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    Carnitas Express

    4.5 (15 reviews)
    Closed 9:00 am - 6:00 pm

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    Photo of Pete T.
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    3 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Great food for a fair price. Friendly people who seem dedicated to the craft of making excellent Carnitas. You should go there now!

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    3 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    5 years ago

    Best carnitas I've ever had! Salsa is delicious great customer service and big portions. Must try

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    4 years ago

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    Review Highlights - Carnitas Express

    There was enough leftover that I was able to take a bunch home to share with my wife and have meals all weekend long.

    Mentioned in 2 reviews

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    Cotijas Mexican Food

    Cotijas Mexican Food

    3.8
    (251 reviews)
    0.2 mi
    $

    I always enjoy my food from this spot. Fast service, clean welcoming atmosphere. Today didn't…read moreseem as busy as times before not because of the great customer service or the food but because the strip mall it's located in has closed down a huge discount store which has decreased the flow of customers. So for all you folks wanted great tasty Mexican food visit this location, go now ! Enjoy your meal ! 2026(9)

    Sad to say as of my last visit it will definitely be my last visit and I'm no longer spending my…read moremoney here when there's taco shops everywhere. I used to think they were good until this very last visit that just PMO even when I think about it as I'm writing my review. I guess since I last visited I found out they accept cards now so that's convenient. Still in a crazy area with strays and homeless yelling at you. Anyway I ordered a shrimp a la diabla burrito of course because duh why not "they are known for their shrimp a la diabla burritos" so I never really enjoyed rice in my burrito. The shrimp a la diabla comes with diabla shrimp, tartar sauce, and rice I believe. So I had the bright idea of substituting the rice for some lettuce instead because I know it needed a filler. I know the diabla burrito can get a bit messy. But I wasn't expecting what I got when I came home to eat. It was a wet mess inside! No damn lettuce in sight, just a bunch of liquid and shrimp inside wrapped in a messy burrito. Whoever tf wrapped that burrito should get fired for that. Like 1.) why would you wrap my stuff so loose knowing there was bunch of liquid. 2.) why would you scoop all that juice inside a burrito knowing good and well it'd be wet. 3.) do you not know how to read; where was my lettuce?! So it basically broke apart and was a wet mess I literally couldn't even hold my burrito up. Never again!

    Photos
    Order counter inside
    Order counter inside
    Beef chimichanga burrito
    Beef chimichanga burrito
    Dining room

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    Dining room
    Santana's Mexican Food

    Santana's Mexican Food

    2.2
    (264 reviews)
    0.6 mi
    $$

    Lol all the reviews here about the rude girl working the cashier in front is a bit relatable. Well…read moreshe wasn't rude to me but she was just short and looked like she had a stank attitude and hated her job but that could just be her face. She took my order and was straight to the point; no frills or thrills so no complaints on my part. It's convenient that they're open 24/7 but since there are in a shared plaza in the middle, there's no drive thru making you have to go inside. I like how there was an open salsa bar with different options of hot sauces ranging from mild to spicy. They even have hot carrots, jalapeños, and radishes out for free which is a winner to me! They do have a sign limiting you to 3 sauces per person and that they have cameras watching lol. The service was super quick I was still getting my hot sauces when the food was already done to my surprise. As for the food itself ehh it was okay. Their cheese quesadilla was a little on the burnt side. Their rolled tacos and asada nachos came with everything which included guac, pico, sour cream, lettuce so that was a plus for me not to order any extras since some just come with the basic cheese. They were both good.

    Food is okay and inexpensive. I sometimes go here when I am not sure what I want. It could use a…read morelittle more flavor IMO. I definitely go here out of convenience though because it is close to where we live!

    Photos
    Santana's Mexican Food
    Fresas, crema , granola y coco.
    Fresas, crema , granola y coco.
    Santana's Mexican Food

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    Casa Gabriela

    Casa Gabriela

    4.2
    (861 reviews)
    1.9 mi
    $$

    I had been meaning to visit this place for a while and I am so happy I got the chance. We were able…read moreto sit in the outdoor area which is just as nice as the pictures on here suggest. Not only was all the food amazing, but the portions were generous and made for some great leftovers. My parents were in town so we were out to dinner together and we all got different dishes and each one was better than the next. The quesadilla was probably the best thing we had. Our server was attentive and quick while still giving time to be friendly. When they were out of a couple items for the drinks we wanted, she was ready with alternatives and always offered to at least double check in case there was something they could do. My dad even got a little preview of a new version of their Old Fashioned since they were in the process of phasing out the old one and were out of one of the ingredients.

    This was my first time visiting Casa Gabriela. I saw the menu and it looked really yummy. The major…read moredraw was the Cafe de Olla. I had to order it. It came with a yummy almond galleta dusted with powdered sugar. The coffee was perfect. I dipped my cookie in my coffee and truly it was the perfect bite plus perfect treat as I waited for my food because I was HUNGRY! Our food took a while to arrive it was a Saturday morning at brunch but it wasn't crowded. The wait was the kind of wait you do where you look at the tables around you to see who has food and who doesn't and wonder what was the seating order of the folks around you and if they got their food before you and why. So when my food arrived I was sooooo ready! I ordered the chorizo and crispy potatoes burrito. It looked great when it arrived! I strategically cut my burrito about a quarter of the way in. I knew I would at least eat a quarter but I knew I definitely wouldn't eat the whole thing and I didn't want to waste a perfectly good bite on all tortilla. I cut my burrito and put a bite on my fork and as I put my food in my mouth I looked down and find a long curly hair. To say I was disappointed was an understatement. I was disappointed for several reasons. 1. The bite I took was all egg and tortilla. No cheese no chorizo no potato. 2. I was starving! And 3. I knew I wasn't going to have anything to eat until after the other two people I was with finished eating and I could go somewhere else to get food. I didn't let it damper my mood. I showed the waiter who was very apologetic and took my plate away. When he walked away. It hit me I didn't tell him to not bring me anything else because I was going to eat a remade burrito. So I got his attention because I didn't want them to waste anymore food. Here is what I will say. To replace my food, I was given a pastry platter that was AMAZINGLY good! The concha was legit the best I've ever eaten. The banana bread was delicious with delicious toasted pecans which added a caramelized texture to the banana bread! No joke, it was so good. What I will also say is that I was visited with no less than 3 people including Gabriela herself who was absolutely apologetic about my experience and assured me it wouldn't happen again. What's also nice is that I wasn't charged for the food I ate which believe it or not has happened to me before MANY years ago. My peeps whom I was with absolutely loved their food. One had the Sopes and the other had the huevos rancheros. So while I have to be honest about my review, I really think this was a one off mistake and at the very least I would highly suggest ordering cafecito and pastries from Casa Gabriela!

    Photos
    Chicken Tinga Empanadas
    Chicken Tinga Empanadas
    Main dining room
    Main dining room
    Lobster & Black bean Chipotle Flautas

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    Chuy's Taco Shop

    Chuy's Taco Shop

    4.4
    (1.2k reviews)
    2.1 mi
    $$

    Chuy's Taco Shop has been on my Yelp Want To Go list for some time because it was featured on Guy…read moreFieri's Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives (DDD), it has a high Yelp rating, and there are thousands of customer reviews on their Yelp page. I've also heard rave reviews from family and friends. Since we were suit shopping at Fashion Valley and were hanging out with my son and his girlfriend, I recommended that we eat at Chuy's for lunch. If you're a fan of value for your money and tasty Mexican food, I definitely recommend dining here. 4.5 stars for sure, but I'm glad our go to Mexican food spot, Yesenia's, is closer to us and we can visit there for amazing Mexican food as well. Chuy's Taco Shop is located in Rolando, which is close to El Cajon Blvd. and the San Diego State University area. The easiest way to get here would be the 8 freeway east or west, exiting off of 70th Street, and heading south. The taco shop is located within a small strip mall where you can find Ben & Esther's Vegan Jewish Deli, San Diego Blenders Smoothies, and Moxie Theatre. It's across the street from a tire shop. From the outside, it looks like a typical local San Diego Mexican fast food joint, but you can immediately tell that the owners are proud of their accolades displaying Guy Fieri's DDD mug and Yelp's 2025 Top 100 Places To Eat distinction on its front glass window. As you step inside, you'll see several homages to Guy Fieri of DDD fame with a framed signed picture, another framed signed pic with Guy's caricature, and one of their televisions showing the DDD episode featuring Chuy's. There's a good amount of tables and chairs to dine in, several televisions, distressed laminate wood flooring, and accolades hanging on their walls that the restaurant has garnered. Friendly and professional customer service from the lady behind the register, who also doubled as our server. Not sure anything can be done about this, but flies also liked Chuy's food as we had to keep fanning our food. I've been blessed to eat at several DDD restaurants throughout California, Nevada, and Arizona and I have enjoyed every single one I dined at. Having eaten at Chuy's Taco Shop for the first time, I understand why Guy Fieri did a segment here. What I really appreciated about Chuy's was their value for your money. When you dine here, be prepared for large portions, so definitely come hungry. Whenever I eat at any Mexican fast food spot, I order the same go to items that my family and I order at our favorite restaurant Yesenia's. Since I was breaking bread with my wife, son, and his girlfriend, we ordered the following: two carne asada burritos; five rolled tacos with cheese, guacamole, and lettuce; full order carne asada chips; half order of carne asada fries; and a pineapple agua fresca. I wanted to compare what we typically order from Yesenia's. When you eat at Chuy's, the amount of food you get will feed an army. I didn't expect the carne asada burritos to be the length of my forearm. I got to eat some of my son's and it was delicious and satisfying. The star of our meal were the rolled tacos. It was stuffed full with tasty beef, crunchy, and its components were memorable. We barely touched the carne asada chips because we ordered too much, but they aren't stingy with their carne asada both for the chips and their fries. The half order of carne asada fries were plenty and I enjoyed that dish. The pineapple drink was refreshing and helped beat the toasty weather. I still feel Yesenia's is better quality, but for the amount of food at Chuy's, it's a must visit Mexican restaurant. I'm glad I got to finally experience Chuy's Taco Shop and check off another Guy Fieri featured DDD restaurant. If I'm in the area, I will definitely stop by to try their other menu items, but I'm glad our fave Mexican fast food spot is closer to us to satisfy our Mexican food cravings.

    My Hubby and I was excited check this place out since Guy Fieri had been here plus recommended it…read more It pretty spacious inside. Lots of seating. They carry a wide range of drinks that pairs well with any of the meals you get. The have a nice salsa bar too. The staff is super nice and helpful. Every time we had a question, they were quick on answering and assisting where things were. ...and now the food, their 3 Mini Carne Asada Tacos were good. I had better flavorful tacos, but these were decent. One thing I will say is you get a lot of meat which is awesome because you can make an extra taco or two. The Salsas is where the flavor is at and I enjoyed all of them. My Hubby got the Chili Verde Plate, I did not try it, but it looked delicious and was a lot of food.

    Photos
    Inside seating
    Inside seating
    Breakfast burritos
    Breakfast burritos
    Inside

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    Inside

    Carnitas Express - foodtrucks - Updated August 2026

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