Picante

A day or two ago I received an email from Picante letting me know that they were extending their brunch menu to today, a Friday, as they did on the Monday of Indigenous Peoples Day. Kathy and I met here for brunch today. I arrived on time, a little before noon. and found street parking close by. Kathy was held up by a train and had to detour, so she was later. She called and asked me to order chilquiles for her, everything the same as mine except the eggs over easy. I got in line and Nick helped me. I ordered both dishes and a cup of English breakfast tea for me, requesting low fat milk--or oat milk, I forget now--and Stevia for me. He gave me one of those locator gadgets to put on the table. I put it there and then gathered napkins and silverware, My tea was brought and then the chilaquiles, much quicker than I expected. Kathy arrived not too long after. She went to the counter and ordered a horchata to drink.I ate some of the chilaquiles before Kathy arrived to try them fresh and hot out of the kitchen and they were fabulous, much better than the ones I brought home last time. Kathy enjoyed hers too, as well as the horchata. My tea was delicious and most welcome in today's chill. After I left I was feeling miffed that I had not been offered a refill, then realized it was self service and that it was on me to find hot water to refill my cup. Oh well. Lesson learned. Before I left the restaurant I found Nick behind the bar and asked him how crowded it got for weekend brunches because Kathy and I wanted to come back for more chilaquiles. He said it was busier than today but there would most probably be room inside. I expect I be back during the week for empanadas, but I will definitely be back for my chilquiles fix on a weekend!

I was brought here by a friend who loved the Picante he remembered from pre-Covid days. When we entered the building he hardly recognized the place: what had been a very cozy and classy ambience, like eating in someone's house and attractive garden, had been turned into this big, paved over, shiny and chrome fast-food style space with zero soul. To say we were disappointed by the remodel would be an understatement.I enjoyed my order of Cochinita Pibil, but my companion found his carne asada dry and bland. Luckily salsas are good here, and they were an easy fix for the carne asada. I feel like this place doesn't know what it wants to be. My friend recalls this joint as once being a more fine dining experience. It's now designed like a fast food place, but with high prices, and everything served more cafeteria style. Strange.

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. Prices have increased of course too. I had the battered shrimp burrito, way too much beans and not enough mango-jicama salsa. Order at the counter and they bring the food to you, do not really any service. The restaurant was beautifully renovated, lots of outside patio space with twinkly lights. If I came again, I know how to modify the shrimp burrito more to my taste.

Handicap parking too far for comfort.Food choices were great but the prices and taste of food and portion size didn't match the price points. Tamales really $7 each? Wow, dry, over cooked and bland in taste (chicken). No Mexican restaurant in the Bay Area charges that much for a measly small single tamale. If you charge that much we would expect more or at least included toppings of cream and cheese.Really over priced for almost every item. Your already saving on no wait staff and self serve cafeteria style dinning, why over price your items. A bad expensive experience for us.First and last time.

I only had the nachos with carne asada added. Visually it's most impressive. I like the idea you won't leave the table hungry. I took a while to finish this and I think it's better to eat it when it's still warm. After a while it seemed that it looked better than it tasted. I literally have not been here in several years. My previous impression was that you didn't get enough to eat. That wasn't the case this night. They had renovated this place a year ago according to the woman who took our order. I must say they did an impressive job of remodeling. Seems like a complete do over. I like the interior and it's most airy. There are tables outside too. I should give it another chance and try something differs next time.

I haven't been to Picante in Berkeley in years and dare I say, I can't wait to be back asap? Finding spots that have a more open indoor/outdoor concept to bring the baby, while staying consistent to their food, flavor, and portion sizes are hard to find in the East Bay sometimes. I'm a bit surprised by the other reviews for this spot because our meal and service was nothing less than stellar.The new renovations to this spot are beautiful. They still operate by register ordering, including beverages/bar service. We ordered margaritas, but would love to explore other speciality drinks next time like their piña colada. To start we had chips, guacamole, and an array of their salsas including a pumpkin seed dip and mango-jicama salsa. Chips were crispy and super sturdy, guacamole fresh and hearty, salsas all so flavorful.My main dish was a burrito bowl with manchamantales chicken (chicken in a grilled pineapple-chile sauce) served "super" with the works..sour cream, guac, cheese, over pinto beans and rice. For the portions, pricing, and palate pleasing taste, this alone has me coming back. Other dishes our party ordered: the manchamantales chicken plate served with rice, beans, and delicious tortillas, the grilled skirt steak plate, and the shrimp diablos plate (this dish is served with white rice and squash, diablos sauce isn't too spicy but packs a punch). For dessert we had the Straus soft serve with chocolate and caramel sauce. We got married on a Straus dairy farm, so anytime we see it on the menu, it's ordered!Lovely people. Lovely atmosphere. Baby friendly, dog-friendly. I noticed there is a kiddos menu and vegetarian/vegan menu as well. One huge plus is that Picante also has a take out menu available for curbside pickup, grab & go, or doorstep delivery. Anywhere that can help a new mom out and bring food to the car door, is a WIN in my book. Stay tuned for the next review when I try it!If you know of other spots besides Masa that do this, open to any and all new parent foodie suggestions!

I recently had dinner with my family at El Picante in Berkeley, and I'm glad we chose to go. It had been a while since my last visit, and I was pleasantly surprised by the changes. The restaurant has been completely renovated, with a refreshed dining room and a new outdoor seating area, giving it a much more modern feel compared to what I remember.The updates didn't stop at the decor--the food felt revitalized as well, with fresh, bold flavors. Despite having a large party, our food arrived quickly. If you're expecting a traditional sit-down experience where a server takes your order, this might not be the place for you. Instead, you order at the counter, find a seat, and the staff brings your food to the table. This approach seemed to speed up the process without compromising the dining experience.The service was polite and attentive throughout the meal. The servers promptly cleared empty plates and ensured the space remained clean.I would recommend El Picante for both dine-in and takeout if you're in the mood for great Mexican food. The inviting atmosphere, diverse menu, and full bar make it a solid choice.

It's been a few years since we have been here and they remodeled recently. The remodeled space has been open for 10 months. The indoor seating has been pretty dramatically reduced in favor of patio seating. Delicious food, just as before. I had the chicken mole enchiladas and their mole is among my favorites. We also had chips and guacamole which tastes so fresh and yummy. Hubby had cochinita pibil burrito and the flavor was so good he didn't add anything, which is very unusual for him! The employees are friendly but if you are looking to be waited on, this is not the place.

Good convenient high end Mexican food at a kinda reasonable price. I say high end because it's what you would find at a nice cloth napkin Mexican restaurant or cantina. My grandma and I went for lunch the other day, I got a tostada salad and she got a fish taco with rice and beans. I also got an Agua. Everything was suuuper tasty but it was about $55 for the both of us, which seemed fairly steep for what we got. The food is great though and I would go back just for the green salsa. The searing area is really nice, recently renovated. They did a great job!!! They also have a drive up order pick up area which is super convenient, they bring the food right to your car. It's good food, just not your hole in the wall Mexican taqueria and the prices reflect that.

Picante has been a family favorite for a very long time. They did a big remodel with lots of nice outdoor and indoor seating. Good for doggies if necessary. Straightforward Mexican food well executed. Lots to choose from.