Sanchos Taqueria

I’m with Patrick H. What happened to this place? I saw the manager from the Emerald Hills store here so you know they’re trying to turn this place around. This was back in the fall and honestly we haven’t been back since.
The last time we were here, they barely put any chipotle mayo on the fish taco and then they charged like $ 1.25 for an extra! My husband’s food wasn’t really done well and there was also an issue with my sister in law’s food. Also all the employees just all seemed very unhappy to be there. One worker went in the bathroom and never came out. I finally just gave up on using it. Sad too because we were eager for a Sancho’s closer to our Belmont home. We’re going to El Metate on Harbor because the service, price and quality are better. This location seems to be cursed for everything that goes there since the Cheshire Cat left 20 years ago.

Sanchos Taqueria is essentially a take out eatery although they do have a few tables for eating in.
menu:typical mex. menu with emphasis on burritos, seafood dishes.
eats: carna asada burrito (6.25) regular sized.
–tender asada, a little gristle, black beans an option
–salsa bar with many choices.
–small bag of stale chips. comes with every order
3.5 stars
take outs:
–food comes quick
–may be 4 stars for offerings black beans, salsa bar, chips.
quality just so so. so 3 stars.
–cash only

What happened to this place? When it opened up a few years ago, it was great. The food had great flavor, the staff was enthusiastic, now its «white people Mexican food» kind of like LuLu’s but with no bored Mommy groups engulfing the patio. I guess they have that to look forward to.
Sanchos might be a bit to rustic for them, and there is no stroller parking.
I asked for a burrito bowl and I got a plate resembling prison food with a few pieces of meat, a tiny dollop of sour cream and a tiny dollop of guac, even though I asked for «a super burrito»
I even tried to add life to it, dousing it with salsa didn’t work. The fish taco’s use to be great, now its all God forbid you ask for more chips. They make the soup Nazi look like Prince Charming. The «hot salsa» is mild, flavorless but probably tastes good to those who like «white people, dumbed down Mexican food»
The only thing Sancho’s is missing is Churro lady outside. They are missing lots of things going forward. Flavor, a friendly staff who likes working there, a good customer and my cash.

Decided to try out Sanchos today after driving by it for the last few months, reading so many positive reviews, and since Chipotle had so many issues with people getting ill from their food. I had the shrimp burrito minus the beans. The burrito was good/​tasty, its very basic, 5 – 6 pieces of shrimp, rice, and grilled peppers. It definitely needed some cheese but if you add salsa to it, its makes it even better. The price seemed a little high at $ 8.99, but for the size and the free chips it makes the price reasonable. On a side note, they have a huge menu, lots of different burritos, tacos, quesadillas, meals, etc. Overall, I thought it was good and will definitely be back to try the fish tacos.

The best fish tacos ever! Really good guys working behind the counter. They never gotten our order wrong, and the food is always been hot and delicious. Outstanding fish ceviche and fantastic grilled fish tacos.

My boyfriend and I are total Mexican food junkies. We’ve tried them all, this one definitely takes the cake! We came in on a Saturday afternoon around 1pm and noticed the place was packed. I ordered two special tacos, one carne asada and the other pastor. The flavor was fantastic! I wish I hadn’t ordered the special tacos since the regular tacos my boyfriend had were just as delicious without all the extras (just a tip if you want to save $) we get to the salsa bar and get every single one they offer. Man were they DELICIOUS!!! But what was the best part was the employees. Although extremely busy they were very very nice and helpful. We will be back weekly probably lol

I only come here for the Fish Tacos.
Relocating to the mid-​peninsula area from San Diego, I missed my quality fish tacos. The ones I’ve had around here were all too dry or mixed in with too much random stuff. Sancho’s really hit the spot. Their fish is very lightly breaded with the juicy flavor of the fish really coming through. The tortilla is thin and holds all of their sauce and sizable portion of fish perfectly. I still miss my So-​cal fish tacos but this keeps me going till I go back.
The restaurant is clean and has a bunch of TVs where you can watch your favorite sports on it. A perfect place for lunch, dinner, or just for the game.

Food is good. Customer service is awful. Spoke with a woman on the phone and when she wasn’t yelling Spanish in my ear (talking to someone else) she was trying to figure out my order. When I went to pick it up, she rolled her eyes at me several times, and kept talking to one of her coworkers in Spanish while she was ‘helping’ me. Got the food home and both the burritos were made wrong. Overall, unpleasant. Get better customer service.

Great Burritos!
Ordered two burritos to go for a late lunch. Super Chile Relleno Burrito and (Not Sure What The other was considered) Carnitas Burrito.
The Chile Relleno burrito was huge. The burrito was well prepared and the ingredients very fresh.
The carnitas burrito was full of pork and again, very nicely prepared ingredients. Wife likes it very mild, I like it spicy.
The tortilla chips were pre-​bagged. The bags were a bit skimpy, but I took two. The salsa was very good, I got the two medium hot offering.
The two burritos cost $ 22.67. A bit high for burritos, but worth the price. I think she overcharged me, but let it go. Next time, I’ll ask her to repeat the order and spell out the cost. It was so huge I could only eat half.
The cashier with the purple hair needed a bit of explanation of what I wanted, but eventually she figured it out. I left a healthy tip, but guess she forgot to acknowledge it because she was «busy», as the place was entirely empty.
The second lady worker was not particularly helpful or pleasant, a bit stand-​offish I thought. Most importantly, the man that made the burritos was superb! He makes a first class burrito.
I understand they’re looking for a new Edsel Fong for the re-​opening of San Wo in the City. Perhaps those two ladies can apply.

Great food at a decent price! Actually one of the best spots for fish tacos and carne Asada burritos and tacos. Only complaint is cash only which sucks but still gets a perfect score.

Why I don’t think I’ll be coming back to Sancho’s:
— Although it smells like cleaning chemicals, it is SO dirty for a taqueria!
— The pastor is very tough and chewy, like it’s a terrible cut of pork.
— The rice in the super burrito was mushy.
— The toppings in the super burrito were not spread across the entire burrito, so all the sour cream was at the end.
— The salsa bar was meh.
If you do end up trying Sancho’s out:
— The shrimp taco had a lot of shrimp.
— They have an abundance of napkins and salsa cups.
I don’t rate based on service and in this case it did not help. The grumpy guy with the goatee taking orders at night made it seem as though talking to us was a chore and he was doing us a favor!

The first and probably last time here.
The chubby cashier with the goatee; you suck at your job. You’re the face of the restaurant. You don’t greet customers by saying: what do you want?
The food is mediocre. I ordered:
Fish taco — Bigger than I expected. Decent amount of deep fried fish. Not oily.
Al Pastor Super burrito — the rice was too mushy and the pork had no flavor. Pass on this.
I’m giving this place 2 stars because of the awesome habanero sauce and decent fish taco. I rather go to Chipotle next time.

This place is still here because it’s great!
I got the carnitas super burrito, enough for two meals! The carnitas was soft and tasty but not fatty. Salsa is good, and service was speedy.
And the Horchata is sweet on a hot day.

One of our local faves! Their white fish ceviche and fish tacos are a must try here! 4 stars because they only take cash.

I work down the street. I felt like eating Mexican food today, and didn’t want to settle for Chipotle. I wanted REAL Mexican food. I found this place on Unilocal,and decided to give it a try. I was pleasantly surprised by the following:
1. Their menu selection it’s huge.
2. Their cashier was super friendly, had suggested their fish tacos
3. For $ 8 I got a huge ass fish burrito, and it wasn’t a super burrito.
4. Delicious, and I’m so stuffed.
All in all it’s a $ 8 well spent. Heads up, cash only!

I’ve often commented on how the more you pay for Mexican food, the worst it seems to be. Sanchos has turned into one of these places. I ordered both carne asada and pastor and both meats came out lukewarm. I was genuinely afraid to eat this stuff. When I did eat it, it didn’t taste right. Wealthy suburbanites might still flood this place, but sorry Sanchos, I’m never coming back.

Sanchos has an extensive menu with fresh & light options. If you like fish this is a great Mexi spot. Cerviche was bomb and prices were right. Wash it down with a Corona on a hot San Carlos day. OOOOOOHHH ya buddy. Do me.

We tried this place twice and twice we picked up cold fish tacos. I had to ask my friend if cold tacos was a new dish.
*I’m not a fan of cold fish tacos, so we aren’t coming back here.

We have not been to any Sancho’s location for a few years: due to their closing early, overwhelming smell of cleaning supplies while eating, and an overall feeling of being rushed out. Regardless of the fact that we always showed up 30 – 45 minutes before closing.
I should add, on more than one occasion, we weren’t the only people there. Which didn’t seem to matter to the staff.
We finally decided to give the new San Carlos location a try.
Although, we had noticed when passing by on other nights that the restaurant looked closed even though posted times said they would be open.
We showed up at 8:30, and noticed all the rugs were rolled up and they looked to be shutting everything down.
I asked the woman behind the register if they were still open, and she said, «We are just about to close.»
We turned and left, said nothing, and nothing was said to us.
She didn’t even offer to make food to go.
Clearly, this is a common and accepted practice at more than one location.
Too bad, since I like their food, and the prices are reasonable.
But, the rudeness and unreliability has burned me too many times.

Over the years, Sancho’s has gone from an initial 2-​star joint for me to a solid 4-​star place. I think it took me a while to understand the approach to Cali-​Mex food, and to really get to know the menu. That might sound silly to the uninitiated for a taqueria, but I think Unilocalers get it.
Food:
In the past, I stuck to the fish taco, a meat plate with red sauce (not on the menu but always accommodated when requested), and Brent’s veggie quesadilla. But after trying their specials, coupled with more visits to Sancho’s (my kids dig it) to try more items, Sancho’s has won me over. Unilocal tells me I need to check in a few more times to be a «regular» at San Carlos location, but in reality I’m already there.
Menu items that are «new to me» are the super surf-​n-​turf burrito (steak and shrimp, I get it without rice), the shrimp quesadilla, Sancho’s Cobb salad plus chicken (cobb salad at a taqueria? Yup, it’s tasty!), and the bean and cheese burrito — which was a surprise, because it’s just beans and cheese! Have also enjoyed the tortilla soup — add chicken and you’ll be happy.
I still enjoy Sancho’s red sauce, and the variety of salsas are a great accompaniment to whatever I choose.
Added bonus — Devils Canyon Hades Habanero still on tap after all these years, at least at the RWC location.
Service:
Order at the counter and the food is brought to you. Service has always been super friendly and solid for me. Haven’t done takeout for a while, as I think the food is best hot and on the spot, and kids like to dine in. Line gets backed up during busy times, which is a good thing, but something to be prepared for.
Vibe:
Trader-Joe’s-parking-lot cool. I’ve never sat outside, but it’s cool that there is patio seating. Tiny location but in my experience turns over quickly so I’ve never had to wait for a seat.
Family-​friendly:
Pretty much the most family-​friendly place you could ever go to, as evidenced by the repeated requests by the kids to go there over the last few months!
Summary:
I didn’t used to like Sancho’s all that much. Now I do. That doesn’t happen all that often for me, especially with neighborhood restaurants. It’s great that I have a spot that I can take the family and we all find something we like. That doesn’t happen all that often for me these days either. Good on ya, Sancho’s!