Chelino’s Mexican Restaurant

Hard to find good Mexican food, but this is one of the best in Santa Rosa. Great service and comfy atmosphere. Mind you we are vegetarians so I do not know about the meat dishes. Very busy at lunch, but worth the wait!

Best Mexican food in Santa Rosa. Period. The end. Casual, and tvs to watch the Warriors.

The food is amazing! I’ve been going here for years! Great price for the amazing food!

Thanks to Christian I ordered the Steak Rancheros! Excellent menu selection, clean place and friendly staff. The guy asked me how hot and I’m guessing because I’m white, but I said spicy. So it came out spicy and was MUY DELICIOSO! Couldn’t eat everything and that’s good because if you did, you wouldn’t make it very far. They really pack it on for the price, beans, rice, enslada, y plato principal. Good to go which reminds me, I have to right now…

In town for work and this place came highly recommended. Of course, I had to consult Unilocal and see if the Unilocalers agree it’s worth while… and it sure was! The setting is a tiny, diner-​like setup. I am assuming it’s family owned based on everyone who was working there. I was craving tacos and kept it simple with the shredded chicken, a ground beef, and also a side of rice. Ok. For the price, these portions were HUGE. I mean, there had to have been a pound of meat on each of my tacos. The rice «side» was enough to be its own entrée. I liked the little salsa bar set up and really liked the green salsa. The guac here was a little too runny for my liking, but I still ate it/​enjoyed bc, well, it’s guac! The service was quick… it’s an order at the counter/​take a seat kind of deal. If I’m ever in the area, I’ll definitely return!

When my husband and i were dating we used to come here all the time for breakfast. And even now that were married. i always get the chilaquiles with salsa verde, so good. As well as the super burrito with carnitas which I LOVE!!! And recently i tried their al pastor nachos, which by the way was recommended by one of the employees ! What i like about this place is that they always treat us good! They always greet us when walking in. That is a plus in every place you go, customer service must be exceptional. However, they recently raised their prices so I don’t know if we’ll be going as often as we used to go. =/​$ 10 for a burrito sounds ehhh… too much.

I love chelinos!!! BEST Mexican food ever and plus the service is so quick and amaZing!!! Love coming here for lunch! My favorite spot for micheladas and my fav dish are the enchiladas de mole! If i could i would eat here EVERYDAY!!!

You guys, get the steak ranchero. Look at my pictures. You’re welcome.
When I Unilocaled Chilenos I immediately searched the reviews for «Steak Ranchero», to my dismay there was nothing, not one single mention of the preeminent menu item! All the food plates I have had here are good. But I cannot in good conscience call the steak ranchero merely a food plate. Rather it is the manifestation of enchanting flavors brought about by the good graces of Mother Nature, and her ability to permit such a symphony of ingredients to come together on a plate. It is no surprise then that some higher forces out there knew these flavors were preordained to wind up on our taste buds. It makes you truly wonder, is this perfection. If you go here, before you make up your mind after eating their burrito or tacos, you have to try their masterpiece. Mr. Chilenos’ magnum opus if you will. — THE STEAK RANCHERO
Continued… The steak, onions, and peppers are smothered in a red, spicy-​garlic-​wine sauce. The marinated steak is flawless. The plate also comes with Spanish rice, beans, guac, salad, and a side of freshly made tortillas. I like to make little burritos out of everything on the plate and then dip the end of my tortilla into the sauce.
The place is clean, has bar seating, booths, and big tables for groups. The staff is very friendly. The chefs are in plain sight behind their grill if you sit at the bar seating, so you can see the kitchen is clean. They often wave as people come in. That’s a star right there if you ask me.
Please read above and try before casting judgement on this place. Also, do it for yourself and because I would put my life on this meal. I would bet that the vast majority of people would say this meal is incredible.

This place is hands down one of THE best places to eat in Santa Rosa. I’ve lived in the area for about 6 years now and have tried every single Mexican restaurant, taqueria, and taco truck around and Chelino’s is by far the most authentic. The shrimp cocktail is one of my favorites and their burritos are delish! The portion sizes are huge so come hungry or be prepared to get a to-​go box. Service here is always great. Fernando is one of the nicest guys you will ever meet, extremely hospitable and always makes sure you are completely taken care of every time you visit. All the employees are super friendly as well. I will gladly continue to come here for as long as I live in this area, and I definitely recommend trying this place out if you haven’t yet.

Food: 4
Service: who cares? Eat your taco and be quiet. (lol) Just kidding. They’re nice and if you whine about wanting more pickled jalapeño carrots they’ll check in the back for more.
Cleanliness: 5
Atmosphere: casual. «Diner-​esque».
I live in the taco capital of California, so my taco standards are high, just like my heels– but not for the men I date.
He can only afford to take me out for tacos, cause they’re cheap and fast. Although I must say, for four tacos, chips beans and salsa we forked out about 26 bucks– wait what? Probably would have been $ 16 in my taco stomping grounds…
Not bad though for a meal plus lunch the next day, cause their shrimp and fish tacos are ginormous! I added sliced avocado too for some of those healthy fats. They stack ‘em high with lettuce and chopped tomato and all that good stuff. Chips were nice, fresh and crunchy while the homemade pico de gallo had me jumping up for seconds and thirds.
For a taco queen living in a taco city, I would still consider this place, out of my territory, worthy of a second visit, or maybe even a third!
Enjoy !

Mmmm, best Mexican food I’ve found in Sonoma County! I had a yummy beef enchilada, and my partner ordered like three types of tacos. All of them were amazing. This food is authentic and delicious.
Plus, we came in at 6 in the evening when the place was busy and even though we had to wait in line, our food came out very very quickly. I’ll definitely be back for more.

Each Taqueria in town is the best at one thing. Las Palmas is best for their carnitas tacos, Taqueria SR is best for their grilled chicken super burrito, Sonoma Taco has the best salsa, and Chelino’s is best for their Enchiladas and wet burritos. Also, I have yet to eat a Molé sauce that tops Chelino’s. Soooo good.

Well I’m not a Mexican Food Snob as some say on their review –but I think the food is really good here. Seems they’re always packed with all kinds of people. I get the Chimichanga and it’s big and delicious. About $ 11.00 not too bad.
I particularly like their Al Pastor — packed

There’s this funny misconception, really, among my people, that when you walk by a Mexican restaurant and is full of white people, the food must not be that good.
This place puts that to rest. The food is definitely good, they have great salsas and drinks, adds the servers are very attentive. They also have many dishes, very sell executed, that you won’t find elsewhere.
Prices seem a bit higher than normal, but with their clientele base, it’s expected.

Half way through my super burrito I’m still wondering were the flavor is and why I have to drown it in salsa in order to make it edible.
My boyfriends pozole is ok but nothing to rave about.
Service is decent.
Not any where near satisfying the craving for mexican food.

SO this place is great! It looks like its location used to be a drive-​in rollerskate burger joint, but now houses a very quaint and tasty Mexican food establishment. Their chips were very good, and they have a self serve salsa bar — which is a bonus– stocked with fresh home-​made salsa in several varieties.
I had a wet super burrito– very tasty and large, smothered in enchilada sauce– I was expecting it to be mole as I saw that as a menu item, but I didn’t get it– thats OK it was still delicious. My wife had a taco salad which was fresh and light with a tortilla bowl that was not greasy at all.
The décor here can use a little work I think it is still too held over from its drive in days, but they’re working on it.
If you’re in Santa Rosa looking for a burrito this is our spot.

Update July 2015: Big improvement in food quality since my previous visits in 2009. Tasty cuisine with low budget, down home appeal.
Order and pay first at the cashier. Get the table placard and food is placed before you real quick.
My fellow Elite Unilocaler /​wife had a paroxysm of food delight with her golden chicken taco. She told me stories about her favorite childhood Mexican restaurant in Long Beach, CA that served food that tasted just like Chelino’s. Now that’s pretty magical when your nose & 55 years ago taste memory is jogged like that.
Now keep in mind if you plan to visit for the 1^st time that this place is pretty raw looking. Borders on a dive. Not pretty inside and barely passable for cleanliness. Silverware is cheap and the plates are melmac. Drinking glasses are plastic.
Upside is that the folks are real nice. I loved the dark sweet chile sauce on the enchilada. I asked about the ingredients and recipe which the cook came out to explain in detail. Very cool.
Makes me happy that a cheap restaurant that I once though was crap now serves really satisfying food.

I love their food— hate their prices.
Rice and beans are delicious. Burritos and tacos are generously sized. Salsa bar is varied and everything has a sign so you know what’s spicy, mild, etc. Staff is friendly and will give you extra chips at no charge. You get to pour your own water at the soda fountain which I appreciate because I always drink several cups with my meal.
I don’t live in Santa Rosa but I still visit occasionally and it’s always packed. It’s a big place though, and the booths are comfy.
Unfortunately, they did raise their prices recently, and this loses them a star. It now costs $ 3.50 for a simple side of beans, $ 10 for a taco salad. For such cheap ingredients, it can feel like a rip-​off.

Food: ¹⁄₅
I ordered the mild-​spicy chilaquiles. In short, it was extremely spicy (I eat spicy food so I would know what is «mild») and the chilaquiles were not good. It is obvious they were made by using the stale chips that one gets for the table, and «cooked» it with salsa from the salsa bar and then sprinkled a little cheese over it. Stale chips soaked in spicy bar salsa is not how to make authentic chilaquiles. I was deeply disappointed.
Service: ⁵⁄₅
On the bright side, the service was excellent. Very friendly and welcoming people.
Location: ⁵⁄₅
Right off 4^th street in ample of parking space.
Atmosphere: ⁴⁄₅
Feels like a Mexican diner with booths and outdoor seating.
Final Note: Would I eat here again? No. I do, however, appreciate the great service.

I tried the super nachos with grilled steak. Nothing special but the service was fast, attentive, and friendly. I would like to come back and try something more authentic like a combination plate that includes options like chimiguanas, flautas, enchiladas, etc.