Michael’s Grill and Taqueria

We were looking for something quick and nearby for dinner so gave This a try based on the reviews. It was different Mexican food from AZ but very tasty. We got chips and guacamole and a combo plate with a shredded beef taco and a chicken enchilada. The rice and guac were a bit lacking in flavor but everything else was delicious. The girl who took our order over the phone and rang us up was very friendly!

I love this local favorite! We have been coming here for a long time and just absolutely love their food and top notch customer service. Our favorite dish is the La Playa combo… you will LOVE the sauce for the shrimp, trust me ;-) Their burritos are huge and all of their items are super affordable. You can’t go wrong giving this place a shot… you will be back… guaranteed ;-)

Heard so much about this placs so I took a chance and boy was I surprised. Friendly atmosphere, fresh HOT well seasoned food. After my first bite of my blackened chicken salad abd I totally forgot to take a photo of the food. What can I say… the flesh was weak. If you are in the area make it a point to try some good authentic mexican food at this place. No more El Toritos for me.

It was incredible. We were just looking for a place we could eat around our new corporate office on Imjin and wandered in here.
We didn’t have high expectations since it was hole in the wall, but Oh My Goodness! Incredible.
I had the Blackened Shrimp Tostada and my coworker had a wet shredded beef and bean burrito.
We know where we are going when we want Mexican food from now on.

Decent food, long wait. He estimated 15 minutes and we waited an hour.

Great restaurant! The place is relatively small, but the food here is great and the prices are low. One complaint, the sour cream and guacamole scopes are a little conservative, but other than that the place is awesome!!!

This place does not disappoint. Ordered carne asada plate and nachos= amazing! Came out to about 17 $ and it was heaven! Nachos were cheesey and chips crunchy, rice was on point (very important), side of enchilada tasty. Most important great service and very welcoming staff; super impressed. Just moved to Marina, definitely my choice for Mexi food!

Best salsa and blackened chicken in the area. Good bottled beer selection and always such friendly service. My guy and I come here at least once a week it’s so good!

This place is really cute and small. The food is pretty decent. I do prefer SoCal Mexican food to NorCal Mexican food, but this place hits the spot for sure. I got a carne aside burrito and it came with black beans and rice. It was super yummy and I would recommend this place over most places in the area. Definitely stop by and check it out.

Bomb food at a great price. Best choice in Monterey area if you want Mexican food and don’t want to spend a lot. Also they give unlimited chips and salsa.

My husband and I like this place. I could eat it everyday but I try my best to limit it to 2 — 3 times a month. Is it the best Mexican food EVER, no but it taste good and it’s fresh. I also hate fatty meat, not an issue here. They should serve margaritas, then I will happily give them 5 stars. Lol. But really they should …

This place is super epic. The food is always amazing and you know that it is a home cooked meal! The grilled potato wrap is so good. The fajitas are out of the world. It’s not to crowded, but when it is be prepared to wait. The guy at the counter is super cool.

Since coming to the Monterey area six years back, Michael’s has fed me and my family more often than any other dining place. First it was the Pacific Grove location, when it was in the Save mart Plaza before moving up the road a bit. For the past three years it’s been the Marina location, and the food is equally good.
Like most low to moderately priced restaurants here, you don’t come for atmosphere or fancy furniture. But if friendly people and very good burritos, quesadillas, enchiladas and tostada plates are what you want you can’t beat Michael’s. A limited selection of bottled beer is available in addition to fountain drinks. Free chips and salsa with your order. Prices from five to eleven dollars as of this writing.

Food was pretty good and had great service. Food wasn’t hot upon being served but that’s ok, was easier to dig into my burrito. The noise level was average, small room, and the silverware was a bit dirty but maybe that’s my OCD. The rice wasn’t amazing but everything else tasted fantastic! If i lived here i would come here often.

We had a lunch here before heading to Big Sur. My sister had the house burrito and i had the chicken shrimp tostada… they were amazing. Everyone enjoyed what they ordered. The portion is huge so I hope you’re hungry.

So good! One of my fave taquerias and I’m kind of picky. I go for the «wraps» which are actually delicious burritos (no sauces poured over it) with tasty charbroiled meat. SO good. And cheap. Less than $ 7 with the addition of guacamole. Good salsa too!
It was my first time at this location and it’s just as good as the one in PG.

Michael’s operates under the idea that, if you get larger portions, then you’re more likely to be okay paying 20% more. And some people are, because some people really like this place (and their other locations). And I guess it’s polarizing like that, because others don’t like it. I find it mediocre. I don’t fall into the large portions logic: I’ve never been able to finish all the food on the plate here and would rather not have that happen since it doesn’t reheat very well.
The place is tiny. Don’t come with more than four people and try to avoid peak times. They also have poor ventilation so that, if they’re really cooking up a storm (the kitchen runs alongside the dining area), the back gets extremely hot and stuffy.
As far as the actual food: it could be much worse, but I think you can do a lot better in the area. The best option here, I think, is the grilled chicken. It is quite good, and it’s unfortunate that it’s so often smothered in a sauce in their dishes.
I guess it’s also all about the area: if this review were for their PG location and the food was the same (I haven’t been), then I would rate it higher. But we can get better Mexican food in Marina and Seaside.

If taqueria’s were stars I’d be living in the Milky Way.
This place is forgettable. There’s just no good reason to eat here with a half dozen better Mexican restaurans in town. The foods so «Americanized» it’s only a step above T.B.
I’m not hating the place, I’m sure it has it’s following… maybe.
Refried beans… check.
Mexican rice… check.
Tacos, burritos, enchiladas… blah, blah and blah.
Last words… move on.

This place always comes through every single time I visit! The food is consistent, the value is terrific and the staff are exceptional people!
I had loved this place for a long time – but once they catered my wedding and did such an INCREDIBLE job, I make sure to visit this place more!
Seriously the quality is always the best and it’s always consistent. Whoever is taking the orders are always awesome and never have attitudes. They are helpful and kind when I ask questions! Every time I go there, I always run out of salsa before I run out of the chips, and they are always great about letting me have more.
My go to is always the tostado salad with grilled chicken or the fajitas. Both so good!!!
Overview: service is great, people are kind, food always consistently delicious and prices are great!
You can’t go wrong!
¹⁰⁄₁₀₀

I’m all about second chances, maybe a third. .. hell, sometimes I give one too many chances! It may take some time, but i eventually come around to it IF its convincing enough. Today was the day I gave another chance to Michaels Grill and Taqueria…
My son and I were in the area and I let him choose what to have for lunch since I had just dragged him everywhere for Christmas shopping. Of course, he said Mexican, his fav. .. if it was up to him it would be Mexican food all day, errrrryday for him. Maybe its the Salas in him, who knows…
Anyways, we decided to try this spot again. I ordered the House Burrito with charbroiled jumbo shrimp, blackened chicken, rice and cheese with a tomatillo-​chili sauce. Placed our order, got our chips, and sat down to wait for our food. In my past review, I mentioned how dry the chips were. .. but this time, it was surprisingly good! And our food, OMG, it was as if they knew I was coming and they had to redeem themselves. Shrimp and chicken were moist and I love how they automatically give you guacamole and sour cream.
I’m changing my review from 2 stars to 4 stars. .. great Mexican-​American food here! And once again, great service. Nothing too fancy here, very casual with comforting food. .. I’ll definitely be back.