Max Podell

One of my favorite Mexican restaurants in the East Bay! They’ve recently reopened after a 3 year renovation, and the new space is very clean and bright. Great burritos and chips.

+1

Cynthia E

So so so good!! Been coming here for many years. Food is INCREDIBLE! The flavor!! The choices! Can't say enough good things about it!! UPDATE: Restaurant is open inside and out! Re-do is finished! Outside dining in patio. They also do an incredible job of offering composting and recycling on site and keeping it as low waste as a restaurant can reasonably be. They have two parking lots. One is next to restaurants at the corner and the other is across the street - one hour free parking. And there is street parking. Of course, this depends on what's happening, time of day, etc.

+5

Olivier Sauquet

Such a nice place to taste excellent Mexican food. Extremely nicely presented, with an amazingly nice staff. We enjoyed this great and affordable family lunch very much!

+3

Great food, served promptly. When our food arrived, we thought we'd be unable to finish it all, but before we knew it, our meal was completely gone!\nWonderful, friendly staff.\nWe enjoyed our time…

Great food, served promptly. When our food arrived, we thought we'd be unable to finish it all, but before we knew it, our meal was completely gone!\nWonderful, friendly staff.\nWe enjoyed our ti…

Food is great. Service terrific. Ambiance is fun. And if you order pick up, you can drive up to get it rather than finding a parking space.

food is great. Service terrific. Ambiance is fun. And if you order pick up, you can drive up to get it rather than finding a parking space.

Food is great. service terrific. Ambiance is fun. And if you order pick up, you can drive up to get it rather than finding a parking space.

Food is great. Service terrific. ambiance is fun. And if you order pick up, you can drive up to get it rather than finding a parking space.

Food is great. Service terrific. Ambiance is fun. And if you order pick up, you can drive up to get it rather than finding a parking space.

Outrageous food... Great setvice, good bsr. Fun ambiance. Chili rellenos are to die for. Made in the dining room corn tortillas are perfection. Many great menu options. Sooo popular - get there e…

Delicious fish tacos! And great rajas. Love the tostada salad. And full bar- had La Hermana margarita which was amazing.

Dave C

The food is great here. The server is fast/average, but the register was is SLOW. They could probably handle a slightly faster pace. There is a hot sauce refrigerator where you can get three different levels of "hot". Be bold, try the habanero! It doesn't hurt going in or out! They recently completed a remodel, but unfortunately the atmosphere changed. It seems a bit too "upscale", even if it looks REALLY nice inside and out.

+3

Steve Takata

Picante is one of the best Mexican restaurants in Berkeley. Their food is good and tasty, but it’s a bit pricey, which is why I knocked their rating down a star. Street parking is difficult during most of the day, but there is a small parking lot across the street and to the south about half a block. That often fills up too though. They have a bar and a lot of alcohol to select from and I see people drinking margaritas, but I’ve never tried them. The chips are just so so, they’re thick and a little greasy. I suspect there are some people that like them as they are not the normal chips you’d get in a Mexican place, but they’re just too greasy. The salsas are in the fridge by the door and they are pretty good. Everything else I’ve had here has been good, my favorite are the mole enchiladas, which are probably some of the best mole that I’ve had. They make good guacamole, and good salads as well. If it’s not too cold out, there’s an outdoor seating place.

+33

Ekisa Roberson

First time here with my boyfriend well for me my boyfriend been here before, but I like it. Everything was good and fresh. I love your guacamole has a really good flavor and freshness

Rags Srinivasan

They have completely remodeled it after many years ago of just takeout (or eat in a tent) model. In its previous incarnation I loved the colorful decor, the paper cutouts, the lady making tortillas and giving samples to kids. The updated decor makes it look classier but it is still same model of order and go sitdown with fast service. During the takeout only gap years I missed their salsa bottles. I am glad the bottles are back and I love all three options. Prices have gone up and I think the flavor has come down a notch. Of course they specialize in Mexican cuisine with many vegan options.

+1

Used to be our go to.....Beautifully renovated and great customer service but food portions are way too small and the quality (tamales hard; cold burrito) was disappointing especially at the curren…

Great environment , Sooo Clean,Great Customer Service,actually it was kinda surprising for me see a Gringo Cashier Trying his Best to Speak that He doesn't know but ( Great 4 you Man )\nThanks a Mi…

Great Environment , Sooo clean,Great Customer Service,actually it was kinda surprising for me see a Gringo Cashier Trying his Best to Speak that He doesn't know but ( Great 4 you Man )\nThanks a Mi…

We had most of their veggie options and all were tasty. Although I previously had the legumbres picadillo burrito and found it on the dry side, adding guacamole and sour cream did the trick and mad…

It's been while since my last visit and boy has it changed. In a good way, it has a clean, fresh look. Since today is a holiday, it was hard to decide on their brunch or regular menu items. So I we…

Picante survived the Covid pandemic. They innovated and tu ned one of the outdoor parking lots into a covered eating area complete with heaters and touchless ordering and payments fine-tuning the d…

Food was overpriced and nothing special. $20 for a tostada salad with chicken, no guacamole or avocado, a lot of lettuce and cabbage. Others in my group had a similar experience. Disappointing.

food was overpriced and nothing special. $20 for a tostada salad with chicken, no guacamole or avocado, a lot of lettuce and cabbage. Others in my group had a similar experience. Disappointi…

Food was overpriced and nothing special. $20 for a tostada salad with chicken, no guacamole or avocado, a lot of lettuce and cabbage. Others in my group had a similar experience. Disappointing.

The shrimp tacos were a huge disappointment. The shrimp were neither beer battered or fried. And, the corn tortilla was rubbery and cold.

The shrimp tacos were a huge disappointment. The shrimp were neither beer battered or fried. And, the corn tortilla was rubbery and cold.

The shrimp tacos were a huge disappointment. The shrimp were neither beer battered or fried. And, the corn tortilla was rubbery and cold.

The shrimp tacos were a huge disappointment. The shrimp were neither beer battered or fried. And, the corn tortilla was rubbery and cold.

Neut King

Cold building. They quoted us 20 minute wait for a burrito, and when we expressed some surprise at that were told “Yours isn’t the only order.” Like ok? Arrived around 10 minutes later to pay early. Saw them finish prepping a burrito and set it aside behind the counter. About 10 minutes later someone went into the back with a cart and came out with like 15-20 orders on the cart and started calling out names. By the time I got the burrito, it was already cold because their whole building is just like an open garage and the food just sat there... I’ve been hearing about this place in Berkeley for a while. Did not live up to the hype imo and really wasn’t worth the 20 minute wait or almost $25 (incl tip). YMMV

Julia Grey

When you buy a super burrito for $19 and it’s anemic and not super. My family and I went here for the second time since it redid the interior. Before the remodel, we have been going here and loveddd the burritos, chicken tortilla soup, chips/guacamole, the list goes on. This time we enjoyed the Agua Frescas, chips/guac, and empanadas. The only thing is my husband and I both got burritos and the tortillas didn’t seem cooked, there was barely any meat, we ordered “super” and no ingredients were in our burrito (maybe they forgot even though we were charged and there was a sticker). It’s disappointing to spend $19 on a burrito without what is ordered. I ordered the shrimp burrito and there were 4 shrimp total which seems like not much compared to other places I have ordered shrimp burritos. I didn’t realize my husband had the same experience with his burrito until we were headed out. Unfortunately I don’t think we will return. Our previous visit we had similar thoughts so now this is the second occurrence.

Max Kay

It's a legacy Mexican restaurant in Berkeley. I've been there many times during pandemic in outdoor parking lot seating and take aways. Location is great with huge settings and now renovated beautifully inside. Staff are welcoming and attentive. Operations stays the same as before renovation (order to seat) where IMHO doesn't fit with this renovated restaurant anymore unless they want to keep it cheap / loose otherwise it's a pricy place for the quality of the food you get. This place has a potential to be fine dining Mexican (given highly improve the food and operation). Food look and taste cheap but pricy! Perhaps burritos are the best out of everything else. Nachos are oily. Generally foods are salty and oily again look and taste cheap. Decent amount of chic indoor and outdoor seating. Exclusive parking lots. Easy accessible inside and outside. Separate vegan menu with many veggie options. I'll for sure be there just because my niece loves the place and I occasionally take her there but I don't enjoy the operation and food.

+10

I still love eating at Picante, BUT: I have asked staff for "Jarritos Tamarindo" soda every one of my last ten visits ... and STILL -- ¡NADA!\n\nPOR FAVOR: please return Tamarindo to your menu!! It…

I still love eating at Picante, BUT: I have asked staff for "Jarritos Tamarindo" soda every one of my last ten visits ... and STILL -- ¡NADA!\n\nPOR FAVOR: please return Tamarindo to your menu!! It…

It is a nicely remodeled space. Its very large now, and has dining on two sides. The space is a bit cool but it was also winter. The tables were clean, and there is plenty of seating. \n\nThere is …

Been going to Pocatello for years. Recently the prices have gone way up and the portion sizes are down. While the carnitas burrito was tasty and the meat flavorful, it really only had about 4 bites…

I haven't been here for probably 15 years. It's changed a lot. Used to be a small place with a patio, no parking. Now it's huge and sleek with two parking lots and a separate To Go building. Pric…

Unfortunately Picante has gone downhill. It used to be a cut above typical Mexican fare with some unusual regional dishes. Now there are many other places to get authentic regional Mexican cuisine …

C L

After 30+ years of eating at Picante, we were so sad to see what it’s become. Everything that made it a beloved staple is gone. We loved eating on the lush patio, watching the process of tortilla making, and trying fresh salsas from the open salsa bar. The restaurant had a wonderful, family oriented, lived in atmosphere that we enjoyed for so many years. The new remodel makes it feel like a hospital cafeteria. And the prices are unreal, especially for a fast food set up. Such a loss!

Xitlalic Hernandez

We ordered for takeout and we were really disappointed with the portion. For a chorizo con papas plate to be $20 and for the plate to come not even filled to cover the bottom of the plate is just ridiculous. I also ordered pozole for $16 and that too wasn't even close to the top. Really disappointed with this.

I recently had one of the worst meals in all of my life. The vegetarian tamales were a shameful \nexcuse for food. There were barely any vegetables inside the large tasteless tamales.\n I left most o…

I recently had one of the worst meals in all of my life. The vegetarian tamales were a shameful \nexcuse for food. There were barely any vegetables inside the large tasteless tamales.\n I left mo…

Lied about their hours. Not open, despite the sign outside and their web page. Try Trumer Brewery nearby instead. They serve food as well as great beer.

Five of us ate, five of us went home scratching our heads. Why did we pay over 200.00 for a meal we can make at home that could have had more flavor. My watermelon agua fresca was too sweet. My green chicken enchiladas were flavorless. The pinto beans tasted like, wait they didn't take like anything! The Spanish rice was hard and flavorless. Do yourselves a favor. Don't eat here!

Tyler Larkins

Ordered a burrito at Picante then walked out to a store next door then came back 8 min later and waited the last couple of minutes to be done, mind you this was all within about 30 min of closing. Got my burrito and drove home which is quite literally a 4 min drive away. Unwrapped my burrito and took a bite only to realize it was literally cold. The meat wasn’t even lukewarm, I don’t know how this is possible or what they could’ve done but it ruined my expectations of picante especially since I hadn’t been there in 4+ years before tonight.