Mateo’s Cocina Latina

I have been coming here for years but their portions are so small and their prices so inflated that I will not be back. I was charged $ 15 for cerivche that was all of three bits and then they charged me $ 4 for some «crackers». I wrote to the owner and never heard a word back. This place provides the smallest amounts of food and the waiters keep pushing you to order more. We spent $ 50 on lunch (only one beer and water) and left hungry. A complete rip-​off. Too many other good restaurant in Healdsburg to waste your time on this place.

Upon descending on Healdsburg last month as a lucky +1 of a North Bay YEE at Relish Culinary, we drove through their downtown and my eyes went immediately to Mateo’s Cocina. I pointed it out to my hubs who needed a lunch place while I was at the cooking class and said is that the same Mateo’s that makes the Yucatan tamales at the Sebastapol Farmer’s Market? We used to make an effort to head up there for the tamales once a year and buy extra to go to enjoy at home but was disappointed when I found it missing a few years back. He did end up going there for lunch but forgot to ask about the tamales.
So when V-​day rolled around, wanting to take advantage of it being on a weekend, we decided to head back up to Healdsburg so I can finally try Mateo’s myself. The pouring rain from last month was replaced with sunny and warm 70s that made it perfect to enjoy lunch on their patio. Although they had a V-​day lunch menu, the dishes from the regular menu was what was calling out to us. The conchinita pibli which was only on the dinner menu last month hit the lunch menu so I jumped at the chance to wrap those homemade tortillas around a slow roasted pork that had been cooked in banana leaves making it moist and tender and oh so flavorful. What a delicious combination. The crispy rock cod fish tacos were also spot on in flavor without being overwhelmed by the sauce. Even on a busy day, Chef Mateo took time out to introduce himself and I finally got my answer that yes, he is the one who made the Yucatan Tamales for Sebastapol Farmer’s Market. Sadly, there were none available that day but now at least I know where I can check back once in awhile to see if it’s in stock.
Thank you Chef Mateo and Jason for making us feel welcome and wishing we lived much closer.

It’s hard to give this a review, but I must. As far as Valentines Day goes, I cannot recommend this place. Our group wanted Latin cuisine for dinner. Most places have pre-​fixed menus for Valentines Day, which is fine, however there was no Latin food on the menu as far as I could tell. Unless you count the dessert which had a «tortilla» according to the menu. NO, it was a pancake! In no way did it resemble a tortilla. As I said, it’s a little hard to judge since we didn’t really have any Latin cuisine. Food was decent. It gets two stars because their oysters were fantastic! Not sure if I would return.

So sad to give such a crummy rating but something has changed here. It had become a ritual for us to enjoy brunch at Mateo’s prior to venturing deeper into wine country, and until yesterday we were very fond of their fresh offerings, friendly service, and lovely outdoor patio.
Despite it being Valentine’s Day, the place was totally empty inside and there were several unoccupied outdoor tables. We asked to sit outside and were told all those tables were reserved. We thought it was nice enough of the host to seat us near the outside; however, 2 minutes later, another couple came and were seated by a different host, asked to sit outside, and got their wish. Our host shoved some menus toward us and mumbled something rude as he walked away. The entire 1.5 hours we were there, no further people came and the outdoor seating remained unoccupied.
Our waitress very apologetically answered several of our (fairly benign) requests with a «Sorry, we can’t do that.» Really? No side of guacamole? You’re incapable of adding a fried egg to the burger? Apparently so. Our waitress wasn’t very apologetic about bringing the wrong tacone — think of a taco but in the shape of an ice cream cone — and her response was, «Would you like me to bring you the other one?» A good business wouldn’t place the onus on the paying customer, they’d bring out the correct order without asking and maybe even comp that on the bill. Nope.
It took 40 minutes for our food (besides the tacones) to arrive. The huevos rancheros and burger were solid (as they have been before), but not once did someone come to ask how everything was or bat an eye when we left uneaten the two extremely salt-​overloaded pan de cazon tacones, which were described as slow-​cooked rock cod but really just tasted like partially dried canned tuna with a bunch of salt to cover up any flavor that may have existed. i doubt the chef even tasted what s/​he was serving.
TL;DR — either they’re having a massive off day or something changed at Mateo’s in the last few months. It’s as if they just stopped caring about every aspect of what makes a restaurant good. Sorry to say, but we won’t be back.

Mateo, thank you my friend.
My wife and I and another couple stopped in yesterday to say hello and decided to have lunch. 7 courses later OMG… WOW…amazing creations kept appearing from the kitchen along with amazing wine to compliment.
Hats off to the Staff too… everyone made us feel like were having dinner at a friends home.
I hadn’t seen Mateo for a few years but he was the same. Warm, unforgettable smile, Bear Hug greeting and holy SH;T This Man CAN COOK!
perhaps Mateo will chime in and explain everything better than I could ever do.
Thank you my Brother Mateo… SEE YOU AGAIN AND VERY SOON… CARL AND KAREN

I’m speechless. Came to Healdsburg and have had amazing food for 3 full days. Came to Mateos and it was terrible. How do you go to a place like this and have raw oysters, then raw tuna followed by raw beef? Absolute bad. Not to mention $ 250 bill. So many awesome places in this town do not go here.

This place was so cute. The table were a cute mosaic and the house margarita was great! I got a side of black beans and tortillas (I’m kind if a picky eater and don’t like meat too much so skipped the actual menu). The beans and tortillas were great. Both tasted fresh and definitely homemade. This would be a great place for happy hour and an appetizer. I will definitely return!

The food is so interesting and light. The service was incredible. Everyone was nice and helpful. Not your typical Mexican food. I don’t feel like I gained 10 pounds walking out.

This winter Chef Mateo’s seasonal menu features an exceptional casserole of fresh porcinis (cepes), chanterelles (girolles) and matsutaki mushrooms topped with a poached duck egg, Meyer lemon and a dash of soy sauce… ingredients orchestrated and elevated by a sure and inventive hand. Just incredibly delicious! We have been in 5 times this past month and a half, happy to have this dish each time. Bravo! Pair this with a Meyer lemon margarita and you will be back sooner rather than later!

I stopped by here for lunch after dropping off my SO to a class.
I was promptly greeted and seated. The restaurant was brightly lit and there is outdoor seating available in the patio, but the patio was closed due to the rain. Bar seating is also available.
I found what I wanted on the specials menu. Frijol con Puerco, this is slow braised pork cooked in black bean sauce. I was told this is a Brazilian dish that literally translates to «beans with pork». Well, the pork was very tender and the flavor with the black beans was perfect. Raw radish slivers and raw onions complemented the pork and finally on top was one egg over easy. Everything is made mild, you can add hot sauce as required. I had a Persimmon aqua fresca to put out the fire from the hot sauce, The other choice for aqua fresca was Apricot.
The entrée was just right for a lunch, but since I never made any New Years Resolutions, I had to have Flan. The Flan Euncrustado, has a flan base, sticky bun on top, and then covered with milk froth. Not overly sweet, but having the crispy bun gave the flan great texture. Reminds me of the Churro Cheesecake I had at SumoMaya in Scottsdale.
I hope to return for dinner for the Cochintia Pibil (marinated pork wrapped in a banana leaf)

Great food, great service! Short ribs were the best I ever had. Oysters were so yummy! Highly recommend this place. The owner, Mateo is a great cook and an awesome host. Came by frequently to check on us. They were busy with an office party but you’d never know that given the super service we received! Can’t wait to go back!

Dinner and Drinks. Fine. But I realized I left my credit card there when I got home. I called the next day and they said YES they have it for me and will hold it so I can pick it up. Awesome news!
I havent been able to make in to Healsburg in a couple days. Guess what? Today I found out one of the employees decided to take it for a test drive, charging up $ 100 in gas in Healdsburg and 7 for Jack in the Box in Santa Rosa.
Needless to say, I had to cancel that card and file a complaint. Trust in a business is important, as well as the employees. I won’t be going back.

Perfect Sunday afternoon time to relax in the outside courtyard — completely to ourselves!
Great waitress– Tessa — put together a yummy trio of olive oil guac and tomatillo for our Appetizer and a yummy duet of shredded lamb tacos wrapped in a lettuce and cornmeal tortilla.
Good place but we were a bit surprised that the restaurant charged us for the extra crackers we requested to pick up the guac.

It was a gorgeous Saturday afternoon this past spring when my buddy and I finished off a winery tour and headed into town for lunch. He recommended Mateo’s and it was a good call. We sat in the back patio, enjoying the sun, and the good food. The black bean tacones were both tasty and fun to look at and eat. The pauncho was delicious and so were the fish tacos.

What an evening of spontaneity in this delightful town of Healdsburg with fellow Unilocalers. This restaurant caught our attention after we finished wine tasting across the street. We immediately headed towards the back, which led to the patio. Our server Melissa came right over with menus in hand. As we were debating which fine cocktail (s) to drink, she suggested the margarita, which I ordered.
We ordered a bunch of dishes to share (ceviche, pork belly, mussels, oysters, beets, side crostini) and some tasted so flavorful, we had to order another round i.e., pork belly & mussels. We told our waitress how much we loved everything, and she shared that Chef Mateo also worked at legendary Masa’s in SF. I was saving Masa’s for a special occasion, but didn’t seize the moment — epic fail.
Lo and behold, Chef Mateo personally came out to check on us. When it came time for desserts, he brought out Mexican wedding cookies to pair with our French press coffee, flan, ice cream float, and blue corn dessert. Everything tasted delightful, especially the cookies, and he could tell we loved them so much that he brought out more, which we devoured again.
He took time out to show us his culinary garden and his vision. Needless to say, Chef Mateo spends a lot of time here perfecting his signature Yucatán creations, and he’s enthusiastic about sharing his stories. It was a pleasure meeting him, and I can’t wait to come back to try more of his handcrafted dishes made with love.

I was rolling around with some Friends and we had just finished Wine Tasting at La Crema .
We were famished. So we decided to give Mateo’s Cocina Latina a try .
We rolled in and were Greeted and Seated. We decided to sit out back in their expansive Back Patio. .We ended up with a Nice Large Shaded Table .
Our Waitress Melissa was a Cute Little Blonde and really Attentive and Knowledgeable about the Menu .
I ordered the House Plum Margarita it was Nice and Strong the way I like them .
Our Party Perused the Menu and Ordered 2 Pork Belly Dish’s, Halibut Ceviche, 2 Two X Mussels with Toasted Ciabatta Bread, Oysters and Arugula Salad .
We really liked the South Western Décor of Mateo’s and the Fresh Vegetable and Herb Garden around the Back Patio .
Our food arrived a short time later .
The Food was Excellent .
My Favorites were the Mussels –the Broth was so good. I used the Toasted Ciabatta Bread Sop it up. Yummy .
The Halibut Ceviche was Earthy and Delicious.
The Pork Belly was Outstanding, The only thing I wished was that the Portion was Bigger .It was 4 pieces.
Why we were Dining a Nice Gentleman came to see how we liked our food.
His name was Mateo –Turned out he is the Head Chef and Owner LOL and a Super Nice Guy.
Mateo is very Passionate about Food and his Restaurant. He took the time to show us his Herb and Vegetable Garden .
Mateo dropped by some Chicken Cicerone which were very Tasty.
Mateo also brought us Mexican Wedding Cookies cooked in Pork Lard. These were Devine oh my.
We then Perused the Desert Menu and Ordered :
Sweet Corn Tortillas — Front Porch Yellow Corn Tortillas filled with 3 wins Ice Cream topped with Seasonal Fruit Salsa & Sea Salt.
Flan Euncrustado –Down Town Bakery Sticky Bun & Strauss Milk Encrusted Flan.
Ice Cream Float –3 Twins Ice Cream, Bundaberg Ginger Beer & Fentimans Curiosity Cola.
French Press Coffee
Mateo was nice enough to Bring Us more Mexican Wedding Cookies, They went very good with the French Press Coffee.
These were al good but the Flan was my Favorite so Yummy .
We Paid By Credit Cards and Rolled out.
I would definitely eat at Mateo’s if I’m in the Area.

Lunch at Mateo’s was underwhelming. We had checked out their star rating on Unilocal but I was taken with the lovely, open patio.
My friend and I started with the queso because I love queso. Usually the queso I have is creamy and dip like, this one was more like a dish of half melted cheese and was probably the greasiest I’ve had. I had the chicken salad which was mostly just roasted chicken with very little salad. The salad greens that were there were over-​dressed, making the salad heavy.
My friend had the quesadilla and barely ate it because it lacked flavor. The chef noticed that she hadn’t eaten any of it and came out to find out what was wrong. She gave him feedback and he removed the charge from our bill which I thought was very nice. Unfortunately, given the many amazing options in Healdsburg, it’s still not enough for me to return.

Hubby and I have eyed this restaurant since they opened and have never visited. So I bought the TravelZoo 5 course tasting menu meal. Seemed like an amazing deal when it lists for $ 70 a person on the menu so for two of us it would have cost $ 140!
I had mixed feelings as we entered the restaurant because I had read so many mediocre reviews about not only the food but the service.
We enter at 6:30. Only a couple of occupied tables. We were greeted by a friendly hostess and given our choice of tables. The waiter then visited the table promptly and noticed that we had the coupon. He asked if we had any food allergies or anything he should know before he placed our order. Again, very pleasant and very accommodating service so far.
First Course was an Oyster shooter. Amazing because it was so fresh, sweet, salty and a hit of spicy too!
2^nd Course was a huge Gulf Shrimp with head on! Served on a creamy napa cabbage salad and again this was delicious too!
3^rd Course — local grass fed Beef Tartare. The best I have yet.
4^th Course — we lucked out on this one too! Local and fresh caught steelhead salmon served on the most awesome creamy spinach purée. Fantastic!
5^th Course — a sweet tortilla filled with ice cream, rolled like a crêpe. Then we also had a root beer float that was to die for!
The amazing service through each course served ran through our entire 2 hour meal. Randy our service was wonderful, even treated us to a couple of wines during our courses, even though we had opted to bring our own wine for the evening. Oh, and no corkage charged either for that bottle of wine!
Mateo, the incredible chef and owner came out to ask us how we liked our meal and chatted with us for about 10 minutes. I have to say that this was one of the best meals I have had in Sonoma County in a long time.
If you are looking for «Mexican Food» — do NOT come here. Go to El Farolito off the Plaza in Healdsburg. If you are looking for true Yucatan and Latin influenced food with delicious ingredients, COME HERE AND ENJOY!

After eating a fabulous 5 course chef’s caprice dinner I’m dismayed to see so many recent 1, 2, and 3 star reviews by other Unilocalers.
The evening begins: Friendly greeting, welcomed to sit anywhere in a sparsely populated dining room @ 6:30pm. Water & wine served immediately. Menus have lots of choices. I photo’ed the Feb 2015 menus, see the pix.
Bambie, the spouse, bought the TripAdvisor coupon for 2 tasting menu dinners, just $ 70. The super-​helpful waiter asked if we had food allergies or any food squeamishness. After we answered that we can and would eat anything, he said «Okay, buckle your seat belts for a culinary adventure».
1^st: Oyster shooter. Fresh, spicy, salty, sweet.
2^nd: Whole jumbo shrimp cooked 2 ways with salmon caviar on napa cabbage. Wow!
3^rd: Beef tartare. aged 60 days. Tender, creamy, rich.
4^th: Local steelhead salmon on a bed of spinach purée with lots of little flavor surprises. Complex & sumptuous.
5^th: Sweet torrilla (more like a eggy thick crêpe) with ice cream. A glass of home made root beer with home made ice-​cream. Rich & satisfying.
Every dish was distinctly flavored. My tongue & nose had completely different sensations with each serving.
Leisurely paced dinner @ 90 minutes. At 8:00pm the dining room is ¾ full. It’s a late February 2015 Thursday evening, the diners are almost all locals, the staff recognized many by name — It’s not a tourist night. When Sonoma county folks, like me, flock to a local eatery that’s prominently on the tourist map, you know that the biz is doing things right. (Far flung visitors can ooooh & ahhh all they want about the Dry Creek Kitchen, you’ll rarely see a local resident inside the place).
So drop your doubts about the quality of the food or service, it’s top-​notch here. Also drop your preconceptions that this is Mexican food, it’s not a taco shop. The food is haute cuisine at earthbound prices. Service is friendly, informative, and good humored. Dining room has some charm in an industrial /​converted warehouse kind’a way.
Among the best restaurant meals (in a group off 200+) I’ve eaten in the past year.

I saw Mateo’s featured on an episode of Unique Eats and couldn’t wait to jump in my car and order some of the recommended dishes. Honestly, after eating some of their food… I probably won’t be back.
While the interior and outdoor area was nice and modern, some of the food was overpriced with a lack of flavor. The margaritas are delicious and the hot cheese dip was good but basically just chorizo and melted cheese.
I decided to order the ever so raved about empanada and was given some kind of tamale. The waiter said it was his mistake and that they were actually out of the empanadas… the whole reason I went there! He was nice and gave me the semi dry tamale for free.
My mom and I shared the special which was a lobster, mussel and other seafood dish in a very flavorful broth with some toasted bread on the side. Now THAT was amazing! We devoured every last bite and it was a great price for the amount of seafood we ate. They said they don’t have it very often which is a shame because if I knew it was always there I would go back just for that!