Celia's Mexican Restaurant

6/25/22 Today I had the Surf&Turf Burrito wet with salsa verde, this burrito is HUGE! Delicious and filling, don't eat too many chips or you might not finish it? 6/11/22 I tried the Camerones A La Plancha for lunch today, lots of delicious pan fried shrimp, rice and beans, salad and shredded lettuce. 6/4/22 We went there for dinner for the first time. I had the Chile Verde dinner, tender pork and lots of good food! 5/21/22 The Abondigas Soup is really good and tasty with 4 delicious meatballs. 5/8/22 The Birria really hit the spot on a cool spring day! This is a big, filling bowl of beef soup, lots of beef and with the delicious hand made tortillas no room for dessert! 4/24/22 The Super Tacos are just that and even better on Sundays when you can get them with the home made tortillas, they only make the tortillas on Sundays. Just to let every know this is a new restaurant that opened 10-11 months ago. Any reviews older than that seem to reflect the previous restaurant. 4/3/22 I had the street tacos, 4 different fillings, very good! Next time I'll try Super Tacos made with their own tortillas! The owner said that they could make the strret tacos with their own tortillas. 3/20/22 I tried the Carne En Su Jugo, a special dish from the owner's home state of Jalisco and it was delicious! It's a Beef Stew with Bacon, beans and some diced onions and avocado. It also came with some fresh tortillas. They showed me how they made them to order in the kitchen. See the pictures of the process that I took today. 3/13/22 I believe this is a new business that recently opened in place of another Mexican restaurant that closed during the pandemic? So any older reviews shouldn't reflect on El Tapense. 3/13/22 We like the place so much last Sunday that we came back to try some more items that caught our eye on their Menu! First up today was the Vegan Sopa Aztecs, wow, this is creamy and rich soup, more like a stew. Next up was the Abondigas Soup, perfect for a cool and cloudy day. I would order it again when I have had a chance to try other items from their Menu. Last but not least, making a return to the table was the Two Vegan Enchiladas! We can't wait to return next Sunday to try something else from the Menu and we might get to try some fresh house made tortillas! 3/6/22 Our first time eating here at El Talpense. We got there as they opened Sunday. We were drawn to trying out the food since their Menu was 7-8 pages total and included a page of Vegan items, plus everything you would hope to see on a menu for this Mexican restaurant! Single Tacos, Burritos, Huevos Rancheros to entrees and big Combo plates. I had the Chorizo Con Huevo, Al Pastor Taco, chips and guacamole. We have to go back next week to try more items from that big menu. I asked the owner if they are going to have a Vegan version of the Chorizo Con Huevo? They are working on it to get the results same as the one I had today!

Large and varied vegan menu! The vegan refried beans were delicious- I would have to say much tastier than most nonvegan versions. So happy to be able to have vegan enchiladas. I highly recommend the vegan fajita quesadilla- crispy on the outside, creamy and cheesy on the inside with carmelized onions, bell peppers and mushrooms. The vegan Aztec soup is bright, creamy, tangy and filling. Very gracious owners, clean and cheerful, spacious, fun decor. This new restaurant is one of few that are truly family owned and the care shows. Nice area of Berkeley near campus with coffee and frozen yogurt shops nearby. We love it.

Berkeley has a strange dearth of Mexican restaurants when compared to the rest of the bay area. That's what makes El Talpense invaluable. They've got it all, and it's all good food. Street tacos 👍. Super burritos 👍. Free chips and salsa 👍. Quesabirria tacos 👍. Happy hour drink deals 👍. Enchiladas, tamales, rellenos, etc. A great spot near campus. Also low-key a great spot to go and watch sports on their TVs.

We love El Talpense, formerly Celia's. Staff is hardworking and friendly. Food is delicious! Our faves include Chile Relleno, anything with chile verde, pollo asada, or carnitas. Great house margaritas and generous portions. Pricing seems quite faur. Good variety salsas and nice fresh chips. To-go option works well for us, but we enjoy eating there with friends as well.

Edit: Business responds to say that I must've ordered the guacamole dip (as if that excuses it being $13?). The reason I called it a side, was because it came in a small molcajete and there was basically as much guac that came with the happy hour taquitos. I checked out the price of guac and chips at many other mexican restaurants around the university and none were price gouging like this business. $13 for a SIDE of guacamole - more like mashed avocado with no flavor. Total rip off and their margaritas are gross. Basically tasted like we were just drinking straight up margarita mixer. Their happy hour taquitos were actually decent and reasonably priced, but they couldn't make up for everything else. Save your money and go elsewhere.