La Casa Del Sazón

3.75… Mocajete, unfortunately, had too heavy of a salt taste (The best is still in East L.A.).
The presentation was unusual, having the dish sit atop foil, instead of traditionally placing it into stone container. Maybe it’s a local thing ??
Take away the salt… The food was lively and worth another visit. Service was very good.

Two stars because the wait staff were very nice. I think they could have asked if we wanted refills or more salsa, especially considering how small the place is and how many employees were working, but they were nice. The food… Not very good. Ordered nachos and they came with very limited cheese and sour cream, and the worse thing was a whole layer of cooked onions on top of the beans. Gross! 3 thin slices of avocado on top was the «guacamole». Not going back. Should add very small inside with a lot of people, with no air conditioning.

Maria was fabulous! Along with the food and the service I will be returning to casa de Sazon without a doubt! It is one of my favorite Mexican restaurants in south salinas by far! Maria was very friendly and had great prompt service! The guacamole was fantastic along with all of their different meats!

My go to Mexican restaurant in Salinas.

I ordered the molcajete it was very spicy but delicious specially with the hand made corn tortillas.

Absolutely cannot argue about this being some of the very best Mexican food in town! Sadly the last four times my family has been there since we are not Hispanic we have been served several tables after others who have come in after us. At first i thought maybe it was the order or waitress tables but it has become painfully obvious that we jut haven’t been served in the regular order which would be the norm if it weren’t that we were non Hispanic. My family rarely ever notices any racism in any direction. It’s just been difficult to ignore after four visits and obvious relegation to being waited on for chips and beverages after other tables of Hispanic folks. Also the food has come out second or third or fourth in order of being seated even when we have only two people at our table. This has not been once or twice or three times. Makes me sad this has happened. Love the food and quality. Service just does suck bad if not Spanish speaking folks.

Everything was great. From the staff being really friendly to the food being absolutely delicious! I ordered the Molcajete Michoacano & it’s by far the best one I’ve had, they cut the meat into little bite size pieces which I loved. & the the salsa that it’s in was spicy but really good, I highly recommend coming here.

The mocajete is their signature dish!!! if you order it hot it is your choosing but dont wimp out!
in 8 times or more always happy but only ordered the mocajete it is amazing my old boss used to get me to drive to get it for her take out!

Wow — what a find. Amazing, authentic food and restaurant. We will be back when traveling South from the Bay Area! Seven minute drive off of the 101 freeway, but SO worth it. Get the house special. Truly unique and delicious!

guac and homemade chips… Wow! Addicting! Waiters were friendly and accommodating. Good, fast service.

Tasty food, great service.
We ordered the mocajete, their signature dish, for brunch and it was definitely enough to feed 3 ppl. If you are hungry, then maybe 2.
Definitely choose the corn tortilla — made on the spot! Hot, toasty and full of flavor!

Meh. This place used to be my favorite for their molcajetes but they’ve gotten mysteriously smaller over the past year. Their soda tastes like some knock off brand so be sure to go with the canned stuff. I ordered a super chavela as well and the shrimp on it tasted old. There was a baby screaming at an ear piercing level right behind me, while his mother ignored him. The staff just let it continue as if nothing was happening, while the entire restaurant was forced to suffer. I turned around to look, and low and behold the mother handed him her knife! He then began banging it over and over again on the table. Seriously?! Difficult to get a server’s attention, daycare center noise level, and stingy portions for the price. Yikes.

Good food, I got the Carne Asada fries and it had great flavor. A little expensive for the portion considering I could go to other places and get double the portion for the same price. Plus the service was decent, good time to sit a bit and have conversations with someone.

I’ll be perfectly honest here, I’ve only had the chile relleno plate BUT I’ve had it 8 – 10 times! It’s amazing, so good in fact that I flew back to Salinas from Florida just to have it again (well I did have to visit family but I know the REAL reason I came). I discovered this wonderful little restaurant in May, returned again in July and now again in January. I’ll be back my friends, I’ll be back.
P. S. Do yourself a favor and order it with the vegetables, too good.

I can’t believe I just discovered this place– delicious!!! So delicious! Filet relleno, mocajete, papusas, micheladas, yum yum yum!

Absolutely the best molcajete I have ever had. This is the real deal. It’s a long drive for me, 3 hours to be exact, but sooooo worth a road trip! I can not even begin to say how amazing the food is here. I’m all about authentic Mexican food, and seriously this is the best I’ve ever had! Just do it!

salinas does not have very good mex food, considering its Mexican community
this restaurant is not what it claims to be
but it’s clean

Yum! Great service and the food is delicious. You know it’s gonna be good when it seems like it’s in the
Middle of no where and there is a huge crowd waiting for tables.

ATTENTION Unilocal REVIEWERS!!!
I strongly suggest that NO one go to this Mexican eatery. I got violently ill to the point where the paramedics had to come accompanied by an ambulance and countless EMT and medics. Every dish they served me was packed beyond BELIEF with a copious amount of SALT, SALT, AND MORE SALT!!! It was overwhelming… I ordered a sangria which spared me for a bit from the sodium overdose, but when I bit into my entrée (fish tacos with a skimpy side of beans and rice) an even greater BLAST of salt was in store. It was REVOLTING. Because I’m not one to waste food I dosed the tacos with guac the only item that I found to be edible other than the sangria which I drank in a second because of all the salt I ingested. After I was done I felt my belly immediately cramping and my vision started to blur. I told my boyfriend that I felt like I was gonna throw up and I was seeing spots and my body temperature and heart rate were rising. I started heading to the bathroom but my vision was only getting worse and worse… the next thing I know I’m on the floor a woman is asking me if I’m ok while all these other restaurant goers are in a frenzy about what just occurred. A man is telling me that I bumped my head pretty hard. My body was on FIRE I’d never experience anything like it before… it didn’t help that they lacked proper air conditioning in there. You would think for such a tiny place with ovens blasting that they would have a better way of cooling off their patrons other than fans that continuously shoot out warm air. It took me awhile to gain back consciousness… I had experience for the first time in my life extreme HEAT EXHAUSTION. Thanks to a woman putting ice on my neck and a glass of iced cold water I was able to feel like myself again. The paramedics recorded my blood pressure and asked me questions to ensure my brain was still functioning properly. Ultimately my boyfriend and I rushed out of the restaurant once I felt my energy returning as I sat in the car I immediately started feeling better. The nausea subsided, the sweating halted, and I felt like myself again. As I woke up this morning I felt my throat was a bit swollen. I will be heading to the doc come Monday. I hope that Unilocal reviewers heed my warning STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE it is a death trap!!!
Also while this was all going on the waitress (with a bad blonde dye job) was taking her time billing my boyfriend for our meal. She ended up charging us incorrectly… We paid more for our meal then we should have.

Ran into this little spot for lunch w my baby doll. Great food n service. You know it’s good service when they can put cowboys game in salinas, ca. Definitely will be bak to this little joint on our next visit

Amazing food and drinks and service! I tried and tried to get the recipes from Monica tried to sweet talk … No go… And she handles with the most kindness! Your awesome Monica
DeDe W from pebble beach

Stayed in Salinas overnight after spending a day in Monterey. Woke up hungry and didn’t want to do the usual IHOP/Denny’s thing. Thank gawwwwd for Unilocal!Because it led us to this lil food heaven in Salinas! I started with a huge DosXX super Michelada, then we ordered the carne Asada nachos. The meat was tender and tasty, and the tortilla chips were fresh and not stale or old, all the ingredients were fresh and everything came together great. My husband ordered beef tongue tacos and fish tacos. The beef tongue was soft, juicy, and freshly made. The tortillas are made in house, so the tacos just melt in your mouth! The fish was grilled with just the right seasoning sitting on a fresh bed of cole slaw… yummy!
I ordered the shrimp Michoacanos… now when I first saw them covered in a large amount of sauce, I was a bit disappointed and for a split second regretted my order… key word: split second. Grabbed a freshly made tortilla dipped it in the sauce… and oooohhhhhh my… it was absolutely amazing! So much freaking flavor! My husband even added some of the sauce to his fish tacos. The food here was absolutely the best! None of our meals in Monterey can top this. I would drive two hours to come here again! Oh and before I forget, our server was Mariaelena and she was sweet, friendly, and gave us great service! Keep up the great job!

The best Mexican food I’ve had since I moved to California! Hands down! I grew up in Puerto Vallarta Mexico for 18 years and know Mexican Food more than most people around here.
But this is seriously AUTHENTIC like no other. Sit at the bar for the best experience :) Had the huaraches with nopal asado on top! O — M — G! and the chavela with clamato and shrimp…
Mmmm it’s a 30 minute drive from my place and i go all the time… that’s how good it is!
Now if I could only find a reallly authentic Mexican seafood place i’d be all set. any recommendations? please message me!

Their ceviche tostadas were so amazing. I got the medium spicy and it was too spicy for me, but it is so flavorful! So I ordered a ceviche tostada without any chile and it was just right for me. I definitely recommend this Mexican Restaurant. Oh and their customer service is also great! A+

Growing up in Watsonville and now living in Salinas, I’ve eaten some Mexican food. This place is legit.
This one off South Main is the smaller original one. A bit more homie and comfortable. The service is genuine and professional. They expanded and now have a second location a few miles away, same good food but much larger building. I live in between them but prefer this location if it’s just for two.
The food is all fresh, pan seared jalapenos is a great appetizer or side to all there dishes. They have all the essential mexican favorites and a handful of specials. The homemade tortillas are always welcome.
Last words… solid.

The service is great, it’s a small cozy little place the limited seating. The food is amazing it’s so flavorful and delish! The staff is very polite and knows all about each dish. The cook would pop his head out and smile out that’s was cool.

10.03.14
A pit stop from San Francisco to Pismo Beach. Service is wonderful, food is made with care, and beer is cold.
Nice find, Unilocal!
Total damage for three: $ 52