El Sombrero

At first glance, I was thinking of posting “SKIP!” However, the food and the service was great! We ordered the Chile Verde burrito and I was pleasantly surprised and impressed with how tender the pork was and packed with flavor! The chicken flautas were stuffed with real chicken! The simple side of rice is what had me rethink my first impression… it was fresh, flavorful, and well prepared. Just over look the old and tired dining room and menus. The value is in the service and well prepared food. Sorry I didn’t take any pictures.

We had lunch/dinner here everything was great tasting even after my last visit here over 40 years ago. My mom used to be a waitress here back in the 70’s and my dad played softball and was sponsored by eel Sombrero. The original owner Ramero passed away but his 84 year old wife was still her and it is run by Ramiro’s family. We used to run around and play as children with the owners son, I don’t recall his name but I think it was Alex. Great memories. El Sombrero will always have a special place in my heart. All the memories just started to flash back as I say down and enjoyed my two hard shell shredded chicken tacos.

Can't say enough great things about this place I've been comi ng to since I was a lil girl and im 48 now they make you feel so

Their ground beef is seasoned just right and is not greasy. It is tasty on top of nachos, in tacos, or in enchiladas. Rice is fluffy and tasted fresh. The feel of this place is that it is family owned with an old hacienda decor inside. The waitress was very attentive and there was a constant flow of customers coming and going. Great food, great atmosphere, great wait staff, makes for a great experience. Definitely will be returning.

The staff was so friendly and attentive . The decor was old fashioned and beautiful, and the chile relleno and chicken tacos are delicious! My husband had the chile verde burrito and loved it . It’s our new favorite, we will be back

Good food. I've been going in there since the sixties. This is comfort food, It's always the same. And it's good. Why don't you go by for lunch?I'm not sure when it starts but it ends at two thirty p m. When people that work there some of them I've known for years. And they're good people.

Food was fabulous & served so quickly! Margarita was excellent too. Service is wonderful as well. We truly ❤️ to eat at this Mexican food restaurant. We visited with Lucille. Such an awesome lady & business owner. Her son, Jesse, is another wonderful compliment to this restaurant. Highly recommend this Mexican restaurant.

Thus was my first time here and the tamale (chicken),refried beans,rice, enchiladas and chili relleno was amazing.such large portions I had to take my leftovers.had a shirley temple.loved every bit of it. Definitely coming back.

I am an undercover yelper and I rate this restaurant 5 stars! The costumer service is outstanding, and Carmen our server had a smile on her face every time she came by! The food is also made with lots of love and I can taste the flavor with every bite. 10/10 ☺️

I've been going here since I was a kid. I love this place! It is one of the best Mexican food restaurants in town.

My name is Maria Nuñez I was celebrating my #63rd birthday all the staff was amazing we really enjoyed the family atmosphere and food was great. Everyone was super nice with a great customer service made me feel very special, thank you all you guys are a great team I really appreciate all🙏💯🥰🎂

This local landmark is truly one of my favorite places to dine for authentic and delicious Mexican food. I always have top notch service and delicious hot fresh food served by the awesome wait staff . The combination dinners are all wonderful as well as the chili verde. The margaritas here are refreshing as well!

This was our first time eating at El Sombrero. Great Mexican food!!

I have been coming to this restaurant for decades but it had been a few years since my last visit, so I stopped by for lunch today. Everything was fantastic and just the way I remembered it! Service was truly exceptional- and it was busy. Chips and salsa refill appeared before I had finished the first basket (without me even asking!) and a passing server even picked up the straw wrapper off the table right after I opened it. When I ordered a glass of ice water, my server asked if I would like a lemon or lime with it. This kind of attention to detail is honestly missing from 95% of casual restaurants so if I could give six stars for service I would. The food was delicious and piping hot - if you like casual 20th century California style suburban Mexican food, this is the place for you. It’s different from what you can find in Mexico (melted cheese generously added to most dishes, for example) but quite beloved by those of us who grew up in Bakersfield. Today I enjoyed a chile verde burrito on a plate loaded with rice and refried beans. In the past I have also liked their hard shell tacos!

Had a lovely lunch. Absolutely excellent service. The food was excellent, hot and fresh. Great margarita. Met the owners son Jesse on leaving. He was friendly and concerned to make sure we had a great experience. I'll definitely go back

Really good Mexican food. Reasonably priced, fast and efficient service. The restaurant is always clean and so is the restroom. Service is always fast. We do miss Minie.

I’ve been coming here for over 35 years! My mom started coming here when she was pregnant with me. The quality of food is always top notch and the chips and salsa are also great. Check out the chorizo nachos too as no one else does them quite like El Sombrero

As always the service was friendly and fast! The food was hot and excellent. I love the homey feeling you always get here. And people remember us from years back.

The food was delicious, we had never been here before and saw the parking lot full on multiple occasions so we told ourselves they must Know something that we don't, the atmosphere inside was great, there were multiple waiters all over the place helping people, we met the owner she was walking around greeting people, such a lovely lady, she was explaining the 50 plus years of rich history at the El Sombrero, we were disappointed we hadn't stopped by sooner after her explanation of how her and her husband started the business, we love supporting local establishments, the food was great, my wife got the chicken and steak fajitas and I got the chicken enchiladas, we both couldn't finish our food as the portions are more than generous and I got a strawberry margarita and it was mixed to perfection, thank u el Sombrero for hanging in there and staying open all these years 😀

Glad I finally got to eat a good old style Mexican food...moved to Arizona and can't find a decent Mexican restaurant, everytime we visit Bakersfield we like to eat here...well done Sombrero

Delicious food, great hospitality. Picture is a number 25 with shredded chicken. The service was so fast. Come by and enjoy.

maria Nuñes

My name is Maria Nuñez I was celebrating my #63rd birthday all the staff was amazing we really enjoyed the family atmosphere and food was great. Everyone was super nice with a great customer service made me feel very special, thank you all you guys are a great team I really appreciate all🙏💯🥰🎂

Tony DeMarco

This local landmark is truly one of my favorite places to dine for authentic and delicious Mexican food. I always have top notch service and delicious hot fresh food served by the awesome wait staff . The combination dinners are all wonderful as well as the chili verde. The margaritas here are refreshing as well!

Yesenia E. Jones

This was our first time eating at El Sombrero. Great Mexican food!!

Bill Brown

I have been coming to this restaurant for decades but it had been a few years since my last visit, so I stopped by for lunch today. Everything was fantastic and just the way I remembered it! Service was truly exceptional- and it was busy. Chips and salsa refill appeared before I had finished the first basket (without me even asking!) and a passing server even picked up the straw wrapper off the table right after I opened it. When I ordered a glass of ice water, my server asked if I would like a lemon or lime with it. This kind of attention to detail is honestly missing from 95% of casual restaurants so if I could give six stars for service I would. The food was delicious and piping hot - if you like casual 20th century California style suburban Mexican food, this is the place for you. It’s different from what you can find in Mexico (melted cheese generously added to most dishes, for example) but quite beloved by those of us who grew up in Bakersfield. Today I enjoyed a chile verde burrito on a plate loaded with rice and refried beans. In the past I have also liked their hard shell tacos!

Bubbles

Had a lovely lunch. Absolutely excellent service. The food was excellent, hot and fresh. Great margarita. Met the owners son Jesse on leaving. He was friendly and concerned to make sure we had a great experience. I'll definitely go back

John Haberkern

Really good Mexican food. Reasonably priced, fast and efficient service. The restaurant is always clean and so is the restroom. Service is always fast. We do miss Minie.

Jordan Woods

I’ve been coming here for over 35 years! My mom started coming here when she was pregnant with me. The quality of food is always top notch and the chips and salsa are also great. Check out the chorizo nachos too as no one else does them quite like El Sombrero

Cirilo Reyes

The food was delicious, we had never been here before and saw the parking lot full on multiple occasions so we told ourselves they must Know something that we don't, the atmosphere inside was great, there were multiple waiters all over the place helping people, we met the owner she was walking around greeting people, such a lovely lady, she was explaining the 50 plus years of rich history at the El Sombrero, we were disappointed we hadn't stopped by sooner after her explanation of how her and her husband started the business, we love supporting local establishments, the food was great, my wife got the chicken and steak fajitas and I got the chicken enchiladas, we both couldn't finish our food as the portions are more than generous and I got a strawberry margarita and it was mixed to perfection, thank u el Sombrero for hanging in there and staying open all these years 😀

Studio V

Glad I finally got to eat a good old style Mexican food...moved to Arizona and can't find a decent Mexican restaurant, everytime we visit Bakersfield we like to eat here...well done Sombrero

April Parrish

Delicious food, great hospitality. Picture is a number 25 with shredded chicken. The service was so fast. Come by and enjoy.

Delicious authentic Mexican food. Many food options to choose. Great service. Restrooms are clean. Friendly staff Will be back. What a gem of place. The owner is a wonderful person, est in 1967.

My favorite place to dine in Bakersfield! Sometimes if you're lucky the pretty lil owner lady will come say hello and she makes my day. Food is always on point and consistent and hasn't gone up too much w everything else going up. Fast service. Can't say enough. The salsa is AMAZING; used to go there and grab chips and salsa as a pregnancy craving. It. is. That. Good. Local and family owned!

My favorite Mexican restaurant in town. I have been going here since I was a kid. Raised my children coming here and now grandchildren. The waiters and waitresses, owners, and hostesses are definitely like family. The food is excellent, the salsa is the best. Chile Verde is the best in town. I have never had a just okay meal here. It's never a disappointment. No matter how busy they are, and sometimes there is a line at the door, they seat you quickly and the staff don't mess around 😉

Best enchiladas I've had. They earn their reputation. Very, very good.

The Missing (LINK)

This is a great little place to eat! Good food and good people.

jeff davis

Best enchiladas I've had. They earn their reputation. Very, very good.

M G

Delicious authentic Mexican food. Many food options to choose. Great service. Restrooms are clean. Friendly staff Will be back. What a gem of place. The owner is a wonderful person, est in 1967.

Midlife Wanderings

Just like a home cooked meal. The price reflects the freshness and quality of the items offered, very attentive staff and a sense of tradition and values. You won't regret it!

Kelly Jones

My favorite place to dine in Bakersfield! Sometimes if you're lucky the pretty lil owner lady will come say hello and she makes my day. Food is always on point and consistent and hasn't gone up too much w everything else going up. Fast service. Can't say enough. The salsa is AMAZING; used to go there and grab chips and salsa as a pregnancy craving. It. is. That. Good. Local and family owned!

Plate are about 15.00 and up. They have good cleaning as soon as customers are done. Waitress was nice the place has a nice ambiance and relaxing. Would like the portions match the price. Other than that the food is real Mexican taste.

Solid Mexican food. I couldn’t justify a higher rating due to the tortilla not tasting fresh and tasted like the el Guerrero packaged tortilla from the store. The a la cart combination burrito is not worth $9. Disappointing chicken, rice and tortilla and nothing else. The a la cart menu is pricey avoid and stick to the combination plates.

I was too close to the door so I felt like I was being watched. I tried one of their burritos and I didn’t like it. all added up to just make an unpleasant experience. Won’t see me go back.

I went to this restaurant because friends wanted to go there. I was sooooo sorry I went. The atmosphere was dead-no music at all! The food was not so tasty. It seemed dried out and the waitress that helped us was very rude and ignored us half of the time. And best of all!!! Margaritas were very small, made with juice rather than mix and $12.50 each! $72 dollars PLUS tip for taquitos and 3 margaritas! I go to other much better restaurants during happy hour and get better food, much better ambience and served with a smile for $50 or less for 2 people! I was very disappointed and will not go back! Bad experience for sure! 🙈🙈🙈

Their price a few months ago, of a $9.99 combo plate, WITH a drink, was good (even though the portions are small).....but they now have a new combo price and same small portions for around $14 dollars?! On the weekends there's no special too! Then you pay $16-18 dollars with NO drink! I cant afford it and the portions aren't worth the price. The couple next to me was thinking the same thing....both ended up ordering a side of beans and rice to split, not coming back. Can't afford this place anymore.

The Obondigas soup had too many carrots, and tasted like they dropped the cumin bottle in the meatballs. The guacamole was packaged, and if it was not they should really be ashamed for making guacamole so bland and thin. I had the pot beans to go with the soup and they were actually really good. The salsa was tasty like they poured the pkg of taco seasoning in it. I was really hungry so I munched out on the delicious chips and hot salsa. I don't like wasting my money so I also ate the guacamole. It is not the same food I have been used to getting from my past visits to El Sombrero Restaurant...maybe they are compromising quality because the cost of food has gotten so expensive.

WARNING there is no alcohol in their drinks. I've been going to this place for 50 years. Had no complaints until now. It seems the customer has no voice and they don't care if you ever come back. Charged $31.00 for 2 daiquiris that had no liquor in it. The glass was filled with 1/2 whipping cream. Very unsatisfied with response I got from owner. If he cared enough about keeping us coming back I wouldn't be posting this.

C. McDonald

WARNING there is no alcohol in their drinks. I've been going to this place for 50 years. Had no complaints until now. It seems the customer has no voice and they don't care if you ever come back. Charged $31.00 for 2 daiquiris that had no liquor in it. The glass was filled with 1/2 whipping cream. Very unsatisfied with response I got from owner. If he cared enough about keeping us coming back I wouldn't be posting this.

Coffee was watery & they didn't want to make me another,stronger, cup. I had to choose something else to drink. My wife ordered 2 beef regular tacos, no rice, no beans, nothing extra. They charged us $20 for 2 tacos. Waitress was snotty, had an attitude when I asked for extra napkins. NEVER will I EVER come to this place again. They are complete ZEROS IN MY BOOK...

The meal did not meet expectations for authentic Mexican cuisine; it appeared to consist of commercially prepared, microwaved items served on restaurant plates. However, the service was commendable; beverages were consistently replenished, and staff diligently monitored our satisfaction.

Absolutely horrible! My boyfriend unfortunately likes this place and I have tried to because it USED to be good. It's not anymore. The quality of ingredients is awful, they have switched to generic stuff that's gross and bland. Cheese is so cheap it won't even melt! Just clumps up. They have messed my order and/or given me beyond subpar food the last 5 times I tried! That's right, 5! It was so bad, I threw it out 3 out of the 5 times! I tried to like it for nostalgia (& boyfriends sake) but whoever took it over years ago is just grinding it into dust. Do yourself a favor and go to any other of our many, many Mexican restaurants where you will be given the correct order of edible food!

I’m not sure what happened to this place but it used to be one of my top favorite restaurants. Had there last week and we were so disappointed. The service was bad the food was not good the prices are ridiculous overpriced. Sadly we will not be returning here. With so many other options in town they just can’t compete anymore. We ordered a two item combination plate- the rice was cold, beans were over salted enchilada has barely any cheese and the taco shell was broken it was top with a hard piece of tomato. The second plate was chicken fajitas- even more sad. The plate literally was full of rice and beans and what looked like a half of chicken breast with soggy vegetables. So disappointed.

Service and atmosphere was great, but the food is not authentic. It's was geared toward non Hispanic customers. I should of known I did not see 1 Hispanic in the restaurant beside the staff

Went here today 1/3/26, we decided to stop by and get some good food, at least the good food I remember. I used to go here with my dad and and it was great, I decided to take my wife and kids and it was flat out terrible. My wife got a chicken taco salad that seemed as if it were can chicken, it was a lot of water, my daughter got a ground beef taco salad and same thing, she did not like it and had a lot of water in it. My chili verde burrito was OK, cheese sucked, rice was bland and tasted old, my son got a chicken sandwich and he asked no lettuce, they brought it out with lettuce and the chicken was flat out disgusting. Honestly the worst experience I’ve ever had at a Mexican restaurant. To me that was $132 wasted. Definitely won’t ever return here. Service sucked too, everyone in there looked as if they were just miserable, no smiles no nothing. Super disappointed.. now we are all sitting at home with upset stomach’s.

I can’t even give this place a one star this place is horrible. The food was horrible. The mixed drinks were horrible customer service the manager or the owner had bad customer service. I will not recommend this place to no one. I don’t know how this place stays in business

Probably will never return. It was annoying that the server required my ID to order a margarita, it is clearly I am over 21. (Obviously can tell I’m an old woman-just saying.) But was disappointed very quickly - margarita was bland and was just “not it.” Food was NOT worth the time (microwaved out of a can and frozen entree - maybe) another disappointment. There’s a sense of small & cozy but this was “not it.” I was invited by a friend to this place or else I would have never tried since I’ve heard so many negative but I want to try a place myself so I can make my own judgement- well they were right, I agree to not recommend unless you’re looking for a depressing place. Completely a sad place - no Thanks!

Zach Rowland

Went here today 1/3/26, we decided to stop by and get some good food, at least the good food I remember. I used to go here with my dad and and it was great, I decided to take my wife and kids and it was flat out terrible. My wife got a chicken taco salad that seemed as if it were can chicken, it was a lot of water, my daughter got a ground beef taco salad and same thing, she did not like it and had a lot of water in it. My chili verde burrito was OK, cheese sucked, rice was bland and tasted old, my son got a chicken sandwich and he asked no lettuce, they brought it out with lettuce and the chicken was flat out disgusting. Honestly the worst experience I’ve ever had at a Mexican restaurant. To me that was $132 wasted. Definitely won’t ever return here. Service sucked too, everyone in there looked as if they were just miserable, no smiles no nothing. Super disappointed.. now we are all sitting at home with upset stomach’s.

aaron mangini

Service and atmosphere was great, but the food is not authentic. It's was geared toward non Hispanic customers. I should of known I did not see 1 Hispanic in the restaurant beside the staff

Jose2030

Coffee was watery & they didn't want to make me another,stronger, cup. I had to choose something else to drink. My wife ordered 2 beef regular tacos, no rice, no beans, nothing extra. They charged us $20 for 2 tacos. Waitress was snotty, had an attitude when I asked for extra napkins. NEVER will I EVER come to this place again. They are complete ZEROS IN MY BOOK...

Jen Bell

Probably will never return. It was annoying that the server required my ID to order a margarita, it is clearly I am over 21. (Obviously can tell I’m an old woman-just saying.) But was disappointed very quickly - margarita was bland and was just “not it.” Food was NOT worth the time (microwaved out of a can and frozen entree - maybe) another disappointment. There’s a sense of small & cozy but this was “not it.” I was invited by a friend to this place or else I would have never tried since I’ve heard so many negative but I want to try a place myself so I can make my own judgement- well they were right, I agree to not recommend unless you’re looking for a depressing place. Completely a sad place - no Thanks!