It's Cinco de Mayo! Time to drink some Corona

May 3, 11:52 AMSF Day Trips ExaminerBryan Bennett

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It's widely known in the US that Cinco de Mayo loosely translates to "time to drink vast quantities of Corona" for most Americans.  Seriously, challenge your friends to tell you what Cinco de Mayo really is, and aside from the literal translation of Fifth of May, most will tell you that it's Mexican Independence Day.  Wrong.  That holiday, which is by far the most important federal holiday in Mexico, is September 16.

In fact, Cinco de Maya is a very small, regional holiday and is really only celebrated in the state of Puebla in central Mexico with limited observance in other parts of the country.  The holiday itself marks the occasion when the Mexican Army defeated superior French forces at the Battle of Puebla in 1862 - the first defeat for the French in 50 years, but a taste they have savored many times since.  Sorry, I can't seem to pass up an opportunity to bash the military might of France.  Anyway, according to Wikipedia, the battle is also significant because it's the last time foreign forces have invaded the Americas.  So there's a little bar trivia for you.

So how did a little known Mexican holiday become such a phenomenon in the US when millions will flock to local cantinas for Corona, Petron, and other Mexican fare?  That's debatable, but Californians have celebrated it for over 100 years, and the holiday has become something akin to St. Patrick's Day and Oktoberfst with regards to ordinary Americans embracing Mexican culture, music, food, and of course, beverages of the adult nature.

While most Cinco de Mayo festivities in the Bay Area happened yesterday, you can probably still catch the remnants of some cultural events today, Sunday May 3.  But for those literalists reading this, Tuesday May 5 is the real holiday so you still have some time to plan your events.  For me, there's nothing better than heading out to your favorite Mexican food restaurant and celebrate the holiday as all holidays should be - with food and beverages.  To help plan your trip, here are a few of my personal favorites:

1. Celia's - Burlingame, CA - This local favorite has been around for years and will generally be packed on weekends.  The chips and salsa is fantastic and the fajitas are amazing...beer is exceptionally cold as well.

2. Pancho Villa Taqueria - San Francisco, CA - This Mission staple has almost 1000 reviews on Yelp with an average of 4 stars.  In short, it's a taqueria in the Mission on May 5.  Get there early.

3. Compadres - Palo Alto, CA - This place is very popular with Stanford students so it will likely be packed on Tuesday night.  But the chips are great as is the rest of the food.  But service can be slow, so don't be in a hurry.  

4. Fiesta del Mar Too - Mountain View, CA - There are two Fiesta del Mar locations in Mountain View, but I prefer the downtown restaurant mainly because it's a block from my office.  The food here is exceptional and one of my favorites in Mountain View.

So that's it.  If you have any other favorites to help out, feel free to list them in the comments.  Thanks for reading and happy Cinco de Mayo!