Michael’s Grill & Taqueria

Great food and salsa… recommend the house burrito, shrimp tostada and the enchiladas… all delicious! The salsa is very good as well. Food is made with fresh ingredients. Very inexpensive and large portions (especially the burritos) I also think they have the best Michelada’s! Made with your choice of beer and about 5 blackened shrimp on the glass… it is a meal in itself. Service is good. Just a short walk from the Maya it is a great place to grab a bite before a movie.

My house burrito had 5 blackened shrimp and tons of chopped white meat blackened chicken. The taste was amazing! Like a train wreck that you can’t take yours eyes off it is a taste you can’t make yourself stop eating, even when you are full! Highly recommend.

Fresh and simple, not greasy. also try their catering service!
Quick downtown location and inexpensive

Excellent food, generous portions. Loved the combo plate roasted mushroom blackened shrimp tomatillo enchiladas!

Delicious food. Good Salsa. Fun to see surrounding old town Salinas. The service has been good as long as the main gal is there. When she has the day off, there is a shortage of good service.

Blackened chicken or shrimp Burrito… Yum… good and cheap…

Was empty when we arrived on a Saturday night around 7 pm. We read reviews on Unilocal about stuff that we should order. The blackened shrimp and chicken were delicious. The carne Asada was a let down. The rice wasn’t anything spectacular. I asked for all rice and no beans but ended up getting beans. That was fine I just gave them to my sister. The wait staff was nice. Got our food pretty fast. I would go back but only for the shrimp and chicken.

Good local menu, small quaint restaurant that had great carne asada. Everyone enjoyed their Mexican food and all ingredients were preparing fresh to order. The downside was no air conditioning on a warm day.

I love the food here and the fajitas are amazing! I know it’s not authentic but if that’s what you want, old town Salinas might not be the best place to find authentic Mexican food. Make sure to try the chicken! I did knock off one star as their service can be hit or miss. Also they seem to get the wrong prices when they ring you up or their prices on the menu are incorrect. Either way, food is great but service is the only issue with this place.

Pretty solid. Fun atmosphere and great service. The food is tasty but a touch on the gringo side for me. Yeah, I’m a gringo, pero me gusto comida authentica. You won’t be disappointed. I wasn’t but there are a couple other places I prefer in Salinas… like a few blocks away.

at first I thought this was like Michaels the arts and crafts store but after browsing the menu for about 30 mins I realized that they do not have yarn or bird houses or Styrofoam model California mission sets so I just got a burrito

This place is amazing. They have awesome service which is fast. Heir prices are cheap so it’s affordable to take your colleagues out for lunch. The food was awesome! I will be back!

This place is terrible! The enchiladas were inedible. The place was dirty and the staff unfriendly. It is a shame because the Michael’s in Pacific Grove is real good. Today’s lunch was very disappointing. And I didn’t even pay. I was their with my daughter and she just informed me she gagged her food down and said the chips are stale.

Nice Mexican food, great portions!

The food here is good so I cannot take away from that. Problem I had was going to order on a weekend, while out and about in downtown Salinas. Door was open, people inside, but the place was closed. The man said they were prepping for a party and could not help me. That’s no problem, I don’t need to spend my money here when there are 8 other Mexican food places within a block away. Would be cool if this place was open on the weekend, regular hours.

I love this Mexican resturant. They have the best blackened chicken taco’s that I have ever tried. The beans and rice are excellent as well. You have to try the food here. The staff is very friendly and attentive. Also good prices. You can’t beat it! Definitely 5 stars.

This is a must try. I have been going to Michaels since they opened and the food is always consistently excellent. The service is always great. My favorite is the house burrito, which has blackened shrimp and chicken! You will be back if you come here.

Had lunch at Michael’s today. Prices were average. I ordered Blackened Chicken Taco and Grilled Chicken Burrito. Both were prepared well and enjoyable. Service was good & friendly but very slow. Arrived at 12:35 — lunch hour, seated quickly but food took awhile and in turn I was late returning to office. Considered there may be unknown circumstances that slowed service. Will try again.

First, lets be very clear. This is not «Authentic» Mexican food. This is more of a «Mexican Inspired» menu. On the flip side of the coin, this place is FANTASTIC! Great flavor, CHEAP price and a laid back atmosphere. Free chips and salsa while you wait for your food. Very friendly staff.
House burrito — EXCELLENT! I cannot eat any type of Seafood, but this guys shrimp is Perfect! Also has chicken, rice, beans, etc…
Fajitas– blackened chicken and steak. Wow! Order this when you go there. If you don’t like it, I’ll buy you a gift card to McDonalds! Veg is cooked perfect, slight «bite» when you eat it. Chicken still juicy and steak is tender. Flour or corn tortillas… do yourself a favor and eat this!
La playa Combo — Comes with: 1 cheese enchilada, some chicken and shrimp. The enchilada looked more like a quesadilla with enchilada sauce. The sauce was good, but standard cheese and tortilla (Pass).
Sides — Rice was decent! I’ll eat it again, nothing to stay away from. They have black beans or refries beans. I’m normally not a fan of black beans, but these are great! Refried were also tasty! My choice: Black Beans.
Things to eat: BLACKENED CHICKEN, CHARBROILED CHICKEN, STEAK, SHRIMP & BLACK BEANS.
Things not to eat: Nothing yet, I’ll keep you posted!
Overall, I’m going back… SOON! All the food listed, cost me about $ 30 bucks. I can spend more than that at a fast food spot for my family.
#KCCO

We love Mexican food, and have tired of the bipolar choice between tiny food stands with great food but no place to sit, and El Torito-​style eateries offering tortilla-​wrapped family cuisine. So it was a true delight to discover Michael’s on our way from the Bay Area.
My wife loves fajitas and swears that these are the best she has ever had. The beef was tender, perfectly moist, and incredibly tasty. The rice was soft and not overlooked like it is in too many establishments. And the salsas were obviously homemade and truly superb.
My tostada salad was a joy. Everything was fresh and mixed wonderfully. If you are a cheese-​lover, rejoice: they do not skimp on cheese, but they don’t overdo it.
My advice: if you are on the 101 near Salinas, get the hell off of the freeway and come to Michaels. It is the closest thing to home cooking I have ever had at a Mexican restaurant.