Stopped by on our way up to the Bay for a quick bite. It was right off the freeway which was convenient. We were happily surprised with our meals! We ordered the asada tacos, flauta plate, and agua fresca (cucumber and limon)- the flavors were good on everything. Service was friendly and fast and the ambience was casual. Will keep this spot in mind for future stops.

This food is amazing! The hand made chips were a hit and the camarones a la diabla is the best I have ever had. Service was excellent and quick! Good music and would highly recommend!

There is nothing on the menu that is not delicious. The pozole is outstanding. The mole negro is perfection, mole pascal is excellent. The tlayudas are spot-on. If you want Oaxacan go here. The only bad thing here is the parking and such a busy intersection.

Came here with a friend for dinner on Sunday evening around 5:45 pm. We were welcomed and seated quickly. Our server was friendly and gave us recommendations. I got chicken with the pascal and mole and my friend got a beef soup. The food was good and warm and came out pretty quickly. Overall a good experience and would come back if I am in the area again!

Don't let the size or rough exterior disuade you from stopping by. Small interior is bright and colorful murals. All the staff, including the owner, were eager to serve and smiling all the time. Cold cervezas arrived quickly. Incredible home me ade chips and salsa. We wanted something small and the street tacos delivered plenty of food and flavor packed - chicken and asada. We thank the receptionist at our hotel for the recommendation! Locals filled all the tables on a Sunday night.

We don't know Salinas but we do know the various Mexican regional cuisines. We found this place on Yelp searching for great Mexican in Salinas. And it was absolutely great. Not a lot of English spoken, the diners were mostly speaking Spanish, the menu had plenty of traditional dishes as well as vegetarian dishes in their "Blue Zone" section - particularly the mushrooms with green pumpkin seed sauce. Fantastic. Amazing guacamole, fresh chips, very good green chicken enchiladas, just great flavors. Thank you for a delicious treat! Muy rico! The staff was friendly and the service was quite rapid considering we ordered 5 dishes, guacamole twice, then moved our table outside. Our waitress put up with my imperfect Spanish and we got everything we ordered. The simple interior is very authentically Mexican. I have eaten in many places near my dad's house in Coatepec and Xalapa that are similar. We decided to go outside because the weather was so nice. We love great food without an "expensive" interior driving up costs. The bill was very reasonable especially for the quality. Highly recommend this to gringos and Oaxacans alike.

Stopped by Salinas on the way down south and found Culturas. They serve very authentic & traditional Mexican food -- not just your classic burritos, tacos that most Americans have grown to love. There were a few parties inside also having a great time with the food. The place is beautifully decorated with bright colors & murals. Tlayuda Oaxaquena Mixta - this was a new dish for me, reminded me of a thin crunchy base pizza, topped with beans, cheese, tomatoes, cecino & chorizo on top Quesabirria Tacos - perfectly crisp birria tacos with beef birria, consume Tamales Oaxaqueno - delicious banana leaf wrapped tamale with corn dough, mole, chicken I'd highly recommend coming by Culturas for a bite of authentic Mexican food! The servers were super sweet and gave us excellent recommendations. Check-out this family-owned establishing sharing their home cuisine!

Excellent food. The mole with chicken was delicious, light hint of spice and came with rice, beans, and tortilla. The tamale wrapped in banana leaf was also very flavorful, almost creamy. The chicken enchiladas were good too. The total came out to $40 and fed 2 hungry people with enough leftovers for one additional meal the next day. Well worth it and good quality/flavors. Would come back!

Absolutely delicious Mexican restaurant in Salinas featuring regional dishes that you may not find in other typical Mexican restaurants. They're also participating in the Monterey County Blue Zone initiative, meaning they have some really healthy and vegan options on the menu. Vegan tlayuda: Like a Oaxacan tostada, this was absolutely delicous and gigantic topped with black beans, avocado, and vegetables. Mole de Olla: A dish from Hidalgo, it's actually a beef soup (mole simply means sauce although most 'gringos" thinks it means the chocolate spicy sauce most often served on chicken, from Puebla, Mexico.) Filling and delicious, it's served with tortillas. The aguas frescas (fruit drinks) were refreshing. Service was friendly and prompt. Ambiance is casual and free parking in the lot. Highly recommended.

Oh, my. The most authentic and delicious Mexican food I ever had outside of Mexico City. It's had the double mole (black and green) that was the rival of my first mole in San Luis Potosí. I can't say enough about this place. Wonderful wait staff and really - really - good food.