5 Spot Chivas Grill

The tacos here are to die for. My favorite is carne asada. The meat is grilled to perfection. It is perfectly flame broiled which you can taste in every bite. Perfectly sliced with little fat on the meat which is piled on the tortilla. Salsa bar included where you can pile on the extra ingredients as well as the hot sauce. Way better than any taco trucks I’ve been. Definitely satisfied my taco cravings.

So tacos here are still the best I’ve had in San Jose. The only thing that bugs me now is the attitude of the cashiers. Some nights they are nice to me, but most times they seem too annoyed w/​customers and aren’t the nicest people. The two gentlemen cooking outside are still awesome. Also, it appears that they only do cash only in the evenings… sucks cause I don’t carry cash often. I’ll still be going back once in while now, but I really do hope they step it up with their customer service.

My boyfriends favorite Mexican restaurant in San Jose! I like it, but not my #1. The food is really good! Spicy and good flavors. Carne asada is a must try if you come here! Meat is cooked outside on wood and has an awesome smokey flavor! Everything I have tried here I have really liked except the Camarones a la diabla. I do not recommend them! The sauce they serve them in is ketchup! And not the spicy red sauce they should come with.

One of my favorite spots. I love their tacos. Its like pure protein in it. Soo good! No cheese in it at all. Highly recommended. Open late on weekends til 4am.

I live down the street and have been here plenty of times. The food is above average, and the environment (other than the area of SJ) is nice with wood BBQ outside going, lots of outdoor and indoor seating, and what a Mexican restaurant should be. That said, the service is pretty terrible, and mainly this comes from the cashiers and the management. If they close at 8 on a weekday, don’t expect to order after 7:30 even if to go. 30 mins should be more than enough time to order a burrito to go. As for their evenings, I was told that it is cash only, which more than a few times has forced me to go spend my money elsewhere for food. Seriously, if the service was better, they would probably get 4 stars from me. They need to do an employee intervention, starting with the cashiers, they are losing a lot of business and money being turned away, and that’s the main reason.

Best super quesadilla I have had in a very long time. I’m going to have to come back for late night music and BBQ. My friend said the corn tortillas were outstanding

I give them 2 stars 1 for tacos and 1 for chavelas and lose 3 stars for the rude attitudes. Don’t bother them when their on the phone texting or you’ll get a I don’t care response. Sure hope the owner reads these constant Unilocal reviews.

We were looking for a perfect neighborhood Mexican restaurant for breakfast, and the Chivas Grill fit the bill exactamente. My huevos rancheros were perfecto. The corn tortillas, especially, were fresh, hot, and delicious.
This is a neighborhood restaurant. Clearly the rest of the breakfast crowd were long time regulars, but everyone was extra friendly with us.
There is on-​site parking. The décor included historic photographs of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera as well as Zapata, Villa, and the Mexican Revolution, alongside posters for various futbol teams, the Pope, and the obligatory buxom women.

On the standards of Mexican food, the food here is average. Haven’t tried anything yet that I’m my opinion was exceptional and I’ve come here more than a few times since I work down the street. That being said, I would give them 3 stars based on meals alone.
Service on the other hand only deserves 1 star. I base that on the fact that I dont have to go to the chef myself and put in my order while I ring my self up on the register, however I wouldnt be surprised if I walked in tomorrow and had to do exactly that. I’ll give the benefit of the doubt that this only appears to be the morning staff however the level of rudeness is inexcusable. Keep in mind this wouldn’t be a coincidence of some staff member having a bad day. I frequented (yes, past tense) here at least once a week.
If anyone decides to stop by for breakfast, try the Denny’s further down the street. At least they have manners.

They get one star from me because parking is easy. Other than that, the omelet is supposed to come with rice and beans or hash browns and toast. It didn’t… so I asked for it and the waitress said it didn’t include it. Read the menu sweetheart. Her vapid personality was just the beginning of an experience that ensured I would not come back. Also, the omelet is supposed to come with cheese and didn’t have any. I am a huge fan of breakfast foods so may be somewhat critical. 995 for an omelet where they forgot the sides and cheese is enough to let them know on Unilocal to get their act together. Sincerely, the omelet guy.

beswt alpastor just a lil pricey

Shut up and take my money! Best carnitas I’ve ever had, love the sliced lemons out with the cilantro and onions, will be coming here often

This place blew my mind away! They use wood for their carne asada. Aside from the hookers on the corner (not kidding) this place should be a san Jose staple. Cheap! Salsa variety.
This vato knows how to cook his tacos

5 spot is a mixed-​bag for me. I love the late-​night-​fresh-​off-​the-​grill tacos and the feeling of being at a restaurant in Tijuana. Heck, as a America fan I even enjoyed walking in and seeing all of the Chivas stuff everywhere. I must admit I wanted to go home get my Club America jersey and go back, just to walk in and lift my hands in the air nonchalantly as I let out a big «Y que.» But that’s a different story…
Anyways, as I said before, the tacos were fresh of the grill at 2:30 in the morning. I inquired about the cabeza and the taquero straight up gave me one free taco on the spot. I thought that was dope. I ordered 3 lengua and 3 cabeza… and they were tasty. However, I took off a star because the chili was too hot. I like spice, but that damn near stripped my taste buds.
So, the food was hot, it was open late, the cabeza was nice and tender, the lengua was cool, the atmosphere was cool (very authentic to say the least), BUT the salsa was waaaaay tooo hot!
I’d definitely come here again or stop by if I’m hungry and in the area.

My new go to for a quick authentic Mexican food! Can’t go wrong with many of their dishes, but their machaca, carnitas plate, and burritos are the best around, and don’t forget about their homemade corn tortillas!
Good food, great prices, and quick service has me coming back every week!

Chiva’s is a great little hang out. While working in San Jose it became my go-​to pitstop for lunch and a beer. The food is good, the staff is friendly and it’s very clean. In the evenings they fire up an outdoor BBQ where they grill meat so you can build your own tacos. It has a bit of a festive and communal feel. It’s active but not busy. There’s always a table available and never a wait. A quiet and relaxed venue. This is an ideal place to come with a group of friends to knock back a few beers while enjoying some casual, authentic Mexican cuisine.

Best place for tacos and they open til 3am on weekends too… breakfasts are real good too.

Weird, weird experience. First off, the restaurant is located in a «colorful» area of San Jose — hang out there at your own risk.
Driving by, I saw this place and I thought I’d grab some «authentic» Mexican food. The good news? It was clean inside. The bad? I ordered a chicken taco plate and two tiny tacos with chicken — no salsa, cilantro, onions or rice and beans were to be found. I ate the meat tacos sprinkled with some hot sauce found on the table — a few of the bottles were very gross looking — missing lids, dried and crusty.
The tacos were okay, but not enough to eat so I returned to the girl at the counter and ordered a bowl of albondigas… then proceeded to wait, and wait… and wait. I’m not sure if she understood what I had ordered, but I finally gave up and told her to forget it and left.
I will not return… and I got the feeling they didn’t care if I ever did. Barely 2 stars.

Great little neighborhood restaurant! Employees are super friendly! Kids Fish and Chips is sooooo good! I also really love the shrimp ceviche. It’s open super late and seems to be the spot after the clubs and bars close. Tacos and burritos are good! Not the best I’ve had but definitely one of the better San Jose spots. Note: this place serves pancakes. I’ve got to try their pancakes!

LATE NIGHT MEXICAN FOOD THAT ROCKS! Place is full of colorful characters outside too like drug dealers and prostitutes all who freely will solicit you while eating or on line, IF outside. Someone trashed the «service» here… LOL– you don’t go here for service they could careless and don’t need to. The food is down Mexico real and tasty as heck and the décor, atmosphere and area of first street is ghetto. You can get service outside this place… but it won’t be of a courteous food variety get real people, you want service you’ll need to leave this hood-​you want good Mexican food this place has it, even at 11pm on Friday night!