Sarita’s The Original

Great authentic Mexican food location! Food quality has changed in the last 6 months. The dish I normally order, butter garlic shrimp, is under cooked every time. It used to be crispy and flavorful! Hoping they can go back to being 5 stars again. Great beans and rice!

What a nice find. Came to this little mall to do laundry next door and discovered what was the tastiest chile Colorado burrito I have ever eaten.

This place is good on any Saturday afternoon. Getting my laundry done next-​door, needed a quick bite. The service is great and the food is great. Loved the fresh chips and salsa.

Great food after a day of activities.
We had enchiladas, shrimp and chicken. Both were very tasty and well prepared. Large portions. Great sauce.
Stay away from the oily nachos. But they are super yummy.

This place is delicious! The most authentic Mexican food I have had here in Monterey. Their Chavelas are mouth watering, and Cherry Mimosas are the best, and very reasonably priced. I always order a carne asada taco, and enchiladas. Their chips and salsa are made fresh to order. Only complaint would be not having enough wait staff. There is always only one person working. Great customer service though.

Came here for lunch after a day hiking in big Sur with some friends. Burritos and margaritas were delicious but portions are enormous, none of us were able to finish our meals. I’m vegan and our waitress was very accommodating. Would highly recommend.

The 45min wait wasn’t worth waiting for awful tortilla soup. The tortilla soup was oily as all hell & smelled like a bloody gasoline tank!
I inquired about an order I waited for 45min for — they said they were «making it». The waitress walks to the back kitchen and the cook poured a pre-​made soup in the pot w/​1 quart of god knows what? The waitress walked passed me many times didn’t even have the courtesy to inform me I would be waiting over 45min.
The food here is awful! Don’t waste your time. Monterey lacks Mexican food in general. I recommend not to for settle for less @ this tasteless restaurant.
Go elsewhere!!! there any many other Mexican food places in Monterey/​Seaside. shouldn’t you deserve good food for your $$.
Overpriced freak nastiness! I don’t recommend this place.

A solid Mexican meal! Nice ambience and great service.
Chips are hot and fresh. Salad was rather spicy but we loved it.
The burrito is huge. Probably 2pounds. Had to take ½ of it home.
Combo plates are good. Chile relano was excellent

Food was great. Wife had combination plate, taco and enchilada with ice and beans. I had tamale and carne asada burrito. Not on the menu, but made for us Pico de Gallo. Service was good as well.

Decent food. Decent service. But nothing special or exceptional. No need to go out of your way to hit this spot, but if you are staying nearby and need a quick bite, it’s not bad. My husband had the fajitas, which were good and definitely a plentiful portion. I ordered chicken flautas, received beef flautas, and although there was only one other seated table in the entire place, it took ten minutes before someone came out to check on us so that I could correct the order. They were friendly, but I think because it was a slow night, they just sat in the back and didn’t bother checking on the few customers that were there. The chicken flautas were good when I finally got them. Affordable prices. Meh.

We love the chips, salsa, shrimp cocktails are the best, Awesome service, But I have never been to a restaurant that does not have a heating system really? Especially in
Monterey? It’s very cold and uncomfortable.

One of the worst Mexican restaurantI have ever been to. We were on a trip to Big sur from LA and stopped here for dinner. The food is pathetic and the beans were too raw. I recommend you to find a better place if you are near Monterey anytime in future.
I could give 0 stars if i were able to. Worst in worst

Restaurant had a great setting but had unfriendly staff. Food was okay but nothing special. Burrito was just meat & a tortilla, I’m disappointed. Maybe I chose the wrong meal but I definitely will not be going back.

I really like this restaurant. The dining room is nice and comfortable, and the wait staff are always very friendly. The food is tasty, consistent, reasonably priced, and fast! It is not fussy or fancy, but a great place to go when you want a good, filling Mexican meal. The free chips and salsa that you get right after you sit down are excellent!

Do not pass this place! Terrific food, especially the breakfast burrito — -it is HUGE!
The staff is friendly and everything I have eaten there is awesome. Go early as it can get busy, because if it isn’t done in crowd, they do a lot of take away business as well.
It is a MUST visit in Monterey!

Friendly staff, great value, clean restaurant, family friendly.
Basically, this place hits all the important criteria for a solid Mexican food restaurant IMO. Don’t hesitate to drop in

Friendly staff, clean restaurant… But most importantly, the carnitas was fantastic. And when I say fantastic I truly mean it. Better than any carnitas I can remember eating anywhere.
Mmmmm. Carnitas. Oh, and make sure to get a Horchata to go. Ya know, for dessert.

Acceptable Mexican food, very inexpensive.
Popped in for lunch, place was very busy, only one server, but she kept every table going with a smile on her face.
Ordered chili verde burrito combo, served with salad, rice and beans. Pork was tender, flavorful and lean.
Chicken tacos and huevos rancheros rounded out the rest of our order, the girls thought the refried beans tasted funny, but they were edible nonetheless.
Kitchen had trouble keeping up with the rush, each of our three entrees were served 8 – 10 minutes apart, a little frustrating.
I was told when it came time to pay, that their credit card reader was down and it would be cash only. Had to use an ATM in a supermarket next door, something I really do not like to do.
Restaurant was very clean, service with a smile and very inexpensive. Salsa was good, too.
Funny thing happened while we were there, a Round Table Pizza guy delivered two pizzas for the kitchen crew!

I am very excited to have a good Mexican restaurant near my house. It may become a problem, actually.
The service was great, the interior is clean and colorful (maybe add art on the walls?). The menu has a lot of options to choose from, all at a good price. My husband and I were quite happy with what we ordered for dinner (crunchy taco plate and this thing that comes in a big stone mortar, can’t remember the name). I will definitely be back here for breakfast!

My son and I enjoyed a midday meal at Sarita’s. We both ordered Chorizo and Eggs from the breakfast menu.
Portion sizes are huge and the food is exceptional. Sarita’s Mexican rice is noteworthy. The rice is exceptionally fluffy and light. I don’t know how they do this. I make rice all of the time but cannot replicate this recipe. It’s neither under spiced or over spiced making it the perfect compliment for any entrée.
The beans offer no overt hint of lard or salt. Not runny or dry, once again a perfect accompaniment for the dish. The egg and chorizo scramble isn’t complex. Just eggs and a moderately spicy sausage.
We were offered either corn or flour tortillas, we chose corn. The three wrapped tortillas were fresh and grill warmed, they had the marks. I did not expect this.
The interior is stark. Nothing on the walls in the way of paintings or local art. It looks clean and not cluttered. Regional Mexican music was playing at low volume in the background.
Server/​buser/​greeter Daisy is a treasure. She moves quickly and has a permanent smile on her face while she works. Her greeting is genuine and she instinctively took note of and replenished our emptying water glasses and salsa bowl.
Though she was the only server on duty working five tables she made time to offer me a more spicy salsa and brought it with our entrees.
It’s a delight to witness someone who truly enjoys her job.
Hats off to Sarita’s. They have a formula that sets them apart in the competitive local Mexican restaurant arena.