Mexican and Latin American food

Mexican food in Palo Alto splits into two worlds. In Midtown and at Town & Country Village, casual taquerias serve tacos and burritos from morning into the evening. Downtown and on California Avenue, sit-down restaurants pour mezcal and plate ceviche for business lunches and date nights. Add a Caribbean kitchen off University Avenue and an Oaxacan food truck at the Saturday market and you have a small but useful scene.

Latin American food beyond Mexico and the Caribbean is thin inside city limits. La Bodeguita del Medio on California Avenue is Cuban-inspired, but we could not confirm a Peruvian or Salvadoran restaurant in Palo Alto in late 2026, so this guide points to options a short drive away. Every restaurant named was confirmed through its own website or ordering page, the MICHELIN Guide, the Infatuation's July 2026 Palo Alto guide or recent local news.

At a glance

The taquerias: Sancho's, Como Esta and LuLu's

Sancho's Taqueria at 2723 Middlefield Road in Midtown is a fast-casual taqueria from a local business that started in 2005 and also runs a downtown branch on Lytton Avenue. The menu takes its cue from Baja, with a special focus on fish tacos and carnitas burritos. Its listed hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday.

A few blocks south, Como Esta Taqueria at 2605 Middlefield Road serves burritos, tacos, plates and breakfast and takes orders online. It is closed on Sundays. At Town & Country Village, LuLu's belongs to a family-owned Peninsula group that opened its first taqueria in Menlo Park in 2005. It opens at 9 a.m. every day, early enough for a breakfast burrito. All three are casual, so many people take food to go. Our cheap eats guide covers other budget meals along El Camino Real.

Sit-down Mexican

Sun of Wolf, 406 California Avenue

Sun of Wolf is a modern Mexican restaurant on the car-free stretch of California Avenue. The room has high ceilings and the patio sits out on the street. The menu runs to dressed-up plates such as tuna tostadas and carnitas, with a full bar and mezcal flights. Its happy hour draws after-work groups.

Reposado, 236 Hamilton Avenue

Reposado is downtown's upscale Mexican restaurant. Its website lists lunch Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m., brunch on Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. and dinner every day from 4 p.m. The menu mixes small plates, tacos and larger entrees and changes from time to time, so check the current menu online. There is a separate bar menu and a children's menu, which makes it work for families as well as business meals. Reposado takes reservations and handles private events.

Caribbean: Coconuts

Coconuts Caribbean Restaurant & Bar at 642 Ramona Street serves Jamaican and Caribbean food a block off University Avenue. Jerk chicken is the signature, served with sweet plantains and red beans and rice. The bar makes cocktails with fresh fruit and house infusions. According to its website, tables are first come, first served, but parties of 10 to 15 can book ahead. It also caters. A patio sits next to the dining room.

Oaxacan food at the Saturday market

Zaida's Kitchen is a food truck on the 2026 vendor list of the downtown Saturday farmers market. Its owner, Zaida Soriano, came to California at 15 and built the truck around the flavors and ingredients of Oaxaca, the southern Mexican state known for its moles, corn and cheese. It is one of the few places in Palo Alto to taste Oaxacan cooking. The market runs from 8 a.m. to noon on Gilman Street.

Announced: La Corneta Taqueria

La Corneta Taqueria is a family-owned taqueria that started in San Francisco's Glen Park neighborhood about 30 years ago and has locations in Burlingame and San Carlos. In June 2025, the Almanac reported that it would open its fifth location at 324 University Avenue, in the former SliderBar space. A December 2025 roundup of expected 2026 openings listed it for February 2026. We could not confirm that the Palo Alto location has opened, so check its website before you go.

Latin American food nearby

For cuisines Palo Alto lacks, look to the rest of the Peninsula and the South Bay.

• Limón, Mountain View and Redwood City. A modern Peruvian group with ceviche and pisco sours, about 5 miles from downtown. See our Peruvian food guide.
• La Costanera, Half Moon Bay. A Peruvian restaurant listed in the 2026 MICHELIN Guide. Its site gives 260 Capistrano Road, Half Moon Bay, though older listings place it in Montara, so check the address before you drive. It pairs well with a Half Moon Bay day trip.
• Angelicas, Redwood City. A Latin American restaurant that appears in OpenTable's 2026 brunch listings for the area.
• Luna Mexican Kitchen, San Jose. Mexican cooking with a Bib Gourmand, Michelin's mark for good value. See our San Jose guide.
• Los Carnalitos, Hayward. A Mexican restaurant with a Bib Gourmand across the bay.

Spanish food is a separate tradition, but if you want tapas, Teleferic Barcelona at Town & Country Village serves Catalan small plates. It is one of eight restaurants in a group that began in Barcelona.

What to order

A few terms help when reading the menus.

• Mission-style burrito. The Bay Area's big burrito, packed with rice, beans, meat and salsa and wrapped in foil. Taquerias across the region make it.
• Carnitas. Pork braised slowly until tender, then crisped. A standard at taquerias and a dressed-up dish at Sun of Wolf.
• Al pastor. Marinated pork with chile and pineapple, often cooked on a vertical spit.
• Ceviche. Raw fish cured in citrus. Reposado's version uses leche de tigre, the citrus marinade borrowed from Peru.
• Mezcal. An agave spirit, often smoky, mostly from Oaxaca. Flights let you try several.
• Jerk. A Jamaican spice rub and marinade built on allspice and Scotch bonnet chiles, cooked over heat until charred.

Matching the place to the plan

Each of these kitchens suits a different kind of outing.

• A quick bite before a Stanford game. LuLu's at Town & Country Village, across El Camino Real from campus.
• Drinks with coworkers. Sun of Wolf on Cal Ave, close to California Avenue Caltrain station.
• Lunch with a client or visiting family. Reposado downtown, which serves lunch on weekdays and takes reservations.
• A birthday for a big group. Coconuts, which books tables for 10 to 15 people.
• A Saturday morning with kids. The farmers market, where Zaida's Kitchen sits alongside crepes and fruit stands. See Palo Alto with kids.

Tips

1. Go to a taqueria for value. A meal at Sancho's, Como Esta or LuLu's is the lowest-cost Mexican option in town.
2. Use the bar. Sun of Wolf runs a happy hour and Reposado has a separate bar menu.
3. Book for groups. Reserve ahead at Reposado and Sun of Wolf for Friday and Saturday nights. Coconuts takes bookings only for big parties.
4. Make a day of it. Combine Sun of Wolf with the Sunday market on Cal Ave or Reposado with an evening downtown. See our downtown guide.

Frequently asked questions