El Molcajete

Holy guacamole!
Authentic Mexican food-​seekers, behold! This is the joint for you.
What a stellar meal in such an unsuspecting place. They are pumping out the good stuff in this kitchen, the old-​school Mexican Grandmother type of dishes. And it’s the
.
Their chili rellenos are to die for. If I was on death row, I’d seriously consider it as one of my last meals. I could probably eat it for a week straight and not get sick of it.
Looking for a low price, high quality Mexican fiesta in your mouth? This is it.

Nestled in a strip mall anchored by a grocery store is a small Mexican restaurant that had the best food from my trip up to Humbolt County. In fact, it was so good that we made a point of coming back here on our way return trip home.
The staples are good, without a doubt. But it’s the extra stuff that gives this place its authenticity — soups, fresh guacamole… Be bold and try something different — you won’t be disappointed.

True it is a very old building slipping into history but the food is top drawer…

It pains me to give this review only two stars because the service was excellent. My food however was not. I ordered a bean and cheese burrito and the beans were extremely watery and tasted lukewarm. I spent the rest of the day with an upset stomach. This wasn’t my first visit. I have been here before and the beans never tasted this watery.

Discovered this place after shopping at Ray’s. Very good quailty Mexican food and very, very good service. Very much enjoy coming to lunch here.

So. This is going to be a strange review. Why? Well, I’m going to recommend that if you are within 1.5 hours driving distance from this restaurant that you drive there to have an amazing Mexican meal. I know, I know, we all have at least one great Taqueria & food truck near us. But this isn’t just good, it is GREAT Mexican food! Worth driving all the way to Cloverdale for it. We discovered it accidentally after stopping for gas on our way up North to Humboldt county tucked away at the edge of a strip mall. We ended up planning our trip back around this pit stop & now I am convinced I’m going to be driving at least once a month to Cloverdale of all places, to eat here! Try their seafood, chicken or tortilla soup, the fried chili that comes with the tacos & the fresh cilantro salsa. You’ll see what I mean! Also, very friendly staff! Quick service! Prices you can’t beat for the quality. Great all around!

Great Mexican food. Loved my flautas with bbq pork and hubby had 3 different tacos. The salsa verde was as good as I’ve ever had. After so many Mexican food disappointments lately, it was nice to find such good quality. Too bad we are 1000 miles from home.

Seriously, hands down, some of the best mx and we live in New Mexico. Try the namesake dish, trio fajita and chili rellenos. Thank you Unilocal for this complete hole in the wall turn on!

You know you are in a good Mexican restaurant when you are pretty much the only person that doesn’t speak Spanish in sight… at least that’s my yard stick. I was impressed with El Molcajete from the minute I walked into the joint. Clean, well organized, with a straightforward menu (with photos should you have any doubts) I was greeted politely and invited to order.
I selected a taco and enchilada combo. Spot on! The red sauce for the shredded chicken enchilada was truly delicious. Subtle flavors in the sauce allowed the quality of the shredded chicken to come through. It wasn’t an attempt to mask poorly flavored or dry chicken. The flavors came together nicely and created an opportunity to really sink into what was going on.
The shredded beef taco was moist and pleasantly spicy without being soupy. While I am no expert, I believe the tortillas were homemade based on the size, texture, and all around «give me more-​ness!»
Note that the 3 salsas you get along with the chips they welcome you with are no joke! The bean dip is habit forming and the red and green salsas are fresh and delectable – no half assed, just a half hearted distractions here.
From start to finish between the food, service, and atmosphere, El Molcajete is a winner and I look forward to coming back.

Bean dip is great. Tomatillo salsa is always raw. and Red salsa is cayenne powder spicy.
Tacos are good for a quick meal. Burritos okay. That’s my experience with their menu.

Mmmm… yummy yummy in my tummy tummy. Free bean dip, chips and variety of salsa at the salsa bar!
A group of us were driving back to the Bay Area from Mendocino and we found this place for lunch. Everyone agreed the food was absolutely delicious!
The restaurant has awesome vegetarian food and non veg. I got the veggie fajitas which were fresh. Others said the quesadilla and fish tacos were awesome.
Service is also excellent. I believe it’s a family owned restaurant. Everyone was super nice and the restaurant is very clean.

Hearty mole sauce on the burrito. Lots of flavor in all the dishes. We ordered the carnitas taco and al pastor burrito. The horchata drinks were very tasty too. The flan was creamy. Will go back if I lived here

Delicious and great service! Heavy portions and was served quickly. I recommend if you’re in the Cloverdale area.

The food is good, but the service is a little slow. The prices are moderate and the portions are ok. For Cloverdale this is place is great, but I have been to other Mexican restaurants within 30 minutes from here that are of a higher standard. The kicker for me was that the soap dispenser in the restroom was empty, the towel dispenser was empty and the top of the toilet was missing. I will give this place another shot if I am hungry and in the general area but I won’t make it a dinner destination.

This is my favorite Mexican restaurant in Cloverdale. It’s clean, fast and yummy! I don’t leave feeling bloated and over-​full (like some Mexican restaurants). All of the food tastes fresh.
While the service is fast only one of the two wait staff has been consistently friendly when I come in (hence the lack of being given 5 stars). My partner and I frequent this restaurant a few times each month and would hope that we were recognized by now, but there’s still time. Otherwise, no complaints!

We love this place, we come here all the time.
ALWAYS great service & great food!
We love the salsa bar and the macho burrito!

I don’t usually do 5 stars but this place gets 5 stars from me. I work in Geyserville and the food selection in Geyserville is slim. I love a good burrito, especially a Mole burrito since Mole is my favorite Mexican food (for the gringos by Mole I mean the dark chocolate chile sauce not Mole the rodent). I usually come to Cloverdale on my lunch to get Starbucks or visit Ray’s market and I saw this place last week and decided to check it out. Staff is super friendly and food is fast. The chips and salsa are really good too. Usually places that have good prices on Mexican food have not so good chips or no chips at all. My burrito was fresh, the meat was cooked perfectly and had really good flavor. I was so happy to have a good Mexican taqueria so close to work, I even went twice in a week. I haven’t tried any other dish but usually if a Mexican place can make a tasty burrito then everything else is good too. The menu selection is wide and the prices for the portions can’t be beat. The people here will be seeing a lot more of me. I’ve also made sure to pass word around of how good this place is to my team. See you next week when I come for my Mole burrito!

What a great find! When wandering from Anderson Valley back to SF, it’s worth the slight detour to grab lunch at El Molcajete.
Nestled in among grocery shops and pharmacies you’d normally find at a strip mall, this little taco shop is churning out deliciously authentic Mexican food and an horchata worth crossing the country for. I was very impressed by how clean, tidy and bright this place was, and was even more impressed by the friendly and fantastic service.
My taco salad was perfect — crispy, fresh and flavorful. The veggies were crisp and bright, the pulled chicken was tender and juicy and the taco shell was fresh out of the fryer. My husband got an array of tacos and said every one of them was tasty. We both loved the freshly-​made-​to-​order guacamole, and our horchata, as I mentioned, was perhaps the best I’ve ever had.
Definitely worth seeking out, guys — this place is legit!

I’m giving them another star because for the last few months, not only have they gotten my order correct, but they *remember* it as soon as I walk in the door. And I don’t eat there that often.
They always give me an extra bag of chips if I ask and are always very friendly.
It’s not a Mission burrito… but it’s still pretty damn good.

I work in Cdale and eat here at least once a week. Great food and great staff. Everything I have tried has been really good. They have Lagunitas IPA on tap.
Sam B. you can ask for more chips. They will gladly refill your bowl. The also have a salsa bar for refills and other salsa choices.