Tres Amigos

Not a bad place if you were looking for cheap Mexican food late at night. This would be my first stop after leaving the movie theater to pick up food late at night and it was my primary spot for dinner when I used to work grave shift.
The food would be served in large portions, you had no concern getting enough for your dollar here. I single quesadilla was enough for most people, not to mention cheap! Most places charge $ 3 or more for some small quesadilla cut in half, here $ 3 would get you a meat quesadilla with chunks of meat that covered the entire layer of cheese. Salsa bar with unlimited chips? Rarely see many of those in the area any more. This place was one of the few that I know that allowed you to stuff several bags of chips to take home rather than giving you some tiny greasy bag with a child’s handful of chips.
The place was a bit of a dive and I always had the impression that they had more space than they knew what to do with. The Horchata machine also had a bit of an odd smell that took some getting used to. On several occasions I overheard people complain and actually leave because of the smell.
Bonus points for taking your order over the phone and having it ready for you when you arrive. Not many people knew of this and the Manager actually appreciated it when I would order on their more busier nights.
Sad to see this place closed down. It had a prime location and decent food.

I don’t get how this place gets so many good reviews.
I’ve been here a lot, always a late junk meal type thing. Every time I go there I notice the place is never clean, and always kinda dirty. The guy behind the register always seems like he has somewhere else to be, but i guess with the volume of customers they get, I’d be the same way.
Typically I get a super burrito w/​a quesadilla and drink. The burrito is pretty good, not anything amazing, but it’s a good burrito. The thing that shocked me was when I saw the cook use a micro wave to melt the cheese in my quesadilla; in the styrofoam box! Come on bro’s, don’t half ass it and use the grill, that’s what it’s there for. NEVER get a fountain soda. That stuff is nasty. The mix is off on all of them and it’s damn near flat. So nasty.

One of the BEST Mexican food restaurants in the area, hands down. I’ve been coming here for years & still try to stop in when I’m in the area since I moved. The salsa bar is amaaaazing, because I’m a total salsa addict, and a sucker for free chips. The food is all amazing & sooooo good! The food is always fresh and the salsa bar is always stocked, except right before closing. They kinda let it go. I love pouring the salsa into my burritos & all over everything on my plate. Soooo goooood!

Free chips and always available seating. Convenient spot next to the theatre.
I love burritos. Love them. But this place just doesn’t hit the spot. I mean it completely fills me up, but my taste buds are dancing the flamenco when I come here. Every bite of meat (carne asada) I had some piece of fat or tendon and the burritos are usually lukewarm.
But again, the free chips and salsa is nice. Can’t complain over that.

Went here with the Mrs. when it seems like no other taqueria is open past 9p (seriously?). I’ll say this, if my burrito tasted like her veggie super baby burrito, I’d be hard pressed to give 2 stars. Also, I understand that novellas have a significant draw for some people but perhaps not so much so that a tv needs to be blaring them throughout the dining area.
That said, my chicken burrito supreme was outstanding and their most popular salsa at the salsa bar (you can tell by how much is left…) was also completely outstanding.
In general, the staff were very nice although at times a bit slow (eh) and the place could have been a bit cleaner but it was late at night and I think they were doing all they could.
And I wasn’t there to see them rush around like crazy or clean empty tables — the burrito and salsa made it worth the trip and then som.

Super solid taqueria place with unlimited free chips and salsa. It’s right next to the movie theater so I usually grab a burrito before a movie. I’ve had steak, carnitas, and shrimp burritos from this place and they’re all solid, but my personal favorite is the BBQ chicken.
Prices are really competitive. There’s a couple of other taqueria’s close by but this is by far the best.

okay — the people are nice, the place is large and chlorine-​bleach smelling clean. The menu is actually quite extensive, but PLEASE stick to the basics.
tacos — just the simple tacos with nothing extra. Do NOT get the Super tacos — Super is extra $$ and means a ton o lettuce, sour cream and meh guac that bury the taco. We had the beef and the flavoring was okay — needed more flavor, salt, everything.
Baby burrito with chicken — not worth ordering. Not enough flavor, couldn’t finish more than a third. bland, totally bland. And the beans were ick. tasted like canned beans.
Why come to Tres Amigos? plain tacos, self-​serve chips/​salsa/​pickles/​peppers and some fruit cocktail dessert.

Big place, great spot for a quick lunch. Very causal. Order at counter, they bring the food to your table. Salsa bar with several types of salsa.
Cheap and good food. Can’t go wrong. Not the best Mexican I’ve had but nowhere near the worst.

I’ve been coming here since it was simply a hole-​in-​the-​wall taqueria. It’s great to see how much they have grown over the years, and it makes me happy that they’re still in business.
I’ve tried their burritos, tacos, quesadillas, sopes and more! All of which I have no complaints about. My current favorite is the taco salad that is served in a large flour tortilla shell topped with sour cream and guacamole. And I never leave without visiting their salsa bar.
They are open pretty late, so whenever I’m craving Mexican after hours this is my go-​to!

what i ordered… super burrito w/​carnitas
Awesome burrito, carnitas was well seasoned, tender, fatty and had that crunchy goodness layer. good fillings, good size, good price…
fyi! all you can eat complimentary chips and salsa’s, and they’re good too.
ambiance… ok (place was clean, huge dining area)
service… ok
cost… $ (totally inexpensive)

Seriously, these were the best black beans I’ve ever had. My former San Mateo residing husband and I went here on whim after doing some serious furniture shopping at Scan Design nearby. I ordered the shrimp ceviche tostada, black beans and rice. And a nice cold Mexican beer.
The ceviche tostada cost $ 3.45. You read that right: less than 3 and a half dollars and it was great from the fresh avocado slices on top to the crisp tortilla on the bottom. Fresh shrimp, onions, cucumber, and peppers in lime. So so good. But the beans and the rice. I don’t know what it was, but they were so tasty. I asked the guy at the counter what they put in the beans, but he said they just boiled them with some salt. There had to be something else because they were perfection.
The place is nothing fancy, you order at the counter and take a seat at a table with your number. But there are free fresh chips, salsa, radishes and limes at a help yourself bar while you’re waiting. I now work in San Mateo and I will make a point to come back here for lunch. The food is fresh, super flavorful and a very good value. Tres Amigos is also friendly and clean, something that some cheap Mexican places can’t claim. But those black beans are amazing. I bet they just didn’t want to tell me there secret recipe because it had to be more than boiled water and salt!

Since Pacho Villa down the street didn’t have $ 1 tacos until 3 — 5 PM, I couldn’t wait and we walked into here.
I was pleasantly surprised to see a free chips and salsa bar (big plus) when I walked in and the prices were pretty reasonable. My wife got the super quesadilla with what tasted like chorizo in it. Yeah it was dripping with grease, but that’s what makes it good. I decided to get the torta and it was good. Steak, cheese, lettuce and tomato on bread hit the spot.
Not the greatest Mexican food place I’ve been too, but considering the prices and free chips and salsa it’s somewhere I would like to go again.

I was trying to grab a quick bite to eat before my movie started. I had some soft chicken tacos with rice and bean special. The tacos were pretty small and didn’t have too much meat on it. The rice was pretty dry and the beans were average.
The only plus side is they have some decent free chips.
TL;DR; FREE chips! The soft tacos were average.

Fast, cheap, and tasty Mexican food is served here late into the night. We had the shrimp super burritos (‘super’ gets you sour cream, guacamole, and cheese). These were good and quite large, but I’ve had better (try La Corneta).
The restaurant is a bit dingy, and loud due to its large size and the fact they show Futbol Mexicano on the tv drawing a horde of fans.
Extra points for the serve yourself chips and salsa bar.

Monday night, after watching the fireworks display in the Peninsula, the bf & I found ourselves peckish in San Mateo (similar to Sleepless in Seattle, but different…)
Anyways…
Every other restaurant in the downtown area had closed except for Tres Amigos, which was open til 11pm (M-​Th.) Of all cuisines, I never tire of Mexican, so I was excited to be trying a new joint.
Tres Amigos is humongous by taqueria standards. Half the tables were occupied, which I took as a good sign. We ordered, hit up the salsa bar & waited for our food to arrive. Their pico de gallo is more watery than I like & the tomatoes were not crisp; they’d broken down, as if soaking for too long (yes, I take pico de gallo *very* seriously.)
My bf enjoyed his carne asada taco & enchilada and my chilaquiles ($ 6.25) were among some of the best I’ve had. The chips remained crispy, probably because they were overloaded with cheese. The red sauce was not too tart. I asked for avocado & they generously gave me half of one (see pic!) Melon agua fresca was nice & sweet!
I’d love to add TA to my late-​nite roster, but my nachos/​tacos/​huevos rancheros/​chilaquiles cravings usually don’t even hit til midnight. If they creep up on me earlier & I happen to be near San Mateo, I’m heading to TA because their well-​made food hit the spot.

The salsa bar is awesome, but the food was pretty mediocre. The green salsa was amazing, the chips fairly fresh and the hot salsa had good flavor. For lunch, I had the combo plate with an enchilada, chili rellano and taco. Two stars at best. They have flavored water machines that were very sweet, but interesting. Now that I’ve eaten here, I’ll likely pass it up in the future.
TIP: There are lots of other Mexican restaurants that offer more flavor at the same price with better parking.

Clean ~ Friendly ~ Fresh ~ Super Cheap! ~ Plentiful
We just needed a TEENY bit more food in our bellies after we enjoyed some drinks at an event just up the road. Walking down the sidewalk looking for the perfect light something to satisfy our ping of hunger.
The lights were bright at 9:30pm and we were lured in by the smell of TACOS! haha
2 Carne Asada tacos & the Shrimp Ceviche Tostada were ordered for about $ 12! AWESOME! I was surprised at how much FRESH veggie was topped on my tostada — not to mention the Shrimp was plentiful and delicious!
I felt like we were eating at a college cafeteria for the deals we got mixed with the crowd of people there. haha Good times!

Solid burrito, kind of weak on the platters. The chili rellenos were pretty good. I had some other platter with what was supposed to be mole sauce, but they don’t make an authentic mole sauce here.
Pretty much a «standard» place.

I came here for dinner with my boyfriend. There was a decent number of customers dining inside, so we decided to try it out.
After looking at the menu on the wall, I decided to order a regular burrito. The burrito came with rice, beans, meat, and salsa. I chose carnitas for some fried pork. My boyfriend ordered super nachos with steak. We paid at the counter, and then we were given a number to place on our table.
I noticed the chips at Tres Amigos is self serve! I really liked that option, so customers can get as much as they want.lol. The chips here are really crispy and fresh, so it tasted great with the salsa.
The salsa bar is also self serve. =) There was a few different types of salsa, but I went with the common mild chunky salsa.
Our food came out within 10 minutes. My burrito was wrapped in a foil, and I can tell that it was really hot. I had to cut it in half, so it can cool down faster. The burrito was really good! The spanish rice was tasty. The carnitas was flavorful and tender. I liked that some pieces of the pork was a bit crispy, which added a nice crunch with every bite. There wasn’t a lot of salsa in the burrito, so I had to grab more from the salsa bar.lol. The burrito was really big, so I was only able to eat half, too.
I tried my boyfriend’s super nachos dish, and it wasn’t that good. One side had a bunch of salsa and the other side had a bunch of guacamole (See Picture). It was definitely a bit hard to eat, since you couldn’t see the chips. There was way too much cheese. The steak was overcooked and didn’t taste that good. The guacamole was a bit runny, and I like the texture to be chunky.
Overall, Tres Amigos has really cheap Mexican food. I’d definitely recommend the burrito. The portion size is huge, so each item can feed at least 2 people. The nachos can definitely feed 4 people.

weekday peninsula bar crawl end… more a quick dainty double hop finish… ten pm and search to find late dinner… three dudes in an accord… two harolds and one kumar… three friends in san mateo… tres amigos en ciudad de san mateo… a sign from up above… a glow emmiting… magical fiesta colors… large open space taqueria… tables plenty… order counter large… bottle of coors light and $five.seventy-five regular al pastor burrito… pork burrito… salsa bar and jalepeno wonders… unwrap shimmering foil… peel and unwind… drenching with green sauce… pour of red sauce… scoop of chunky salsa… and bite…
eh…mostly beans and rice filled disappointment… norcal filler filled burrito…