Culturas Hidalgo & Oaxaca Restaurant - Salinas (CA)

3 /5 Cesar Munoz: So to start off our waiter was really nice and very attentive so that was good anyways the first thing I ordered was an horchata and honestly it was mid at best the only thing that was really holding it back was the fact that it was so watery I had no like creamy sort of like milky texture to it it just tasted like it had milk rice cinnamon and sugar but no condensed milk and lechera which is like one of the most important parts that give it that signature flavor but anyways after that I wanted something warm so I got un atole de cacahuate and that was pretty decent at first but then as I started to taste it more and more the flavor was getting stronger so it is pretty good and then for the actual food honestly the rice was so good I really liked it it had really good flavor I like the little vegetable pieces that it had in it and for the beans honestly the texture was pretty bad the beans were quite running instead of being more thick cuz thats how I normally refried beans are so they needed to let them cook a little longer so that they would get thicker and then for the actual pascala and honestly I thought it was going to be basically the same like regular mole but just green because thats what it says on the menu that its green mole but anyways if it felt like very mushy instead of like a thick consistency that normally mole is oh so you can see in the image all the water on the side which can give you an idea of how liquidy this was also what was kind of weird is that it felt like if you Blended a bunch of vegetables together and then added water and put it over some boiled chicken and lastly the tortillas are realyy good they are nice and thin and also for the pascala it has like no flavor I was putting it on the tortilla with the beans and rice and I could literally taste the beans more than the actual sauce thats supposed to have more flavor and I also forgot to mention the beans had really good flavor as well just a texture messed them up

5 /5 Pietsch Walter “Wally”: Colorful hole in the wall, conveniently located close to 101. Large parking lot with handicap parking in front of the entrance or street parking. Very friendly and helpful staff, warmly greeted. Delicious, authentic food dishes from Hidalgo and Oaxaca. Extensive menu with vegetarian section. Very tasty, big portions, reasonably priced. We got take out (due to late arrival) and returned two days later for dinner. Yummy, highly recommended. Best Mexican food I recall. Apparently a family run business, lots of local patrons. Very busy in the evening, but order was served quickly. Must have restaurant stop when transiting or coming to Salinas!

5 /5 Spam Patel: Yummy! What a great treat after a long day of hiking! Horchata was delicious and they have a vegan menu! Thank you so much for the great food and the exceptional service. Will definitely be coming back when I’m in the area :)

5 /5 Shidoni: Happened upon this gem while passing through Salinas. The best Oaxacan spot we’ve been to yet. We ordered half dark/green mole, quesabirrias, and pozole which were all packed with flavor. Agua frescas were also refreshing. Our server was so helpful in giving recommendations as it was our first time. Parking can be a bit difficult to find when busy so you might have to circle around.

4 /5 KDG: First time here. Was greeted very warmly by the staff. Ordered an enchilada plate, three tacos, and a side of rice for my kid. Total came to $32. Food was solid.