Canasta Kitchen Restaurant

This place is a gem. I will be back for sure. Many, many, many times. I' have to say both my grandmothers have passed away but I felt like I was that little boy all over again in their kitchens trying their food. The decor is beautiful , clean and inviting. Love the walls and lighting. The layout is awesome. The service is phenomenal. Abigail was so friendly and helpful and made some recommendations for the menu and she was right on. The empanadas with your choice of meat. I had the shrimp and cheese and also the carnitas. The homemade masa was back in my abuelitas kitchen again. So good. The street corn! Amazing! The flautas appetizer with homemade flour tortilla. Fantastic. The enchiladas with choose your own meat and type of sauce over. Went with pastor meat and chicken with a verde sauce. Just absolutely perfection. The frijoles de la olla were the best I've had. And my grandmother made them a lot. So. Believe me I was very pleased. Washed it all down with a passion fruit and mango mojito. Again shout out to Abigail who took care of us. Just an amazing experience. Go there and enjoy. I'll probably see you there. So say hi.

Damn! I keep trying to give them another chance, but there always seems to be an issue with the service here. It's hit and miss, but mostly a miss. I love the food and this is the main reason why I came back. They just can't seem to get the service piece together unfortunately.

Stopped by for brunch today. There was only one party there aside from me when I arrived. A young gentleman was seated behind the counter register when I arrived. He seemed pretty courteous albeit distracted. He told me to sit where I'd like. He gave me a menu and I ordered the huevos rancheros. I've been here a few times, so I know how this place works. I asked for water and he came back with lukewarm tap water. It wouldn't have been an issue had I not seen that he delivered another party a small jug of cold water. Hmm, why not the same for me?!

The second thing that I noticed was that he gave me chips and salsa. Now don't get me wrong; I love me some chips and salsa. But, I come here for the chips and mole. It's one of my favorite elements about this place because no other Mexican restaurant in this area offers this as a complimentary starter. This was the first time that I ever received chips and salsa instead. I figured that maybe they changed something since my last visit. I was going to ask about it, but decided not to as it wasn't a huge deal.

Later after I finished my meal, I noticed that the same young gentleman delivered chips and mole to a couple that was sitting behind me. This ticked me off even more because this was one of the main reasons why I decided to go there. It almost felt discriminatory in a way. Why is everyone else getting these things that I usually get when I come here, but today, I'm not?! I don't like it. On top of that, when I asked for the check, he delivered it to me but never came back to get it from my table. But he made sure to pick it up from everyone else's table.

I literally sat there and waited for him while he sat there watching TV at the register. I finally got up and gave it to him myself. I don't know, sometimes these young kids just don't know the meaning of true customer service. But this particular incident felt intentional. These are the kinds of experiences that leave a bad taste in my mouth. I do enjoy the food, and that's what the other star is for. But at this point, I give up. I won't be coming back here again.

I hope that for the restaurant's sake, they really try to focus on executing better customer service. Any restaurant can have amazing food, but it will eventually suffer it is continues to execute poor service.

OMG AMO ESTE LUGAR
la comida es muy buena, recomiendo los tacos de birria con su consomé, la comida está muy bien servida y el servicio es muy rápido, los meseros son muy amables y muy atentos, abby y Sergio fueron mis meseros y la experiencia fue excelente, recomiendo este lugar familiar

Located on a corner, 1 block away from a Main Street/todos plaza. Parking available out front as well as their parking lot. Came in the morning and it was empty, we were the only ones there and thought it was kind of iffy. Service was great and quick. Inside had very cute hit simple decor.

Their comp chips with dip and salsa were super good. The empanadas were so good. The corn shell was super crispy and tasty. Good filling and flavorful. Also got a michelada with shrimp on the side - the drink was spicy and the shrimp had a nice grilled taste. Breakfast burrito with tocino and fries was really filling, didn't feel extra heavy.

Overall, would definitely be back.

Canasta Kitchen is located in a quieter area near downtown Concord. It is a small restaurant and parking was a bit of a hassle because it was street parking in the neighborhood. The communication and quality of food here is horrible.

I ordered Cali Fries for a pick-up order. I thought this would be their version of carne asada fries, as I was craving for them, so I was excited to enjoy this. Unfortunately, I was disappointed - I received an order of nachos, instead of fries and the toppings on it was pretty sad and old tasting as well - it did not go down well. I had to go back to have the order corrected, which was inconvenient, since I was on a time crunch (I was on a short lunch break). When I went back - I was informed that they were out of fries and that is why they substituted nachos, which they did not even had the courtesy to ask me if that was okay or to let me know when I went to pick up the order.

Walt from Walt's Adventures here in Concord, California at Canasta Kitchen restaurant.

Today, I visited this restaurant before the atypical dinner rush time of 5. What impressed me was their outdoor seating area. I enjoyed the coolness from the Sun under the shades in the distinct area next to the eatery. The table was immediately prepared for us as we sat with no wait.
They have a wide selection of dishes but we decided to start our venture with margaritas. Our beverages were perfectly crafted with the right amount of flavors.
Our group decided upon a light affair this eve having chosen Mexican Street Corn and Nacho chips with guacamole. The guacamole was fresh and very satisfying while the street corn was one of the best I had the pleasure of devouring.

I look forward to returning to this restaurant in the near future in order to further explore the menu. If their main dishes are anything like their appetizers then I am sure that I will have a new addition to my favorites.

Found this little gem in Concord, one block northeast of Todos Santos park. This family-owned place is small, with a covered deck out front. Very friendly, very worth the trip. After a lifetime of the standard Mexican food found in California, Canasta Kitchen is a breadth of fresh air. You'll find some well-presented dishes on their menu. Comments from diners often compared the dishes to those of high-end restaurants in Mexico City or Puerto Vallarta . Other dishes do not put on airs with presentation, but the quality does not lack.
Check therm out.

We came here for brunch on a Sunday morning. The place was quiet. We sat outdoors where the vibe was mellow and even though it's downtown Concord felt calm and secluded. We ordered sangrias to start our experience and I have to say they were delicious, strong and smooth. We ordered the shrimp ceviche and OMG it was absolutely delicious, I highly recommend you try it. We ordered the Baja tacos and they were full of flavor, came with rice and beans and truly enjoyed the whole meal. Jose was the person who waited on us and he was attentive, friendly and went above and beyond to make sure we were taken care of and had a good dining experience. I need to make sure I visit them regularly and add them to our restaurant rotation. Highly recommended, 5 stars!

I was very happy with the Canasta kitchen in Concord. The Canasta kitchen in Alameda served me 3 street tacos and the whole plate was full of liquid, the tortillas were totally wet, soggy, falling apart. You are supposed to properly drain the meat if you are holding it precooked in a chafing dish. Otherwise the tacos are ruined. Tacos are not rocket science, and I was shocked that someone didn't care enough to do it right. Disappointed and not going back.

This review is for HAPPY HOUR only.
1pm-5pm; 7pm-pm daily.

We actually walked in expecting a taqueria but it's an actual sit down restaurant.

Free homemade chips with beans.

The birria tacos was loaded with beef, though tender, but lacking flavor and since there was so much meat that it wasn't crispy. The consommé was also very liquidy and just tasted like beef broth.

Carne Asada street tacos was decent, generous portion. $3/taco instead of $3.95

We ordered two meat options for flautas. The chicken was extremely dry, but the Pastor was delicious and actually came with pineapple, which you don't see often.

The big fish taco is definitely big like it says on the menu. The tortilla wasn't really crispy as there was so much going on...too much sauce, mainly the chipotle aioli.

$5 margaritas on the rocks, was the perfect complement to our meal. You can even get it flavored (mango, strawberry, or strawberry, peach, passion fruit, tamarind). We had regular and tamarind; both came with tajin rim. Tamarind flavor was extra refreshing.

Note that $5 margarita is not on the main happy hour menu. It's in the drink menu.

Overall, I would order pastor anything. Skip the birria and chicken.

Looks like they also have bottomless mimosas and sangrias for $25 daily. Wonder if it's any good. Also interested in trying out their Alameda location.