BAJA RICK'S Cantina

★★★★☆ 3.6 (79) • $$

"Got off the trolley to bar hop & dine at Gaslamp Quarter in Downtown, San Diego, CA. Our first stop was Baja Rick's Cantina. We liked the indoor and outdoor seating. The bar is near the Convention Center. We ordered a tall Coors Light beer for $10 & red sangria. My sangria wasn't the sweetest and was struggling drinking it, but Ivan the bartender gave me pineapple juice to make it sweeter and better. He was very accommodating and made sure I left bar with a good experience. Baja Rick's Cantina is a fun hangout not far from the San Diego Padres Stadium. Ivan indicated that during the home baseball games, the bar/restaurant has great specials on food and drinks. We'll definitely come back to check out the specials on game day! Happy Yelping :)"

Saya Tacos

★★★★★ 4.5 (6)

"Angel and his partner are amazing! We live in North County, San Diego - aka Escondido. We had Saya tacos catering at a friends going away party last June so I got their details - which I'll gladly share with you - and hired them for our daughters grad/birthday bash. They are reasonably priced and their meats are delicious!! They provide plates, napkins and utensils. They also packed everything up for me to continue serving the guests. They are very family oriented and fantastic! The handmade tortillas and their salsas are like no other! Give them a call!"

La Palapa Authentic Mexican food

★★★★☆ 4.2 (128)

"La Palapa is a hole-in-the-wall taco joint in which they are one of only four businesses as part of a tiny Bay Park/Clairemont plaza. There were two tables inside that can seat four customers each and a countertop area where you can stand and eat your meal. A few more two-top tables were located outside the entrance. The parking situation was fine because of the low traffic volume.The menu was typical Mexican fare except for a few items like hot links, kabobs, and lumpia. It's like they wanted to delve into offering some Middle Eastern and Filipino snack foods. There was a Tuesday special for their mini tacos. For my to-go order, I bought one each of the three mini tacos... adobada, carne asada, grilled chicken. They were street size and tasted on par with what you can get elsewhere in town. Not much else stood out so I gave a three-star rating for my experience here."

Taco Surf PB

★★★★☆ 4 (1195) • $$

Nate's Garden Grill

★★★★☆ 4.4 (621) • $$

"The ambiance, the service and the consistently good breakfast dishes are the draw. These are the reasons I have come to deeply appreciate Nate's. I love the Egg's Benedict and crab cakes most of all, but have never had a bad meal. The restaurant prides itself in sourcing from local farms and in prioritizing organic produce and locally roasted coffee as well as locally brewed beer. A wonderful, local community vibe. You will also find a rotation of local musicians who regularly play here -- folk, blues, acoustic music, jazz and the like. And, apparently, they not only make their own biscuits, but also brew their own root beer. Yes, this is definitely the place to bring your out of town visitors. And the team is highly informative and accommodating as well. They do help you to feel right at some. Same with the patrons, for the most part. Never have I had a negative experience here, and it is overall very child and family friendly. But, alas, there are three things I see as problematic: Parking. It may be difficult. There is a small, shared surface lot that was extended not too long ago. But the lot does not at all accommodate the popularity of the businesses here. Expect to do a few laps or, if you are lucky, find a spot on the street, which is on a hill (not best for those with mobility aids). The restrooms will sometimes reek, which is a problem for the tables seated at the very back of the restaurant. It can get very hot in the summer. Air circulation is no a best trait here. ...not reason enough to miss this local favorite."

Agave Birrieria

★★★★★ 4.5 (272) • $

"Awesome Mexican to-go spot attached to a gas station! Here's how you always know when it's about to go down. Most Mexican restaurants attached to gas stations are fantastic. The cost is significantly lower for the space itself and all the attention goes into the food. There's a line out the door and it's all hungry and the most hard working men in the world. These guys need to be very satisfied to be outside and in the heat building, fixing, or maintaining the cities we live in. We were greeted with a very infectious smile. Ordered our tacos and were originally going to eat outside of the business but they've removed all seats & tables. So we just drove down the street to the beach and enjoyed them with an ocean view instead. Could not have worked out any better.The store is very bright and clean. Our Quesabirria tacos were filled with very tender meat, lots of gooey cheese, cilantro, and finely chopped red onions. The shells of the tacos are crispy and greasy perfection. The consomé is so good you could just drink it straight. Don't forget to squeeze lime all over everything...There will most likely be a line during peak times but it moved very quickly. Totally worth waiting for and like I said enjoy your food at the beach if you have a few extra minutes to get down the street. So good and will definitely be back!!!"

Papasotes

★★★★★ 4.8 (39)

"Best Chicken taco downtown, the meat is chopped. Cooked fresh to order. Perfect sauces from mild to spicy Next time will try the the steak. Owner is there cooking it all to perfection outside."

Mr Adobada

★★★★☆ 3.5 (63)

"This food truck makes some pretty good al pastor. I had a pair of them for an early dinner at $2.25 a piece.They were good and the al pastor marinade was tasty, but the pork meat was a little on the dry side. They put a good amount of it on each taco. The guacamole sauce was good and so were the rest of the ingredients that came on the tacos, including the salsa.If they can find a way to keep the meat juicy that would be just grand. They lady who took my order was very nice and the man who made my tacos was cool. Outside the truck, the offer a nice salsa bar and tented seating, which is very nice of them to offer."

Al Pastor Town

★★★★★ 4.5 (78)

"Yo. This is the spot. Inside a dodgy bodega is a lunch counter putting out some unique incarnations of Al pastor. Black pastor, red, and green... they fill those tortillas generously like they are hooking you up. I'm not gunna try to sell you on this joint. There are only 5 seats.... So I don't want to hype this place up to the point that I can't get my fix cuz your sorry tuchus is hogging up all the real estate. I'm just sayin' this place is the real deal, you owe me one for this."

Medina Moroccan-Baja Kitchen

★★★★★ 4.7 (335) • $$

"Moroccan + Tacos + Fries = Yes PleaseMedina offers up Moroccan fusion and we're all better off because of it. The menu consists of tacos, bowls and a couple specialty entrees. Yours truly ordered the Cali-Merguez sandwich which is a spicy lamb sausage covered in veggies, cheese and sauce nestled in a toasted roll served atop a bed of freshly made fries. It was absolutely gluttonous, I loved every bite of it and ordered a beer to go with it (they have beer and wine).It's one of those walk up to the counter, order, take a number, find a seat and they bring your food type of set ups. Friendly staff and pretty quick service. Lots of outdoor seating right on El Cajon Blvd so the people watching is top notch."

Not Not Tacos

★★★★☆ 4.1 (532) • $$

"I'm from New York and I follow Sam the Cooking Guy on Social Media.First time in San Diego and someone from my conference mentioned Sam has a place?? Cool man, lemme slide by and grab some food.Street parking was easy-peasy, I walk into a nice looking food court. Lots of booths - food choices but I know what I want, tacos. Now we all know New York City makes the best tacos, lemme see what Sam is putting out to the public. I see a few young men behind the counter hustling. They're cooking, stirring and making things happen. I'm directed to an iPad like register and tell them I have tots with my Yelp check in.*Huzza!I ordered two specialty tacos, Nashville Hot Chicken and Duck. Both of them, fantastic choices. The duck was moist and the Nashville chicken had the right amount of heat.The tots? Tots aren't an east coast thing. I went back to the conference taking a tot, dipping it in ketchup and seeing all the punk asses wanting me to share. Hey, there's a no sharing rule in my world. Keep your hands outta my tots!Not not tacos had good food and good vibes. 5 star experience from me"

Tacos Los Chuchys

★★★★☆ 4 (14)

"For catering this is one of the best Taco businesses in San Diego hands down! Not only are they one of the most affordable ones but the quality of tacos are very good & so are the portions. The customer service for the most part is good. Their Carne Asada is real good as is their other tacos but their best is their Carne Asada & yes their chicken tacos! They have one of the best TJ style chicken tacos I've ever had no lie. They use to have a little stand in National City on Granger Ave in front of their head quarters an old building that use to be a bar called Cozy Corner that my Mendez fam use to own. It's good to see the building is still up & being used for good, to serve tacos to SD. Was sad to see their stand go but happy to know they cater any event you need they even do funerals. So go ahead book them & hey maybe invite me, I'll even go to a funeral & bring holy water & a rosary & pray as long as I can take 6 tacos to go :)"

El Veganito

★★★★★ 4.6 (179) • $$

"Omigoodness El Veganito is MIND BLOWINGLY GOOD. This place has incredibly flavorful, well crafted dishes in spectacularly generous portions. We ordered potato taquitos, El Veganito fries & burrito with adobada, fish tacos, sopes, and horchata for 3 people. The flavors are complex and well-seasoned. Each dish was fresh but simultaneously gluttonously indulgent. We ate to our hearts content and still had enough for a second meal (which was still bomb the next day). I shared my leftovers with my meat-loving husband and he was convinced I was lying about it being vegan. In his words, "What sorcery is this?!?" Do yourself a favor and head to El Veganito next time you crave Mexican food. You won't regret it!"

Harry's Taco Club

★★★★★ 4.5 (197)

"Getting back to normal #12Everytime I use the post office next door, I need to stop here The mural of Our Lady of Guadelupe, patroness of the Americas is what first caught my eye. It says, " Pray for tacos" it's not irreverent, so I don't mind it, plus maybe some people will learn all the cool things about her apparition... I still can't get over that the pigment not only can't be identified on earth, but that it hovers over the tilma...but I digress, the best thing is the message of Our heavenly Mother...Back to the good food. I love their cantaloupe agua fresca with juicy bits of melon. Can't go wrong with any of their tacos or burritos. Love the seafood selection and meats in those. Great sauces too. What else can you ask for?"

Picante Mexican Grill

★★★★☆ 4.3 (12)

"Ordered from this location on Uber Eats and ordered the following:Cheese quesadillaAl pastor tacosCarne asada friesThe cheese quesadilla was severely lacking cheese. It only had a very thin layer of cheese. Wouldn't really recommend. The Al pastor tacos were lacking flavor. I had to check twice that they were really al pastor. Wouldn't really recommend this either. Where they did shine, however, was with their carne asada. It was super flavorful. Enough for me to want to order from them again. Their carne asada fries had a generous amount of cheese and carne asada. I was a bit disappointed to receive my fries without cotija cheese and guacamole. Normally a deal breaker but fortunately I had some ripe avocados sitting at home so I made my own guac."

Birrieria La Loteria

★★★★★ 5 (10)

"Birrieria La Loteria has good from Food truck to Brick in Mortar with this location in Imperial Beach. Don't get me wrong, they still have the food truck in Lemon Grove, but it's good to see a small business expanding.On this visit, I had a pair of tacos dorados de birria or hard shell beef birria tacos with all the fixings. The tacos were terrific, and I loved the crunch each corn tortilla offered. The beef birria inside was tender, juicy, and quite flavorful. The tacos also came with chopped white onions and cilantro.The pickled onions and chopped habanero peppers on the side were very good and great to add to each taco. Great tacos.The service was very friendly and welcoming. They offer inside and outside seating."

Rodrigo's Taco Shop

★★★★☆ 3.8 (298)

"Just flew back home from Atlanta and needed my quick taco shop food fix...Leave it to Jaime and Alfredo for taking care of a regular... Called in my order on my way home, arrived and my carne asada chips were hot and ready for me! When you're in or near PQ, be sure to drop by and enjoy bomb ass food!"

Big Boyz Tacos

★★★★★ 4.8 (99) • $$

"Grateful I found Big Boyz on yelp! I was planning my baby shower of approx ~50 ppl, and the park location I booked my event at requires any outside caterers/vendors to have insurance. I contacted a few other taquizas before finding Big Boyz, without luck. Big Boyz responded almost immediately, included a PDF via email that has all info about their services and options, and confirmed they have insurance. I didn't need to ask a million questions, as they were all on the PDF form, but even w/my additional questions, they responded right away. The park required me to obtain a different certificate of proof of insurance than I provided, and Big Boyz obtained it right away from their insurance company, no questions asked! It was a bit last minute planning on my end and Big Boyz were so smooth to coordinate with, and eased my stress.Day of they arrived on time, set up on time, served all of my guests without any issues, tacos were great. I really couldn't have asked for more! Thank you!!"

Craft and Taco Lounge

★★★★★ 4.6 (951) • $$

"If you find yourself on the highway and you need a place that's quick, easy & delicious .. you've found the right place. There is something for everyone here ... for meat lovers, vegetarians , pescatarians , paleo , keto and more ! Such a great menu ! No complaints here !"

Kiko's Place restaurant

★★★★☆ 4.4 (21)

"Saw them and I tried them before when they only had a Food truck in Mission Valley . I was surprised to see today that they have a restaurant now in Dowtown . Its wasn't that big or in an upscale location but the foods are amazing here . Good serving portions , lots of spices to choose from, and creative flavorings . I had seen them on Tv too , one of the chanel my wife was watching I saw their food got featured on tv . So far I tried their CRAZY CEVICE and TACO the SAN FELIPE TACO . And MINERAL WATER for our drink coz they dont have regular water bottles . There's so much flavor going on in my mouth, delicious ! Their CRAZY CEVICHE is a real crazy its has Octopus , Shrimps , mussels , Oyster , scallop , fish , its really loaded . Their SAN FELIPE Taco ( seafood ) are loaded too and delicious . Service from Annia was excellent and very friendly . Parking is kinda hard to find and a lot of people around sitting on the streets , so I suggest go when its day time or while the sun is still up. This place is exactly in front of ROSS Store and Trolley passes in front of their place . The place has good foods, and good serving food size and friendly staff , if ever i end up again in this area i will eat here again ."

El Charro Taco Shop

★★★★☆ 4.4 (178) • $

"I stopped in late last night, on 6/13/24. Hands down the best burrito I've had since moving to San Diego in 2010. I had the super burrito with carnitas. The first thing I noticed was the PERFECTLY blistered burrito skin (large flour tortilla). Unfortunately, almost everywhere else simple warms it up and it stays tough and chewy, so it's a huge plus when a place makes the simple effort that takes a bit of time longer and a little bit of attention not to overcook it! Everything was flavorful and fresh and nothing was overly salty or greasy. Also, the burrito was wrapped nicely and firmly, not too tight or too loose so everything stayed intact. I'll definitely be back!"

Mike's Red Tacos

★★★★★ 4.6 (1120) • $$

"Food (5/5 stars):Mike's Red Tacos is on Yelp's Top 100 Places in the US list and I was thrilled to try it, especially because Birria is one of my favorite foods. Their Combo #1 came with two hefty Quesabirria Tacos, Consomé, and Chips. Each bite (dunked into the Consomé of course) was heavenly. The tacos were oozing with juice and together with the Consomé was a symphony of flavors. This is one of my new favorite places in San Diego, and quite possibly of all time. Experience (5/5 stars):* Price: reasonable* Wait Time: about 10-15 minute wait on a Friday evening, but so worth it* Service: good* Parking: there's a small parking lot* Ambiance: it's a nicely decorated spot, just a bit tight especially for how popular it is."

The Shed

★★★★★ 4.8 (12)

"The Shed Kitchen is the latest vendor to function as the food service arm for Sidecar Bar on Morena Blvd. It occupies a small shack adjacent to Sidecar's main structure. I recall seeing a taco business that once operated from this space before it moved into a brick-and-mortar setup elsewhere in town. A few picnic tables were arranged in front of the shack if you wanted to dine al fresco on-site.On Tuesday to Thursday, The Shed does not open until 3 pm while on Friday to Sunday, lunch service begins at noon. For lunch (which runs until 6 pm), there was one burger combo, one fried chicken sandwich combo, and rolled tacos available as specials. The full menu offered two burgers, two tri-tip sandwiches, a chicken sandwich, tenders, wings, and mac 'n cheese with buffalo chicken on one page. The other page featured quesadillas, tacos, and fries.The Shed Cheesesteak was what I originally wanted to order, however it was unavailable/sold out. My backup choice was Just The Tip. Slices of medium rare tri-tip were placed inside a brioche bun topped with frizzled onion and chimichurri. Perhaps it was because of the stack of fried onions, but I felt the sandwich was dry even with the chimichurri sauce added. For $17.70, there was no side included which was unlike at least one local BBQ joint. They have a similar price for a tri-tip sandwich with a choice of one side."

Beach & Taco Shack

★★★★☆ 3.5 (55)

"This place is a GEM;) Thank you Jeffery for your kindness, cute smile, and a lot of coke refills. We will definitely be back to here!"

Chula Tacos

★★★★★ 4.5 (62)

"They have really good tacos here hand made tortillas especial the birria tacos delicious I recommend this place"

La Divina Cocina y Cantina

★★★★☆ 3.9 (96)

"Good service, food and drinks. Will come back to try other plates. Loved the decor."

Toritos Mexican Grill

★★★★☆ 3.7 (74)

"Went in for a breakfast burrito and the picture shown isn't what it is sold for that advertising. Ended up ordering a different burrito and the service was pretty slow to get a burrito. Food - The burrito itself had good flavor and a decent size. They did not provide hot sauce, guess I might of had to ask buy was in a rush to go.Prices - Pricing is fair but not happy on the advertised breakfast burrito in front of the shop.Probably wouldn't come back."

Steak & Bones Tacos

★★★★★ 4.7 (189) • $$

"We found this Hillcrest taco joint via IG and couldn't believe what we were seeing. One of their specialty taco has a whole steak in it and at this point, I'm not even sure if I would call these tacos but I'm not complaining. Being in Hillcrest, there isn't much parking around. We had to circle a bit to find street parking a couple of blocks away. The restaurant is a little small and by the end of our meal, there was a line of people waiting to be seated. Service here is great though and all the workers were welcoming and friendly. Steak & Bones Fries w/ Angus Beef: Great appetizer to share. Obviously, when you add meat, it'll come as an extra cost. Fries are crunchy and there's a good distribution of cheese and guac. The angus beef was also super tender and flavorful. It's like an enhanced carne asada fries! Bad To The Bone: From the Specialty Menu, this taco has a huge beef rib bone. The meat falls right off the bone and it's easier to just take it all off right at the beginning. Even still, it's still big to hold like a taco so I ended up just eating it with utensils. And coming in under $10, this is super affordable for the amount of food. Steak & Bones Taco: This Specialty Taco is what we saw on IG and just as we saw, it comes with an entire steak. I was pleasantly surprised by how good the steak was. Since it's pretty cheap for one taco, I thought the quality of the steak would be low but it was actually really tender! Highly recommend and easily shared too. Just like the beef bone taco, it's too big to hold like a taco so you'll end up using utensils. Delicious meal and would recommend! If you're in the mood for steak and don't want to pay too much, this is the place to go."

Taqueria Los Chuchys

★★★★☆ 4.3 (443) • $$

"Affordable great tasting tacos in Gaslamp area! They also open super late on the weekends! Not the best tacos I've ever had, but for sure great in the Gaslamp area and prices are excellent for Gaslamp too. They do fill up the tacos with meat! They do not skimp like other locations downtown. They also have a great variety to meats: asada, chicken, al pastor, carnitas, birria, tripe, and vegetarian (cactus).We always find ourselves here at some point while in the Gaslamp area for Comic Con. They have some indoor seating and outdoor seating. The condiments are also out so you can easily help yourself. Soda drinks and water are also self serve which I like. Tacos are $4 and $4.75 with cheese. They also serve burritos ($14.50) and loaded fries ($14.50) which are both very filling also. Would I come here again? Of course! It is great tasting cheap eats a 5 minute walk from the Convention Center. We always come here at some point during Comic Con!"

El Taco Rico

★★★☆☆ 2.7 (30)

"Cool little taco shop. I was a little skeptical because it doesn't look super inviting from the outside. I am glad I went in. Parking was slim but only one other customer was there, maybe 6 spots? Customer service was great. The food was very tasty and at a good price. I ordered an Adobada taco and a grilled chicken burrito. The taco was very good and a good size. It was a little pricey at $4 but the meat was very good. The chicken burrito was pretty big and only $7. They have a large menu and offer just about anything any other taco shop in the area does. If I am around, I will stop back by here."

Los Pancho’s Taco Shop

★★★☆☆ 3.1 (104)

"There are so many Los Pancho's Taco Shops in San Diego, but this location at Terra Nova Plaza in Chula Vista is our personal favorite. We've been coming to this location for many MANY years and the food and service has always been great. Karina at the register is always friendly and remembers what I like in my order when my husband forgets my add-ins like avocado for my menudo and type of tortillas I like with it. The food is always consistent and our favorites have been the following:Caldo de res (beef soup) 5/5Menudo 5/5California burrito 5/5O.M.G. Burrito (bacon,sausage,ham,potatoes, egg) so good 5/5Chorizo con huevo plate 5/5Check it out when in the area. Happy Yelping!"

Mariscos Marbella

★★★★★ 4.6 (13)

"Good cheap seafood.  I have only tried the different seafood tacos here.  Staff is very friendly.  Cash only as it is a food truck.  Located in the parking lot of Home Depot, it's hard to miss.  Marlin taco is good.  Not sure but everytime I have had it, it looks more like a paste then a solid piece of fish.Fish taco is very good.  Reminds me of the old school fish tacos before they got popular but better tasting.They offer a combo seafood taco which is basically a little of everything.  It taste very good.  I usually get a fork to pick at it before trying to eat it as it is very packed.A great place to get some fish tacos.  They have a tent, 2 tables, and some chairs to at.  The owners keep everything clean."

Seafood And Birrieria El Prieto

★★☆☆☆ 1.5 (8)

"Had to update: came to this location again, and the fish taco is also very amazing! Definitely my favorite mariscos spot in San Diego!This place is so good! I got a shrimp cocktail and it was amazing! Didn't even need to add anything to it, it was perfect as is! 10/10 would recommend!"

Tacos El Gabacho

★★★★★ 4.8 (296) • $

"My son's Cub Scout pack was having a year end camping trip and I was tasked with finding a caterer. Tacos El Gabacho was willing to make the drive to our campground, and helped me with the logistics of getting them into the county park. All of the food was amazing, some of the best tacos I've ever had, beans were so good, great salsas, everyone was extremely pleased with the food. I can't recommend them enough! If you need a taco caterer give them a call."

Cali's & Fries

★★★★☆ 4.3 (212)

"2 dollar taco tuesdays. The asada was not good, but the adobada was great for 2 dollars."