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Cafe Delicias, located in old town Auburn, CA, is one of four members of a small chain of restaurants in Placer County that offer fine Mexican cuisine, to all who enjoy fine dining in California's Gold Country. As with all restaurant reviews I publish, I have no affiliation with the restaurant reviewed, and there is no monetary gain on my part, as I am simply a person who likes to eat, and I love to write-up, and publish my dining experiences.
Photo: It's about 12:30 in the afternoon on Thursday, May 18, 2023, and I've arrived at Cafe Delicias to enjoy a delicious Mexican lunch, in historic, old town Auburn, CA. Note the sign that reads "Historic Lincoln Highway," as Auburn was along the old highway, which was one of the first coast-to-coast highways in the United States.
Photo: As you enter the restaurant, the main dining room exhibits the atmosphere of a Mexican cantina, housed inside an updated building, that traces it's roots back to the late 1800's. The decor is fun, festive, colorful and welcoming, and reflects the taste of the California gold country, meshed with the atmosphere of Mexico.
Photo: Friendly Eduardo, who seemed to be the only staff member working the restaurant, rings up an order at the cash register, located in the back of the restaurant. Look over his shoulder and you can get a peek into the kitchen.
Photo: The "New Cantina Full Service Bar" seemed to be a new addition to the restaurant, where a sign points the way to the new attraction.
Photo: Such a great bar, with a cozy, intimate dining atmosphere! It wasn't in use at the time of my visit, but my host poured draft Pacifico beer from the tap. The bar offers many brands of Mexican beer on tap, along with other brands of Mexican beer and domestic in bottles. There is a modest selection of wine, if that's your pleasure, and the bar can mix any drink of your choice, but Margaritas are the specialty drink of the house.
Photo: Every Tuesday, "Taco Tuesday" offers taco and drink specials. Too bad today was Thursday, as the specials listed on the board looked amazing!
Photo: I chose to sit in the banquet room, or second dining room, whatever you choose to label it as, because it is naturally lit from a skylight, which made for great photography. The room is decorated in bricks - most likely from the days dating back to the founding of Auburn in the 1860's - along with cedar wood paneling, painted a sort of cedar tone color of paint. Period photos of Auburn, along with photos of the historic mining days grace the walls, along with lots of Mexican decor to let you know, after all, you're enjoying fine Mexican cuisine in a Mexican restaurant. Note the red, white and green balloons, which represent the national colors of Mexico.
Photo: My host brought a basket of fresh tortilla chips and two varieties of in-house made salsa to my table, soon after I was seated. This was a truly unexpected, but welcome surprise, as this fine appetizer wasn't listed on the menu. The corn tortilla chips were fresh, crispy and deep fried "just right" to hold together, yet to be able to easily break apart, and hold together well for dipping. The large basket was meant to serve two people, but I was dining solo, and treated to a single basket. Yowza! I was treated to two small bowls of salsa that were made in-house, with a bowl of "Salsa Cruda" along with another bowl of chili-vinegar based salsa, with lots of flavor and a moderate amount of heat. The mild, tomato-onion-pepper based "Salsa Cruda" was on the sweet side, delicious and cool, and contrasted well with the "Chili" salsa, which was spicy and bold in flavor. I alternated dipping chips into each bowl of salsa, as each provided for an amazing, yet vastly different taste sensation. Great chips and salsa, on the house!
Photo: The "Lunch" menu, which is actually served weekdays during all hours, offers small plates just right for lunch. I looked it over and finally settled on "Tostada Choice" as I was in the mood for a healthy lunch. Click on the menu image, or THIS LINK to see the complete menu that Cafe Delicias offers.
Photo: My friendly host, Eduardo, delivers my side salad to my table with a smile, along with chips and salsa for guests at another table in the dining room. My chips and salsa, along with my mug of Pacifico beer are already on the table, and I'm enjoying them.
Photo: My lunch included an appetizer of a small side salad, which wasn't listed on the menu, and was a welcome surprise. When my host took my order, I was dumfounded when he asked me my choice of dressing for my salad. The salad was small and quite "basic," but was a bowl of fresh lettuce, with shredded purple cabbage and carrot. As per my request, it was topped with creamy ranch dressing. The salad was quite ordinary, but along with the chips and salsa, made for a very welcoming appetizer for my lunch.
Photo: Red white and green are the national colors of Mexico, and the dining room was decorated with balloons of the colors of Mexico, along with many black and white photos of Auburn, and Placer County, from "back in the day." If you want to dress like a staff member, tee shirts are for sale. Note the cedar paneled walls, which were painted a sort of cedar tone, that I'd never seen before in a Mexican restaurant. Cedar trees are native to the Sierra Nevada mountains, and grow in the Auburn area, and up the west slope of the mountains.
Photo: Meet my amazingly friendly host Eduardo, who brought my lunch to me with a smile, and provided excellent, friendly service.
Photo: Cheers! I raise my mug of Pacifico beer, and toast my great host, Eduardo, along with the fine staff of Cafe Delicias, located in Auburn, CA.
Photo: From the "Lunch" menu, I went with "#30 Tostada Choice," which gives you a choice between ground beef, chicken or shredded beef. Like all choices on the "Lunch" section of the menu, my lunch came with Mexican rice and refried beans. Surprise! As it was not listed on the menu, I enjoyed a small salad as an appetizer. The main event of my lunch was a tostada, which I rarely order, but it sounded good today. The tostada started on a semi-crispy, medium size corn tortilla, which was fried just right, so you could pick up the tostada with your hands and enjoy it "cave man" style, or eat it with the aid of a fork. I used a fork, as I'm just slightly on the civilized side when it comes to fine dining... The shredded beef was tender, seasoned and juicy, and was placed directly upon the corn tortilla. The portion size was not large, but it was ample and just right for lunch. Toppings included a small mountain of fresh, shredded lettuce, diced tomato, and shredded Mexican cheese, which made my tostada complete. Side dishes included Mexican rice, which was good, but not noteworthy along with refried beans, topped with perfectly melted, Mexican cheese, which added a lot of "goodness" to this delicious lunch. The tostada was simply delicious, and held together well when eaten with a fork, which was my option today. It was simply delicious with the right meat-tortilla-to-toppings formula, which made for great enjoyment. The sides of rice and beans enhanced the great lunch. The lunch I enjoyed could be described as Mexican cuisine, with a definite slant to American tastes, as it was very different than similar cuisine that I've enjoyed during my countless trips to Mexico. But, this is Auburn, and it's dining in California's Gold Country, and the food is delicious, and the atmosphere is friendly, at Cafe Delicias, in old town Auburn! As the name implies, Cafe Delicias serves delicious, "mainstream" Mexican cuisine, in a friendly dining atmosphere, in old town Auburn, along the historic Lincoln Highway. The food is delicious, the dining is comfortable, and the staff is efficient and friendly. Enjoy great Mexican cuisine at Cafe Delicias, located in Auburn, CA. Cafe Delicias Copyright(c) 2023 eRench Productions. All rights reserved. We've been on the web since December 22, 2002.
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