El Caporal

Cheap, yummy, authentic Mexican.
Warning: this place ain’t no fancy place. It’s somewhat of a ‘hole in the wall’ but what it lacks in fanciness it makes up in food and overall authenticity.
Get the super nachos. It was my favorite.
It’s run by the owner and his wife, a hard working couple. The husband waits on people while the wife cooks in the kitchen which is visible from multiple tables.
They serve multiple authentic Mexican dishes, but a little warning that they are made with lower quality ingredients and many of the dishes on the menu are not served.
One of the highlights to our visit was the handmade tortillas served before the meal.
I dinged them one star due to the slow service. They were fairly busy but obviously understaffed.
I would definitely return.

My wife and I came here for the first time after a friend recommended this restaurant.
This is by far the best Mexican restaurant on The Monterey Peninsula. If you enjoy authentic Mexican food, this is the place to get it. But please be patient, the chef makes your food to your liking and with love. Well worth the wait. Call to make sure they’re open. Now enjoy!

Came here for the first time tonight based on Unilocal reviews and they did not disappoint.
I do not frequently give 5 star reviews but this restaurant served such a fresh, flavorful, and delicious dinner that I had to post about it.
We arrived super hungry but immediately were served fresh homemade tortillas with salsa and cheese. So much better than just chips and these tortillas were smoking hot, light, and fluffy.
We ordered chicken fajitas, chicken nachos, and two tacos. The chicken and steak tacos were flavorful, delicious and served on the same life changing tortillas we got as an appetizer. The chicken fajitas were sizzling hot and had so much flavor without being salty at all.
The chicken nachos were OUT OF THIS WORLD. You will not regret ordering them. Our waiter was kind, courteous, and responsive to everything we needed. He seemed like a really nice guy and the authentic tasting food and kind service made our evening very enjoyable.

This place does not deserve its current rating. We arrived on Sunday night for a nice meal on our way home, only to encounter a freezing dining room, thanks to a door left open with 40 degree weather. It took over 30 minutes before our order was taken, thanks to only one person taking orders and bussing tables. Our drinks arrived late, and when our food arrived it sucked. The beans and rice were awful and cheap tasting. Our food wasn’t even delivered together, I finished my meal before my wife and daughter ever got theirs.
If you ever drive by this place… keep going.

No obvious signage. No sign of life there today about 1:00 PM. No hours listed on door or window. What are they hiding, I asked myself.
Will upgrade my review if and when I’m able to dine there.

Hands down the best Mexican food I’ve had since moving here two years ago. The fresh made tortillas were legit, the rice & beans better than your standard fare and my chile relleno was delicious. The salsa they serve is really good, I just wanted way more of it. The owners really make an effort.
Blink and you’ll miss this place on Broadway, but it’s worth slowing down to find. Right now Google street view will show you the «Saigon Noodle restaurant» storefront at this address, but that’s where El Caporal is now.

The handmade tortillas are so good! Our family could see the chef making the tortillas in the kitchen.
Highly recommend the shrimp ceviche and mixed combo fajitas. Their sweet tea is delicious as well.
The service is a bit slow, but that said, it’s definitely worth the wait and everything is made to order. Owner and staff are very responsive and kind. Thumbs up!

I was a little confused when I entered the building, as one sign said the restaurant was open and another said it was closed, but luckily once I entered I was greeted warmly and given terrific service. Hand made tortillas with queso fresco and salsa as an appetizer, and the wet burrito was delicious. With everything being handmade I will surely be back with friends next time!

Wow. Absolutely hands down the best home made Mexican food I have ever had. Great and friendly customer service, made us feel like we were guests in their home. Great prices, huge portions. Amazing food. We are from up north and have a few home made style Mexican places but none come close to this one.
Definitely if your not often in this area check them out and if you are from around the peninsula and haven’t had them yet then you definitely have to go.

Ordered food to go from here tonight. The only thing I would do differently is calling ahead. With only two people working there, they’re struggling to get food out quickly.
The food was amazing though! We got flautas, two tacos (pescado and camaron), and a wet burrito (vegetarian). All of it was amazing! So good we are considering visiting again in this weekend that we are in town!

Simply the most incredible Mexican food I’ve ever had in Ca. Made by a husband and wife team, the incredible fresh tortillas, queso and salsa are to die for. Get the tacos or the special El Caporal (a giant platter of various meats with fresh tortillas) if you’re hungry. The folks at El Caporal treat you like family and the food is literally what dreams are made of. So good.

Last week friends recommended this little restaurant. Owned by a husband/​wife team, the food was wonderful. Very authentic. The husband took care of the front of the house and his wife did all the cooking. We arrived after the busiest dinner hours and had just a small wait. Had guacamole that was made to order, the chips were warm and delicious. While we waited, we were served warm, house made tortillas with pieces of Con Queso cheese and salsa to wrap in the tortillas. We also spread some guacamole on them. Very nice treat. Our tacos were delicious. We will go back when we are in Monterey area again.
The only negative for us was that no alcohol was available. A margarita would have capped the dinner off beautifully.

The people working here are so friendly! Homemade tortillas and spicy salsa were a great start before my veggie quesadilla.
The manager talked to me about their upcoming vegetarian menu too!
I’ll be going back when I’m in the area.
:)

I don’t usually write reviews, but I was blown away by this place!
The best Mexican food I have ever tasted. The meat was perfectly cooked with high quality ingredients. The beans and rice had the perfect texture and taste.
The owner (I assume) was very nice despite being pretty busy. Maybe it’s time to hire on another helping hand or two because this place is taking off!
Favorite Mexican restaurant from now on.
I wish I lived closer.

After reading so many 5 star reviews, my husband and I had to try El Caporal. It lived up to all the reviews. We were greeted with warm, homemade corn tortillas, two delicious salsas, and queso fresco. Being advised that the tacos were small, I ordered a carnitas taco, a fish taco, and a chicken tostada. Though ALL were delicious, I LOVED the chicken tostada. The chicken was moist and delicious. My husband ordered a carnitas taco, a pork taco, and a tripe taco as well as a bowl of white beans accompanied by a side of nopales. He savored every bite. He asked about homemade flour tortillas and we were given a basket of those as well accompanied by butter – our dessert – yum!
The service was excellent. Everything is fresh and homemade. The margaritas and beer were not even missed!

Delicious & Inexpensive. What more can you ask for?
Went with four friends for a late night dinner. From the outside you don’t expect high quality Mexican food, but as they say «don’t judge a book by its cover». Probably one of the best Mexican meals I’ve had in a loooooong time. The restaurant is run by a couple who are super friendly and accommodating. Absolutely worth a try.

We live in Indianapolis and my husband refuses to eat Mexican food there bc it isn’t authentic. So when we vaca in Cali we are looking for authentic Mexican food. This is the place! The ingredients are fresh (we were told they are hand picked by the cook from a local farm– not delivered by a commercial restaurant supplier) and that is exactly how they tasted. I had one shrimp taco and one fish taco both served on a smaller version of the homemade tortilla (that are served prior to your meal with fresh-​made salsa) and rice and beans. The beans are white in a light sauce and super filling. The rice was light and fluffy. My tacos were perfectly seasoned with the spices that make this good, authentic Mexican food. My husband had one red and one green chicken enchilada with rice. He couldn’t stop talking about how wonderful the chicken was flavored and prepared.
If you like greasy, salty, crunchy tortilla chips served with bottled salsa, refried beans out of a can, canned tomatoes, frozen chicken, shrimp and fish then don’t come here — go to one of those chain Mexican restaurants.
If you want amazingly fresh, authentic ingredients that when their sum is combined make you feel fully, happy, and satisfied then come to El Caporal. All of that for under $ 25.00 including the tip.

Was super hungry and in the area so I looked up a place nearby and El Caporal had a shiny 5 star rating. Naturally had to check it out and boy it did not disappoint.
When we entered the restaurant it had a small family kinda feel, we sat down and were immediately served delicious soft tortillas with a fresh cheese and yummy salsas. The tortillas were so incredible I couldn’t believe. They were fresh handmade right then and there. I usually eat like a bird but here I ate like a piggy and ate the whole thing.
I also ordered 3 tacos and those were amazing as well. My friends foods were tasty. The food was very vey good I was impressed. And the best thing of all? The food was super cheap! Like, really really cheap. And good. And cheap. And super well made. 5 stars solid.

How is this newish restaurant not exploding in popularity?! Those tortillas! Those salsas! That mole! So what if we can’t drink a marg or slam a cerveza here– we should all probably cut back on that kind of sauce anyways.
The owners Fernando and Christina treated us like royalty from the moment we walked in. A lot of hard work and love goes into their cuisine and it shows in the made from scratch offerings. This place is off the charts when it comes to authentic flavor– which is more than enough reason for a 5-​star rating, but the cherry on top is that the people running it are absolute delights.
I will be back often.

I may have just found my new favorite Mexican restaurant on the Monterey Peninsula… details to come.