Huipil

I hear Huipil is moving, and they’ve closed. I can’t verify they’ve closed but they are planning a move.
Honestly, I wish they’d stay close to Redwood City. I think it’s critical to keeping regular business and improving revenues that you build on early success. Your fan base is in RWC. It makes business sense — to me anyway — to find a good lease that lets you build on the regular fans you already attracted.
Move up to SF or Burlingame for a 2^nd location — later. Build on your success closer to home. IMHO. :)

First of all, i got soooo fooled by all these great reveiws! Me n my bf were excited to try out this place for lunch because their Unilocal reviews were so great! so since nobody else will give u a fore-​warning i will…
For starters this place is in a small shack-​like business
if that wasnt a big enough red flag we walk inside to see lik one person there… n then we were greated by the «hardly anything on it» menu. $ 4 for one tiny taco, cool. and after we order we hand the guy a credit card and the guy behind the desk says cash or check only. Needless to say there was no type of sign anywhere around us saying this. annnndd he tops it off by suggesting we travel a couple miles down to an ATM.
ehhh no… u suck

As part of my quest for perfect tacos with gf (we are gathering taco takes for our memoirs — Tacos for Two), I Unilocaled this place. Read several reviews — my expectations were high. I don’t want/​need a fancy taco place. I want a family feel, great food, friendly staff and a memory to savior. Let’s just say I’m not looking for Chipolte…
I was not disappointed. Yeah, it’s in an offbeat, industrial park location but it’s not a sketchy area. It’s small, family run with a business name that describes the Mayan print that identifies a family. Friendly staff and an amazing (to me) menu. Heh, I’m new to this off beat taco trend :)
They serve tacos, enchiladas and sopas in several different flavors. Prices were very reasonable, flavors were very unique, pure and authentic. Free chips and salsa were amazing — neither me or gf is a big fan of chips — too many calories and fat, but these were made fresh at the restaurant (I didn’t ask, but it’s obvious) and salsa was perfect.
I ordered two soft tacos — carnitas and … Sorry, it’s been a few weeks. I do remember that they were the best tacos I’ve ever had. The bottom line is this — small family owned taqueria with food like you would expect if you were related to them and in their house.
CASH only, but that’s appropriate. Just remember to bring some. Prices are low, so you won’t ned much :-)

MORE FOOD…
* Enchiladas (chicken, tomatoes, lettuce, carrots, sour cream) — Very interestingly done as there was a chicken leg & thigh (delicious, juicy, crispy skin btw) and lettuce/​tomatoes/​carrots on the plate, then these small thin enchilada pieces underneath. I think there was just sweet potatoes & cheese. Delicious, nonetheless.
* Tacos Dorados (chorizo) — So glad we ordered chorizo this time! Their chorizo is on the softer side, less of a crisp to it, but whatever sauce was in there was DELICIOUS. They also used beans. not sure what that was about as it didn’t contribute much, but it doesn’t matter because the chorizo was AWESOME.
* Torta (al pastor) — Dangg the bread was good. So gooey soft, good thick crunch on the outside. I loved everything about this sandwich — the meat, sauce, veggies, the excellently placed PINEAPPLE — except the pickled green peppers which I immediately picked out. Just not for me.
* Flan — I think this was the best flan I’ve ever had. It has much more texture & substance than your usual, everyday flan, thereby making it more dense & moist, just the way I like it. Excellent, excellent.

Sers, people, WHY does location net you one less star or two? Give me a break and get off your high horse — let’s keep it about the food and service. And if you really know Mexican food, then you’ll agree that it’s all about the hole in the wall gems. Otherwise, you can stick with your wool-​over-​the-​culinary-​eye chains.
(Stepping off soapbox now.) Huipil is a real diamond in a somewhat rough industrial neighborhood. But the way I see it, it’s like visiting grandma’s house — your very sassy yet absolute genius of a Mexican comfort food master of a grandmother. Who cares where she lives, she’s your grandmother, so go visit her!
Huipil is a family operation. The owner and his brother are the waitstaff, so yes, they might disappear into the kitchen for awhile, but they’re either placing your order, checking on the food and/​or bringing it out to your table. The menu is creative, featuring dishes from their hometown in Mexico and some other regions, and it can change based on what the owner finds fresh/​inspiring at the market daily.
Portions are good, they make everything from scratch (this is REAL home-​cooking, kids), I really enjoy their hibiscus agua fresca and I’m totally hooked. Gosh, waxing on about Huipil means I’ll probably go back tonight. ;-)

I can’t decide between 2 or 2.5 stars. I agree with h. b: I don’t have the heart to knock them down with all the other 5 star reviews.
Some friends had been raving about this place. One friend loves it so much he suggested it for dinner and then went earlier for lunch as well.
SERVICE: spotty. The staff is very friendly, but of the two only one was actually attentive. The other one ran around like a chicken with its head cut off.
AMBIANCE: As other Unilocalers have noted, Huipil is not in the nicest of neighborhoods, and the restaurant itself is actually a warehouse. My very first impression upon looking through the glass doors: «OMFG YUPPIEVILLE.» Seriously. Despite whatever Huipil claims about authenticity, 90% of the diners were older white people with the remaining 10% consisting of (nerdy looking) Asians. This may have something to do with its (undeserved?) reputation for being «hip» and «tasty,» and the fact that its price point is, IMO, unreasonably high.
FOOD: Our friends’ opinions coincided with other Unilocalers. I ended up trying the crispy tacos.
— Chips + salsa: super greasy chips. Different from typical taqueria fare, but nothing I haven’t seen before. The spice blend they sprinkle on top is subtle, but I think overpowered by the amount of oil glistening atop the chip. Salsa is good, but I’d prefer something with more substance (not just all liquid).
— Crispy taco: $ 10.50 for two. Both crispy tacos were way too chewy/​hard for me. At no point throughout the entire taco was there any crispiness (except maybe some crisp/​crunch from the gristle on both pork and chicken). Both meats (al pastor and chicken) had good flavor but were not very well cooked. Both meats were dry instead of tender and juicy, despite the taco leaking tons of liquid. Maybe it was an off night for them.
OVERALL: I was not impressed. Definitely no where near delicious enough to warrant the high price, especially since its not like you’re paying for the ambiance or service. Will not be returning.

I went there a few weeks back, but held out on the review, because did not have the heart to knock down a place that was getting all fives.
I found the food OK, I am puzzled about all fives, I did get the crispy tacos and some of the other stuff that Unilocalers talked about, they were all right. I give it two stars based solely on food.
So here go the other real negatives:
Location — you have to be committed to this place, it is in the middle of nowhere industrial park.
Décor — non existent, they have a plastic sheet hanging as the screen door, the tables & chairs are plasticy.
Prices –The prices are comparable to Milagros and some of the other high-​end restaurant. I ask WHY?
I also find it interesting that a lot (29 out of 54) of the 5 stars are from people with very few reviews (less than 10), one of them happens to be from San Diego. A lot of them also reference a Mother, Son, Brother story: How do they all know?
Not going back.

Join my voice to the chorus of «I love this place» and «CASH ONLY, WTF»
Grabbed a friend and tried this place out last week.
Pros:
— Very good food. I personally like tacos over the meat plates.
— Very friendly service.
— The chips and salsa. OhEmGee were they good. The salsa is of the smoked veggie kind, not a pico de gallo — more saucy then chunky.
Cons:
Cash only. This seriously interferes with my get-​more-​frequent-​flier-​miles obsession.
One additional the note:
The neighborhood is industrial and also is totally safe. If you think this is «the hood» you need a clue.

Went here to meet up some friends after a full month of isolation and I thought I was losing my mind. GPS routed me through a bunch of alley ways and older looking warehouses. but low and behold, a hidden little treasure in the midst of it all!
This place is really homey and has that personal touch that makes these types of restaurants so spectacular. My friends were already there and ready to order so I got right on it. I ordered the flautas and boy, they were good.
They were crispy, but didn’t dry out my mouth and I didn’t feel like I was eating oil. (good thing? or bad thing?)
Not much by means of desserts, but I was pretty content with the meal. Don’t come here if you’re looking for super nachos or a super burrito. This is not that kind of place… next time I’m trying the tacos!

Me: Let’s go to Huipil for lunch.
Coworkers: Is that Indian?
Me: No, it’s old school Mexican.
Coworkers: Like what the Aztecs ate?
Me: …yes.
I really don’t know how best to describe this place. There’s such an ingrained imprint of what Mexican food is to Americans that most won’t be able to shake the fact that they do not serve burritos here. I’ve heard horror stories about how long the wait can get on a busy day and even on Fridays, I don’t have the luxury of taking a 2 hour lunch. When we arrived here on a Friday, most of the people in the restaurant had received their food so we were lucky to be the next group of orders.
Even then, only two dishes would come out at a time which threw off our eating pace with one another. Watching your coworker eat while you’re hungry is the worst. Regardless, there’s a lot of love that goes into each dish and you can tell by the freshness and quality of every ingredient.
They start you off with chips and salsa and it’s already the best tortilla chips I’ve ever had, HANDS DOWN. It’s like an authentic Dorito. And I don’t mean it as an insult, as if it were just a thicker version of that grocery chip but because it’s a tortilla chip that is seasoned and has a nice kick. So much so, that you may not even need the salsa. And not to mention, it’s fresh and doesn’t have all the unnecessary chemicals.
If it’s your first time, they recommend getting the crispy tacos which has the same structure as Taco Bell’s double decker taco minus the beans in between the tacos and it tastes 100x better here. It’s two for $ 8.50 and they’re BIG. They’re packed with chunks of meat (get the al pastor), avocado, pico de gallo,… pretty much the works. For my 2^nd taco, I got the fish which I felt okay about. The fish wasn’t as seasoned as it could have been but was cooked to a nice flakiness with breading on the outside.
Now that I’ve tried the crispy tacos, I can move onto the real unique entrees that they offer – a different special each day! Location is a bit odd as it’s in an industrial area near the Cocola Bakery/​Factory, another taqueria down the street, and pretty much nothing else to come out of the way for except for this place of course.

The daily special for Saturday was a goat stew. Hopefully, the goat lived a good life because the stew was great!
That’s two for two at Huipil Café.

What a great find!!!
We had their chilaquiles, sopes with carne asada, crispy taco with crispy fish, and pescado entero (fried whole red snapper) for lunch and they were EXQUISITE!!! yummm…
They also have very good chips and salsa. very authentic!!! You can always tell a good Mexican food spot by their salsa! it has a little kick too :)
Prices are reasonable. our total was less than $ 40 including 2 drinks.
We will be back. certainly our new favorite spot for authentic Mexican food…
The food came out a bit slower than the usual mexican taqueria, but it shows that they freshly made their food. yummm yumm…
Thank you Unilocal,you never failed me!!!
oh BTW, BRING CASH!!!

Note: CASH ONLY. I done told you, now you know. Bring the foldy green stuff or you will not get to eat the food. And that would be a terrible thing. So. CASH. GET SOME.
Now, about Huipil.
I went here for the first time about two weeks ago. Since then I’ve been back twice, and I’m sure I’ll be back again and again.
The tacos are some of the best I’ve had in my life, and it’s been a reasonably long life full of tacos of various quality, from truck to Zagat and back again. And these tacos, you must experience. Just once. The tacos are what other tacos want to be when they grow up, if they’ve been good and diligent tacos and have lived a pure life full of asada and joy.
The horchata is excellent. The flautas are excellent. I’m working my way through the menu, but I’m sure the EVERYTHING is excellent.
Go. This is how it should be done, so get there to see how they do it.
Trust the gentleman at the counter with your stomach: he will treat it well and carefully. Just go in, ask him what you should eat, and follow his instructions.

Went there based on the Unilocal reviews. Not sure if «Mexican» fits the profile, since there are so many taco shops in Redwood City and the food is not typical to Mexican.
The food is as good as I have had, regardless of ethnicity.
This place is a true find. The prices are very reasonable considering the style of food.
Please be forewarned that the seating is for about 26 max in doors and if you do not time your arrival right you may be between seatings. Hopefully this is only temporary, due to the quality of food.
I am still scratching my head over the food and location, but what the heck it was delicious.

Very unique food, that was flavorful and reasonably priced for the area. Wish the portions were a little larger on the sides.

Love love love this place!
The first time I went I tried the crunchy tacos — super delicious!
I was so excited about it, I convinced my whole family to go and give the place a try. Sure enough, everyone was more than satisfied.
Staff — super friendly!
Food — to die for!
Recommend trying the Guarache!

My wife told me about this place… at first I thought… how different could the place be from all the other Mexican places we have on the Peninsula… and then we pulled up… and I thought. this will be just like the other dozen or so Mexican Places in RWC…
After we ordered and sat down I found out how different this place was… first of all they are very friendly. They brought out samples of recipes they were testing for the menu… and I was blown away by just how good they were. They have this new pork dish that I was dreaming about the next few days!
All the food was fresh, inventive, and delicious! If they added whole wheat tortillas… I would eat here every day!

4.5 stars but I’m rounding it up.
A restaurant in the unlikeliest of locations, it is actually quite lovely inside. There are some tables set up and feels like a family run business. The menu items are unlike standard Mexican fare in the area, with items like crispy tacos, tortas on french roll, breakfast items, as well as daily specials on a blackboard.
We ordered a variety of crispy tacos, sopes, breakfast tacos, tortas, and had a pitcher of hibiscus agua fresca. The agua fresca is quite sweet, as another reviewer noted! But it was good anyway.
The tacos were super filling and big, and the crispiness really added to it. It is not at all like the taco bell kind of crispy taco — there is one layer of crispy tortilla with a soft tortilla outside of it, and I think that’s a great balance. My asada crispy taco was decent, but the asada didn’t wow me. The egg scramble with chorizo in the breakfast taco though, was amazing. While it was not spicy like I had expected, it was a very lovely combination of egg and meat, and even when I was full I kept picking off bits and eating it. I came here again and really liked the pork (al pastor) and the breaded chicken. The pork has some pineapples and onions added to it too!
Others seemed to have enjoyed their food very much, and one person commented that the vegetarian stuff is also very tasty (who would have thought Mexican food can be good without meat?)
The free chips and salsa are super good! The chips are sprinkled with their own mix of spices and they’re very delish!
The people were very friendly there, and I definitely would love to try some of their special items.
Note 1: Veggie lovers! You should be able to get any normal item with vegetarian insides — they don’t list it on the menu but I’ve gotten it. And it’s awesome.
Note 2: Tried their posole and it was great. Most of their special items are very interesting but it’s always a struggle because their normal items are so good.
Note 3: Some people were complaining about $ 4 a taco. They are HUGE tacos loaded with more than just meat and onions. I think the price is fair.

As I sit in a state of blissful food coma at work, all I can think of is the delicious food I just had…
Earlier today, I decided to consult Unilocal.to try something different. Came across this place with 5 stars and 26 reviews, and decided to check it out with a friend.
We decided to walk, since it’s so close to the office. A few blocks, no prob, especially since the weather was perfect. As we approached the corner, we saw a small chalk billboard on the sidewalk. It advertised the special of the day, which was lengua tacos. Then I knew it was on!!! Usually, only the hardcore places would serve lengua.
Stepped inside and and saw the menu on the chalkboard… Crispy tacos and sopes. Ok, I’ll base my judgement on those two items, as I already have a favorite place in Redwood City for those… Fast forward to the end of the meal… Ok, I’ve found my new favorite food place in Redwood City for tacos and sopes. For tortas, I’ll have to reserve my decision until I actually try their torta. Their’s is served on a french roll, which automatically makes me not want to try it, but I might try it on a later visit.
Back to the food. Damn, that al pastor crispy taco!!! That thing was huge! It came wrapped in a piece of paper, to contain all the toppings, and it’s a good thing it did! There would’ve been no way for me to eat this without everything falling off all over the place. The al pastor had chunks of pineapple in it, which was a nice change of pace. Adding a hint of sweet into the slightly spicey and savory mixture. JUST PLAIN AWESOME!!!
As if that wasn’t enough, there was also the carne asada sope. Carne asada sope had flavor and then some! The sope was colored red. I imagine that was chile powder impregnated within the sope. Nonetheless, it gave enough heat to add to the experience, but not enough to overpower it and require a gallon of water — a good balance! The meat and toppings were fresh and delicious.
Also, along with the food came some home made chips and salsa… I almost filled up on those as well… The chips were seasoned with a brown seasoning salt, reminiscent of what you find on pork rinds. Chips were a little oily, but somehow still light. A little crispy and a little soggy at the same time… Dunno how to explain it other than they were fresh and obviously made there!
Agua frescas — hibiscus. Was delicious, but I was even thirstier after drinking it. Downside to the sweeter agua frescas.
Overall, another 5 star review… Come on, what did you expect? I only write reviews of places people should check out! ;-)

It is unfortunate that I can’t give this place 5 stars, Those ratings are for the Thomas keller restaurants of the world.
HOWEVER, the Tacos in this tucked away little spot are the best I have EVER had. Yes, EVER. Their home made tortillas are simply amazing and The texture of their crispy taco is out of this world. The head chef did attend culinary school. Coupled with his mother helping run the kitchen, this place is nothing short of phenominal.
Seriously, this place is a gem.