had the special of the day which was the salmon and shrimp. Salmon in my opinion was overcooked however, the shrimp was cooked perfectly. My friends had the carne asada nachos which were of generous portion and my other friend had the wet burrito. Everybody was happy. No air conditioning in the restaurant which made for a warmer environment. Service was decent but nothing over the top or remarkable about it. Would go back again.

Small restaurant in a shopping center. Expect $30-$35 per person . Most entrees are $20-$30. Had terriffic fried artichokes and sope. The artichokes in the enchilladas was something different to try BUT some of the outter leaves were fibrous, so it was not the best form to eat with a fork and knife. No liquor licrnse, so a margarits or beer with dinner is not an option. Good for lunch or quick bite. Muy sabrosa!

Christine Coffin

Small restaurant in a shopping center. Expect $30-$35 per person . Most entrees are $20-$30. Had terriffic fried artichokes and sope. The artichokes in the enchilladas was something different to try BUT some of the outter leaves were fibrous, so it was not the best form to eat with a fork and knife. No liquor licrnse, so a margarits or beer with dinner is not an option. Good for lunch or quick bite. Muy sabrosa!

Food was bland didn’t have that Hispanic kick at all . when I ordered tacos I thought it would be like street tacos. I orders 5 because it was dinner time. When I got my food they were filled with tomatoes and cheese. I never eat cheese in tacos. I can never tell the difference when ordering tacos. I barely finished 2 payer $21. When taking orders they should tell us hey our tacos are different and bigger. Now I have wasted food

Tucked away in this little strip mall, and pretty popular with the the locals, you will find Alfonso‘s. Pretty straightforward, Mexican style restaurant, clean and sanitary. The young waiter is very helpful all though there was a language barrier we managed to get the order. Food came in a reasonable amount of time. There was no shortage of cheese in the chili rellano, The tamale and taco were both pretty good with a scoop of rice on the side. If you’re in the area, give it a try

Steven Rank

Tucked away in this little strip mall, and pretty popular with the the locals, you will find Alfonso‘s. Pretty straightforward, Mexican style restaurant, clean and sanitary. The young waiter is very helpful all though there was a language barrier we managed to get the order. Food came in a reasonable amount of time. There was no shortage of cheese in the chili rellano, The tamale and taco were both pretty good with a scoop of rice on the side. If you’re in the area, give it a try

Not sure what happened but food was not as good as before n the waitress,male when I payed for the food he got the money n didnt even bother to give me my change $. He just said ok thank you. I did not bother to let him know since it was about 70+cents but still common. Not sure if owner has been changed or something but its not the same as before :/. Missed the young lady a few yrs back not sure if she was one of the owners n would work as a waitress as well.

The plates of food came looking like a total mess. The food we had was substandard at best. Never again

This was an absolute disappointment. My family and I stopped by mainly because of all the good reviews. We ordered chili verde and 2 super burritos. The waitress wasn't very pleasant, she was monotone the whole entire visit, like she didnt want to be there herself. I just shrugged it off, we ordered. The burritos came out and they were terribly wrapped, first bite all the contents fell out the other side. The meat inside had no flavor. The chili verde was sweet. I have never......in my whole entire life tasted a chili verde that was sweet. Now I know tomatillos get sweet as they're overriped(toss them out!!!), which is NOT what authentic chili verde tastes like. Tomatillos have a tart and citrus profile, which is what chili verde is supposed to be. Tangy and spicy. I felt like they opened up a can of Las Palmas and put sugar into it. It was a huge disappointment, no one was satisfied with their food. I took 3 bites of my dish, let my husband try it, and sent it back. Then they tried to charge me for that. The beans had no flavor, and the rice was okay. The only positive thing I can say is, hurray to homemade corn tortillas. Maybe it was an off day, or this is this the only spot locals have to go to, so they assume its good. Its not.

MELISSA K

This was an absolute disappointment. My family and I stopped by mainly because of all the good reviews. We ordered chili verde and 2 super burritos. The waitress wasn't very pleasant, she was monotone the whole entire visit, like she didnt want to be there herself. I just shrugged it off, we ordered. The burritos came out and they were terribly wrapped, first bite all the contents fell out the other side. The meat inside had no flavor. The chili verde was sweet. I have never......in my whole entire life tasted a chili verde that was sweet. Now I know tomatillos get sweet as they're overriped(toss them out!!!), which is NOT what authentic chili verde tastes like. Tomatillos have a tart and citrus profile, which is what chili verde is supposed to be. Tangy and spicy. I felt like they opened up a can of Las Palmas and put sugar into it. It was a huge disappointment, no one was satisfied with their food. I took 3 bites of my dish, let my husband try it, and sent it back. Then they tried to charge me for that. The beans had no flavor, and the rice was okay. The only positive thing I can say is, hurray to homemade corn tortillas. Maybe it was an off day, or this is this the only spot locals have to go to, so they assume its good. Its not.