Dining Guide

By Andrew Hardenbrook

Just a little past the Mountain View main drag, Casa Lupe stands out with its bright red exterior. The inside is a little small, but it also gives the restaurant a homely feel that usually accompanies good Mexican food. The meal started off on the right foot with both a medium and a mild salsa accompanying the chips.

The rather large menu contained a surprising number of shrimp dishes for a Mexican Restaurant, including shrimp fajitas ($13.95), enchiladas ($12.95), burritos ($8.95) and tacos (13.95). Although these choices were quite tempting, I decided to order the chicken taco dinner ($13.95). This meal swayed me because it came with refried or whole beans, rice, and soup or salad. My party also decided to split a large pitcher of the house Margaritas ($17.95).

The margaritas were fantastic and made the conversation light. However, the margaritas were not good enough to hide the mediocre taste of the food. Another downside to the restaurant was their relatively high prices and small food portions, especially for a Mexican food restaurant.

I don't know about most people, but when I go to a Mexican restaurant, I expect to walk out with my shirt untucked, my belt undone, and, if it was really good, my top button unbuttoned.

However, after dining at Casa Lupe not only was I unsatisfied with the quality of the food, but I was also still hungry and had to eat something extra when I got home.

In addition to the mediocre food and small portions, the restaurant was understaffed for a Friday night.

This led to my water never being refilled (my pet peeve), the waiter forgetting my salad, and generally slow service.

In conclusion, Casa Lupe is a restaurant with average food, small portions, slow services, and good margaritas. Therefore, depending on where your priorities lie, I either highly recommend this restaurant or suggest that you steer clear of it.

** $$

LOCATION

Casa Lupe

459 Castro Street

Mountain View

(650) 965-2944