Reviews for Comal in Berkeley, CA
This place was recommended via the Michelin app, and it did not disappoint! Cocktails were top notch, service very receptive,... house-made chips were next level, and the food (chicken livers and fish tacos) were superb!! Was only here for work travel butwill definitely be coming back next time I?m in town! Read more
We went to this Mexican restaurant in downtown Berkeley for dinner on July 4. This is casual fine dining place. They have a good... deletion of cocktails, alcoholic beverages and good vegetarian options for food. We ordered the paper umbrella, juaqin muriettaand the Jack satan cocktails. For mains we ordered the mushroom quesadilla, Tlyuda( flatbread with squash, smashed garbanzopaste, squash blossom and a pesto on top, just similar to a pizza). My friends ordered the tamales ( non veg option), barbacoataco and the pork enchiladas for entrees. The Coca-Cola are really good. The tlayuda flatbread dish was good and huge portion (easily shared by two). The quesadilla was rich and heavy. The order entrees portion size was good for one person. My friendsloved the barbacoa and the enchillada. The tamales was decent/average. One thing to note is that even though the tamales mayseem to have veggie options, the masa used to make the tamales has lard or animal fat. So in essence none the tamales is veggie.This is not mentioned on the menu and I by chance got to know before ordering with the waiter staff. Overall the ambience andthe setting is really good and it was a pleasant experience with dishes not commonly seen in other Mexican restaurants in BayArea. Read more
I love the ambiance here - Thursday salsa dance party, lovely back patio. Super attentive and kind staff, very prompt service.... It had been a decade since I was last here and it?s gotten even better over the years. I enjoyed the food - though some in mygroup were not as enthused, I thought everything was pretty good except the tofu tacos which seemed dry/lacked flavor. Nice tobe able to seat a large party (15+) outdoors. Overall would go back again. Read more
I heard good stuff about Comal, so I decided to try it out. I ordered beef tacos, french fries, and enchiladas. You get two beef... tacos and two enchiladas. I felt that both the tacos and enchiladas lacked flavor. As a Latina, I didn?t feel like Comalrepresented authentic Mexican cuisine. My boyfriend who came with me is Mexican and also felt the same way. We really wanted tolike it, but I feel like it caters to white people that enjoy Mexican food or want a fancy night out. The flavors wee muted. The fries were also not fresh and bland. If I go to a restaurant to spend money, I at least expect the fries (a basic staple)hand cut fries. I?m not sure if Comal does this, but the fries tasted like they were stored in a bag and warmed up to serve. Ialso ordered a margarita and mezcal flight. The drinks were great no complaints there. Overall, I felt like the food was missingflavor and freshness. It's not a cheap restaurant, and I don't think the food was worth the money or the hype. Read more
We had some excellent food at Comal. We sat at the bar and got an up close and personal view of the well-run kitchen and its... highly trained team. The food isn't exactly 100% traditional Mexican cuisine, but it's still firmly grounded in it. We had thecarnitas tacos with citrus and the duck enchiladas as entrees and both were even better than we expected. The guacamole andthree salsas paired with their chips were also delicious. We had a small snafu with the service, but after pointing it out, ourserver immediately corrected it to our satisfaction, which is all one can expect. All in all, our meal was a treat and we feltthis place was deserving of its reputation and Bib Gourmand listing. We will be back! Read more
The chips were thick and house-made with a delicious msg type seasoning. The three salsas were each unique yet familiar on the... palate while yet distinctive of each other. The tequila flight and mezcal based Paloma were both delicious. The enchiladas hadalmost a lasagna like flavor. The heartiness, and maybe the oregano or a mix of parsley with the cilantro gave the filling astandout flavor. The guacamole was exactly how I make it at home, but with perfectly ripe avocados. The guacamole also playedoff the with chip?s seasoning and thickness. We had issues with the order but our waitress acknowledged and corrected themistake without hesitation. Mistakes happen, but correcting and acknowledging a mistake with zero snark or issues is good enoughfor me. I am admittedly snobby about Mexican food being from San Antonio, however I thoroughly enjoyed the meal. It wasn?ttraditional, it was elevated Mexican inspired dishes with firm roots in traditional Mexican food. Read more
Came here to celebrate a friend?s birthday, and it becomes one of my favorite restaurants in Berkeley. Great foods, decent... drinks, and friendly staff. If you like to try something different, wood-grilled chicken livers should be on your list. We triedboth enchilada and quesadilla, and we were pretty full and satisfied. Read more
We ate dinner here at the beginning of November. I had the fish tacos and the wifey had the chicken tamales. We started with the... guacamole appetizer with chips. I love the chips, they're thick and crispy but my wifey thought that they were too greasy. Whatdoes she know? ;-) They bring a tray of three different sizes for the chips. Two of them are very good but I think the thirdone (the dark red one I think) might be able to help start the Berkeley fusion reactor. It is SPICY! My fish tacos werefantastico! I thought the chicken tamales were good but the wife he thought they were a little bit too spicy. :-( On theatmosphere side, I'd advise you to try and get seats away from the outside seating as far as possible. There's a constant coldwind from the outside; the waiters leave the doors open because they go through so often. Obviously this is mainly an issueduring winter. Be prepared to leave some time to park. Parking in downtown Berkeley can be a chore. All in all I have to saythat we love this place and we'll be back again. Read more