Comal - Berkeley

We went to this Mexican restaurant in downtown Berkeley on July 4th for dinner. This is casual fine dining place. You have a good deletion of cocktails, alcoholic drinks and good vegetarian options for food. We ordered the paper screen, the Juaqin-Murietta and the Jack Satan cocktails. For the net we ordered the mushroom quesadilla, Tlyuda Flatbread with squash, crushed Garbanzo Paste, squash blossom and a pesto above, similar to a pizza). My friends ordered the tamales non veg option), barbacoa taco and the pork enchiladas for entrees. The Coca-Cola is really good. The Tlayuda Flatbread dish was good and huge portion slightly divided by two). The queen was rich and heavy. The order of empty portion size was good for a person. My friends loved the Barbacoa and the Enchillada. The houses were decent/average. One thing to note is that, although the fools may seem veggie options that Masa used to the bugs has lard or animal fat. So basically none of the fools is veggie. This is not mentioned in the menu, and I happened to know the waiter before ordering. Overall, the ambience and the environment is really good and it was a pleasant experience with dishes that were not often seen in other Mexican restaurants in Bay Area.

I love the ambience here Thursday salsa dance party, beautiful back terrace. Super attentive and friendly staff, very fast service. It was a decade since I was here last and it became even better over the years. I enjoyed the food, although some in my group were not so enthusiastic, I thought that everything was pretty good except the tofu tacos that seemed dry/black taste. Nice, a big party (15 outdoors. Overall, would be back.

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 had almost a lasagna like flavor. The heartiness, and maybe the oregano or a mix of parsley with the cilantro gave the filling a standout flavor. The guacamole was exactly how I make it at home, but with perfectly ripe avocados. The guacamole also played off the with chip?s seasoning and thickness. We had issues with the order but our waitress acknowledged and corrected the mistake without hesitation. Mistakes happen, but correcting and acknowledging a mistake with zero snark or issues is good enough for me. I am admittedly snobby about Mexican food being from San Antonio, however I thoroughly enjoyed the meal. It wasn?t traditional, it was elevated Mexican inspired dishes with firm roots in traditional Mexican food.

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 Comal represented authentic Mexican cuisine. My boyfriend who came with me is Mexican and also felt the same way. We really wanted to like 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. I also ordered a margarita and mezcal flight. The drinks were great no complaints there. Overall, I felt like the food was missing flavor and freshness. It's not a cheap restaurant, and I don't think the food was worth the money or the hype.

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 the carnitas tacos with citrus and the duck enchiladas as entrees and both were even better than we expected. The guacamole and three salsas paired with their chips were also delicious. We had a small snafu with the service, but after pointing it out, our server immediately corrected it to our satisfaction, which is all one can expect. All in all, our meal was a treat and we felt this place was deserving of its reputation and Bib Gourmand listing. We will be back!