Taqueria El Sombrero Numero DOS

The burritos are good, but you can definitely do better in Santa Rosa. The dining area isn’t that great, but the worst thing is they use canned nacho cheese for their nachos! I’m not sure about their other dishes, but a Mexican place that uses Nacho Cheese instead of real cheese, come on that is just ridiculous. At the Fair sure, but in a Mexican restaurant, no way.

Do not eat here. The only thing good was the chips and avocado in the shrimp cocktail. The shrimp were not cleaned, even got some shell. The menudo was bland and had no hominy in it. The tripe was huge chucks that didn’t look clean either. We didn’t even eat either of them. The shredded beef taco tasted gamey and had a liver taste to it. Needless to say, we are still hungry! By the way, they just changed owners and today was their first day open. No chili relleno and no chili verde.

When they are good, they are great, but that seems to happen less and less frequently.
I have been eating here for the better part of a decade. Good? Sometimes they are great. They are just very, very inconsistent.
The burritos are huge, which I love. sometimes the meat is cooked to perfection with a ton of flavor. other times it is overcooked, unseasoned, chewy filler.
The staff at the register are consistent. They consistently have the personality and charm of a, well, something without a personality and no charm.
They could be great if they just did it the same every time.

Bad Vegetarian burritos. They were playing rap music on the speaker. The girl behind the counter couldn’t give a crap less about us, let alone acknowledge us in any way besides «what can I get you,» which sounded like more of a statement than an inquiry.
I think that «#2» is a good hint-​in-​title for this place. No thanks. The toilet of Mexican places in this area.

Worst burrito I’ve ever had. Cold and old are two perfect words for it. There was also a VERY little amount of beans in it. The rice was dry and clumped together.
I went to this place a year ago and would have given the burrito a 3.5. But when I get served a lukewarm burrito with clumpy rice and hardly any beans, that’s when I know the people working there no longer care. Maybe I’ll try it again in another year.

Less than average. Huevos rancheros were subpar and barely edible. The burritos is huge but filled with rice. I’ve definitely had better.

Ok, there are plenty of great places in this area to get really good Mexican food and this is NOT one of them. I can’t even begin to tell you how utterly lame this place is or where to start… The food? The employees?
I decided to go get a quick dinner with my husband. I got two chicken tacos and he got super nachos. When we ordered our food, the girl behind the counter was snotty and had no desire to be polite at all to her customers. She did not even say thank you after we paid.
When our food was ready, one of the women behind the counter placed our food on the counter but didn’t bring it to us. After staring at it for 4 minutes it occurred to me that I, the customer, was supposed to come retrieve my food from she, the waitress (bad!).
When our food arrived (thanks to me), my husband was disappointed and kind of disgusted to see that the cheese on his nachos was the fake velveeta type that you would get at a baseball stadium, not an «authentic» Mexican restaurant. When I took them up to the counter to ask for nachos with real cheese, the girl said «oh, we no have real cheese» and turned around, EVEN THOUGH the cheese on my tacos was real cheese. Talk about a sheer lack of respect for the basic notion of customer service!!!
So by all means, go support El Sombrero on Piner if you want to have a TERRIBLE experience!

Delish! I love their burritos, they are so big that I get 2 or 3 meals out of them.
Great place for a quick lunch. They have awesome pico and my man loves their spicy salsa. Definitely would recommend to a friend.

This is a great, homey, Taqueria. I have come to this place for quite some time, but I’ve worked next door to it for quite a while now, so I am able to enjoy it much more often! My favorite menu item is the Carne Asada Super Burrito, which is decently priced for its size — It’s a 2 meal deal for me for less 9 bucks with chips, fresh (to die for) pico de gallo (i always get a side of lime to add to the pico), and the best salsa around — Very Hot and Flavorful!
I have tried about everything on the menu, including their Enchiladas which are great! Certain menu items are quite greasy, but most are fine.
The Horchata is great, and they always have different juices for me to try!
Great customer service here — The staff always greets me, and always clarifies my broken attempts to order in Spanish (just for the heck of it).
I would recommend this restaurant to anyone.
As far as the «Mexican music would blast» comment in a review below — it is very typical for 70’s style diner to play oldies, just as a saloon to play country… I find the music is normally at a decent level — and it is from a jukebox

This place only gets one star because I cannot give zero or negative stars. I just got back from ordering a fish taco.
Problem #1:The sign says they are $ 3, but she charged $ 3.35. When I asked her why, she said because they «ran out of numbers» to put on their sign. Hello, you are violating the law. Places of business need correct signage.
Problem #2: There is a minimum of $ 4 to use a credit card, and I was 34 cents shy of that. After making me dig around in my purse for cash…
Problem #3: Then she asked me if I wanted to «add chips» to the order. The way she said it made me think to ask if that cost extra. She thought about it and then said, «yes… it will cost… 34 cents.»
First of all, I think that is another big fat lie (the first being the lie on the sign about how much it cost to begin with. She just made that up because that was the number that showed up on the cash register as the change I was owed. You cannot just make up any number you feel like and charge different customers different amounts!!! I am betting that is also against the law. Secondly, why name a number that would have allowed me to use my credit card *after* making me give you cash?
Problem #4: When I finally received my order, after a long wait (I had a lot of time to wish we had gone to a fast food place instead — and seeing everyone else get chips and thinking we never had to pay for them before, and the other customers probably didn’t have to pay for them today), it was not what we usually think of as a fish taco. Instead of a fried piece of fish, there was some random shredded stuff in there. I had to ask two employees before someone could tell me what was in it. They claimed it was tilapia, which is disgusting enough, but there were some random dark colors and some weird shapes that made me wonder if it was a mix of whatever leftovers they had from their seafood cocktail. In any case, it was revolting, and I can still taste it in my mouth, which makes me doubt the freshness.
Problem #5: At this point it should be clear to never, ever go to this place, but I will mention it was dirty, and from time to time some Mexican music would blast out of some speakers at ear-​splitting volume, so it was more like torture than a dining experience.

Had lunch here while in Santa Rosa the other day. First time here for me.
I had the carnitas two soft taco combination plate with rice and beans.
I was disappointed with the dryness of the carnitas. The onion and cilantro did help it out a little, but in the end couldn’t save it. Maybe It was the time of day I stopped in? I stopped in, around 3:30pm for a late lunch. No one in the place but my family. The side order of Guacamole was tasty, as was the salsa. The rice and beans were average at best.
My wife had the Flour Quesadilla and thought it was very average. The kids both had the Tostados which they thought were O.K. Anyway, I’ll try El Sombrero #1 in Healdsburg next time to see if it’s a different experience.

I have a weakness for American Taqueria style Mexican food. It is usually fresh made from local producers. I am a huge lover of Chillies Verde– these Muchachos have it right… very generous portions, re fried beans good, rice ok, and the corn tortillas… like perfume… if you have ever noticed, good masa has an almost floral sent, like Jasmin fresh fresh fresh.
The Pork is cooked to perfection, the perfect balance of tart Tomatillos and Poblano chilies with garlic and a pinch of cinnamon and a dash of Tequila. Very Nice.
Ciao for Now.

Solid three stars from me. Got the 2 soft tacos with carnitas. Nice, crispy and fatty piece of meat, hhhmmmmm.
5 Stars — Jackpot! Giggity giggity goooood!
4 Stars — Giggity giggity!
3 Stars — Average
2 Stars — Below average
1 Stars — Because Unilocal does not have 0 stars.

In the hallway of reckless abandon and doomed determination comes a string of randomness thought to be on a level akin to National Lampoon on their dryest day. Instead, it turns out I was just typing a list of things that were on my desk in hopes it would sound witty and original. I finally figured out that my mind and body were acting obviously and aching desperately for nourishment.
I headed here based on the recommendation that the Carne Al Pastor was to die for. The « Unilocal Loves Us!» sticker would not stick to their door. The refried beans lost sight of their heritage in the bubbly vat like a gray gravy that perhaps never knew a bean in the first place. The chicken in the burrito was chewable at the very least; its dryness made my jaw work harder and I appreciated the extra calories burned. Never mind the soap operas blaring from the televisions. What still glows most in my memory are those refried beans, too fluid for their own good.
So maybe someday you’ll be swinging a left on Piner and suddenly be struck with the desire for some tacos al pastor. This place will be right close. And you would be right to stop here. Service is perhaps not utmost on the mind here, but a quick turnaround is. So, know what you want because the guy in the acid-​washed jeans behind you knows what he wants and has the exact change in nickels and pennies. Yeah, I guess the enchiladas don’t look that bad. Just have them hold the side of beans.

El Sombrero is yet another of many tasty Taqueria places in Santa Rosa. As with all of them, I tried the Pollo Asado Super Burrito, and was not disappointed. It was huge, full of deliciousness, and easily filled me up past the point of being full.
That said, it wasn’t anything special, mind blowing, amazing, etc. It was a decent burrito at a little shop off the road. Decent prices for decent food, and as always, they have glass bottle coca-​cola with real sugar. So that’s a win.

El Sombrero on Piner is just another average piss poor Cal-​Mex style Taqueria that would go bankrupt in Mexico so fast… it would never get a phone book listing.
The only thing that has been salvageable at times has been the Cabeza (Beef Cheek) tacos. but its not guaranteed as they do so little volume that I bet they only braise a beef head one or twice a week.
On top of that you add the pathetic factory made tortillas and uninspired beans, salsas & guacamoles… and there is no real reason to go back.

I’m kind of surprised at all the negative reviews. You guys have eaten at a taqueria before, right? There’s generally tacky décor and a jukebox and soccer on the TV…
Anyway, I order from Taqueria El Sombrero #2 a lot, but I’ve only ever ordered the super burrito w/​carne asada. The women behind the counter used to be rude but now they’re friendly. Either way, that shouldn’t really matter. It’s a TAQUERIA. The burritos are around $ 8, and while it’s not the absolute best burrito I’ve ever had, they are pretty darn good :) Oh and the salsa is delicious.
Also, LOL @ ordering nachos from a taqueria.

I’ve loved this place long time for the ceviche tostadas, but Monday, I went there and had the Al Pastor platter — after eatting and eatting and yes, eatting some more, I still had half a plate left.
and it was amazing. The Fresh salsa is incredible too.
Dining companion had the taco/​tostada combo, and he couldn’t finish his either. The plates are Gi-​normous, and this is coming from a big eater.
Also the staff is on top of it, the restaurant clean, my only complaint, I had a hang over, and the music for the time of day, was a wee bit too loud.
I need to come check out their breakfasts… soon.

Hey! The previous reviews for this joint may be too harsh. Sombrero #2 is a cheap ass taco place in an industrial park neighborhood. The location is not a «good» area
The food is decent. Well at least my 2 taco combo plate had lots of tasty food on it. The stewed chicken meat taco was very tasty. There was plenty of it. The carne asada taco was less good, as it was too dry, but the grilled beef flavor was authentic — Ghetto authentic. The beans & rice tasted fresh made, not stale from hours in a cauldron.
Order at the counter. The counter girl is surly. Shit, I speak fluent Spanish and the girl smirked and answered all my questions in really bad English. Reverse discrimination?
Pay your tariff; take your table number placard. 20 seconds later another surly girl brings your basket of super crunchy tortilla chips, pico de gallo, hot sauce, lime slices, fork knife & napkin. The giant plate of food arrives 10 minutes later. It’s filling. It’s satisfying.
The dining room @ lunch hour has 20 people chowing down. Some have jobs. Blue collar jobs. They are dressed for work. Others look homeless. Some speak English, most do not.
If you are a fancy pants wine tourist passing thru Santa Rosa, you do NOT want to come here. After you just spent hundreds if not a thousand dollars in Healdsburg where you slept in a high priced hotel, ate expensive food & drank over-​the-​top priced wines, this Taco joint will be a let down.
This is a low end restaurant that serves decent food in a NO class environment.”

We had been boozing down Russian River all day and had the munchies for hearty Mexican food on our way back to SF.
This was the closest one that popped up in my car’s GPS listing for Mexican food (yay Prius). Except Rusty O. set the address to somewhere on the middle of 101 so the Prius put us in a constant circle where we’d get on 101 at one exit then get off at the next and loop back and retrace our steps over and over again. Idiots.
We finally wised up (too much sun/​beer) and just eyeballed it on our own and found Taqueria El Sombrero Number DOS.
Ungh, not so great. It took forever to order, but the turn-​around was quick. Did you actually just put a Cheez Whiz-​like substance on our nachos? Bad decision.
If you are hungry for Mexican on your way back to SF from Russian River, my Prius tells me there are a few other options (I blame Rusty for picking a bad one). This place is just okay. Oh and my Chile Relleno Plate was $ 10. Really? $ 10? This place?