Mendez Cafe

I informed the waitress which was an older Mexican lady there was too much salt in my bean and cheese taco. She gladly changed it for another taco. When paying I also informed the cashier which was a younger big woman. That the beans were really salty. She then pulls up the slips from the breakfast time. And says no one else complain just y'all. I informed her man that was earlier in the morning. They could have put the salt in the bean and cheese right now. She just said have a good day. Very poor customer service. We will never come here again. Do not come here. Don't expect handmade corn tortillas they are packaged tortillas. Very tiny tacos. You are better off at home.

We found another one. I just usually drive around till we pick a random spot to eat. This spot was outstanding. Nice and cozy inside. All the ladies were wonderful. Ordered the pork chops and they were on point... the tortillas were WONDERFUL!!!!

This family owned business had fantastic flavors. I stopped in for Chilaquiles and coffee. Bold salsa verde really brought forward the flavors and I swapped bacon for ham to bring the right level of saltiness to the crunchy egg goodness. Small warning, one of the jalapeño bites lit me up! But the rest were flavorful and kicked up the dish. My coffee cup was always full, and it was fresh and hot. What a great diner! Wish I had time to come back for tacos.

The place is a bit small. The service was great, get here early so there is not much of a Wait time. The food is worth waiting for if you're looking for homemade Mexican food this place only takes cash money

Delicious combo plate, enchiladas, tostada, beef taco, refried beans, Spanish rice, guacamole. All very delicious. A lot of times Spanish rice can be dry and lackluster, but this is both flavorful and fluffy. Handmade tortillas. Staff is Awesome !! Definitely recommend.

It's been yrs since I've bought food from Mendez Cafe , more than 7 yrs . After telling one of my relatives how delicious the food was we decided to get tacos this past Saturday , June 14 , 2025 . . . WHAT A BIG DISAPPOINTMENT !!!!! My fajita taco that I ordered from Mendez Cafe was 75 % burned , even before I unwrapped the taco , it smelled burned . It wasn't safe for human consumption . I guess there's no quality control worker at Mendez Cafe to make sure the food is correctly cooked . Never again will I go to Mendez Cafe . Stay away from this restaurant . We through away all the food , our day was too busy even to try getting our money back !!!!!

First time coming here and I really liked it. I had the beef enchilada plate which came with 3 enchiladas, rice, beans, and tortillas. They were NOT stingy with the beef and the rice and beans were done really well. The tortillas are AWESOME!! Soft, fluffy, and hot. The price was right and I was full when I left. I'll def come back. Go check them out!!

This place absolutely sucks. 25 min wait and they never started on my tacos. Literally 3 bacon and egg 3 potato and egg and one chorizo and egg taco. The lady at the front was rude as hell too. Horrible service.

I found out about this place from TikTok. We happened to be in the area and decided to try it. I am glad we did. The food was fresh, and the atmosphere felt like I was at my in laws house. The servings are generous and the prices are great. It took a little longer than we expected for the food to come out but we weren't in a hurry and just enjoyed the atmosphere while we waited. Their tortillas are fresh made there and are thick but fluffy. Some of the best tortillas I've had in a long time. The only things I would warn about is parking and bring cash. The video I saw said they take cards now but I would still bring cash just in case. There was a giant sign at the register that said "cash only" so we didn't even ask if they take cards.

Best cheese enchiladas in the city. Huevos Rancheros are always delicious. Been coming here since I was a kid and now we bring our own kids.

The service was good (Gracie), but the food was delicious, hot, and flavorful. This was our first time here, and we will be back. I ate the Chiliquiles plate, and my partner had two tacos.

Home made style food. Food is so delicious that I thought I was sitting in my grandmas kitchen. Food takes a while because it is being made fresh. The hand made tortillas are to die for give it a try here you will not be disappointed.

Above average taqueria in a city ubiquitous with good TexMex fare. I stopped by Mendez cafe after an earlyish Sat morning run. I got there around 8:45--by 9:30, when I left, it was standing room only. The restaurant is small with around 15-20 tabletops max. Lesson: if you're gonna go, it might be best to go during off hours to avoid the line. It's down the street from Port SA or whatever the hell the old Kelly AFB is now. I had their huevos rancheros. Nothing fancy but it's my go to dish at a new restaurant. Hard to mess it up but, I think, offers a glimpse into the restaurant's potential. The eggs were cooked superbly. I asked for over medium--I received light, fluffy eggs w/ a gooey yolk. Just as I like. The ranchera sauce was the star, however. It wasn't just good, it was *really* tasty. The potatoes were cooked well. Soft with a hint of a crispy outside shell. I only wish they would drizzle some of that fantastic ranchera sauce onto the potatoes--I'm not a fan of eating plain, dryish, albeit well-cooked, potatoes for breakfast. I like sauce covering them! But that's just my preference. I only tasted the refried beans--they are what one would expect. The tortillas were good. They tasted fresh and are homemade which is a plus. Oddly enough I thought the coffee was pretty damn good for a taqueria. It's not craft coffee or whatever but it tasted great. Service was a bit slow. To be fair, when I got there the server was friendly (as was everyone I interacted with including a few patrons) & attentive but it just became really busy so I waited awhile for both coffee refills and my meal. Not a huge deal, but noticeable. All in all, a pleasant experience. I'd certainly go back if I was in the area and wouldn't hesitate to recommend Mendez Cafe to anyone looking for TexMex on Yelp. ProTip: Bring cash, they don't do debit cards.

Friendly staff , amazing food , the tortillas are so delicious. Family favorite for breakfast

One of my favorite places to get breakfast tacos from. The tortillas are thick, homemade and just downright delicious. I highly recommend their carne guisada. Do you remember Taco Cabana's carne guisada from back in the 1990s before their food completely went to crap and they started raising prices and lowering food quality later? Well Mendez Cafe's carne guisada tastes just like theirs, when it was good and to die for without much fat and the perfect amount of gravy.

These were probably the best tacos with flour tortillas I ever had. I went with a Carne Guisada with Cheese Taco and the Bean and Cheese Taco. Loved how the tortillas were warm and fresh. The Guisada was flavorful and had the right level of spicy, which I loved. The beef was also cooked perfect, fork tender, easy to chew. One of the best tacos I ever had. How many places can you go where you get filled up on a couple of tacos and soda and come in at under $6 (before tip)? If in the area, I highly recommend. Get there in the morning as they close at like 1pm and double check they are open as they will sometimes randomly close.

My parents brought me here for breakfast. I ordered a bean and cheese along with a carne guisada taco. I enjoyed the bean and cheese but the guisada taco had a lot of gristle. My dad had the pork chops and I was disappointed with the size. The were about a quarter inch thick and looked like jerky. My dad wasn't satisfied with his meal this day.

My favorite Mexican breakfast place in town!! The tortillas are always fresh! Cash only !

The greatest! Let your tastebuds decide! Tortillas are excellent and so are the enchiladas!

Lunch was good. I ordered 3 tacos, carne guisada with cheese, picadillo and potato and egg and bacon. I think the potato and egg with bacon was the best, I just wish I had told the waiter I wanted it all mixed in the egg, but it was still good. The star of the tacos was the flour tortilla, hands down, probably some of the best tortillas ive ever eaten (and I've eaten a lot of flour tortillas in my life!)! They were soft and chewy, had a nice Comal charr to them. Very good! If I lived or worked in the area I'd order breakfast tacos from them all the time. If you get a chance, stop by and grab some good food. Cash only though.

If you ever want home made food this is a place to come yes theres a wait because its really home made but worth it.

The food here is soooooooo great tortillas on point I highly recommend it it a little hole in the wall that u have to try

I love supporting small businesses I drove really far to try it and at 12:45 they already closed their doors with a "sorry we're closed sign" I can't support a small business that does not honor hours of operation.

This little hole in the wall is an icon. I had their enchiladas and they were the best in town, in my opinion. Their sweet tea was also great!!

This place used to be one of my go to places. However over the last couple of years the service, which already wasn't that good has gotten worst. This place is seriously closed on random days. I've noticed the wait isn't that long to get seated either. Which means, Fewer people are going. I saw the cashier answer a call and hang up. I suppose she was too busy but didn't want to let the phone ring and ring. She left it off the hook too so that no more calls could come through. No Wonder why the line is always busy when I try to call in a to go order. The food is terrible. The wait time to get the food you ordered is so long. The place isn't as clean as it used to be. I found a roach in the sugar as I pour it into my coffee. Until that day, we kept going back because the food used to be so good and we keep hoping it will be again. But it's not what it used to be. And I really hate that this is a CASH ONLY place. These people need to get with the times! My family said enough. Let's never go there again. It keeps getting worst. So I said ok. No more.

I agreed to meet with an insurance professional to discuss employee benefits for my staff. Because of the subject, I didn't want the meeting to be at my office so I asked him to meet me over lunch at Mendez Cafe today. Yes, it was a bit of a drive from my office but I will drive all the way across town to spend my money at a mom and pop place which is what I did today. This is my first time here. We ordered and commenced to pleasantries before we broached the employee fringe benefits matter. I know we'd been chatting for a few minutes when the food arrived but it didn't seem long. I opted for one of the Friday lunch specials at something like $6.50 including tea! Everything on my plate was delicious. The meat was so tender and juicy. The refried beans are better than typical homemade and the rice perfectly balanced (neither too dry or too watery). Tea came with the order and it was fine. The flour tortillas? Man oh man, those were good. Childhood memory of great flour tortillas good. I loved the staff. They made me feel welcome though we'd never met. Yes, this is a place I'd go to on the regular. Prices are reasonable too! Who comes here? It's the locals for sure and two self employed business people. Though I'd past at least four restaurants on the way here, the food and the people who work here will keep me from trying any other place in the neighborhood anytime soon. Bring cash as they don't accept credit. Support small business as often as you are able.

My first time here. It's really good and tasty. I got the chorizo with potatoes. Delicious!! I took it to go so no pix. I would come back again.

Horrible. Not only was the wait long but my order was wrong as well. The tacos are mediocre and they hardly put meat in your chorizo and potato tacos. I would say Tink-A-Taco would be a better choice than here. Also, I hated their thick tortillas.

My family and I enjoyed the tacos, huevos rancheros and enchilada plate. Tortillas were homemade, fresh and delicious. The only problem was the wait time and service. It took us over 45 minutes to get our food. The waitress wasn't friendly either and seemed annoyed when I asked questions. Do I recommend this place? My 11 year old daughter said, "it's ok food, but if you want to wait a life time on your food... then no!" My 6 year old daughter said, "its good food, but the wait was forever so no!!!"

Home made Mexican food not taqueria like someone else said in a review. Tortillas are amazing. Oh they do not sell Menudo anymore.

This was my favorite restaurant in college and is still my favorite restaurant of all time. Best Mexican food in the US.

They sadly changed the recipe or the new cooks don't know what they're doing yet, beans were bland, cheese was about the same, the tortillas were okay, but definitely stay away from the egg.

Great food great prices. Make sure to call ahead they close at 1:30pm but depends on the day they choose close earlier then stated.

This cafe has very good food the only thing lacking is that they don't take credit card . The flour are home made and are delicious.

Be prepared to wait for a table and food. You may have to fight for a table because its first come. No hostess to seat you so if you see an empty table run for it. If not it will be taken by someone else that got there after you. Overall food was good. Homemade tortillas were DELICIOUS. Oh almost forgot bring cash. CASH ONLY HERE.

I honestly love this place . Tacos are amazing here and everything is at a good price!

Since I remember, Mendez Cafe has been a part of our family. I have been going since I was a kid. There are 2 things that y'all do best. Good customer service and scrumptious food. This is perhaps the best top notch "mom and pop" eatery in San Antonio. Someone once said, "a restaurant merely attempts to do home cooking" and if that is the case, Mendez Cafe has surpassed my expectations. Not once in my 20+ year of going have I had a bad experience. My favorite things are the coffee, tortillas, carne guisada, and last but not least THE WORLDS BEST ENCHILADAS! The Mendez Special is constructed with meaty gravy and chessy queso cooked up with love. Thank you to the Mendez Family.

What a fantastic little find. This place is off my regular beating path but boy do they put out some good grub. This place is so close to five stars! The food is amazing and the prices are great. Portion sizes are perfect for lunch, I left full but not stuffed. I ordered the Dee;s special Crispy beef taco, enchilada, rice and beans that was right around $4. What a deal and the food was excellent. Just watch your head on the beam as I banged it walking across the restaurant. Bring cash or you will be S.O.L.!!

We decided to try this place due to hearing that the food was good. We didn't get to try the food as we left after waiting 45 minutes and still no food. The wait was horrible and there was no complimentary chips, salsa, apology, nothing. Needless to say we were "hangry" and will never return to this pLace again. San Antonio has plenty of small family owned restaurants with home cooked meals which offer great tasting food, tortillas, and better service. Unless you have hours to wait for food don't waste your time.

Mendez Cafe has a lot not to like: Parking is a huge pain, the restaurant is too small and too crowded--and it's cash only! However, the food more than makes up for any shortcomings. My jefe and I visited on a Friday, and the lunch specials were Enchiladas Suizas and Steak a la Mexicana. We both opted for the latter, which turned out to be essentially carne guisada turned up to 11 with the addition of peppers and tomatoes. It was excellent, especially when dressed with homemade salsa verde and nestled into a piping-hot fresh flour tortilla. The salsa, tortillas and refried beans were among the best I've ever had. Before ordering, I had noticed that the entire left side of the menu is breakfast items. Unfortunately, I didn't realize until later that breakfast is served all day long! As I've said before, I can't resist a good Mexican breakfast--you might say it's my chilaquiles heel. But I'm not too worried because I'm definitely going back to this great little restaurant. Check it out!

This place while far away from me has the best breakfast tacos in town. Their tortillas are perfect. The right combination of chewiness with the little burned circles so you get a nice contrast of flavor. Also high quality bacon not where you are chewing off more fat than anything else. Awesome service as well

Very good food!! 10/10 yes the food takes a while to come. But it's all authentic!! I love the beef fajitas tacos and bean and cheese. Also the enchiladas

If you want food that's gonna taste like your grandmother herself is cooking in the kitchen. Then this is the place. Its really small and on most weekends you will find a line out the door. But the service and the food is totally worth it. You must try the lengua tacos they aren't little pieces of mushy lengua. Not at all this is a big piece of breaded lengua. Very good. Their tortillas are excellent and not to be missed. I love every dish on the menu.

I love this place... Best Mexican food in SA.. They are Fast and friendly.. Wish the place had more place to sit.. But it is truly worth the wait..

Mendez is cash only. Expect long wait times. Service is give or take. The parking sucks and this place has the most inconsistent hours. They take vacations often. They are closed on a weekday, I believe it's Tuesdays but don't hold that to me. We once tried everyday for a week to get tacos and they never opened. No one answers the phone for to go orders. They close at 1:30 PM aka 1:20 PM. Still we go in every time we see them open or if they are graciously open when we want them to be. The tortillas are the best and fluffy. Their green salsa is what dreams are made of. Food is hot fresh and how your grandma would make it. It's cheap and everything is delicious.

A great little mom & pop restaurant! They have the BEST CHILEQUILES on the planet. They aren't on the menu but you can ask for them. CASH ONLY ~ The parking lot is ALWAYS full.

Extremely busy long wait time to be seated wrong timing maybe first time at this restaurant was good I'm a patient person and I just know I'm pleased staff stress level controlled and great food. Thank you

Service is slow but that's because the food is made to order! No rewarmed food coming from this kitchen! Homemade tortillas! And the nachos are the best I've had besides our own homemade. Excellent for breakfast tacos. Very small inside and parking isn't great but it's worth it. Just be sure to get there early. They close at 1:30 so if your not in their door by 1:20 it's too bad for you! You're out of luck the door locks promptly at 1:20. The tea is okay not the best I've had. I prefer sweet tea I seem to use less sugar that way but it's not bad. And not much of a selection of drinks but definitely worth the stop for breakfast tacos!!

Arrived and found the whole parking lot full and this was at 11:05am. Walked in and found the place small and packed.Ask the girl working the cash register if I need to wait or sign in and she said only you and I followed her to a small table by the window. Ordered the cheese enchiladas recommended by Grace G and waited longer than usual to get my plate?I think it took 20 mins.My plate was not as hot as I wanted it to be,but the first bite of that enchilada brought on a smile.The beans was good and the rice could be better,but the tortillas made up for it.My waitress was ok,but I think because she was very busy and couldn't be as attentive as she wanted to be. I will defiantly be back to try the Mexican plate or the famous menudo!

Lovely little local place that seems to specialize in breakfast though they do offer lunch. Great home style cooking. Great staff and atmosphere. Just make sure to have cash.

I've been visiting this place of goodness since I was a kid and til this day am still LOVING IT! Yes, this place is literally a house no more than 900sq feet, however, the food is what keeps this place BIG! I highly recommend their Cheese Enchiladas! I have since tested other mexican restaurants here in Austin, TX, but I have not found anything close to compare....yet! They ONLY except cash so be sure to have a bit on ya! Oh, and their dishes range between $2.00 - $8.00 very reasonable indeed!

Good. Cheap eats if you like authentic south san antonio food. Was some of the best ive had

Great traditional Mexican breakfast. Small cozy place. Great for a quick bite.

It has been a year since the last time I went to this restaurant I could remember how good the crispy taco were how awesome the enchiladas were the food was just wonderful and the service was wonderful it was a different atmosphere and the people made you feel at home I heard it was a family owned business and the family actually worked in the restaurant which made it better today I went expecting that same feeling that I got The last time I was there expecting to feel good about the good food I was eating instead I noticed a change the waitresses weren't the same I don't know if it was still family but it wasn't the ones that we were used to our wait time was horrible from the time we sat down until we got our food it was over an hour and while waiting we encountered six roaches four of them which we killed ourselves I was ready to leave but I was told as long as the roaches don't mess with us we should be fine then the food came finally and it was not what I was used to and that's not even including the fact that they ran out of rice so they had to give me potatoes instead but I will say I've been going there For at least six years before the last time I went and after today's visit I will never go back

Best downhome True Tex Mex in San Antonio! Homemade everything!! A must do on the Tex Mex bucket list!!! Excellent!!!

Well, we finally made it Mendez Cafe. After reading all the glowing 5 star reports on a restaurant that was described structurally as more of a dump than as a place we would like to visit, my wife and I decided to see for ourselves how the Mendez family managed to please virtually everyone who ate there. We made it for breakfast on a Thursday morning. As we entered the restaurant, I noticed a section of tables to my left that was closed off. This surprised me since I had read on so many reviews about how crowded the restaurant was. For such a small restaurant, I expected a lot of odors...sort of like in all the Pancake House restaurants I've visited in East Texas. This was not the case; at least not on this visit. We were seated in the main area of the restaurant and ordered coffee and two potato, egg and bacon tacos each. Service was prompt, and the young lady who served us, with a constant smile on her face, was very pleasant. I wish I had asked her name so I could have included it in my report. First impression of the food: I consider myself a connoisseur of coffee. At home, I clean my pot daily, use bottled water, and freshly ground beans. The coffee at Mendez Cafe was very fresh, had a nice aroma, and the medium strength blend was way above the quality of what I expected. Our tacos arrived within minutes after we ordered. I was a little apprehensive when I saw the thickness of the tortillas, expecting them to be stiff and hard to chew. This was not the case. I won't say they were the best I've had in San Antonio, but they were way above average. I would rate the tortillas at Taco Taco just a bit higher, but I want to go back to the Mendez establishment one more time before making a final judgment. The bacon was crisp, but firm, as it should be on breakfast tacos. The eggs were soft and flavorful, and the potatoes were cooked perfectly, not mushy as they are in so many other restaurants in San Antonio. Our next visit will probably be for lunch. I expect the restaurant will be more crowded, which might put a different slant on my opinion, but it won't alter my overall rating if the food is as good as others have reported.

Nothing special. Went way out of my way to try this place for breakfast. Too far to go for mediocre food. I'll stick with my places closer to where I live