On another trek to Palo Alto when I decided to meet my husband for dinner, we played it a bit more casual and not plan ahead. His boss recommended several places in the area, and we finally decided we should try Resposado. I always love trying new places, and I love Mexican flavors, so it seemed like an ideal choice. It was also incredibly popular, and we didn’t manage to get a seat until a bit later in the evening, but that could be a great sign, right?
Given we were having Mexican, a margarita to start was an obvious decision. There is a selection of several margaritas to try, plus mojitos and other cocktails. Sadly, the margaritas we ordered were not that exciting, so we quickly moved onto wine. The wine list isn’t very long, nor as exciting as other wine lists in the area, but I don’t expect wine lists at Mexican restaurants to be extensive. We hunted for something we thought would be amazing and tried to order it. Sadly, the menu also isn’t updated, so the wine we were looking for wasn’t exactly right, but we did manage to settle on something reasonable. They also provide an entire menu of their vegetarian options which is a nice added touch if that is your dining preference.
Chips, salsa and guacamole 
Datiles Rellenos
We opted to start with guacamole and the datiles rellenos, which are dates stuffed with chorizo and manchego and wrapped in bacon. The guac was very tomato heavy (which is something that frustrates me about places when they are trying to skimp on costs), so it wasn’t really amazing. Neither were the chips or the salsa that accompanied it. The dates were actually okay, but also not something that I probably couldn’t whip up easily at home.
Costilla Adobada 
Crepas Con Mariscos
For our main courses, we split the costilla adobada, an adobo braised short rib with a root vegetable puree, and the crepas con mariscos, corn crepes stuffed with seafood and covered in a poblano cream sauce. I’m a huge sucker for braised beef, so I was really excited, but overall the dish was kind of bland and uninteresting. The sauce didn’t have much of a kick to it and the puree was fairly average. The crepas were fantastic though, stuffed with several types of fish and seafood with a midly spicy and delicious sauce. I wish we had just ordered two plates of that to be honest.
The meal was quite filling, but it definitely felt subpar for the price that we were paying. I’m also glad to try new places, but Reposado is not a place on our list that needs to be revisited. While it has a nice atmosphere and decent service overall, I just really want my Mexican to have that exciting punch of flavor that Reposado lacks overall, even if they had one amazing dish.
Score: 3/5
Recommendation: The Crepas con Mariscos are fantastic if you do decide to visit!
Reposado
236 Hamilton Avenue
Palo Alto, CA 94301
