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Playa Grill (Mexican cuisine)  $$

 8.5
JaT Rating

244 Standford Shopping Center, Palo Alto, 94304  (Directions)


(650) 323.8226


Website  Menu  vCard

            
  
California-ized Mexican grill with a decent selection of fresh-mex.


Reviewer: Jason
Total Reviews: 1040
Reviewed: 8/30/2004
Rating: 9
My photo gallery 		I'll be the first to admit that Playa Grill isnt a legit taqueria joint but serves great tasting mexican food. Call it a guilty pleasure, I dont care...Playa Grill burritos blew me away. Its not the standard foil wrapped burrito but more along the lines of Baja Fresh. I think places like Playa Grill and Baja Fresh cater to people who are too scared to visit a taqueria...Im kidding.

Lets talk about his place...very clean with a beach atmosphere. Plenty of dining space and some tables outside to enjoy the sun. Located in the Stanford Mall...I know what you are thinking...mall food? Trust me, its excellent...Im putting my reputation on the line by giving this place a wonderful score.

Michael, one of the jatbar agents suggested I get the Gallito burrito. I ordered it without reading all the ingredients...browsing back at the menu..it didnt have rice or beans. I was kind of pissed because I gotta have my BEANS and RICE. Oh well, Im going into this with a bad feeling. The burrito is delivered quite fast and to my disappointment, it was smaller than burritos Im used to getting at taqueria joints. Im thinking a frickin 6 at this point. I take my first bite, oh sh*t....this is soooo tasty. The grilled chicken was juicy and tender! I couldnt believe the flavor on this mofo. Mixed with cheese, avocado, and salsa from the bar, it was an awesome mix. Just think how deadly this burrito would be with black beans and rice? And to top it off...I was completely full on the burrito. I love it...

So heres the deal, if you want a down and dirty legit burrito from a taqueria stand, dont go to Playa Grill. If you a California-nized burrito thats comes all nice and pretty, Playa Grill is the place for you. I eat A LOT of burritos and I know I might get struck by lightening for writing this..but their grilled chicken (meat) is better than La Bambas....A solid 9!!
 


Reviewer: Terry
Total Reviews: 739
Reviewed: 8/30/2004
Rating: 8
My photo gallery 		When I went here, I was prepared to give it a bad review. Come on, its a commericalized, californiaized, expensive taqueria that is not in the least bit authentic. And its located in a yuppie shopping mall in Palo Alto. How could it possible rate good?

Well let me put it this way. In the past year I have had a LOT of burritos from a lot of different taquerias. Usually they are all authentic and quite tasty. Playa Grill is a different experience. The vegetables inside are all fresh and hot off the grill. Its not a standard taqueria veggie burrito that just does not have meat. It really has grilled veggies. In addition it has black beans and mexican rice. If I had known beforehand that it would be like this, I would have balked and walked out. Yet I went for it and was pleasantly surprised.

I tried the salsas and they were all rather lackluster so that goes against the place. The somewhat high prices ($6.50 for a veggie burrito that is smaller than a normal taqueria's regular burrito) also work against it.

Would I return? Yeah if I was in the neighborhood and hungry, I would return. But if I am looking for a burrito, Playa Grill might not be at the top of my list (for a veggie burrito). Yet it IS different so I can't rate it too badly.
 
9
Agent Rating


Reviewer: Michael
Total Reviews: 40
Reviewed: 9/13/2004
Rating: 9
My photo gallery		 Playa Grill was a stop my wife, daughter, and I stopped at after shopping in the Stanford Mall.

Walking into the place was refreshing. It has a real nice layout and a ton of tables to seat huge parties. The also have a Mararita bar that serves up some wicked drinks. I know I tried one!

My order was the Gallito Chicken burrito. Will I waited we ate some chips and salsa and had a margy. By the time I got my food I had a good little buzz going. The burrito was a big as you would think, but it did the job. The chicken is the tastiest I have had in even the best taquerias in the area. The style of the food is more like Baja Fresh ( a health mex). I have no complaints here. If you are in the area and want a good lunch stop with some great shopping near by you gotta stop in. Playa Grill gets a 9

Forgot to mention that they are very child friendly here!
 
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