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in love

4 Posted on 06 / 02 / 2011

I love Alto Cinco. I love their beer selections, I love their food. The staff has always been friendly. Sometimes it can get pretty slammed in dining area and the service isn't the fastest, but I can always tell the servers are working hard, so I don't really mind if my food takes a bit longer than normal or if I don't get a follow up visit from my server, it's well worth the wait to me. However, most the time I go there I don't have any issues with service. The atmosphere is also fantastic. My current favorite is the Angelino burrito and the Vegan quesadilia with BBQ tofu added inside. Yum. The servers all know what veganism is, so there is never any confusion or frustrating incidents.

Pros: nice dining atmosphere, great food
Cons: can get crowded

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Worth a trip

4 Posted on 03 / 05 / 2011

Alto Cinco offers some good options for Vegetarians/vegans. They have good food, service is usually pretty good.
The restaurant is so crowded tables are back to back. I guess that just shows that lots of people like to eat there.

Pros: Good Food , Veg options
Cons: VERY crowded

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possibly best burrito on the east coast

4 Posted on 09 / 06 / 2009

shortly after moving to San Francisco you are indoctrinated in the church of Cali-Mex food in which you are forced to repeat "there is no good burritos on the east coast." which, is almost entirely true. however, when i have returned to visit my parents in Syracuse i have always found myself going to Alto Cinco and getting the Super-Vegan Burrito, extra spicy. And it still holds up as an excellent burrito, even after all the amazing burritos I must consume on a near daily basis as a bike courier in San Franciso. The only downside is you pay at least a dollar more than a similar burrito in San Francisco (i've got my spot that i pay under 4 bucks for a burrito with guacamole) and you don't get free chips!

Pros: Tasty Burrito, Good Guac, Friendly Staff
Cons: You pay for chips, Vegan Burrito on the high side of price

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Not so impressed

3 Posted on 01 / 25 / 2008

I've heard the locals rave about this restaurant, but as a Texan, I was raised on Mexican food, and this restaurant is not so impressive to me. First of all, it's my first experience with a Mexican food restaurant in which you have to pay for chips and salsa (and they are not cheap). Second, the food is relatively expensive. Finally, I wasn't impressed with the quality of my food. I'm sure I'm just a mexican food snob, but for the prices I paid there I believe I ought to be blown away. I simply was not. Like the above reviewer mentioned, it is a very small space and the wait for a table can be long. However, the flip side of that is a cozy little space with a pretty cool feel to it. My waitress was very friendly, though over-worked. In short, I enjoyed the environment and the service, I didn't enjoy the food or the prices. Again, the locals seem to love it - I don't. Color me a Mexican food elitist.

Pros: friendly staff, nice environment
Cons: expensive, mediocre mexican food

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A-MAZING

4 Posted on 08 / 22 / 2007

Fabulous food, extremely tasty, reasonable prices, easily vegan options, very friendly. Fairly small, best to get there early evening if you expect a seat. They also have a large take out menu as well.