Mitla Cafe

I came here since I was nearby and this has been in my bookmarks for a while after watching a documentary about this place. Glen Bell, who founded Taco Bell, got the idea from this place's taco dorado. It was also a meeting hub for the city's Mexican activist community in the 1940s. This restaurant is still family owned and the oldest surviving Mexican restaurant in San Bernardino county since 1937 and located off Route 66.There's street parking, I waited a bit before I got seated. The place was nicely decorated with Christmas decorations, lighting is a bit dim inside. They gave me a small bowl of chips and salsa. I got their taco dorado of shredded chicken and steak ($5.90 each) with a side of rice and beans ($7.50) along with a small bowl of Albondigas ($6.50).The wait time was not long, the albondigas was on the smaller side with hot broth with a large single meatball with bits of chopped carrots and cilantro. The plate arrived hot and the tacos were crispy and oily. The beans and rice were fresh. The taco dorados came in a fried tortilla stuffed with cheese, ground beef, and diced tomatoes, it came super hot so I had to wait for it to cool down.The staff was nice and attentive. Closed Monday/Tuesdays.

The negatives first: 1) The Hood. It's in an old part of San Bernardino where cars race down Mount Vernon Avenue and the establishments hide behind locked iron gates when they are closed for business. 2) It's dark inside. I could barely see my food and the menu. 3) Margaritas are served in a water glass, not a margarita glass.The positives: 1) History. You feel a strong sense of history inside, with the pictures and the awards on the walls, like this place has been around a long time. 2) The food. Authentic Mexican food is hard to find. A good sit-down Mexican restaurant is hard to find. I had the chili relleno and chicken enchilada. 9/10. The wife had a shredded beef taco 10/10 and a cheese enchilada 2/10 (the cheese inside was hard). 3) Plenty of parking across the street in a fenced parking lot. We were early, so we parked on the street.

I was so excited to visit this authentic Mexican restaurant, especially knowing its historical significance as the place that pioneered the hard taco--the very idea that inspired Taco Bell. Unfortunately, the experience fell flat. The food was surprisingly bland, lacking the bold, rich flavors I expected. The only saving grace was anything made with shredded beef--it was tender and flavorful. Everything else? Forgettable. To top it off, the service felt rushed. We were handed the check without even being asked if we wanted dessert, which was disappointing and made the meal feel incomplete. For a place with such a strong reputation, I expected much more. Sadly, it didn't live up to the hype.

This homey old school family friendly Mexican restaurant was, apparently, the inspiration for Taco Bell. It is a good story. Look it up.You start with a basket of delicious, fresh chips and good salsa. But you pay if you order another basket.Everyone seems to order soup here and the albondigas soup is a good one. However, $6.25 (or possibly $6.50) for a cup is pretty steep. The delicious meatball is obviously homemade and the broth and veggies in the little cup are great. You could probably order an entire bowl and call it a day.But you can't come here without trying one of their famous hard shell tacos. They are large ones and packed with neat, lettuce, and tomatoes, and topped with very unauthentic cheddar cheese. They are also loaded with grease but I'm not complaining. The smart move is to get the tacos with shredded and not ground meat. I found the shredded beef far better than the chicken.The "guacamole taco" is just a large taquito smothered in guac. It's fine but not amazing.The beans are rice are also ok. The horchata was not, sadly, housemade. Our server was great.It's not incredible food but it's good food with some hits and misses. The hard shell tacos are really good and well worth trying.Free street parking everywhere. They also have their own enormous lo

Est. 1937-Originally opened as a lunch counter, Mitla Cafe is the oldest surviving Mexican restaurant in the Inland Empire. Created by Lucia Rodriguez, Mitla is still owned and operated by her grandchildren and great grandchildren. From the introduction of the Taco Dorado "Crunchy taco" and the sordid story of Taco Bell, to the civil rights community meetings with Cesar Chavez, the history of Mitla is rich and delicious. When you walk through the front door for the first time, and you see that old lunch counter, and the walls adorned with decades of timeless photos, you can't help but think that Mitla has 'seen things'. With all that said, it is the quality of the food that put Mitla on the map and kept it there to this day. Definitely some of the best Mexican food I've ever had. We had the #2, (Taco, Enchilada, Tamale) and the #6 (Taco, Enchilada, Chile Relleno). Both dishes were excellent. Everything is so fresh and delicious. It took a bit for our food to come out because everything is made to order, but the wait is worth it. None of the combination plates are served with rice or beans, but everything was so good, we didn't miss them. In fact, I didn't even notice, until after the meal. And of course, the crunchy tacos are exceptional. The Taco sauce is a family secret, and allegedly, the recipe is known only by three people (I hope they all fly on separate planes!) Also, I have never been to a Mexican restaurant that has a salsa dispenser on every table - that's fantastic. The service is very friendly and the dining room is comfortable and inviting. Every booth has a table lamp and photos on the wall: I felt like I was eating in someone's home. Also, there are no added fees to the bill. I know it's a bit of a trek if you are in LA county, but Mitla Cafe is definitely worth the trip. For the history, for the food, and especially for the famous Tacos Dorados. Mitla Cafe is a must! Four Thumbs Up.

I ordered to green chili puerco plate and I did not enjoy it, mine is better. Rdawg enjoyed his chili relleno and his tamal he didn't care for the ground beef taco. The small salad they bring you was awful, refrigerated salad covered in watered down Mayo and ranch. Friendly service and cute place. Will not come here again but Rdawg may.

These are the best hard shell shredded beef tacos that I've ever had, better than Titos and Chuys or however you spell it. I wish they had one of these out in la :( the restaurant looks nice inside but I would recommend getting the food to go

The foods is always delicious and tasty. Its good to see this family business have their family work together to carry on the tradition. The have recently changed the look inside and spaced out the tables and less booths. Its looks more open. My favorite meal is the chili relleno with all beans!

Mitla Cafe has been on our list for a very long time. Over the years we have seen celebrity chefs eat here, and review it. We have done Route 66 and never have hit the restaurant when we could stop and eat, so on the way back from Joshua Tree National Park and a little bit of a detour, we made time to have lunch. So glad we finally got to eat here. The restaurant has been open in this location since the 1930's and is a gem in San Bernardino.We were seated right away, our server came over immediately and brought water, chips and salsa. The first basket of chips is complimentary, but you will pay $2.99 for a second basket, which I don't have a problem with.We both decided on our dishes. I went with a shredded beef taco, and Mr. B had the two enchilada plate with a shredded beef taco. The taco shell was crispy, filled with tender shredded beef, fresh crispy lettuce and lots of cheese. Sounds basic I know, but it really had an authentic taste to the dish. I did snag a couple of bites of one of the cheese enchiladas filling Mr. B's plate and they were amazing. He loved his plate, again the taco was filled to the brim, the two cheese enchiladas were filled with perfectly melted cheese and a unique and flavorful red sauce. They were not the flat enchiladas many Mexican restaurants serve, these were full of cheese and so good. The plate did not have rice and beans, which was great too. The plate was filling enough.We found street parking which was nice. The food was excellent, service great, and you feel the history within the walls and the photos that fill the walls. If we find ourselves in San Bernardino we will definitely eat here again.Note, that I didn't notice any vegan options, vegetarian options with the cheese enchiladas which are filling. Also, the menu states no substitutions and they mean it. So don't go in expecting to order a plate of food and change it, you can't. I believe others have complained about this, but we didn't have a problem with it. Sometimes you need to eat the food how it is prepared.

As a lifelong resident of San Bernardino this was my first-time at Mitla's! Plenty of parking. This isn't in the best part of town, not for the faint of heart, but we had no issues. We stopped by for breakfast. The restaurant is a little dark inside, but there is plenty of seating. There is a counter-style area, as well as dining area. We enjoyed the chorizo potato and huevo ranchero plate at the recommendation of our waitress. The staff and service was excellent, all very attentive, our food was ready very quick. The homemade tortillas are some of the best we've had, tortilla chips are complimentary after 11am. Free refills on sodas. Great prices, we will return.