Each of the four times I have eaten at the restaurant, I have been pleasantly surprised and pleased. The dinners are interesting. A number of dishes are not your usual run of the mill Mexican... More

Each of the four times I have eaten at the restaurant, I have been pleasantly surprised and pleased. The dinners are interesting. A number of dishes are not your usual run of the mill Mexican fare. Their Tamales are so unusual and quite a treat. The Quesidillas are very tasty. Their salsa bar offers a variety of spicy. The lunch is more casual and reasonably priced. The dinner menu is a bit more pricey but has some items that aren't available for lunch.
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Cocina Poblana, more like Cocina SALTana ! Mushy, overly salted food. They have one in San Francisco, I've been to both - and they are both the same - non descript overcooked meat, bland sauce, and... More

Cocina Poblana, more like Cocina SALTana ! Mushy, overly salted food. They have one in San Francisco, I've been to both - and they are both the same - non descript overcooked meat, bland sauce, and tons of salt.
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I've been here a few times, and overall, it was pretty good. The wait staff was prompt in bringing menus, water, chips...less prompt on bringing drinks and the bill. I like the huaracha...similar to... More

I've been here a few times, and overall, it was pretty good. The wait staff was prompt in bringing menus, water, chips...less prompt on bringing drinks and the bill. I like the huaracha...similar to a sope, with good flavor. Be advised that the menu here is "family recipies" so many of the classic dishes taste different than expected. For example, the mole is very subtle...not the strong flavor I'm used to. The cactus nopales have great texture, but are low on flavor. But their beans and rice are really, really good. I think they need some more time to settle in. I've enjoyed going here, but for the price and the trickiness in ordering something that tastes like you want it to, it seems uneven overall. Pros: Easy location, great margaritas by the pitcher Cons: Food doesn't meet expectations
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Just thought I would share my recent experience as Cocina Poblana Emeryville. Its somewhat of a fast food order at the counter and wait for your number to be called joint. Food was Great, Price was... More

Just thought I would share my recent experience as Cocina Poblana Emeryville. Its somewhat of a fast food order at the counter and wait for your number to be called joint. Food was Great, Price was Decent however the young ladies working at the front counter were not so friendly. I will say that I'm asian and feel as if there was some discrimination that had occured. The young lady was very rude when I asked her if they had iced tea since the menu is very vague regarding beverages. I then looked behind the register and see that the small fridge has a wider variety of non carbonated drinks. I did mention to her that it would have been nice for her to mention those drinks and she said to the other person working I don't know what he is talking about and went on to speak in spanish. I understand that it is a mexican restaurant but know that she spoke spanish so that I would not know what she was saying. It was very uncomfortable for me and she was VERY RUDE. I would have understood if she really didn't understand what I was saying however she spoke english just fine. I know this may seem like a small thing to some but you had to be there. It was worse than could be understood from my putting it into words. On a more positive note. I had the crab Burrito and it was delicious unfortunately I did not enjoy it as much as I would have since I could still see the two girls giving me dirty looks.
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A friend and I had lunch at this restaurant a few months ago. I enjoyed it enough that I got a take out menu and we order lunch from them at my office once every couple weeks. I love their... More

A friend and I had lunch at this restaurant a few months ago. I enjoyed it enough that I got a take out menu and we order lunch from them at my office once every couple weeks. I love their carnitas and get carnitas nachos or carnitas huarachitas. I'm trying to make my way through the rest of the menu, but it's hard when these are so good. My family and I had dinner there last night and the restaurant transforms from lunch to dinner. The black tablecloths come out and the menu magically becomes way overpriced. My 8 year old son had the crab enchiladas, which were actually a good value for $12. They were FILLED with crab and came with rice and beans, which you would expect in a mexican restaurant. I stole a taste and the flavor was mild, but good. My 12 year old son got a chicken salad for $7. This was a good value for the price and a meal sized portion. My husband got the chicken mole for $14. This is where we started having a problem. His plate had a chicken leg and thigh quarter, covered in mole sauce, with a small scoop of rice. He likes the strong flavor of mole and this just didn't cut it for him. He had me taste it, and although I'm not a mole fan (because of this strong flavor coincidentally), I thought that the flavor was great. It was subtle enough that you could taste the chicken through it. I got the chicken pipian ($13), a grilled chicken breast covered in sauce, also on a plate with a small scoop of rice. The flavor was different than anything I'd had before and I really enjoyed it, but coming from an hour and a half long martial arts workout, my husband and I both were left hungry. Our dishes looked like a second or third course from a three to four course meal. I think they'd do much better if they acted a little more like a mexican restaurant and less like a stuffy dining establishment. I'll definitely be going back for lunch (they have a chicken pipian burrito that I'm dying to try now), but definitely not for dinner.
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I recently moved to E-ville and am VERY aware that there's not a lot in the way of restaurants. Since Milano was bought out by this new restaurant I thought I'd give it a try. As soon as you walk... More

I recently moved to E-ville and am VERY aware that there's not a lot in the way of restaurants. Since Milano was bought out by this new restaurant I thought I'd give it a try. As soon as you walk in the door the feel is almost "fast-foodish" but it's a sit-down restaurant with a bar in the back, kind of odd. It was pretty full with a diverse crowd though, so I was hopeful. We were seated immediately at one of the last tables and were given menus to peruse. While we were checking out the menu I kept waiting and waiting and waiting for someone to stop by and give us some water and chips, but finally I had to ask a waiter passing by. When we finally got the chips, salsa and guac everything was SO SALTY I could barely eat it. We pressed on because the menu looked really interesting, not to mention extensive. My entree was an "Aztec Sandal" with chicken, cactus, a sauce and cabbage (I can't recall the exact name of the dish). I was very suprised at how small the dish was (especially for being $16 or $17) but figured that the flavors might compensate and I would be fine with that. Well, I was completely wrong - the dish was rather tasteless and none of the flavors really melded together. My partner was dissatisfied with her food as well...again not a lot of flavor for a menu that looks quite appetizing. All in all I would never recommend this place to my worst enemy, it might be ok for drinks (I don't know we didn't order any with our meal) but I would definitely NOT eat there again. I give them an "A" for effort on their menu, but felt it was entirely too big. I felt that maybe if they cut the menu down and really focused on a few main dishes and perfected those that they might have a chance, but just because you have a big menu with lots of cool sounding dishes doesn't mean you'll have repeat business UNLESS THE FOOD TASTES GOOD! Pros: not a lot Cons: NO FLAVOR, bad service, large menu
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