Mario's La Fiesta

2444 Telegraph Ave
Berkeley, Ca 94704
510-848-2588
www.marioslafiesta.com
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Went to the Botanical Gardens today at UC Berkeley and then decided to go walk up and down Telegraph with the family. The girls had a picnic in the redwood grove, but the wife and I had waited to eat and were both pretty hungry when we came across Mario's La Fiesta. Located right on Telegraph I wasn't certain what to expect. Sometimes restaurants in areas like this can go either way. The first thing I noticed was the salsas (verde and red) were in little jars with a spoon in the center of the table. I prefer being able to dip my chips into a bowl so I asked the waiter, who was very friendly and attentive for a small bowl which he brought by. Before that though he brought out a bowl of was similair to a spicy chicken noodle soup. I wasn't expecting it so it was a nice bonus. The broth was good. A chicken based broth with lots of Mexican spices, but not too spicy. There was also potatoe, some cabbage, carrots and celery along with a couple small pieces of chicken. Probably not something I'd go out of my way to order but included with the meal it was good. I ordered the Chile Colorado ($9.80) which was a huge portion of very tender beef, really good Mexican rice and refried beans with corn tortillas. The beef was really tender and tasty but some pieces were a bit fatty. The rice was very good. The tortillas also very good and served HOT. My wife ordered a Rice, Bean, and cheese burrito (minus the rice) ($2.35) which was a very good sized burrito which she said she liked. She also ordered a chicken taco ($2.60) which she also liked. They had a sangria for $5.50 for a half carafe that looked good and would like to try sometime. Overall the prices were cheap, the portions huge, and food tasty. If you are (very) hungry and in the College area definitely go try out Mario's La Fiesta.

Quality of food = 8
Service = 8
Value = 9
Cleanliness = 7

Avg cost per person - $12 with tip