El Tamborazo Restaurant

Do not judge a book by it’s cover! Despite its dismal exterior in a 2-​horse town 20 minutes south of Chico, this is the best family Mexican cuisine I’ve had in years and FAR exceeds any Mexican food I’ve eaten in Chico.
The pico de gallo style salsa is fresh, free, and delicious, and if you order actual pico de gallo ($ 2.50) you get a large helping of it with chopped avocados. The squeeze bottle hot sauce is also very good. The camarones a la diabla dinner plate was outstanding, with a generous amount of perfectly cooked large shrimp, onions, and green peppers in a very spicy and flavorful sauce. The refried beans are also particularly excellent here.
My husband’s a la carte chile relleno and a la carte cheese enchilada were also very good, and service was prompt and courteous. Highly recommended!

Wonderful. We stopped in after birding at Sac River, Llano Seco and Gray Lodge. Cold beer, chilled glass, tequila, garlic prawns, chili rellano, chili verde — all good, no, great! Used to stop at Betty’s in Live Oak, but no more. Adiós, Betty.

Still my favorite mexican comfort food! Love this place :)
Came in for an early dinner today… I ordered the pickled vegetables (carrots, onions, jalapenos, red potatoes soaked in a vinegar/​spices/​bay leaf), which sometimes they don’t have them, so I am glad I asked. They bring you complimentary chips and salsa, and also a container of spicy Green chile. I decided on trying something different instead of my regular Molcajete or combo plate, so I tried the Burrito Kikiriki. Never had it before and the name was interesting! It is a burrito with grilled chicken, rice, and beans inside. Then on top half green sauce, half red sauce, sprinkled with shredded cheese. It was quite good and very big size! For me, the food here is always delicious and definitely my choice of preference.
I saved some room for dessert, so I could treat myself to a Fried ice cream. I probably only order this twice a year, but it is awesome!!! It’s a flour tortilla lightly fried and shaped into an edible bowl, tossed with a very yummy cinnamon sugar. The shell is the best part of this dessert! Then inside they put a decent size of vanilla ice cream, which is coated with corn flakes, the vanilla ice cream is perfect balance. Topped off with whipped cream, chocolate syrup, and a cherry on top! If you have never had Fried ice cream before, this would be the place to TRY it!!! Service was good and friendly, clean restaurant, nice atmosphere. I like when they have mexican music in the background… Definitely will be returning. I have yet to try their Mon-​Fri daily specials, and on weekends they offer Menudo!

My husband and I love this place, every time we go we get the exact same thing. Camarones con tosino and brisa del mar, amazing! Service is friendly and nice. Interior was a little outdated now it has vibrant colors all over.

I’ve always been a big fan of chilaquiles, but when you add some tasty chicken, it just makes it that much better! I got to taste the relleno also, and it was very good. Service was great, and quite friendly, and the restrooms were immaculate. Yes, we’ll keep this place in mind next time through Gridley.

Beer was cold nice music food was piping spicy! I shared the molcajete with my wife. The service was good and music added to the Fternoon.

The wife and I went here for lunch. She had an appetizer platter with nachos, chimichangas, and quesadillas, all with pork. All items were cooked ok but had no flavor. Even the guacamole had no flavor. I had a combo lunch with a chilli relleno, enchilada, rice and beans. The relleno was soggy and flavorless, as was the enchilada. The rice and beans were satisfactory, but nothing to write home about. I ordered a vodka and cranberry, but they were out of cranberry. We won’t be going back!!!

Overpriced, shitty ambiance. The el molcajete is 5 stars… I mean that dish is amazingly good although if you get it to go they skimp you on certain ingredients. All in all though it’s okay.

I can’t remember if I reviewed this place before but I may have. Regardless, it has probably a year or more and cooks change.
First, this is a humble place. It lacks the spit polish and shine both outside and in. Put another way this place is more authentically Mexican than many in California.
In my mind, that’s a good thing. Over time, many Mexican restaurants become too «gringo influenced» both in décor and cuisine. That ruins it for me.
It’s not that I am all that interested in ambiance. Its just that excellent ethnic cuisine in a strip mall is somehow a compromised expierence.
Tamborazo is in a building that has had numerous previous lives. Gravel parking lot is fitting. This is not a dive– just very humble.
The food is good and the menu is different from most. We ordered a side of pickled vegetables with our fajitas. Fajitas were fresh and sizzling and quite tasty. Refried beans were better than most– like my grandma used to make. Rice was good but overshadowed by everything else. We had the Supreme which was chicken, beef and shrimp. The shrimp was a smidge over done in MHO.
Still overall, while I think the prices are a little high (compared to competion) I completely enjoyed the food.
One last note. My wife and I both like Mexican food (and many other ethnicities) but I am more critical than most diners. I don’t care for food if it is not either inspired or authentic. This is authentic (Northern California) Mexican prepared and served with pride.
You might not want ti take your friends here if they are snobs. Again, it is humble but good.

I visited El Tamborazo for the first time on Thursday, August 7, 2014 at 12:30PM.
Four cars were in the parking lot. As I entered the restaurant, a waitress immediately greeted me, smiled at me and said, «Welcome to El Tamborozo».
I sat at a booth and within 2 minutes was given salsa, chips, hot sauce, and a menu.
I ordered a Corona beer, beef (shredded) enchilada, which came with rice and beans. Within 10 minutes, my order was served hot. Nice serving. It filled me up. Very tasty! The restaurant is going through interior remodeling. The outside could use it too but do not let that sway you away. Highly recommended.

I went inside and everything was normal. After that the owner didn’t even let me sit down and brought me a menu and said no more dining in. I was upset at that since the open sign was on and there were diners in there eating their meals. I thought oh well I’ll give the to go food a chance. I ordered a shrimp cocktail and it was served in a small cup. I got home and opened it and the shrimp were over cooked and twisted they didn’t even look like shrimp anymore. The tomatoes were not properly cut either. All for 15 dollars. I will not be going back and will not recommend it to anyone. Go eat at black bear diner much better!

Always amazing food, cold drinks and the remodel looks amazing so far! Great food. Always good! Very friendly staff! We come here every chance we get and haven’t found anything on the menu that we didn’t like! They have been in the midst of a remodel for a little while and it all looks great! Best restrooms I have been in for a while!

Stopped yesterday for dinner on my way home to Quincy. Great food and service. Left full and happy. Fresh oysters was an extra nice touch! Will be back.

Best Mexican food in the area. Nice people, fast service

Good food and fabulous service. It’s clear that customer service is important to the owner. With different atmosphere I’d give 5 stars.