“ Californios is definitely one of those places that highlights their mastery of combining multiple ingredients to create a unique and fun experience. However while good, the taste lacked the wow factor of most Michelin restaurants. In terms of location, the restaurant is not in the best place and may be difficult to find parking. We opted to use ride share, also because we were heading to the nightclub next door after so if you have the same plans, that's a plus. There's a nice long walkway that sets the mood as you enter the restaurant. Service is friendly and they do a great job at describing everything. The starting courses were small bites and tasted great. The next courses were some variations of tacos and aquachile. Not the best but all were solid. Finally, dessert was overall okay. Overall, I would say this place is worth a visit. ”

“ I'm not even sure how to write this review because nothing I write will tell you how exceptional this meal was. Easily top two of all Michelin star places I have been and a month later I still think about some of the dishes. Let me start by saying this place it's absolutely beautiful and the decor is fantastic. The staff are funny, friendly and incredibly attentive. The vibe here is casual while you don't on one of the finest meals in the world. This meal was special in so many ways and really opened my eyes (and watered my mouth) to truly fine dining mexican. Whomever cooked my scallop ruined me for life. This was like flying in a private jet and then trying to go commercial again, it'll never be the same. I have never had a Scallop that was so tender and flavorful in all of my life. The tostada was fresh and flavorful, the tuna in the shark tooth formation was great and the abalone was just... unexplainable. Wish there were more tacos (channel my inner Fluffy) but that quail and pineapple was ridiculous. How do I go back to eating normal tacos after this? The desserts I'm not even sure I can explain but that ice cream cake pop with the cotton candy broke my brain and that chocolate tort thing was probably the best dessert I've had in my life. To sum it all up, if you don't go here you are missing out on an experience that you can have nowhere else. This food will rewire your brain and have you thinking about moving to Mexico. ”

“ 4.5 stars A creative and unique fine dining experience that pays homage to Mexican & Texan roots. Overall, this was an enjoyable and memorable meal. Worth a visit. Plenty of street parking, but I did have one of the first dinner reservations of the day. The interior was dark and cozy with comfortable seating. The service is attentive, though perhaps not quite as consistent as I'd expect. The food was creative and flavorful. I had a $95 non-alcoholic pairing, which I wasn't too impressed by. Although the NAP complemented the plates, their approach to the NAP was to lean into non-alcoholic substitutions of traditional alcoholic pairings (ex: nonalcoholic beer, nonalcoholic white wine) rather than to explore naturally non-alcoholic beverages. This is not my preference, so I would skip the NAP next time. Some standouts: - Aqua fresca starter beverage- Concord grapes fermented for three days. Light and a refreshing starter to the meal. - Black cod taco. Fried to perfection and the corn crema decoration charming. The tortilla was luxurious and my favorite of the night. - Sweet potato with two different types of mole (mole negro and mole blanco). The mole blanco's sweetness was memorable, thanks to the white chocolate. - Entree was a family-style meal, which was an enjoyable experience. Smoky rockfish with tortillas and an assortment of salsas. The habanero salsa was very spicy but tasty enough to keep going back for more. ”

“ Ambiance was impeccable - we loved the overhead lighting with the somewhat dim room, and the room had a ton of cool artwork on the walls. Service was amazing as well - the servers and hosts were definitely passionate about the restaurant and ingredients but also knowledgeable and friendly. We also got to chat with Chef Cantú for a bit and that was really cool - he's super approachable. Food was also on another level - this was definitely our favorite meal in 2024 (and ever!). The first two bites were decadent with caviar but still had a ton of mexican influence. We ate a ton of "elevated" tacos throughout the meal and enjoyed all of them a ton. The smoked flavors of the meats and corn flavor of the tortillas really shone throughout the meal. The desserts were also super delicious and unique - i especially loved the oaxacan rum ice cream and cotton candy tamarind pelotas. I'm definitely coming back again sometime in the future! ”

“ Date of Visit: 8/8/2024 We visited Californios on my husband's birthday for celebration! Californios is on my list for a long time, and finally got a chance to visit. I was not a big fan of Mexican cuisine, but Californios was exceptional in making all tacos with amazing ingredients! Californios is one of the 9 Michelin two stars restaurants in Northern California in 2024, and is under the lead of head chef Val M. Cantu, who is one of the restaurant's co-owner. Californios earned its first Michelin star in 2015 and second star in 2017, becoming the first restaurant serving Mexican cuisine to earn two Michelin stars in United States. Chef Val M. Cantú is passionate on focusing on mexican foods with his heritage. His family ran a Mexican restaurant in Brownwood, Texas, and his recipes blended Mexican and northern Californian cuisines. We got the Californios Tasting Menu at the price of $307 per person, and we also got one Beverage Pairing $197 to share, and also ordered another 2 cocktails during the meal. The dining room is like a art gallery with colorful paintings and lively decorations. We were welcomed by the server and was led to the dining room after we checked in with the host. Chilapita The first course was the tart filled with cranberry bean mousse, chive and serrano salsa, topped with Californios Golden Reserve Caviar. It was placed on the top of a volcano stone mill filled with corn. Tostada The second course was the Tostada topped with blue fin tuna from Baja, on top of avocado mousse and fermeneted yellow serrano. Sope Third finger bite was the sope filled with dungeness crab, red bean mousse with iberico machaca. Aguachile Fourth course is the soup with sungold tomato, saffron and kanpachi and white fish roe. Finished with Sunburst Squash and Summer Herbs. Esquites This one was one of my favorites! The sweet white corn esquites from Brentwood in California. Corn custard topped with smoked Cojita Espuma and Smoked Kaluga Hybrid Caviar. Bacalao Negro This one is my favorite of the night! Sourdough tortilla with a Mezcal Battered Local Black Cod, on top of the grilled Poblano and Anaheim pepper salsa, and topped with a beautiful presentation of Huitlacoche & Corn Crema. On the side to pair with all taco courses were the Escabeches: Lacto Fermented Star Route Farms Baby Carrots, Lemon Pickled Sperpent Cucumbers, and Fresh Limes. Tlacoyo The seventh course was the Spring Tlacoyo filled with Buffalo Stracciatella from Ramini Dairy in Tomales, California. Mixed with snap peas and Pecan Xikil Pak. Codorniz This is a special taco made with Quail Al Pastor Negro with Grilled Hawaiian Pineapple on a Hickory Gold Masa Tortilla. With a smoked quail broth on the side. Camote Y Mole Server brought a full plate of different ingredients to introduce the next course. The nixtamilized camote with Mole Blanco and Mole Negro. Served with Poppy and Sesame Tortilla. Pescado Zarandeado This one was the final main course of the night. In the middle there was Rock Fish Zarandeado Verde with Fresh Tortillas, Salsa, Black Turtle Beans from Tierra Vegetables, and Herbs from The Garden at Meadowood. Frutas For the first course of desserts, server brought a basket of different types of strawberries, Chandler, Mara de Bois, and Seascape. Chandler strawberries were made as a strawberry mint tea. Mara de bois strawberries were mixed with Crescenza cheese and vanilla crema, and the Seascape Strawberries was made as a sherbet with green strawberry raspado. Empanada For the next course of dessert, in the middle was the yellow peaches Empanada, served with a Californios Oaxacan Rum ice cream with buttered pecans. Momento Mori, Chocolatl The last course was the cotton candy with raspberry sorbet, chocolate tacos, and chocolate desserts in a wooden box. For birthday celebration, there was a brilliant candle stick that was lighted from the kitchen and brought to the birthday boy. And with a birthday chocolate gift box decorated with "Happy Birthday" and the name of the birthday boy too! ”

“ Absolutely wonderful and whimsical experience. Well deserving of its two michelin stars and in my opinion, only a few steps away from three. The meal was an array of Mexican classics with innovations done up with the best ingredients and best preparation. Dishes were creative, complex, and delicious. Service was on point. It's also a unique experience. If you like fine dining, this experience can't be missed. ”

“ And I want to review my 100th here at the special restaurant for my birthday. Californios is the only 2 Michelin stars Mexican restaurant in the USA if I'm right. Really excited to come here to celebrate. You will find their restaurant with the black wall and walkway into the restaurant. Greeted by the people there. Feel very welcoming and the restaurant was so beautiful inside. Come here you can learn about their culture and food that makes it so special. All 15 courses are different flavor , texture and temperature. They were all amazing. From the first bits to last. Even the candle is like fireworks. Thank you to all team californios to make this dining experience so memorable for me. If you are planning to celebrate, I would recommend this restaurant and you will feel so special like I was. ”

“ I don't know why, but my review for this restaurant keeps disappearing. Just listing the stats since this will be the third time I've written a review for this place. So here we go again! Date: Thursday, September 28th, 2023 Time: 8pm Party of: 2 Meal: Birthday Dinner Reservation Made: via Tock about 3 weeks prior Californios Tasting Menu - Indoor Dining Room ($307) x2 *Chilapita *Tostada *Flauta *Ceviche *Sopa De Papas *Hielo *Bacalao de Begro *Alfonso *Venado *Codorniz *Asado *Frutas *Luneta De Chocolatl *Memento Mori, Chocolatl ADDITIONAL ITEMS: *Oro En Pz ($24) *Cali-No-Cho Mocktail ($12) *Agua De Piedra Sparkling ($8 ea) x2 *Carajillio ($20) *Corkage ($85) ADDITIONAL 20% Service Fee on all listed above HIGHLIGHTS FROM PREVIOUS REVIEWS: *2 Michelin stars, Contemporary Mexican *Complimentary glass of bubbles at the beginning of meal *Caviar dishes were delish, especially the soup one *Dessert courses were fun with the sparkler *If booking before 8pm, mandatory alcohol (or maybe beverage) pairing ”

“ Let the tour of Michelin starred restaurants continue... Californios located in San Francisco, has a very interesting take on cuisine. Like most Michelin starred restaurants, diners will be asked for their allergies, etc. prior to the meal so that the restaurant is prepared to make adjustments as needed to the tasting menu. The restaurant is touted as elevated Mexican food, and some of the tasting courses left me wondering how. Let's start from the beginning... Parking is nonexistent, so be prepared. You might be lucky enough to find a spot on the street but they're few and far between. The restaurant itself does not really have proper signage, if any at all, and the exterior is not lit, making it difficult to locate at night. Once inside, the small host station is located next to their rather small bar area, neither of which is overly inviting. The art on the wall is what initially became confusing because in the bar area, there's a beautiful sugar skull painting, and in the dining area the rest of the art is abstract. Ironically it works. We both found service to be rather clumsy, and the wait staff seemed confused as to what they were serving us. The initial item on the tasting menu was almost immediately presented to us when we were seated, not allowing us to become comfortable. I will say that the first bite was tasty, and we were both excited about the impending experience. Different staff members will come out and serve the next item on the menu. It wasn't clear if this was something that they had prepared, or if they were simply delivering to the table. It would've been nice to have been able to offer compliments for those dishes that we enjoyed , we had known if that was the chef or simply someone dropping the item off. We both found the food for the most part to be delicious, but in many regards, the food was not seasoned properly. It either was far too citrusy, which drowned out the actual bite, or with some items it just lacked the level of flavor that one would expect at a Michelin starred restaurant. With all the dishes that were presented, the Wagyu threw us off the most. Wagyu is not an item found with this type of cuisine, and it left us both wondering if this was presented to justify the cost of the meal. The crispy duck served with a mole sauce was interesting, but the server that presented it to us, shared that the mole sauce was made with only a few ingredients. As a lover of mole sauce, and an accomplished home cook, this left me confused since most mole sauces have at least 20+ ingredients in it. It was still enjoyable nonetheless. The palate cleanser, which is a cilantro ice of sorts, is absolutely horrible. There are no other words to describe it. No one wants to cleanse their mouth with ice and cilantro. I don't know who came up with this, but for the love of all that's holy, please remove it from the menu. The other item is sadly the cotton candy portion of the dessert tasting menu. The cotton candy itself doesn't have a lot of flavor to it which is interesting since it's spun sugar. We were told when it was served, to take a full bite to the core of the cotton candy. Upon doing so, there is some sort of hard white chocolate that is filled with this harsh tasting citrusy stuff that will make you cringe. It definitely is not a way to end a meal. Neither of us were able to finish it because it was so bitter, and quite frankly horrible. The gelato/churro portion of the dessert tasting menu was also interesting. Again the gelato portion was fairly bland, and we've been instructed to dip our churros into the chocolate sauce that had been poured over the creamed dessert. We personally would've liked to have had the option to add more of the chocolate sauce to our bowls, but the wait staff removed the chocolate before we even started that portion of the dessert service. The best part of the dessert tasting menu, were the little tiny buttons of chocolate. Three different flavors, all of which were exceptional. The salted caramel being, both of our favorites. It's rare to find a balanced, salted caramel, and the chef that prepared this, hit it out of the ballpark. Diner tip: we had ordered the non-alcoholic pairing for both of our meals, and we were both disappointed. The flavors were all over the place, and none of them were drinkable. The wait staff would remove our drinks, and yet did not question why the glasses were still full. The pairings were fairly pricey, for what was offered, and there was not one time that we were told what food would be matched with the pairings or vice versa. The ambience was interesting, because seating is ironically, fairly close to other diners, and the expected din, was a variety of music that was not indigenous to the cuisine or anything else that made sense. I've never had a dining experience where the music ranged from 60s to rap, and went from rather loud, to something closer to a more enjoyable listening tone. ”