Cascal

Go here if you like people who are jerks.
Do not got here if you enjoy any of the following: service, food, ambiance.

I wish that I could give an extra half star for a total of 3.5 stars.
I meet a couple of coworkers here for a 4:30 appointment and it was a ghost town. I was warned that shortly it would get crazy busy, and sure enough by 6pm the place was packed and the line was long.
The food was good, but nothing that made me rethink the way I feel about food. The best items on the menu was the mushroom empanada and lamb chop. I was not a fan of the melted queso dish.
What did I learn today? City parking without meters? What! Such a novel idea.

Great Mole! Wonderful salsa’s with the peanut at the top of the list! I really appreciate the homemade tortillas.

This was a pleasantly designed restaurant — loved the tall ceilings and dimly lit interiors. Classier than I expected!
Mushroom Empendas: these were toasted, crunchy and was the perfect ratio of mushroom to dough. The mushroom blend was an incredible mix with cheese, and was so earthy and rich in flavor. The mushrooms were so aromatic and it was definitely my favorite dish of the night. The truffle oil added a really nice touch to it.
Ahi Tuna Ceviche: decorated with lime, avocado, pineapples. Loved the pineapples, brought color and sweetness, and also appreciated the zesty combination.
Paella Cascal: ordered the small paella, which turned out to be HUGE. The rice was extremely rich with flavor and soaked up every bit of goodness. Great flavors, but it was definitely on the salty side though. I also thought the mussels and shrimp were slightly dry, but the chicken and pork were fantastic.
Note: slightly on the noisy side, not the best place for intimate conversations!

It’s an enthusiastic 4 stars as well!
I love me some Spanish food. And after eggs benedict, there is nothing I like to be pickier about than my tapas. In general I was impressed.
Firstly, and most importantly, their tortilla de patata was really good. This IS the staple spanish dish, so if you can’t do that well… But Cascal was spot on — one of the better Tortilla de Patata I’ve had and perfect aioli.
The beef empanada (while not really spanish, cause turns out they are latin fusion as well) were also excellent. extremely flaky butter dough, and very flavorful moist filling. The creamy sauce complimented them perfectly.
Patatas Bravas tasted like patatas bravas — I wasn’t blown away, but I couldn’t say anything that was wrong about them. They aren’t actually on the menu — but you can still order them.
I was under whelmed by the albondigas. The lamb flavor was nice, but hey were kinda dry and just didn’t have that umph I was looking for, also, albondigas are really meant to be in tomato sauce — not humus.
The Gazpacho was good — I prefer the southern salmorejo variety, but this was still solid and refreshing.
They have a good list of cocktails and also beer and wine choices. The Red Sangria was good — strong.
Everything was very nicely presented.
Big place — lots of seating and lots of outdoor seating with heat lamps. I love outdoor seating.
Not cheap, but hey we aren’t in Spain after all…

Decided to come here before we went to the movies. It’s a very big and open space restaurant. Many families with kids were dining at the same time. We ordered several dishes… just ok. Empanadas had a very heavy dough that took away from the mushrooms. The ceviche needed something else to bring out the flavor of the fish. The short ribs were good. The corn was very good, which had that nice roasted smokey flavor.

This place is really fun for dinner on week nights. Food is consistent. I really liked the shrimp tostaditos and the wild mushroom empanadas. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the fondue, it wasn’t spicy enough to be interesting in my opinion. There are lots of drunk options which is really fun! It’s usually pretty busy here, but the bar typically has open seats. I noticed lots of groups, and the staff doesn’t rush you to leave, I ended up staying 2 hours so that was very appreciated!

Mostly good tonight. Ambiance: casual. Service: friendly. We were seated right away without reservation. After that, once we were ready to order and no one came… we had to grab ourselves our own waiter… but the place was busy. I’ve lunched and dined at Cascal on many occasions and tasted most dishes on the menu. This time we got:
Spanish Gazpacho $ 8
Spanish Tapa Sampler $ 29
Braised Pork Belly $ 12
Paella a la Marinera sm $ 26 lg $ 46
Gazpacho with fresh zesty tomatoes, great start. The sampler had everything in it, and then some — very good. Braised pork belly, irresistible, a bit too salty though, with fresh green apple papaya salad (wish there was more of that salad).
Our waiter stopped by to ask if we were interested in the dessert menu. Oh, wait, but we’re still expecting the Paella? My guess is, they forgot we had ordered it, because it took another hour before the Paella was served. It worked out just fine though, as we had some extra time to digest the very full meal we have had thus far!
The Paella was delicious except for a few slightly undercooked pieces of octopus, but we couldn’t finish it. Good meal!

Gave this place another try because I was craving paella. We started off our meal with the ceviche trio and the shrimps. Neither were very impressive, but at least we could finish the shrimp. Can’t say the same thing about the different types of ceviche… For our entrée, we split an Argentinian meat platter that included a steak, lamb chops and pork belly and the seafood paella. Both dishes are good enough to eat, but neither are good enough to warrant a recommendation to order. I would go with something else on the menu if I were you, or maybe somewhere else, lol.
The service is excellence and I really enjoyed the ambiance at night, but that isn’t too important if you’re here to eat and not satisfied with the food, haha.

The worst experience ever!!! Went for our anniversary dinner yesterday, the food is baaaaadddd. And also our experience was really bad, my husband secretly asked to get something special for us (to surprise me) as it was our anniversary and they said yes they will get something at the end but they didn’t, that’s not how u run your business, that’s so unprofessional.
We are vegetarians our server got us a chicken dish first and then later realized it was not for our table and at the end he gave us a wrong cheque and we didn’t check the bill and were about to pay and then he realized again that he had given us a wrong cheque.
How can somebody do so many mistakes in one night at one table.
Never going back
Cascal ruined our special night.

Had a late dinner here at 9:30pm Saturday night. We had a reservation and were seated right away. There were some seats available towards the very back of the restaurant, but luckily we got seated near the front where the live band was playing! It was pretty noisy in the restaurant with everyone trying to talk over the band, but I prefer that over an eerily quiet restaurant where everyone can hear your (super seekrit) conversation. ;-)
My bf was wearing jeans and a t-​shirt, and he felt a bit under dressed since all the guys in the room were wearing some variation of a collared shirt! So make sure to dress up a bit!
Food:
We got the red sangria, scallop ceviche, paella with shrimp & sausages in it, and the pork belly.
The scallop ceviche was a white cream with a generous amount of scallops and diced vegetables. It came with pita & tortilla chips on the side. I am not a big fan of creamy, but this dish was delicious! It was the right combination between creamy and refreshing.
My favorite was the pork belly, it was very tender and juicy with just the right amount of fattiness. It just melted in our mouths, and we both had food-​gasms!
The paella was good, I have had better, but still very tasty.
Sangria was alright, could have had more fruit in it and been less watery (too much ice put in it)
The total for our meal was around $ 80~ which I think is pricey for tapas, but we left the restaurant full & content with all the delicious food we ate so it was worth it!
Service:
Waiters were attentive, although our server did get our drink order wrong! We ordered a red & white sangria, but both received a red sangria.
Overall, great experience! We will be coming back again :-)

Cascal is a solid choice, if you’re in downtown Mountain View!
They serve Latin style tapas (small appetizers), great for collaborative ordering and sharing! They’ve also got AWESOME paella, if you’re on a ‘see’food diet.
I ordered the Cascal Paella, the skirt steak tapa, the mushroom tapa, and the white fish ceviche.
I would avoid the mushroom tapa, as I felt it lacked flavor and looks awfully sad and burnt upon arriving to the table. The white fish ceviche was tasty, with white fish slices marinated in lime juice and red onions but it wasn’t mind blowingly good.
The star of Cascal and why everyone dines here is the PAELLA! It’s so delicious! Perfect amount of rice, meat, and seafood! It comes out pipping hot so beware! I would also ask for extra lemons on the side because a squeeze of lemon really brightens up the dish. A small order of paella is great for two people.
Cascal also has great happy hour options and live music/​bands I believe on weekend nights. Great place for date night or a night out mingling and munching with friends!

Great as always. Empanadas are still my Fav & the Lamb Chop were delicious. o
I would skip the octopus salad… very sweet. Eggplant tartine was great when served hot.

Came for a work celebration with about 12 people on monday night. Sat outside. No reservations outside. Only reservations inside which was already full by the time we tried reserving same-​day. Table settings arent anything fancy, but the price means it better good. Luckily the food was awesome.
Tapas:
2x Roasted Sea Scallops (4 1 inch scallops); These were really good. They were cooked just right. A picky scallops person would love these because they are still soft when brought to the table. Many places don’t do scallops right and overcook it and it becomes a tough mass. ⁵⁄₅
2x Fried Calamari (includes tentacles); I always get fried calamari whenever its offered and this places does it well. The only wish they gave more since half of the dish is fried veggies. ⁵⁄₅
2x Wild Mushroom Empanadas (3 pieces); These were highly suggested by all the people on Unilocal so I made sure to get some. They were good, but not out of this world I felt. ⁴⁄₅
2x Braised Pork Belly (3 pieces); The pork belly was melt in your mouth good. Very fatty and super soft. I wish I got more of this. ⁵⁄₅
2x Lamb Chops (3 small chops); The lamb chops were very soft and fatty which I love so much. ⁵⁄₅
Personally, I would get all these dishes again, but priority would go to the pork belly first: D
2x Peruvian Ceviche; I have no idea what good ceviche should be. I noticed this is not as lime-​tasting as other ceviche so I liked it more in that respect. ⁴⁄₅. The coworker who really likes ceviche thinks this is more ³⁄₅.
2x large Paella a la Marinera (seafood); The large are so big. We had about 8 people split the two larges, but you could easily do all 12 considering the amount of appetizers we had. I would say a large can comfortably feed 5 people if thats all you ate. There was a ton of seafood in there including scallops, shrimp, mussels and clams. Again the scallops were super soft, so this dish was well prepped.
1x vegetable paella: The vegetarians had this. I had some, it was good, but obviously I rather had meat.
The only problem was the seafood paella came out within 15 mins, but the veggie paella came out after like 30 mins. The vegetarians didnt like the waiting. oh well, the solutions is dont bring vegetarians with you hahaha.
Beware that what we ordered for our group was pretty pricey. If you’re just a couple or a small group of friends, you can definitely get your fill here with just the paella.
Service was good. Parking is easiest at the parking garage across California St.

My wife has been talking about this place ever since she was here with her friends… so finally we ended up going here after almost 4 cancelled plans.
Set on the happening Castro St… this is a nice place on the corner with ample patio seating and good enough indoor seating… The food as the name suggests is «Tapas»…small plates… we got the mushroom empanadas… Queso Fondido and spanish fries.
I didnt really care for the spanish fries but the empanadas and the Queso were delicious… the complimentary bread served is delicious… we got some with pumpkin seeds another sponge like warm soft bread… everything was delicious…
This trip was well worth the wait…

This is my first time coming to Mountain View for food. Our family of 7 were seated right away with reservation. The service was very nice and attentive. Overall ok food and good dining experience.
First off, Sangria: It is a bit too juicy and not enough alcohol (3)
Ceviche trios (Peruvian ceviche, scallops ceviche, and ahi tuna tartar): Peruvian ceviche was the best out of three. It lacks a little spice and overall average. Scallop flavor was lost in this ceviche. The ahi tartar taste more like poke. (3)
Tapas sampler: It was a bit disappointing as it is more of a random charcuterie board garnishes put together rather than real tapas sample (2)
Mushroom empanada: we all loved this! I was so excited that the empanadas were baked instead of deep fried and truffle and mushroom flavors were amazing. We also ordered the beef empanada and I was not very impressed with the fillings and seasoning. The mushroom is a win! (5)
Pork belly is defniitely a win. The combination of a flavorful braised pork belly with a tart Apple salad is great (5)
The rest of the plates were ok (3s). Steak was average and not too special. The paella was also average and a bit too wet and mushy. Octopus salad: good texture for octopus but it can use a bit more of the grilled flavor.

I’ve been here three times now for various work lunches, and while the food is tasty, it’s a bit expensive for what it is. I don’t think I’d come here on my own. I’m sure there’s some who would say rhst if this is just the cost of food in the peninsula, there are better places for this type of food. (Limon in SF immediately comes to mind!)
I’ve tried the short rib adobo, mushroom empanadas, Spanish omelette, and paella, and while everything was fine, nothing was particularly mind-​blowing. Again, I don’t mind eating here when it’s being paid for by work, but not sure if she’ll out $ 15 – 20 for the food if I were coming here on my own.

I just love this place! The colorful décor is so festive, the food is delicious and consistent, drinks are strong and tasty, and service is always friendly. I’ve tried practically everything on the menu, but my favorites are the mushroom empanadas (I dream of them sometimes) and the braised pork belly. The food is so flavorful and I really like tapas style so you can try a little bit of everything when you share. The more the merrier! They also make killer caipirinas — if you haven’t tried it before, please order one! I like the original and passion fruit. Oh and the free bread? SO good! The bread always comes out warm and I could just drink that dipping sauce it comes with! And just a side note… their restrooms are always clean too!

I’ve lived in Sunnyvale since 1979 but have never been to Cascal, until someone else paid for the meal!
We knew the restaurant was located at the intersection of Castro and California in downtown Mountain View. We circled the block looking for parking at 230pm on a Saturday afternoon, finally parking two blocks away in the 2 hour parking lot across from the library.
Our tennis team has a Hawaiian theme. Our captain raced over and greeted my wife and I in true Aloha fashion with bear hugs galore. She was in a great mood, as the team had just won the first round of our playoffs.
We took seats in the back of the elegant restaurant, with tall majestic windows rising up to the cathedral ceilings, with magnificent orange lighting.
Most of the 32 guests came alone, with a few couples, like the wife and myself. The women dressed up, while the men who came alone dressed in their faded jeans. The men who came with their wives dressed up a bit better –I had almost new jeans. The wives acted as handlers for their husbands. Who says the men wear the pants in the house?!
Menus were passed out, but the captain said she had specific dishes she would get, and asked if that was OK? She looked specifically at me, the guy who always doggy bags our catered food left overs at the tennis courts. Captain, whatever you order I will eat!
Drinks first –I don’t drink, but order the first of two orange juices –quality orange juice, if not freshly squeezed. Others had beer, wine and other liquors.
Salads came, including a Brussel sprouts salad, with Fuji apples, almonds, cranberries with mustard lemon dressing. Beautifully prepared and presented. How exquisite!
Beef Empanada with Argentinian braised beef with green olives and raisins. Another great appetizer.
Spanish tapa sampler with mussels, prawns, scallops, deviled eggs, beans. olives and bread. I was lucky that the dish came to me first, where I without hesitation grabbed one of two skewers of grilled prawns and scallops.
Beef short rib adobo with baked corn bread –another hit!
The piece de resistance was the Paella Cascal, with chicken, sausage, mussels, prawns, Spanish rice, and onions. Loaded with tons of prawns, this was the best Paella I have ever tasted.
The lunch ended with a huge white cake, emblazoned with all the players’ names, with a mango cream tasting interior.
No speeches, with two huge thank you cards for our captain and her co-​captain husband circulating around for everyone to sign.
Our captain got up and disappeared briefly at the end. No, she didn’t stick us with the four digit bill?! Relax, the lady lost her way, taking the scenic route to the women’s bathroom. Besides, we wouldn’t let her husband get off without paying the bill.
Last moments of the lunch with everyone glued to their smart phones, watching our Warriors. The last 9 second of the game lasted like 30 minutes real time. Warriors win a nail biter, just like our tennis team did today.
Five stars for our captain, our co-​captain and Cascal.
Our captain had just beat our opponents today, stocked with ex-​players who had defected from our team. Revenge is sweet, but Cascal is even sweeter!

After just one visit to Cascal, I’m hooked. I usually don’t venture this far down Castro but I would go to the ends of the Earth for Cascal. Think I’m exaggerating? Try their queso fundido and you’ll know I’m not messin’ around.
My boyfriend and I came to Cascal for some last minute happy hour drinks and tapas. The place was packed but we were still seated within 20 minutes. I would highly recommend making a reservation beforehand to avoid a wait.
If I had known just how great Cascal’s happy hour was I would have been posted up at the bar all afternoon. My boyfriend and I paid a grand total of $ 8.50 for a house chardonnay and a jalapeño margarita. Not what I’m used to paying on Castro for an actually good drink!
If the happy hour prices aren’t enough to sway you, the food should be. My boyfriend and I decided to share 4 tapas which was plenty, seriously more than that and I may have exploded.
Fried Calamari: crusted in corn masa and fried to a perfect golden brown, the calamari is the perfect combination of fresh, crunchy and spicy. Served with a thick, creamy chipotle aioli.
Queso Fundido: cheese lovers rejoice! This dish is pure, melty, cheesy goodness that may leave you with gallbladder pain but it is so. freaking. worth it.
Grilled Serrano Ham and Date Brochette: I almost don’t want to tell you guys how good these were because I want to go back and order them ALL for myself. The dish comes with 4 Serrano wrapped dates stuffed with cheese that are impossibly sweet, crunchy and downright sinful.
Shrimp Tostaditos: served cool/​cold, this dish comes with two sizable toasted tortillas smothered in fresh shrimp & guac.
On top of the excellent food and drinks, our service was on point. Our waitress was friendly and funny and made the dining experience even more enjoyable.
I think I’ve definitely found my new favorite spot in Mountain View, I can’t wait to try even more from the tapas menu!

Ce grand resto espagnol ou plutôt hispanique stratégiquement situé au rez-​de-​chaussée d’un bâtiment récent est un très bon endroit pour passer une belle soirée d’été indien. La terrasse s’imposait doublement: douceur de l’air californien et… boucan de la musique live à l’intérieur, agréable de loin mais excessif de près pour ce qui reste une salle de resto et non une salle de concert. Les amateurs appréciaient cependant et c’est vrai que le guitariste de flamenco n’était pas manchot.
Au rayon bouffe, j’ai testé la grande assiette de tapas espagnoles, sympathiques et goûteuses même si elles auraient pu être un peu plus variées.
Service un peu inégal suivant à qui vous avez affaire: serveuse WASP revêche ou serveur latino agréable et attentionné.
Une bonne adresse sur Castro en tous cas !

Cascal, c’est vraiment un de mes endroits préférés pour les débuts de soirée à Mountain View!
Ils servent surtout des tapas et ont une bonne paëlla aussi. Je recommande les ceviches. Un régal.
Leur carte des boissons est très fournie aussi. Beaucoup de vin, du vin espagnol mais pas que, et des cocktails !
Ils vous feront le virgin cocktail (sans alcool) de votre choix sur demande, pour vraiment un bon prix. Tous les serveurs sont très gentils et amicaux.
La terrasse est super agréable et ils ont des radiateurs pour les soirées un peu plus fraiches. Vraiment sympa.

Era uno de esos días. Tiempo frío almuerzo diciembre y todo el mundo está teniendo celebración grupo. Mi amigo y yo nos sentamos en el bar de tapas pedidos hasta nuestra mesa estuvo disponible, después de 45 minutos. Dado que esto fue durante el almuerzo de trabajo, teníamos todo virgen.
«Peruvian ceviche” – Empezamos con ceviche peruano. Me pareció que era muy delicioso y fresco. Casi como el ceviche me volvería a comer en Centroamérica. Tuvimos más pan mientras esperábamos.
Finalmente, pedimos tapas, ya que nuestra mesa no iba a estar disponible pronto. La comida era increíble.
Nos quedamos en las «Crab & Shrimp Tostaditos» — tortillas Crisp rematado con cangrejo fresco, el camarón, aioli chipotle, guacamole y crema. ($ 13). Greens excelente, fresca mezclada con todos los ingredientes anteriores.
Entonces, «Lamb Enchiladas» — Este fue el cordero fresco asado con una salsa roja y verde y una roja cebolla ensalada jícama ($ 10.50).
Por fin nos dieron una mesa, y terminó la comida restante.
«Cuban Wrap» — Este fue cortado, lomo de cerdo adobado adobo, rodó en la casa de tortilla recién hecho con un mojo de cilantro,
berro, pimiento del piquillo ensalada ($ 11)
Para el postre, flan. Muy sabrosa.
El personal era genial. Atento pero sin agobiar. Polite sin ser estirado.