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COMAL is a gathering place located in Berkeley’s bustling Arts District, just north of the Downtown Berkeley BART Station. The restaurant is housed in a single-story building (circa 1927) and features a lush, secluded rear patio with a full bar, covered dining area, and al fresco beer garden with fire pit. Executive Chef Matt Gandin creates earthy, modern interpretations of dishes from throughout Mexico, with emphasis on Oaxaca and neighboring coastal regions. We offer an “all-Mexican” list of craft cocktails, house-made sangritas paired with our curated collection of agave spirits, and a diverse selection of local beer and wine on tap.
Modern design & Mexican cuisine meet at this eatery known for its cocktails & vibrant outdoor area.
Hours
| Friday | 5–10 PM |
| Saturday | 5–10 PM |
| Sunday | 5–9 PM |
| Monday | 5–9 PM |
| Tuesday | 5–9 PM |
| Wednesday | 5–9 PM |
| Thursday | 5–10 PM |
Address and Contact Information
Address: 2020 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley, CA 94704
Phone: (510) 926-6300
Website: http://www.comalberkeley.com/
Menu Photos
Order and Reservations
Reservations: tripleseat.com
Photo Gallery
Related Web Results
Comal | Mexican Restaurant in Berkeley, CA
Comal is a gathering place located in Berkeley’s bustling Arts District, just north of the Downtown Berkeley BART Station. Featuring a lush, secluded rear …
Menus | Comal in Berkeley, CA
See the menu for Comal in Berkeley, CA. Open for Pickup and Delivery only.
Reservations | Comal | Mexican Restaurant in Berkeley, CA
Comal is a gathering place located in Berkeley’s bustling Arts District, just north of the Downtown Berkeley BART Station. Featuring a lush, secluded rear …
Reviews
Chloe
This upscale Mexican restaurant has amazing vibes and delicious food. We sat inside, but there’s a really pretty shaded outdoor bar area with heaters that looked really nice too. The service was attentive, the food was very flavorful and felt like just enough to feel satisfied, but not so much you’re struggling to finish.
… moreAryan
Was pleasantly surprised by the atmosphere of the back area of Comal. From the front, it doesn’t really look that big but once your inside they an elegant sit down interior and then their back area has a tall ceiling and a very earthy vibe with a bar connected. The food itself is authentic. Especially their hand pressed tortillas. The prices are a bit steep but it’s worth it for a cute dinner date or elegant time with the family. I got the cod tacos which were extremely delicious. The tortillas are super soft and surprisingly light.
… moreBob Robert Sims
We were a large party booked with catering and a fixed menu. Our party wasn’t able to sit when we arrived so we went to the busy bar in the back and enjoyed excellent cocktails with superior bar service. Once at our table service was uneven at best. The server told us she was about to go on a ten minute break before she brought the entrees. She should have had more help. After a significant wait the manager got the meal served. The food was presented nicely and was very tasty. This is a restaurant that deserves another visit. One other comment should mention the rock hard wooden benches we were forced to sit on. I would have preferred to enjoy the delicious food a bit more comfortably.
… moreAlethea D
Had a lovely dinner there last night. Our waitress was very attentive. We had the whole roasted chicken and it came with lovely tortillas, beans and rice. Cocktails were yummy too. I liked the ceviche, though there could’ve been more shrimp. The Tlayuda was very good. Also, there were a lot of adorable children running around, which is always a plus.
… moreRaye Twist
Alex and Jose at the outdoor bar totally made our experience!! We enjoyed the Comal Swizzle and whole cod! Felt like in a different tropical country 🙂 Wow yum! Will be back with friends 🙂
… moreJason Matsumoto
We had some excellent food at Comal. We sat at the bar and got an up close and personal view of the well-run kitchen and its highly trained team. The food isn’t exactly 100% traditional Mexican cuisine, but it’s still firmly grounded in it. We had the carnitas tacos with citrus and the duck enchiladas as entrees and both were even better than we expected. The guacamole and three salsas paired with their chips were also delicious. We had a small snafu with the service, but after pointing it out, our server immediately corrected it to our satisfaction, which is all one can expect. All in all, our meal was a treat and we felt this place was deserving of its reputation and Bib Gourmand listing. We will be back!
… moreMark Riggle
Excellent meal prior to a show at the Greek Theatre. Started with a beautiful tequila flight and papas fritas and shared the ensalada picada and tlayuda (think Mexican pizza – NOT the Taco Bell kind!). Everything was excellent and the atmosphere was festive. Highly recommend and wish we could have eaten more because everything at the surrounding tables looked delicious!
… moreJames K
Fairly awful experience, but maybe just an off day (2/5). I brought a visiting friend to Comal, as I’d never been and figured it would be a nice place to try out. There were plenty of people having a great time out back, dancing to music under strings of lights in the lovely garden. Alas, we were having a not-so-great time inside.
The hostess was laughably rude. We seemed to interrupt a little tiff she was having with some dude and she was clearly unhappy having to pause her drama to deal with us. As we walked up she looked over and said “Yes?” in a very irritated tone. I felt like saying, well surprise surprise, we’d like a table! What do people who walk in normally want? Even though it was later in the evening and there were plenty of tables, she sat us right beside the bathrooms, as if to make it clear that she was unhappy with us interrupting her night.
The server was okay but honestly pretty cold. I guess he was a bit burned out after a long night. It also would have been nice to get some input on our order as we ordered chips & guac but also fried cassava. I was thinking that the cassava would be in chunks but they were actually shaved into chips. So we had chips and then more chips! The regular chips were not great (we were divided on the guacamole), the cassava chips were superfluous, and the mushroom quesadilla was, unfortunately, unremarkable. And it cost a lot. For just a quick drink and bite (2 x beers, 1 x guac and chips, 1 x cassava, 1 x quesadilla) it came to around $80 total.
Also, I’m scoring Comal 3.5/5 Green Stars for social and environmental impact, based on these factors:
• Comal’s menu caters reasonably well to vegetarians and also has a few vegan dishes.
• The biggest thing Comal could to do improve its impact is to remove beef from the menu – it’s well known (esp. since Poore & Nemecek’s seminal 2018 paper) that the environmental footprints of beef (carbon, land, etc.) dwarf those of other meats like chicken or pork (which in turn dwarf legumes). Shrimp also has large environmental footprints and impacts on ocean biodiversity, so that would be second in line to find a good substitute for.
• Comal is known for efforts to ensure a decent pay for staff (e.g., a fixed 20% service charge).
• The building was designed with sustainability in mind (re-use of materials, etc.)
• I believe that Comal does its best to reduce single-use plastic, for example in to-go orders.
• Decent selection of local draft beers, Numi tea.
• There’s no info on menu or website regarding ingredient sourcing.
• It is a nice gathering spot that also supports the community.
… moreThe hostess was laughably rude. We seemed to interrupt a little tiff she was having with some dude and she was clearly unhappy having to pause her drama to deal with us. As we walked up she looked over and said “Yes?” in a very irritated tone. I felt like saying, well surprise surprise, we’d like a table! What do people who walk in normally want? Even though it was later in the evening and there were plenty of tables, she sat us right beside the bathrooms, as if to make it clear that she was unhappy with us interrupting her night.
The server was okay but honestly pretty cold. I guess he was a bit burned out after a long night. It also would have been nice to get some input on our order as we ordered chips & guac but also fried cassava. I was thinking that the cassava would be in chunks but they were actually shaved into chips. So we had chips and then more chips! The regular chips were not great (we were divided on the guacamole), the cassava chips were superfluous, and the mushroom quesadilla was, unfortunately, unremarkable. And it cost a lot. For just a quick drink and bite (2 x beers, 1 x guac and chips, 1 x cassava, 1 x quesadilla) it came to around $80 total.
Also, I’m scoring Comal 3.5/5 Green Stars for social and environmental impact, based on these factors:
• Comal’s menu caters reasonably well to vegetarians and also has a few vegan dishes.
• The biggest thing Comal could to do improve its impact is to remove beef from the menu – it’s well known (esp. since Poore & Nemecek’s seminal 2018 paper) that the environmental footprints of beef (carbon, land, etc.) dwarf those of other meats like chicken or pork (which in turn dwarf legumes). Shrimp also has large environmental footprints and impacts on ocean biodiversity, so that would be second in line to find a good substitute for.
• Comal is known for efforts to ensure a decent pay for staff (e.g., a fixed 20% service charge).
• The building was designed with sustainability in mind (re-use of materials, etc.)
• I believe that Comal does its best to reduce single-use plastic, for example in to-go orders.
• Decent selection of local draft beers, Numi tea.
• There’s no info on menu or website regarding ingredient sourcing.
• It is a nice gathering spot that also supports the community.
James Kennedy
Ok really giving 5*.
I sat at the bar and the staff was incredible including drink recommendations. Great cocktails.
We ate heavy apps and the food was great. I need to come back and eat something from the wood fired grill.
Atmosphere is great.
I’ll be back.
… moreI sat at the bar and the staff was incredible including drink recommendations. Great cocktails.
We ate heavy apps and the food was great. I need to come back and eat something from the wood fired grill.
Atmosphere is great.
I’ll be back.
Peter Connolly
We ate dinner here at the beginning of November. I had the fish tacos and the wifey had the chicken tamales. We started with the guacamole appetizer with chips. I love the chips, they’re thick and crispy but my wifey thought that they were too greasy. What does she know? 😉
They bring a tray of three different sizes for the chips. Two of them are very good but I think the third one (the dark red one I think) might be able to help start the Berkeley fusion reactor. It is SPICY!
My fish tacos were fantastico! I thought the chicken tamales were good but the wife he thought they were a little bit too spicy. 🙁
On the atmosphere side, I’d advise you to try and get seats away from the outside seating as far as possible. There’s a constant cold wind from the outside; the waiters leave the doors open because they go through so often. Obviously this is mainly an issue during winter.
Be prepared to leave some time to park. Parking in downtown Berkeley can be a chore.
All in all I have to say that we love this place and we’ll be back again.
… moreThey bring a tray of three different sizes for the chips. Two of them are very good but I think the third one (the dark red one I think) might be able to help start the Berkeley fusion reactor. It is SPICY!
My fish tacos were fantastico! I thought the chicken tamales were good but the wife he thought they were a little bit too spicy. 🙁
On the atmosphere side, I’d advise you to try and get seats away from the outside seating as far as possible. There’s a constant cold wind from the outside; the waiters leave the doors open because they go through so often. Obviously this is mainly an issue during winter.
Be prepared to leave some time to park. Parking in downtown Berkeley can be a chore.
All in all I have to say that we love this place and we’ll be back again.