Las Camelias

So sad to hear that this spot has gone. The mole and white refried beans were the best around, as well as the salads and the dressings.
I actually interviewed Head Chef Gabriel Fregosa in 1996 when I wanted to learn about the restaurant industry and he was quite a man with hands of steel.
Hopefully, restaurants nearby will take note of the loss and adapt with some of our old favorites.

Closed?
Looks like there is a sign on the door that says that their last day was 12÷28÷14. Could this be true? This was one of our favorite restaurants in San Rafael.

This review is solely for the nachos. The BF & I consider ourselves nacho aficionados– constantly in search of the best. Las Camelias nachos rank right up there at the top. Each chip is coated with delicious beans & cheese with jalapeños & sour cream topping. Absolutely divine.
Now if only they could get a liquor license to serve legit margies & switched up their salsa recipe…

Met friends here for dinner last night. Sweet place, good, simple Mexican food and very nice atmosphere. Great location in San Rafael, with easy access to adjacent Fourth Street. We were lucky to snag one of the window tables, catching the breezes from one of our early Fall evenings during dinner.
Being a plant based (vegan) eater is not easy here. Like most Mexican restaurants, it tends to the meat-​centric items which, is sad, primarily because Mexican food, like Italian is so simple to make vegan friendly.
Settled for (yet another) burrito, nicely filled with rice/​beans/​avocado slices/​tomato and lettuce. It came dry so we asked for a side of sauce, the only thing available that didn’t have chicken or pork broth or meat was tomatillo and was fine. A simple side salad, which was quite tasty actually, rounded out dinner. Three Negro Modelos later and all was good. The company was the thing anyway.
Would I go back? Maybe, though variety usually makes me want a repeat visit.

Delicious Ensalada with salmon. The best part, I loved the fresh corn tortillas, yummy. Pleasant atmosphere, good service.

After reading the reviews here, I figured I would give Las Camelias a try. This place is disgusting! Everything we ordered was inedible and overpriced. We ended up throwing the entire meal out. We ordered fish tacos and three chicken tacos. The fish tacos were very smelly and tasted as if the fish was a week old. The chicken tacos were swimming in some mystery sauce and were completely soggy just minutes after pick up. The rice was okay but the beans were flavorless. I would avoid this place like the plague. Try La Hacienda in Novato if you are looking for great Mexican food in Marin. Our total was $ 38. That is unheard of for Mexican food. Street style tacos should be $ 3 each, not $ 6. AVOID! Don’t let the other reviews fool you!

Excellent food! Started with ceviche… so good. I had the zincronizadas (kind of like a stuffed quesadilla). This was delicious and was recommended by our server. My son had tostada and daughter had sopitos and both gave thumbs up! The service was great and very fast. Would definitely recommend!

HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT. This is probably the most tasteless, undistinguished Mexican cuisine that I have ever had. I would never go back, for reasons which I will explain below.
I discovered this little piece of mierda when I did a Unilocal search looking for «best margarita» while driving through Marin County. My friends and I were really jonesing for a genuine delicious margarita. This place came up number three on the list, and we were very close so we went there. ONCE WE GOT THERE, WE FOUND OUT THEY DID NOT HAVE A HARD LIQUOR LICENSE. THEIR MARGARITAS ARE MADE WITH «AGAVE WINE.» My friends and I ordered a round —- and received white, watery, tasteless drinks that did not taste like tequila, wine, lime, or anything much else. Disgusting!
The salsa was very rich and delicious looking, but extremely bland. That was strike two after learning about the margarita fiasco. The chips were crisp and delicious, so that is a plus. The guacamole was good in my opinion, very pure fresh avocado taste. My companions, however, found it bland, opining that it should have had more lime, cilantro, peppers or onions, etc. That is a matter of taste, but I agree with them it was not extremely spicy.
The entrées were also disappointing. Food was bland and unexciting. I initially ordered chicken flautas, and the waiter informed me that «we do not have chicken for flautas.» Oddly, they did have chicken for tacos, enchiladas, and tamales; just not for flautas. His explanation made no sense to my friends or me, but we did not question him much. By then, the depressing realization that we were going to have a truly shitty dining experience had fully set in, and our resistance had been beaten down.
The rice was apparently cooked with canola oil, at least according to my friend. We agreed it had a strange fishy, metallic taste, not very appetizing. The beans were also very bland, and came covered with a big white blanket of cheese, also very unappetizing.
All in all, a very disappointing experience, especially in Marin County. Other people may disagree, but YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED…

Truly the best, most authentic Mexican food I have ever had. My family and I have been coming here since 2000. I love the chicken fajitas and the options on the back of the menu. Their rice and beans are AMAZING. Great service, love the restaurant and the incredible art on the walls.

I should have knew from tasting the chips and salsa to walk out but I gave it a shot and the food wasn’t good. Food also took a long time to be served, I will not be coming back here

Javier is simply amazing! The best mole sauce I have ever had. He totally hooked up my friend, Jennifer and I. I had an amazing experience and great night! Thank you to all of the hospitality staff for excellent service.

I hope the food is better than the service, and worth the Wait!
The food made up for the wait! So good!

This is my favorite restaurant in San Rafael, and I have gone many times over the year. Very friendly and attentive staff, very good food (I especially like the burritos with barbequed beef), and reasonable prices.

Had another great lunch today at Las Camelias. I order my go-​to/​tried-​and-​true favorite — the Arroz con Pollo Salad (Roasted organic chicken breast shredded and mixed with romaine lettuce, shredded carrots, cabbage, rice, añejo cheese, guacamole, and the chef’s secret sweet-​and-​sour dressing). It’s just as good as I remember. Next to Insalata’s Fatoush salad and Bungalow 44’s Chopped Chicken Salad, this is my favorite salad in all of Marin. And for just $ 12 (at lunch), they give you plenty of bang for your buck. I actually finished the rest of my salad for dinner earlier this evening.
The service at Las Camelias is always top notch. You can tell that the staff has been here for years. They know all the customers by name. And our server didn’t even ask me what I wanted — he already knew (nice touch!).
I really recommend this place for lunch. The food comes out fast — there’s never a long wait. You can easily have a delicious meal and get out in less than an hour. Try doing that at Sol Food across the street?
My only complaint (and it’s minor) are the chips and salsa. The chips are a bit hard for my taste. And the salsa is a bit watery. But like I said, that’s a minor gripe. Chips and salsa are fattening anyway. So save your appetite for their amazing chicken salad.

Gourmet food, reasonable prices, nice atmosphere, and good waiter.
Limited credit cards and perhaps a slow kitchen.
But you come here for delicious food. The salsa served with the chips was a bit bland.
My wife had a semi-​boneless chicken grilled and spiced to perfection. My burrito special was very good — the carnitas were very clean tasting yet flavorful. Not the lard infused stuff!
We will be back often.

WOW!!! Never in my life.
The place is empty, no waiter in site. The host was nice and sat us, the busser served us water an chips. (Great start) after about 10 min another couple walk in and sit behind us. Right after they get their water the waiter comes and starts to take their order.
We walked out!
Not going to pull a race card on this one. I’m just going to chop it up as UNPROFESSIONAL!
Off to a better restaurant.

I love mixing types of enchiladas and zincronizadas (think mouth-​watering grilled quesadilla stuffed with tender chicken or veggies, and melted cheese, tomatoes, and generous chunks of avocado) from the Combinations menu (beans and rice included on the side). The beans alone are worth the trip. The salsa is so good that you’ll want to pour it on your main dish after you’ve gorged yourself with the very hearty chips dipped in it. It would be hard to go wrong with the many other great options on the menu, but the zincronizada-​enchilada combination is my anchor.
Las Camelias is my favorite restaurant in San Rafael. I’ve eaten here dozens of times over the past 15+ years, and it remains a destination for my family even though we now live in Palo Alto. The sublime quality and freshness of the food never fail to delight my tastebuds. The relaxed atmosphere and personalized service lets me escape my worries and settle into the kinds of pleasant conversations that seem so scarce in today’s connected world. Delicious!

It was 3pm and we were adrift in San Rafael looking for a place that was open.
Unilocal to the rescue. Las Camelias was open and nearby.
From the outside it looks small and unassuming.
Once you enter you feel right at home. The ambiance is very comfy with sturdy wooden chairs, tile floor and lovely Mexican music filling the air.
Our very friendly server seated us at a table by the window.
He brought a bowl of hot chips and salsa — very satisfying.
We ordered guacamole which was very fresh and seasoned just right,
Shared a house salad – good but not great.
Mr Rinky got a veggie burrito – thumbs up
Son of Rinky got a combo plate with a taco and tamale plus rice and beans.
Cleaned his plate!
I had a taco with rice and beans — tasty and filling.
I loved seeing all the tables. This would be a fun place for a UYE or gathering of friends. It’s hard to find a place with good food and space to accommodate
a group of ten or more… but Las Camelias is the place!
We loved our waiter. It always adds to my dining experience when the server is
cheery — ours was. I loved hearing him sing to the music playing in the background.
I joked with him and asked if he had made any CDs. He liked that.
Now we have another place to eat when we’re in San Rafael!

This is a nice little local gem! We walked in here looking for dinner after a long drive on 101, and found it pretty empty as opposed to other places on this block. I decided to trust my fellow Unilocalers and ate here instead, and did not regret it.
The chips and salsa, as others have pointed out, were so-​so. But whatever you order, make sure it comes with beans! They serve their own version of refried beans made with white beans, and they are possibly the best refried beans I’ve ever had.
I had the enchiladas diablo con pollo. The sauce was pretty spicy as in the name. The chicken was very tender as well, unlike my impression of stringy chicken in Mexican dishes.
We pretty much all emptied our plates. It was that good. Next time you’re in town, don’t forget to stop by for some white beans!

Nachos.