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Cocina Tex-Mex

4.5 (64 reviews)
Closed • 7:00 am - 7:00 pm
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Cocina Tex-Mex Photos

COCINA TEX-MEX ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Outdoor seating
Dogs allowed

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Recommended Reviews - Cocina Tex-Mex

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David M.

Must stop friendly, clean & good homemade food. We stopped here for a quick bite while camping at the mountain. Potatoes were so good just the right amount of cheese. Not sure but I think the tortillas were home made they were super fresh and food. This place is clean had picnic benches to eat outside with a tarp for shade. You order your food and they bring it to your table. Everyone here is friendly and the prices are not bad.

Breakfast
B B.

Breakfast and the staff was wonderful and the food was wonderful and I would highly recommend this location

Tacos
Meg D.

You cannot get more authentic! Ordered 4 tacos and it was a mistake because its not the mini tacos! It was delish though, very tasty & flavorful. Imagine a truck with a resto set up on the outside. They even have a restroom, its a porta-restroom but its there. Over all, i enjoyed my dining experience. Staff is great, much much more than a food truck and the food was absolutely authentic.

Chorizo breakfast burrito

My favorite chorizo breakfast burrito and best salsa. Staff is very nice and service is fast!

a parking lot
Marcus F.

Locals breakfast/lunch spot that offers "tex-mex" cuisine out of a permanently parked food truck. What is Tex-Mex? Well in Texas it's puffy tacos and shredded orange cheese on everything. In San Diego it's called "Chili's". This food truck defines it through several "classic" tex-mex burritos that have unique ingredient combinations. Most of these could still be classified as "SoCal" taco shop offerings. I wanted to like the food at Cocina Tex Mex but the quality just wasn't there. This is Valley Center, not Del Mar, I totally get that but basic food preparation and quality was missed. The biggest issue was that the meat (asada) was of poor quality. Full of untrimmed fat and gristle which some pieces were 100% chewy fat.. Basically the stuff you cut off and toss out if you BBQ asada at your home. I understand it's cheaper to trim your own meat but that only works when the bad stuff is removed. Three of four burritos had issues with large pieces of fatty meat. The second issue was food temperature. Even though they were busy with customers, the rice and beans were luke warm. Same with the asada. Also the rolled tacos were fried too long and had a minuscule amount of meat inside. Clearly not one of their better days. * Service was friendly * Nice fruit stand next door * They did included a medium hot roasted pepper with each burrito. * Nice tortillas

El Paso burrito
Chari M.

We have been coming here 4x now since we moved here end of December. Friendly service each visit. We have enjoyed burritos by them, they are generous on meat amount in burritos! First visit I've tried their Tex-Mex burger, it's good but not to point I'll come back for, their burritos is what brings us back as well as their service. We love both their El Paso and Apache El Paso burrito - the creamiest guacamole with cilantro is amazing with their pork! We wish they could have option to add pineapple, even chorizo mixed in would be amazing, might just be me as I loved both burritos and wish I could combine them together into one haha) Apache burrito - both Carna Asada and chorizo is so good, rich in flavor in their chorizo and not greasy at all! Tempted to try their breakfast burrito next one of these weekends!

Lengua and Cabeza Tacos (top) Carne Asada Taco Plate (below)

this place rocks !! sincerely the hidden gem of Valley Center. Great little spot with nice seating in the shade, and the guy at the counter is very friendly. If you're looking for the most bang for your buck, with great quality Mexican and American food, this is the place. The street tacos are really good, and the lunch/dinner plates are a great deal. And all of the burger/sandwiches (which are HUGE btw) come with fries and a drink for $12.99 !! Please come through and support this place, it's always busy when I drive by and deservedly so!

Covered outdoor patio

Fantastic food, friendly, quick service, and a cute flower-filled outdoor patio. Can't wait to come back!

Here. Eat here!

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1 year ago

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2 years ago

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5 months ago

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1 year ago

Their breakfast burritos are AMAZING. Service was super friendly too. A great choice that will definitely hit the spot!

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3 years ago

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2 years ago

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1 year ago

Best, tastiest rolled tacos I've ever had! Portions are well served and food is reasonably priced.

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1 year ago

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1 year ago

Food is excellent and service is great and ambiance is beautiful as it depicts an outdoorsy and country vibe!

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5 years ago

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5 years ago

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4 years ago

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2 years ago

Good family run business in this awesome community. Good service and a nice place to sit down by the lake.

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6 years ago

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Alberto S.

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Cocinando Con Maria Tavares - Tacos de Papa con chorizo

Cocinando Con Maria Tavares

4.2(23 reviews)
2.1 mi
•$$

The food is amazing and the aguas frescas are so refreshing. I tried the melon. Eating is out…read moredoors. Traffic of people coming in and out was pretty steady. There's plenty's places to sit. Conchas are so soft.

The atmosphere is the best part of this place. It has a beautiful Mexican ranch-style vibe that…read moremakes you feel like you've escaped to Mexico and are enjoying a meal among the trees, chickens, and rustic surroundings. Unfortunately, the food didn't live up to the experience. The birria and beans broth was watery and lacked the rich flavor you'd expect, the beans seemed watered down, and the rice was overcooked and bland. The homemade tortillas were the only highlight. Great ambiance, but the food needs improvement. I probably wouldn't return. Lo mejor de este lugar es el ambiente. Tiene un estilo de rancho mexicano muy bonito que te hace sentir como si estuvieras en México, comiendo entre árboles, gallinas y un entorno muy campirano. Desafortunadamente, la comida no estuvo a la altura de la experiencia. El consomé y la birria estaba muy aguado y sin el sabor tradicional que esperaba, los frijoles parecían rebajados con agua y el arroz estaba demasiado cocido y sin sabor. Lo único que realmente disfruté fueron las tortillas hechas a mano. El ambiente es excelente, pero la comida necesita mejorar. Probablemente no regresaría.

Photos
Cocinando Con Maria Tavares - Condiment station

Condiment station

Cocinando Con Maria Tavares - Homemade corn tortillas

Homemade corn tortillas

Cocinando Con Maria Tavares - Beautiful succulents in the gardens.

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Beautiful succulents in the gardens.

Sunny Side Kitchen - Tomato and zucchini quiche

Sunny Side Kitchen

4.8(1.3k reviews)
8.7 mi
•$$

Wait... How does something so simple be SO GOOD?…read more We came by on a weekend morning after a hike and it wasn't too busy. We had a baby with us and they were very friendly and accommodating - bringing us a high chair and water so we didn't need to get up. They even gave us an extra fruit cup for our baby so she can have her own! The QR code ordering on each table was convinient for those dining in. Within 5 minutes, the entire place was packed with all the tables taken and the line out the door. Wow! I ordered half of "The Works" on sourdough and should have gotten the whole sandwich!!! All the ingredients were super fresh and everything works so well together for the perfect balance in every bite. The tanginess from the bread, savoriness from the bacon, creaminess from the avocado, and all tied together with the egg. I'm sure many have had a breakfast sandwich which these fillings before - it's like what you imagined... but somehow better? My husband got the California Club and loved it too. Super happy with our breakfast and we'll be back next time we're in the area!

I really wanted to like it. Hubby and I have been wanting to try it for years and finally visited…read morefor breakfast. We split the spam, egg, avocado panini and the strawberry parfait. The cheese that was grilled into the bread was overpowering all the other flavors. The spam slice was so thin, we could barely taste it. My husband had two bites of his half and couldn't eat anymore. The parfait was good but nothing special. Pretty small but they managed to fit about 6 tables inside. Tables are also available in front as well as in the back. Parking is also available in front and rear. Service was friendly and prompt. Price is a bit steep for what you get. One sandwich and one parfait was around $35. Not sure if I would return.

Photos
Sunny Side Kitchen - Interior

Interior

Sunny Side Kitchen - Bacon and Avocado Panini

Bacon and Avocado Panini

Sunny Side Kitchen - Interior

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Interior

The Café - Prime rib omelette

The Café

3.4(246 reviews)
4.1 mi
•$$

Ok was hungry here at Harrahs and my sis and I decided to eat here. They are very popular, so they…read morehad a line but we still got in fast. It's cute and modern inside with many tables. We had a really good server and he was attentive. Our orders were correct and no issues. I had the California Cobb salad and it was very delicious and filling. Also, their prices are really good. They have special as well from 1-4pm when we went this past Saturday. I will def recommend trying here if you want food or a nice breakfast at Harrahs. Very nice atmosphere and chill. -Marshay D.

I visited the café for lunch and ordered cheeseburgers cooked well done. After taking a few bites,…read moremy family and I noticed that the burger patties were still pink in the center. Concerned that they were undercooked, I returned them and asked that they be remade. Instead of addressing the issue professionally, the staff took the burgers back and returned with the same patties, insisting they were not pink. Although the burgers came back hot, it appeared they had simply been placed back on the grill after we had already eaten from them. If that is what occurred, it is extremely unsanitary and unacceptable. The situation became even more disappointing when the manager was dismissive and treated me as though I was being dishonest. Rather than resolving the issue, she refused to issue a refund. At that point, I no longer wanted replacement food,I simply wanted my money back. Unfortunately, my family became sick after eating the undercooked burgers, making the entire experience even more concerning. Poor food safety, unprofessional customer service, and the refusal to take responsibility turned what should have been a simple lunch into a terrible experience. After many going back and forths with the manager she agreed to give me a refund. I will not be returning, and I cannot recommend this restaurant to anyone. I hope management takes food safety and customer concerns more seriously in the future

Photos
The Café - Nice clean dining room

Nice clean dining room

The Café - Chimichurri salad

Chimichurri salad

The Café - Pastrami sandwich

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Pastrami sandwich

Cocina Tex-Mex - mexican - Updated October 2026

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