| Classic, family-style Mexican restaurant thats been around since 1980. |
Reviewer: Jason
Total Reviews: 1007
Reviewed: 8/10/2005
Rating: 7.5
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We were on route to Madras Cafe but looks like they are renovating right now. Casa Lupe comes off as a wish list request and we were told this Casa Lupe was much better than the one on Castro street, Mountain View. I dont remember what the one on Castro street tasted like so we'll see what happens.
Opened the door and Case Lupe is hopping....Id say the lunch rush was in full effect as most of the tables were occupied. They sat us towards the back away from the crowds. Waiter handed menus, brought back salsa and chips, waters, etc. They bring out 2 salsas, one is pico di gallo and other one is salsa roja (almost like a tomato paste). Both salsa were extremely fresh and the taste was outstanding. Id rank them as contenders for favorites. The only problem was their chips, they need a little work in this department, I wasnt terribly impressed from what they offered as these are chips I can probably pickup at the market. It didnt stop me from stuffing my mouth with chips and salsa....probably because of the salsas.
The menu boasts a large number of enchilada dishes and I figured I eat way too many burritos to begin with. I ordered the tres colores enchilada something...
cheese enchilada - it was ok, just some cheese wrapped in a tortillas. It was topped with sour cream and quacamole. I ate 1/3 of it
chicken enchilada - shredded chicken probably boiled in a chicken stock. Wasnt anything out of the ordinary and somewhat bland. It was topped with the chili verde but needed some help with the salsas and guacamole. I ate 2/3 of this.
beef enchilada - maybe I should have paid more attention to the menu options as it was $1-2 for asada. I didnt think anything of it until I got my ground beef filling. I was caught off guard, I was hoping for shredded beef but all I got was taco bell style ground beef. The red sauce was just ok. I was disappointed with the beef and ate 1/2.
rice - ok, not too moist and lacking that tomato chicken broth flavor I like.
beans - about your average tasting refried beans, I think they had my plate sitting under a lamp as the beans started to dry out
mexican soup - I dont recall the real name of the soup but it was a meatball soup with veggies and a super tasty broth. This is the true winner of my entire lunch.
Case Lupe comes in just around average as our waiter started off strong but finished the service poorly. We waited what forever to get our bill. Another waiter saw us staring into the ceilings and helped out. It was busy and I'll give them that but 10-15 minutes after we finish the meal is too long to wait. Id rate the lunch a 7 but will bump it a .5 just because portion size were big, the salsas and meatball soup were insanely good. I would come back just for the soup because it was that good. Other than that, we spent close to $16 a plate which is high for a lunch.
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Reviewer: Terry
Total Reviews: 738
Reviewed: 8/10/2005
Rating: 7.5
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I always have an enjoyable time at a family style mexican restaurant. Unlike a taqueria where its all business, you are taken in and almost treated like family. Casa Lupe is no different. In fact I think i am not alone in thinking this, as on a Wednesday this place was totally packed. If most restaurants could be this lucky on a Friday lunchtime! Anyway, they must be doing something right.
We started off with their chips and salsa. The chips were crunchy, a bit oily, but rather flavorless. I was not impressed. The salsas (especially the spicy) was pretty darn good though and made up for the lack of chip flavor.
Then we waited. We waited an interminal amount of time for the waiter to come take our order. It was understandable given the large mount of full tables at the restaurant. He eventually took our order and I opted for the special - crab enchiladas. Of note is that all of the specials and favorites were enchiladas, so something tells me this is the thing to get at Casa Lupe.
There was another LONG wait, and we finally got our food. By this time, one of Jasons coworkers who joined us was finished with his beer. He rightfully quipped that one shouldn't finish a beer before the food arrives - and he was seriously nursing it.
Anyway, the food arrived and it looked SOLID. The beans and rice looked delicious as well. I then proceeded to wolf everything down. Just because its what I do.
The beans were a letdown. They tasted a bit stale and lacking in richness. I ate it, but it didn't excite me. The rice was more of the same. Better than the beans, but still lacking.
The enchiladas were delicious. The crab was the real deal and plenty of it. Thankfully it wasn't waterlogging the enchilada which was a good thing. The smell was strong, so make sure no one else at your table despises crab or they will be affected. Otherwise, the rest of the enchilada was nothing to write home about. I would probably opt for the cheese enchilada next time and save some money.
By the time we were finishing our food, the place was empty. Seriously. And STILL we had to wait a LONG time. I never got my water refilled. And seriously we waited about 15 minutes for the check. That was beyond long. We looked around and around until another waiter finally asked if we were done and took our plates. Come on, do we need our plates taken away? We just need our bill. Damn, what a long lunch that was.
For dinner, I'm sure this place is an easy 8, but for lunch where you are in a hurry, this will not be my #1 choice for sitdown family-style mexican food.
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Reviewer: ne00
Total Reviews: 173
Reviewed: 6/13/2006
Rating: 7.5
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Casa Lupe
2169 Winchester Blvd
Campbell
Our dance group decided to get together for a nice dinner somewhere near the studio to celebrate our latest show and say bye to several members who were leaving us. Our fearless leader decided on Casa Lupe. This was fine by me as it is another notch here at Jatbar.com on my way to 100 reviews and I get to try a new Mexican restaurant among friends.
I arrive around 7:20pm and several people have already arrived. Chips and salsa placed on the table for us to enjoy. As more people trickled in, our server took our orders for drinks. Casa Lupe serves up drinks in some nice big cups, about a 32-ounce cup, which helps as I drink a lot at Mexican restraints. I heard several people comment that the margaritas here are good but not very potent.
The chips were regular thin style chips served with two types of salsa. A fresh salsa consisting of chunky chopped tomatoes and onions and a saucy based salsa. Both were mild to medium. While we waited for more people to arrive, I finished off the chips and the fresh salsa. The wait staff did not notice that my soda was empty and our chips and salsa need refills. It took a while but I waived someone over and kindly asked for a refill.
Finally, everyone arrived and we were ready to order. I typically steer towards the combo platters, as I am a big eater. I love huge portions and prefer to take home whatever I cannot finish. I did not see a combo platter choice on the menu and some of the prices were a bit high. I finally ended up going with the three-item selection for $9.95. I chose beef enchilada, chicken burrito, and chicken tamale. I was a bit worried this would not be enough as the price was cheaper than to some of the other items on the menu.
I do not now how long the wait was as our group was having so much fun chatting it up but maybe 20 minutes to 30 minutes our food arrived. First, to arrive were the fajitas. Next, create your own platters arrived as several people in our group chose this option. They messed up on one of our vegetarian orders and were kind enough to replace it without any question or hesitation. They took it back into the kitchen and several minutes later served the correct order freshly made.
Holy Loco Moley! My plate was huge! My “too hot to touch” plate was loaded with fluffy rice, refried beans with cheese, coleslaw, a tamale, enchilada, and burrito.
Rice: fluffy but lacked flavor on its own. (6.5/10)
Beans: refried and melted in my mouth but was a bit salty. (6.5/10)
Coleslaw: best slaw I have had so far in a Mexican restaurant. I know it is loco but it tasted a bit like KCF coleslaw. (8/10)
Beef Enchilada: I usually do not order enchilada. When I do order this item, I stick with chicken. I heard someone say that all the guys she knows love the ground beef enchiladas here. I just had to try it. This is the hidden jewel. She was right on the money as the beef had plenty of flavors and went so well with the enchilada sauce. If I had to do it all over again I would have ordered two beef enchiladas and skipped the chicken burrito. (9/10)
Chicken Tamale: Moist in certain areas with a nice green sauce. Plenty of chicken here but I have had better. Tasted better when mixed with the sauce, rice and beans. (7/10)
Chicken burrito: This was a bit disappointing as the burrito was nothing more than chicken breast wrapped in tortilla covered in a green sauce. The roasted chicken breast was moist for most part but lacked the flavor on its own. (6.5/10)
I also tried some Mexican meatball soup. This was great stuff and wished I had ordered a bowl myself. Meatball was moist and veggie soup had great flavor. (10/10)
We did not have room for dessert but the waiter brought the bill and several pieces of Mexican caramel candy, Super Natilla. This stuff was amazing as I had three pieces and craved more.
Overall enjoyable meal with decent service and prices. Their “create your own” plates are the best bang for the buck. Great place for larger groups as they have several party sized tables in the back with a laid-back atmosphere.
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