Rincon Oaxaqueno Restaurant

Reviews

• Dolce M.

  star star star star star 13 June 2026

  Love this place. It's it an average Mexican restaurant. So if you want burritos and nachos this is not the place. This is a Legit Mexican restaurant that sales food from Oaxaca.
  Atmosphere: it's very much like a home, TV on and chill vibe. You are pretty much waiting watching tv while your mum cooks something for you. That's the atmosphere.
  Food: very authentic and delicious. Good portions and good price. Lots of variety and side dishes. I've never had an issue with food there.
  Drinks: I always go there for Tamarindo Micheladas! My favourite!
  Service: very chill, they will take your order right away, serve your food. Come back and check on you once or twice. But just chill, assume the lady serving you is your Mexican mum. That's pretty much what it feels like and it's great.
  They also sell bread and coffee! So if you wanna go for breakfast and do something simple and traditional you can.

• Ted G.

  star star_border star_border star_border star_border 25 May 2026

  This restaurant was around the corner of where we were staying. So we took the 5 minute walked and entered a den of disappointment.
  
  As we walked into the cafe we noticed that it was really quiet . . . and hot. There wasn't anyone around that we could see or hear. We stood around for a couple of minutes and just as we were about to leave a woman came through the door. I don't know if she was out shopping or what, but she had a few bag-fulls of stuff. So we stayed.
  
  This is a small space, with the kitchen presumably around a corner. But we didn't hear any "sizzle-sazzle" - the sounds of an active grill. Also absent were the sweet aromas of awesome food being cooked. The only sounds we heard were the Spanish-dubed guy on the tv hocking probiotics. The hot, dry, stinky air that was circulating in this place made the experience even more miserable.
  
  Upon sitting down we were given stale chips toped with the worst tasting mole and cheese I've ever had. Who puts mole on chips? And bad mole at that.
  
  We decided to press on with ordering in the hopes of the entrees being good. We ordered three tacos (asada, chicken, and Cecina - which is code for gnarly pork), Cencina burrito, and a side of taquitos.
  
  Tacos: Not terrible, but the Cecina was a weird mix of carnitas and al pastor. The chicken was, how do you say it, "seco". Asada was ok, about on par with El Pollo Loco.
  
  Burrito: The Cecina was just weird. It also had a hyper-glow red color to it. I was sure that I'd get sick from eating the food, so I stoped a quarter of the way through. I'd rather leave hungry than totally sick.
  
  Taquitos: Wow, I mean I thought we ordered taquitos and not a head of iceberg lettuce. We had to dig through a pile of super white lettuce just to find a fried roll of fake chicken. It reminded me of digging through an Easter basket - you know, there doesn't appear to be any candy in there, but once you dig to the bottom of the green plastic grass you find that lone jelly bean.
  Food: D
  
  For drinks we each got a margarita. Look, I make an awesome margarita and I know how little it takes to make a decent one. This was the worst drink I've ever had. We couldn't decide if it tasted more like Limeade or a lime OtterPop. Absolute garbage drink and inexcusable for a Mexican restaurant to server something that doesn't even look like a margarita. Shame.
  Drinks: F
  
  Service was bad too. To sum it up, the two servers took a seat next to us and ate while we waited for our check. After five minutes of watching them zone out on their phones while eating an entire chicken, we politely asked for the check. And ten minutes later, we were out.
  Service: D
  
  As we walked out we got our answer to why the chips we stale - they have them sitting a huge bucket, uncovered, near a door. ::Facepalm::
  
  Anyone who gave this place more than three stars is either a friend/family or is not being honest.

• Thomas R.

  star star star star star 22 May 2026

  The Calda de Piedra alone gets 5 stars just for its quality, taste, and sheer theatricality.
  
  Imagine a bowl of broth with huge hunks of cod, langoustines, and giant prawns that get a super-hot rock dropped into the bowl to finish the cooking. Sounds cool, right? Pricey, but good and fun to eat.
  
  When we arrived this time, the owner was on the patio grilling up some beef for tacos, so we ordered some with a side of cactus salad. The chips and salsa were just as good as before, and the crowd was lively. My partner and I were happy to be the only gringos in the joint.
  
  If you love the cuisine of Oaxaca, you'll love this place.
  
  If you want regular, americanized, "tex-mex" style mexican food (with a lower-case "m"), then this is not the place for you. Only true afficionados of Mexican cuisine can appreciate what this unassuming and authentic Oaxacan restaurant has to offer.  I loved it both times and I will be back.

• Jake M.

  star star star star star 17 May 2026

  So happy I stumbled upon this place while doing laundry next door. Super homey authentic grandmas house vibe with a selection of all the meats!! Ceccina? Cabeza? Tasajo? Wow I'm trying it all. Sweet family staff that served with a smile and genuine hospitality. These people made me feel like they actually wanted me there and they actually wanted me to enjoy my meal and time. I'll be bringing friends in the near future! Only complaint is the napkins. For the kind of taco get down that ensues here some Costco size extra heavy duty triple ply ish would be best. Either way go here and try some tasty new meats!

• Radicchio S.

  star star star star star 17 May 2026

  It's Sunday afternoon, and you can sit anywhere you'd like. I opt for the patio, beside an algae-filled water fountain. With some imagination helped by a recurring breeze, it almost feels like you're on vacation.
  
  The server, wearing Oaxacan garb, drops off a small bowl of chips splashed with mole and cojita. The mole, red perhaps, is sweet and earthy and tangy and mild. It takes you forever to decide what to get, but you go with a mixed ceviche tostada and enfrijoladas with tasajo. You've been to Guelaguetza, but still had to Google "tasajo."
  
  As soon as you get to the chip crumbs, the tostada arrives. You expect it to have imitation krab due to past experience and price, but sure enough there seem to be crab bits in there, as well as the fish, shrimp, and octopus that it promised. The tomato and cucumber are expertly brunoised. You don't expect to see bits of cojita on there as well.
  
  You brush off a microscopic fiber on the ¼ avocado and bite. The shrimp and octopus are firm from marinating, and you're pleasantly surprised to discover a thin spread of mayo hidden on the crunchy shell. Lime rings throughout. The tomato salsa that accompanies it, served in a mortar, adds smoky depth if you want it.
  
  As you finish the tostada, the enfrijoladas arrive on a colorful, square, plastic plate, chipped in one corner. You thought it was going to be more of an enchilada-type deal, but it's more of a fried-tortilla-covered-in-tomato-sauce-and-cheese affair, as the menu implies. The tasajo rests on top, shielding a bed of sliced, raw onions. A scoop of rice sits on the side.
  
  The tomato sauce is unapologetically Italian and from a can - you see a couple wet basil leaves. The rice hints at chicken powder. The tasajo is appropriately salty and thin, thinner than the onions that give it texture and coolness. Taken all in, the whole thing reminds me of the holy trinity that is Rice-A-Roni, roasted tomato, and kabob. In addition to the cheese-covered fried tortillas, it comes with a whole loaf of pan to sop up the excess sauce. It's like dipping shitty breadsticks in shitty tomato sauce, and you have an out-of-body experience. It triggers something from your past - the buffet at the Disneyland Hotel? Something from before then... from the Before Time. From back and back and back...  
   
  It takes a minute for you to get your to-go box. Your server didn't forget, she's just busy serving a nearby family and she's the only one there. She has to make trip after trip to bring out dish after dish. The kids get something with French fries. They look fresh and house-made.