Compadres Mexican Bar & Grill

I used to be such a big fan of this place. A favorite of my family circa 1993 – 1996, then just fell off in quality in the past decade or so.
The food here used to be prepared with amazingly fresh ingredients and presentation that was simple but made your mouth water. Now it just all comes out as glorified taqueria food coupled with inconsistent service.
Just not what it used to be. If the owner read this… please… go old school on us. It was better that way.

Compadres is a dear favorite for Stanford students – or at least I heard. They give 15% discounts if you go to Stanford so don’t forget to show them your ID at the end of your meal.
I got the avocado releno. It was A LOT of avocado. The taste was so overwhelming that it made me sick. The bottom of the releno had mole. It was the shape of an avocado so it wasn’t too much, but I couldn’t even eat the second half of the avocado b/​c it was too pungent. Not a fan of this dish. The food had huge portions and seemed generic. I liked the décor, but it really was a Eek! Methinks not!

I could see how the back patio can be a popular hangout during the long days of the summer. There’s enough comfortable chairs to sit in, shade to protect those unfortunate enough to sit in the hot, uncovered spots from scorching sunlight, cute mission-​style interior, fast service and decent Mexican food.
I’m giving them the benefit of the doubt on the chile verde the last time I went there — the forgettable dish comes in the form of a plate of Mexican rice, chunks of overcooked pork and unappetizing-​looking lime-​green sauce. The tostada salad, however, was much better.
And again, when my tastebuds favor the vegetable-​based dish more than the meat-​based dish (and it is not very often given my carnivore nature), the vegetable-​based dish must be extraordinary, by omnivore’s (read: 99% of the human population who do not detest greens as much as I do) standard.

They give a 10% discount if you show them your Stanford Student ID!
Food is good quality; not the best Mexican food I’ve had, but decent. I heavily recommend the avacado dishes; I can’t remember which one I had, but it was quite tasty.
It’s especially nice to sit out on the patio (if it’s cold, have them turn on the heaters). Very relaxing; friendly & chill staff, too.

We went during that heat wave and it was really nice being able to sit outside in the covered patio for happy hour. We had a fairly large group so going inside to the bar to order drinks/​pitchers/​what not seemed like the right idea since I never saw a server, but it turned out to be super slow. Good thing my margarita was strong so I didn’t have to return too often.
Dinner later was ok — I had the fish tacos. There were mixed reviews at the table for food and portion size varied depending on what you ordered.
Overall good place to go for HH, probably wouldn’t come back to just eat here.

Chapter 1: Lit Review
So, I burned 20 solid minues by reading all the reviews here to see what people recommded: the answers:
— Any margaritas
— The free chips and salsa
— Avocado relleno
— Cilantro chicken w/​cheese
— Enchiladas de la casa (red not green)
— Seafood Taco Salad
And to be avoided:
— Burritos with steak or carne asada (both burnt)
Chapter 2: Theory
We should order based on previous work (see Unilocal reviews’ summary above). The theory was that other Unilocalers would know what didn’t suck.
Chapter 3: Method:
Went there in a big group and ordered things
Chapter 4: Results:
— Any margaritas — didn’t get one but they looked great
— The free chips and salsa — yes indeed… that salsa has some kick and probably some sugar… solid.
— Avocado relleno — YES, this is good. I mean you melt a bunch of cheese over an entire avocado and some meat or fish, what could go wrong? We got the fish (paying like 35% extra for it) but didn’t taste much of it over the cheese… though what fishiness we did taste was excellent.
— Cilantro chicken w/​cheese — didn’t see it on the menu
— Enchiladas de la casa (red not green) — didn’t order it
— Seafood Taco Salad — got the chicken one instead (on a friend’s recommendation) and got nothing out of it.
Chapter 5: Conclusion
This place is uneven. Unilocalers are awesome.

This place is really cheap if you are a Stanford student, because I believe they give you something ridiculous like 25% off your bill if you show your ID.
I don’t think it’s worth it though. Perhaps I ordered wrong. Last time I ordered beer battered chicken. Doesn’t that sound delicious? Well it wasn’t. It was dry as all hell. I hear their happy hour is good though!

Lunch review only.
Upon entering this fairly large restaurant, I suspected my friend and I were in trouble when I noticed the place was almost empty at the peak of the lunch hour when most restaurants around here are crowded. The chips were stale and the salsa was watery and nearly tasteless. I ordered the pork carnitas but the meat was way overcooked and much of it was not eatable. My friend ordered a beef burrito and said it was also seriously overcooked. The server was unpleasant and the service was extremely slow. I’m trying to think of something nice to say about this place. Well, I didn’t die. I’ve eaten at a large number of Mexican restaurants around the country and in Mexico and this was by some margin the worst of any of them. If I wanted to be extremely fair, I’d go back another time to see if we just hit them at a bad time. You’d have to pay me a lot to do that.

Visited there hoping for a good Mexican dinner. My food was ok, my companions corn chowder was not edible.
I did not like the salsa, it was watered down. I like it chunkier. It did not really feel fresh.
The ambiance is nice, in particular the outside seating area with the fireplace.

We’ve been here twice for dinner, one time which ended in success. We ate here last fall on the heated patio, and the food was decent. The salsa was good, but eventually, you develop a guilt complex for paying $ 40 for Taco Bell variety food.
Last night we arrived at 7:30pm for an indoor table for two. The guy took our name on the wait list, said we were #4, and that it wouldn’t be longer than 10 – 15 minutes later. 30 minutes later, they hadn’t even seated the next people on the list. All people waiting had been neglected — no one came by to offer anyone water or the chance to sit in the bar, etc. We left frustrated and hungry. Will not be returning.

I’m one of those people who likes to have my OWN bowl of salsa. ;) Let’s face it, tortilla chips are just a vehicle for me to eat a LOT of salsa! I’m like that usually with every kind, but when I come across really REALLY good salsa, don’t even THINK of asking, «can i have some?» Cause the answer will be, «get your OWN!»
This restaurant has great salsa, in case you didn’t get that. Loved it. The actual site was really cute too. Very cozy feeling about it. My entrée wasn’t the greatest, but I certainly filled up on Chips and Salsa! surprise, surprise!

A whole bunch of us came here for dinner after this year’s Big Game, and it was a good choice because there was parking and it was far enough away from the Stanford campus that we weren’t inundated with fellow game-​attendees (although when we left, there were a number of people there donning Cal and Stanford gear).
The tortilla chips and salsa are free and come at the beginning of the meal, and you pretty much eat all of them waiting for your food that by the time your food actually gets there, you’re too full. But don’t fret, they’re still good as leftovers.
I had the chicken tortilla soup in a bowl, but it was a HUGE bowl. Not one of those piddly ones, but a phở-​sized bowl. All the portions are fairly generous, and the drinks are tasty. Definitely a place to go for a large group of people.

This place is just OK for mexican food. I may be a little biased because I live in the city and the Mission has some of the best mexican food on the planet.
The margaritas are OK. Depending on the day you are there, they may taste like margarita mix and another day they will be a pretty substantial pour. The inconsistency is a little troubling since it’s not like they are building the space shuttle or anything.
The food is decent but not great. Pretty large portions with plenty of meat or cheese with good flavor. The salad dressing that comes in a carafe is pretty good. It is a salsa base with a little vinegar. Sounds odd but is very good.
Service is good. Attentive without being too overbearing. They were always there when water glasses or margarita glasses were empty.
Overall, for the burbs it is a decent place to get mexican food. I grew up in the burbs so I have a little experience. Not bad.

Last night, I met a bunch of BayCHI members for dinner here before repairing to PARC for a panel discussion about the future of online advertising. It’s a good restaurant.
The neighborhood doesn’t have a lot going on, but there’s ample parking behind the joint, and the restaurant itself is great. It seems a lot of groups meet there for events, so they know how to accommodate a lot of people. They play reggae in the bar area, and the wait staff pays ample attention to groups.
I got their basic taco pairing: one Aztec and one grilled. The fish was well cooked, and the trimmings fresh. The Aztec is slightly more spicy. Nothing fancy for $ 13, but good nonetheless. The chips and salsa were great. And the staff was way helpful.

It’s a nice atmosphere (indoor and outdoor seating) with decent Mexican food at reasonable prices. An easy way to see how authentic a so-​called Mexican restaurant is, is to see what type of beans come with their entrees. If the only option is refried, you must be at Taco Bell. If it’s black bean, it’s a step above Taco Bell. Most Mexican dishes come with pinto beans (which taste better and are much better for you. excuse the random bean tangent). Anyhow, Compadres *is* authentic and tasty. Their service is pretty good, too. The previous reviewer who complained about a lack of vegetarian selections must be pretty picky, because the person who brought me to this restaurant (she’s a regular) is a vegetarian and has never had an issue here.

I was very disappointed by the selection — especially for vegetarians. I got the sense that it was Monterrey, Mexico (i.e. pure MEAT). The waitress forgot our special request for green sauce to dip the Nachos until we had received our entrees and she also forgot my fiancees request for black beans instead of kidney. I had to get up to get salsa bottles myself and the entrees arrived during the appetizer.
If you want a fun Mexican place in Palo Alto just go to Celia’s across the street and you’ll have a much better time. Also cheaper at Celia’s for better food.

I actually went to this place as part of a
coupon thing.
I don’t remember what the deal was, but I remember having to reach a little bit to get the minimum amount, and that even with that, I didn’t necessarily get what I thought was good value.
I actually also used to go to this place semi-​regularly for work, but I havne’t been back since. With so many different mexican places around, I just can’t justify this place as being so good as to go out of my way for.

MMmmmm, I love compadres!!! Yummy!!!
All 3 times I have been here the portions are huge, the margaritas are a good deal, and the staff is super friendly!!!
I ordered the cilantro chicken which had more cheese than I normally like but was absolutely delicious! We also got some queso and chips for an appetizer and we gobbled it down with our re-​filled HUGE diet cokes. mmmm, nothing like a big mexican meal to put you into a food coma for the rest of the afternoon.

Last Friday, I came into Compadre’s, turning left off of El Camino behind what turned out to be another customer’s car. We pulled into the back lot, me behind this customer. The lot’s pretty full. I wait while someone pulls out of a spot, and signal for their spot. The car in front of me pulls all the way into the lot and then turns around. I wait for this first car to pass so I can pull into my spot.
Then she tries to steal my parking spot. While I have my signal on.
So I yell out my window for her to get her own spot.
«But I was here before you.»
«I waited and signaled for this spot.»
«Gosh, well if it means that much to you.»
Yeah, it does, lady.
Who knew that Compadre’s happy hour was so competitive? Must be the $ 1, $ 2, and $ 3 margaritas. Yeah.

Decent mexican food and an awesome patio for parties. Some tips for Stanford students:
1) If you go from 4 – 5 for the $ 1 margaritas, be prepared for inattentive waiters and watered down drinks. During the 5 – 6 hour at $ 2 margaritas suddenly get a whole lot better
2) 25% off your meal if you show your Stanford ID card. Ooohh yeah
3) Go to the Compadres website and print out a «free fried ice cream with purchase of entrée» coupon. SO GOOD