Café Capistrano

Half Moon Bay, United States

4.2

Open now

32 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards

Contacts

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Telephone:
+1 650-726-7699
Address:
523 Church St, Half Moon Bay, CA, 94019
Categories:
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Bussiness info

Takes Reservations
Yes
Delivery
No
Take-out
Yes
Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Good For
Lunch
Parking
Street
Bike Parking
Yes
Wheelchair Accessible
Yes
Good for Kids
Yes
Good for Groups
Yes
Attire
Casual
Ambience
Casual
Noise Level
Average
Alcohol
Beer & Wine Only
Outdoor Seating
Yes
Wi-Fi
No
Has TV
Yes
Dogs Allowed
Yes
Waiter Service
Yes
Caters
Yes

Today

Today 11:00 am – 8:00 pm
Open now
Local time (Half Moon Bay) 19:45 Monday, 2 June 2025

Business hours

Monday 11:00 am – 8:00 pm
Tuesday 11:00 am – 8:00 pm
Wednesday 11:00 am – 8:00 pm
Thursday 11:00 am – 8:00 pm
Friday 11:00 am – 8:00 pm
Saturday 8:00 am – 8:00 pm
Sunday 8:00 am – 8:00 pm

Description

Specialties

Café Capistrano specializes in Mayan and American cuisine.

History

Established in 2001.

Café Capistrano is a family owned restaurant specializing in Mayan cuisine. Using the freshest local fish, meats and produce infused with Mayan flavors results in light, savory combinations.

Meet the Business Owner

Arturo M.

Business Owner

Chef and owner Arturo Mul reigns from the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico. When opening his restaurant, he wanted to introduce the flavors and food from his home town, Akil. Mul brought in family recipes to help create the menu and special items. Mayan cooking shows influences from Mediterranean Europe, the Middle East, and the rest of Mexico as well as North and South America.

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32 reviews of Café Capistrano

No registration required
Place rating: 3
San Mateo, CA
Hit this place up for a quick Mayan lunch as we head back to the Peninsula from a gorgeous day at the beach and Ritz Carlton.
Trying to beat the heat on the coast was the perfect strategy!
Ordered the cheese enchiladas and the super nice waitress brought a metal bowl of cool water for my pup as we were solo on the patio. That’s what brought us here was they allow dogs! Perfect!
Food arrived hot with a great selection of crunchy coleslaw, cool avocados, delicious rice, black beans and pico. There was a bottle of habanero hot sauce that hit the spot on the flavor heat index without burning your lips.
I’ll be back to work my way through this menu — you should too!
Place rating: 5
Half Moon Bay, CA
Finally got to check out this place and the food was delicious! We had panuchos, cochinita and the pork enchiladas. Carlos our server was also very good, service and food makes this place a five star. We will definitely be back.
Place rating: 5
Richmond, CA
My family loved the food here a lot :) Very fresh dishes, authentic, and with great service. Our two-​year-​old even sat still long enough to eat everything we gave him. Our favorite was the enchilada plate with tons of tasty sides. We had enough to take home for later and enjoyed it just as much then too. I’m glad we stumbled on Café Capistrano and got to experience Mayan dishes for the first time. Definitely recommend.
Place rating: 5
Albuquerque, NM
I live in new mexico, so I really know mexican food. It was one of the best mexican food I’ve ever eaten. I got the chicken fajita and it was super delicious. These guys are friendly. The food was worth all the driving I did to get there.
Place rating: 5
Half Moon Bay, CA
Both my bf and I agreed this place was dynamite. Yes the décor a bit dated but they clearly focus on what’s most important… the food! We had the panuchos which were delicious to start. I had the fish taco plate and he had the chicken adobo quesadilla. Both delicious and the perfect amount of food. The hot sauce is as good as all the reviews state and we bought some to take home. We will definitely be back.
Place rating: 5
San Jose, CA
Fantastic and authentic food especially the home made hot sauce!
Place rating: 2
Burke, VA
I came here because of all the raving reviews and I read that their fish tacos were extremely good. First let me start off by saying that my boyfriends BLT was made from Safeway ingredients at best and for the how much it cost the quality was terrible. My fish tacos were also terrible. The beans had no taste and the rice was very blah. The fish had no type of seasoning so it was also very blah. Save your money and go some where else.
Place rating: 1
Live Oak, CA
Never coming back. We were ignored by our server, bathroom was trashed. Food was ok, nothing to write home about.
Place rating: 2
Half Moon Bay, CA
I’m sorry but I don’t get it. My family and I heard they are Michelin recommended so we decided to give it another shot. (I think we all went a couple years back.) Our thought after this visit was: Service was underwhelming, table was dirty– crumbs from previous customers and the food was just ok. I ordered a burrito and it was literally a burrito on a plate. No garnish, nothing. I ate half and asked for tin foil to take the other half home. The waitress literally grabbed the tin foil my mom’s tortillas had been in and handed it to me while saying «reduce, reuse».
Michelin recommended? Seriously?! We all agreed that we prefer Spanishtown next door. FRESHLY MADE chips (not bagged chips like here), better service and better food.
Place rating: 4
Pleasant Hill, CA
Great little spot for a quick bite. We were driving back from Santa Cruz and needed to grab lunch — somewhere dog friendly. They sat us out on the back deck and we shared the pork enchiladas. Our waitress said it was her favorite thing on the menu — but the fish tacos at the table next to us looked great too! Definitely on the list of places to try again.
Place rating: 4
Chicago, IL
Great food in a friendly atmosphere. You can really taste the quality of the food. Cooked to perfection, very tasty.
Only downsides: small place, portions were small (that could be considered good too!)
Totally recommend it!
Place rating: 4
San Francisco, CA
Loved every minute that I spent at Nepenthe! Delicious and authentic, very much like the food in the Yucatan.
A couple of friends and I stopped by for a casual lunch and were pleasantly wowed by the fresh and delicious Mayan dishes.
Once we were shown to our table our waiter was super friendly and attentive and gave us enough space to enjoy our meal. What a lovely lunch! I highly recommend the delicious panuchos, unusual and tasty pumpkin seed salsa, as well as cochinita pibil and chicken adobo.
It’s not an upscale place but we all agreed that it was one of the best tasting meals on our trip up the Pacific Coast!
Place rating: 5
Lincoln, CA
Stopped in on our way home from Santa Cruz based on Unilocal reviews. Food was awesome, authentic and delicious. Service was even better, Carlos treated us like family, making suggestions for food, nearby adventures and sharing stories from his home town. We will be back!
Place rating: 4
Brentwood, CA
My husband and I ate lunch here today and I must say they make the best fish tacos on the Peninsula! Their fish was grilled to perfection! Moist and tender, with a wonderful garlic sauce. Great black beans and rice too!
Place rating: 5
Half Moon Bay, CA
Have lived on coast for 25 years. Been told many times how great but never been… until today. THE BOMB. From the tortillas and rice to the black beans-​fresh and yummy. Wife had Adobo Chicken while I had Pork Pabil.
We have both been to Yucatan Peninsula and this is as good as it gets in Nor. Cal.
Highest Rating-​Bravo
Place rating: 3
El Granada, CA
I dropped by at this place and asked for grilled shrimp plate for $ 17.00 but it could’ve been added more garlic shrimp and more corn tortillas. The actual plate looked colorful with bits of canteloup. This place didn’t have much foot traffic but it looked dead, the owner was friendly though and the waiter.
Place rating: 5
Santa Clara, CA
We went there on a weekday after lunchtime and had the place to ourselves. It turned out to be an adorable café with great ambience and lovely Mexican music which my wife and I loved. We had huevos rancheros and a burrito. both were tasty and the service was excellent!
Place rating: 5
Los Angeles, CA
Ordered Fish Tacos
Food was good and simple and still very yummy. Everything about this place was homely.
Will go there again, whenever i can.
Place rating: 5
San Francisco, CA
I definitely understand why this place has so many fantastic reviews. First, it’s a cute place in an old house. It seems more like someone serving food to guests in their living room than a restaurant. Also, the service was wonderful. The waitress was friendly, funny, and took the time to give great ordering advice. Finally, the food was delicious. I ordered the chicken fajitas and it was some of the most flavorful, moist chicken I’ve had in years. Highly recommend to anyone passing through the town.
Place rating: 5
Campbell, CA
Mayan food in HMB. This may be the most authentic place in Half Moon Bay. All the other restaurants are touristy type places but this is totally local. The food is excellent for the money. We have the Yucatán special and the first pulled pork type dish which was excellent.
Place rating: 3
Milpitas, CA
1. okay food. nothing to complain abt it.
2. small n simple place. just one chef n one waiter/​owner when we went.
3. all are casual mexican entrees that we get at everyother street in san jose.
4. quesadillas and fajitas are good.
bad:
not worth the buck. 9 $ for nachos? not even a fancy place.
Place rating: 4
Mountain View, CA
This place is a hidden gem located off Main Street on a nondescript road. If you’re not looking for it you won’t find it.
The staff, is not overly friendly but very pleasant and always nice. While it is much like your typical taqueria in atmosphere and at first glance the menu, the parallels end there. I have tried quite a few different things on the menu and each pleasantly surprised me. The flavors are robust and unique as they boast a Mayan influence to everything they make.
The picture of the Yucatan plate is a regular favorite and again, almost looks like you’ve had it before but packed with original flavors it is definitely something to try.
Another regular favorite is the Adobo Pork, marinated, flavorful and juicy, no matter what you order it in, it always comes out perfect.
I’m a fan and its on my regular list of regular Half Moon Bay stops.
Place rating: 5
Santa Clara, CA
The most delectable serendipitous meal I’ve had in a long time. I literally slowly savored each and every bite (not my usual gulping MO) of the fish taco… Beautifully plated and the flavor of each part are by far worthy of the Michelin Star the waiter told me that was earned for that dish alone. Flan and coffee for dessert.
Place rating: 4
Pioneer, CA
What a lovely lunch! 5 of us split the fish taco plate, the Conchinita Pibil plate and the Panucho appetizers. Plenty of beautiful, tasty food. The fish taco plate came with well seasoned and perfectly cooked Red Snapper, fresh pineapple slices, pickled onions, rice and beans, fantastic Mayan coleslaw, guacamole and pico de gallo. We made 5 ample tacos. The pork plate was just as tasty with the same sides and fork tender pork pieces. The Panucho appetizer was our favorite. I took one bite and said «this is Mexico». Somehow, they stuff a corn tortilla with black bean paste and then pile it high with chicken, pickled onions, avocado and coleslaw. Service was a bit lackadaisical but overall a wonderful lunch experience.
Place rating: 5
Brooklyn, NY
A very warm and welcoming restaurant. Menu right on point and tasty. I was fortunate to be the first customer on that holiday Sunday. Paid to head out to Half Moon Bay early seeing the nightmarish snake traffic along 92 during the entire drive back.
Good and service was 5-​star. The hot sauce made me sweat after the first bite so beware. I loved it, happy I ordered side of avocado to tone down the heat. I loved the Mexican soup and next time will go with a bowl versus soup. Also glad they still cooked the cochinita in spite of it still being breakfast time. Actually appears while menu was open, and made fresh. The pork was most tender and Adoba flavored perfectly. Also much appreciated their style of cole slaw, much fresher w lime juice versus mayo! Definitely recommend this place when visiting HMB. Do takeout and head to the beach! Just heck the weather forecast first if you want sun versus fog! ;)
Place rating: 4
San Francisco, CA
What a cute place in downtown Half Moon Bay, inside a house. It’s decorated with pictures of the Yucatan. Very homey, a little rustic. Our service was kinda slow but we loved talking about Belize with her.
We had the fish tacos, which were okay. The fish was kinda bland and the portions are small, maybe a ¼ cup of black beans, a dollop of guacamole, etc. not too much food for the price.
We did love the appetizer plate with three items. They all were tasty. Two panuchos (Reminded me of mini tostados) and one empanada. I would only order these panuchos next time. They are corn tortillas stuffed with beans, then topped with avacado, shredded chicken, pickled onions, etc. wowser!!! Everything tastes homemade.
We came here after hiking about five miles out at the gorgeous Purisima creek trail. We then left here and walked over to the farmers market and walked up and down the Main Street.
Place rating: 5
Sacramento, CA
Deliciousness on a plate. This place is downtown Half Moon Bay ~ not to far from San Fran. Quaint little 1881 house changed to a Mayan restaurant that offers traditional California style cuisine. The food, salsas and sauces are made FRESH. The chips and salsa are really good!
I ordered Chicken Adobo. It was amazing! So much better tasting than Mexican. The chicken was tender and juicy. If you’re passing through, I would highly recommend stopping by for lunch! The serve breakfast too!
Place rating: 4
Orange County, CA
Food was very good. We had a cochinita burrito and the Poc Chuc (thinly sliced pork marinated in lime and spices). Both were delicious. The Poc Chuc was a tiny bit overcooked, but that was minor.
We were there in the early evening on Thursday and the place was empty except for one other table. The server was quiet, but still friendly. Took a while to get our food, but we were chatting and enjoying the ambiance. Nice place. Definitely unique and I would certainly return!
Place rating: 3
San Francisco, CA
Tasty food but relatively small portions. I got the pork plate which was flavorful and not too spicy, although they have a crazy hot jabenero sauce if you’re into that kind of thing… by which I mean sweating profusely from your face. The ambiance is very casual (the restaurant is in an old house) but kind of hot inside. Was about $ 20 per person with a drink each.
Place rating: 5
San Jose, CA
This is a house! Great idea for a quaint little restaurant.
Fish taco plate — highly recommended. Large piece of fish, tender and flavorful.
Try their hot sauce — they make their own!
Place rating: 4
San Jose, CA
we stopped by for a late lunch — very late lunch — around 3:30 on a nice Sunday afternoon. The good is very good and fresh. We tried the Chicken Enchiladas and Chicken Adobo. The portion sizes are just perfect, so you feel full but not too stuffed for a nice walk on the beach later.
They also have their own Habanero Hot Sauce which is a MUST TRY. The service is great too, but the dining room looks a little outdated.
Place rating: 5
San Francisco, CA
Upon entering, it feels like stumbling on a Victorian tea room. The art, photos, and table decorations are all very interesting and great conversation topics.
The food is both beautiful and delicious! Poc chuc, conchinita pibil, and the panuchos were all beautifully presented with colorful and tasty sides: pickled onions, guacamole, Mayan slaw, salsa, rice, and black beans. The grilled pork and pulled pork are both tender with perfect texture and flavor. The panuchos look dry but they are crispy and not dry at all.