I first heard of Mario's La Fiesta from one of my high school teachers who was a Berkeley alumni. She raved how they served extremely good Mexican food at college students' desired price range. I guess I took it for granted because everyone goes to La Burrita or Chipotle. I was extremely surprised by the place because I wasn't expecting a Tex-Mex style restaurant, with hearty portions enough to fill you for two meals. The quality of the food is what I expect to find in San Francisco Mexican restaurants: it's pretty legit. I love how the salsa is genuinely spicy. Like my friend said, it's not fake spicy. I suppose this is dependent on the person and their degree of spiciness, but I do agree they serve real salsa. In addition, the Gringos nachos are delicious and a meal itself, or you can share with someone else if you want to order additional items.
Unlike most Berkeley places, this is a restaurant style place, where you are seated and they take your order as opposed to placing an order in front of the cashier desk. Although I am not a big fan of its current location (by People's Park), it's actually a quaint place adorned with traditional decorations and well-maintained. I completely forgot that we were next to People's Park. It's also surprising that Mario's has been in business for 51 years, serving Berkeley students. While I was there, I read some of the newspaper clippings with photos of Mario and his wife from back then to now. In fact, Mario, white haired and grandfather-like, was there serving customers with a big smile on his face. It was pleasant to see that he's still dedicated to running the place, and it's no wonder why they're still in business even after half a century. Hands down to Mario's La Fiesta, a great place to get Mexican food.2506 Haste St
Berkeley, CA 94704
Yelp Review
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