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Palenque Kitchen - Riverside, Riverside, CA

Palenque Kitchen - Riverside

4.2
4.2
411 Reviews
$30 and under
Mexican

Make a reservation

2 people
10:30 PM
Booked 8 times today
  • Good for special occasions
  • Good for groups
  • Great for creative cocktails
Right in the midst of downtown Riverside, California, is Palenque Kitchen. It is said to have the best Mexican in downtown Riverside. The funky atmosphere features colored lighting, lounge areas and some Mexican art. The private dining area is also ideal to book your celebration or event. The hip and fun staff will help you choose from all the amazing dishes on offer.

Palenque Kitchen serves up authentic regional Mexican cuisine but with a modern twist. Start with one of handcrafted margaritas we offer or a beer if liquor is not your preference. Our Ceviche baja style is the perfect starter to share with the group. Fish tacos, carnitas and carne asada and El Patron our signature dish, are just feature some of the many amazing entree options. Top off your meal with our Palenque Cake or some authentic churros.

Additional information

  • Phone number
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Mexican, Latin / Spanish, Mexican / Southwestern
  • Hours of operation
    Mon 5:00 pm–9:00 pm Brunch Sat, Sun 11:00 am–2:30 pm Dinner Tue–Thu 5:00 pm–10:00 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–12:30 am Sun 4:00 pm–9:00 pm
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    Park on the building's structure on Market St. between University Ave. and Mission Inn Ave.
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive chef
    Rolando Rubalcava

What 411 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.2
4.2 based on recent ratings
  • 4.3Food
  • 4.2Service
  • 4.4Ambience
  • 4.1Value

NoiseModerate

Loved For

  • Inland Empire

    Mexican

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Palenque Kitchen - Riverside offers an "amazing brunch experience" with "top notch service," featuring standout dishes like octopus and French toast. The lively ambiance is ideal for celebrations, though music volume can be high. "Great vibes" and attentive staff enhance the dining experience, making it a "fun" and "delicious" spot for any occasion.

411 Reviews
  1. OpenTable Diner VIP

    Los Angeles2 reviews

    3.0

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 3
    Had dinner here, my friend took me out for my birthday. We put it on the OpenTable reservation but they didn’t do anything so not sure if they even look at it. Food was ok. The pulpo was SUPER chewy but the brussel sprouts that came with it were good. I had the quesa birria tacos, that was really good actually but the rice and beans taste like from a can. Not much flavor, the rice was under cooked ? Service was also sub par , we had to ask to get water refilled and they didn’t clear dirty dishes even tho they stood there and saw the table. That’s why I gave it 3/10 for overall experience. Don’t think I would go back. Maybe later down the line when they improve.

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  2. Natalie

    Orange County1 review

    1.0

    Dined on February 9, 2025

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 3
    I came in for dinner with a friend and the hostess said we can’t get a seat inside without a reservation so they sat us outside in the cold even though it was not very busy. So I got online and checked if there were any reservations. It was 8:30 at that point and I saw there was a res available at 8:45 so I booked it. I went back to the hostess to tell her and she was visibly annoyed with us and told us we have to wait until 8:45 and confirmed my name 4 times, she did not believe me. A few minutes later she came to seat us and was very rude. They were turning away people when there were many reservations available. It’s bad business and bad service. The hostess was very rude. And then the food and drinks were a total of around $120 and it was barely any food, not great taste, drink was not good, terrible value for your money. Very disappointed, will not be coming back

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  3. Alexis

    Los Angeles1 review

    5.0

    Dined on February 2, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Excellent service! Food was delicious. Will definitely be back

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  4. Robert

    Los Angeles1 review

    3.0

    Dined on February 2, 2025

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 5
    The food was excellent. We had to look for the waiter and ask him to come and take our dinner order after we finished an appetizer, and every time we wanted a drink refill. The waiter never never checked in to see if we need anything. The food was outstanding so we will go back despite poor service.

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  5. Angel

    Los Angeles1 review

    4.0

    Dined on January 26, 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Food was good, the service even better....excellent!

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  6. Jhazmyn

    Los Angeles2 reviews

    3.0

    Dined on January 5, 2025

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 3
    Brunch looks better on IG. Ordered 4 brunch entrees and only one was decent (French toast). Dinner is pretty good.

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  7. Michael VIP

    Los Angeles14 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on January 5, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We were given a spacious booth and received service quickly. We started with the margarita sampler, which seemed like three margaritas for the price of two, and they were delicious and strong. For food, we had the queso fundido with chorizo and the papas bravas and both were very good. The queso came with two small tortillas, so we asked for chips. The potatoes were well seasoned, but we asked for salsa and that made them better. We also shared the campechano tacos and they were delicious. Great service too.

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  8. Punit

    Los Angeles1 review

    3.0

    Dined on December 23, 2024

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 4
    Food is not bad, about same quality as El Torito but way overpriced. And this is coming from somebody who lives in Pasadena. Same cost as some trendier Mexican restaurants in Pasadena but nowhere near the taste.

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  9. Luz

    Los Angeles1 review

    5.0

    Dined on December 22, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 5
    Food was good , but service was not ok !!! Once we got out food waiter only checked on us once after that he never came back . We could have used refills on out drinks

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  10. Lizette

    Orange County6 reviews

    4.0

    Dined on December 22, 2024

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Small place and cute. Food is good for brunch or late dinner.

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FAQs

Palenque Kitchen - Riverside does offer delivery in partnership with Postmates. Palenque Kitchen - Riverside also offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (951) 888-2240.

Palenque Kitchen - Riverside is rated 4.2 stars by 411 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people
10:30 PM
Booked 8 times today
Google Map for Palenque Kitchen - Riverside

3737 Main Street, Suite 101, Riverside, CA 92501

Additional information

  • Phone number
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Mexican, Latin / Spanish, Mexican / Southwestern
  • Hours of operation
    Mon 5:00 pm–9:00 pm Brunch Sat, Sun 11:00 am–2:30 pm Dinner Tue–Thu 5:00 pm–10:00 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–12:30 am Sun 4:00 pm–9:00 pm
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    Park on the building's structure on Market St. between University Ave. and Mission Inn Ave.
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive chef
    Rolando Rubalcava
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Cookies and Interest-Based Ads
  • Cookie Preferences
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