El Taco Grande is a smallish, unpretentious Mexican eatery with good food. It's located in a nondescript suburban shopping center in Carpenteria, CA. I ordered a carne asada crispy taco plate with beans and rice to go. The beef was chopped up pretty well so it was similar to a shred. The meat was moist, flavorful, and having crisp edges. Mmm. Seasoned well. The shell was nicely fried without the dripping mess. All around yummy taco. No complaints on the beans and rice. Plus pricing was fair. read more

Good service and good was prepared well. The restaurant was very clean and had some music. Overall good vibes

The food was a disappointment as well as the service. Be careful when you order the tacos, salsa is super hot, the corn tortillas were hard , rice was cold and as far as the beans (in a can) nothing authentic in this place.. I let them know about the super hot salsa and server brought more. Didnt even care. I would of put a zero if they had that rate. read more

I go in weekly and always order the same thing. The ladies working are always nice and wonderful. However, anytime there is a man taking the order I am overcharged and under delivered. For example. I order a regular burrito consisting of beans, cheese and Carnitas. This is usually $14.60. Twice in a row the guys working have charged me $16.90 which is $2 more than the jumbo burrito that comes with guacamole, sour cream and rice. why!!!! They don't seem to care either. They also make up a random Tax amount they want to charge...just the guys. read more

Don't let the simple decor fool you. This restaurant awesome. Very nice service even though you have to order food at counter. I was shocked when food came. Homade salsa for chips...beautifully plated food and tastes amazing. I will be back read more

El Taco Grande - Steak combo - Mexican Near Me - Carpinteria, California

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Great place , service is great , food is great, this is my go too Mexican food in Carpinteria

Delicious food! Great to eat in or takeout. Loved the enchiladas and burritos. Tasty food!

Mediocre at best. I had the chicken enchilada combo. Not much flavor. My husband had the soft tacos. He wasn't impressed either. The table salsa was good, but caliente! The chips were either old or fried in old oil. Even the fountain coke was flat. Prices were high. A 2 item combo is $20. read more

Queso Birria tacos are 1000x better than tacos don gorge or whatever you wanna call it down the street. Sooooooo so much better. read more

El Taco Grande - Queso birria tacos - Mexican Near Me - Carpinteria, California

BEWARE!!! Came in looking forward to eat breakfast in the morning, I ordered the breakfast burrito I usually get. The sausage inside my burrito had white puss coming out of some pieces of meat. I'll never risk catching a tape worm there again. read more

$30 for a burrito, 2 tacos an guacamole. GFs order was wrong and NOT edible . Salsa had no flavor. Guacamole was bland. Fountain drinks empty. "We don't ever have ice." Customer service low IQ for sure. The burrito was BIG and mediocrely flavored but this place is NOT worth a try. McDonald's would make better Mexican food and you can see how poor McDonald's does everything. Taking a hammer and smashing my private bits would be more pleasurable that dining at this place. read more

got birria tacos, very delicious. hole in the wall place. nice folk working there. i would definitely go back. read more

El Taco Grande - birria tacos - Mexican Near Me - Carpinteria, California

Chile relleno burrito was good. Didn't have the fried egg batter with cheese type relleno. Was still good. Chips and salsa very good. Quesadilla was inhaled by our grandson. So it must have been good. After a day at the beach Taco Grande was a great find. Real friendly service and prompt to serve us. Will be back next beach trip. read more

Don't listen to the 1 star reviews!!! We were craving a Cali burrito, and this hit the spot. All burritos come with chips and salsa and the salsa is so flavorful and delicious. Everyone was very kind and hospitable. Would definitely recommend! read more

El Taco Grande - California Burrito - Mexican Near Me - Carpinteria, California

Very nice family owned Restaurant with huge Menu, the staff was really nice and welcoming. We had a crispy Taco and a Jumbo Burrito - the food was amazing, a lot of locals there so you know its good. read more

Prices jump high, quality went down. Must have new cooks. Seemed like different cooks than before

I was hungry for Mexican food. I know, I'm always hungry for Mexican food, so I looked back at my previous Yelp tip to see what I liked at this place, which was the soft shrimp taco and the cheese enchilada. I read some of the other Yelp reviews, and branched out to a vegetarian burrito that was full of fluffy rice, refried beans, lettuce, salsa and cheese. My to-go order was ready when I got there amazingly since I had just phoned it in a few minutes before. Since they don't have a salsa bar I asked for their super hot sauce and it delivered a good burn. It went well with the fresh chips they included in my to-go sack. Solid 4 star place, nothing fancy, but has outdoor tables with a view of the parking lot and strip mall. I enjoyed everything I have ordered so far. read more

El Taco Grande - Outside - Mexican Near Me - Carpinteria, California

The the place sucks the short girl behind the cash register was trying to charge people money for their water cups. I came in with my wife and two kids. We waited almost 20 minutes for our food. The restaurant there was about eight people in the restaurant sitting down if that, I just won't go back to again the food wasn't even read more

Just passing through and searched for burritos. Ended up grabbing a couple of different ones and an enchilada plate. Took to the nearby park to eat. All tasted good and was fast. A little pricy, but good quality and portions. read more

When I'm in a bind about where to go eat, I most always turn to Yelp for a good suggestion. Tonight was not one of those times. I happened to be at a neighboring business and decided to give this place a go. Not terrible, but I have certainly had better. The menu was expansive and the pricing was comparable to the competition. Right off the bat, I could tell that this was a true locals' spot - and those are the types of places I tend to gravitate toward. There were a few tables on the front porch area, and a number of tables and booths inside. One of the waitstaff was cleaning the tables when I was there. The place wasn't spotless but I felt that they did a good job at keeping it tidy. I ordered the Super Nachos plate with carne asada. The cashier was a little flustered from the (very slow to pay) prior customer, but my transaction with her was smooth enough. I was brought out a small basket of chips and salsa prior to the meal being served. The chips appeared store-bought but were warm, and the chip salsa was very flavorful. It wasn't long before my hot plate of nachos arrived. The portion was tremendous and piled high with toppings. Right off the bat, though, I could tell that the meat wasn't fresh. It tasted as though it was cooked on a prior day and possibly reheated via microwave. It was dry, chewy, and lacked seasoning. As a whole, the dish lacked flavor. I poured the remainder of my chip salsa on the dish to give it a little extra taste. The gentleman sitting next to me ordered a shrimp cocktail and it looked very good. However, if my meat wasn't fresh, I wouldn't even want to know their practices with seafood. The next time I'm in the area and craving Mexican food, I'll probably head across the street to Rudy's. read more

El Taco Grande - Mexican Near Me - Carpinteria, California

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I walk in I order to dine and well I was eating well I was leaving one of the cooks call me in front of of the counter and ask for my number I was with my kids and made me feel uncomfortable i felt I had to leave this review read more

The business contacted Yelp to remove the photo of the dirty shoes on the counter. It's being reposted with the backs of heads blurred out to comply. read more

El Taco Grande - Chewy, slimy organs. - Mexican Near Me - Carpinteria, California

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A big WOW! I found El Taco Grande by accident, across the street from another taco shop that I've been to. I decided to try it and their food is excellent! So I wouldn't feel so stuffed, I went for their solo Chile Relleno and a crispy taco (not a combination plate). I also witnessed several others enjoying their food, noticeably carne asada burritos, a few other types of tacos, and Caldo 7 Mares (seven seas soup). YOU HAVE TO TRY THIS PLACE! read more

Love El Taco Grande So fresh and well seasoned. Love burritos while getting hair done at Sams Have them divide into two I can never finish one they are so huge. Today trying Robert's Especial Burrito Chicken, grilled vegetables, sour cream , guacamole and whole beans Only 9.99$ Wow Love their Chile relleno burrito read more

We popped in here because it was close by, and we are so glad we did. Taco Grande serves up delicious food, generous portions, great prices, excellent service, and one of the best salsas I have ever eaten. We will definitely be back. read more

Dey be da best when it comes to chimi changs mang.

Visitalos este lugar y resultó que la carne azada no tenía ningún sabor, los caldos de camarón y pescado tampoco hablamos con el cocinero y nos dijo que por los caldos no podía responde,no era responsable pero por la carne azada si, nos dijo traigan la carne y le preparo otra y así sucedió pero la question aquí es que la cajera no se comunica con los cocinero, y en el tiempo que estuvimos allí esperando la segunda carne azada, las cajeras seguían teniendo errores con las demás órdenes total que no lo recomiendo, si pagas por un servicio tienes que recibir por lo que estas pagando si no pues mejor te comes una maruchan está mejor preparada que estás cajeras y la comida . read more

YUM YUM YUM I love this place! Favorites to order: -California Burrito - Enchiladas - Veggie Burrito Their service is great, dining room is always clean, they have never screwed up my order, and my husband and I can eat here and still spend less than 20$ total! Love it! read more

El Taco Grande - California burrito and my love got the wet macho burrito! YUMMMMMM - Mexican Near Me - Carpinteria, California

Friendly staffs, good portion of food. One of the best Mexican Resturant in this area. Very delicious and will be back again. read more

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Zero stars. Just like another reviewer, the cook was not wearing a mask & when asked he didn't care. If they can't comply with this health order what else are they ignoring? Definitely won't be back. read more

The food is great but the only problem is that they are stingy with their salsa I ask for some salsa and the only gave me a drop of salsa in a container the picture shows the proof read more

El Taco Grande - Mexican Near Me - Carpinteria, California

They make a great carnitas burrito. I also like that you have an option to go grande with your burrito. My son enjoyed their bean and cheese burrito. He's pretty picky so that says a lot. Friendly staff. read more

We like the food here and it's close to Carpinteria State Campground. Its located in a shopping center with Albertson's, hardware store, laundry mat, pet store, UPS and more. Great location for us RV'ers. The Chili Verde Combination plate is good and the Chili Relanos are very good as well. Really nice customer service. read more

El Taco Grande - A huge shredded chicken quesadilla! - Mexican Near Me - Carpinteria, California

This place is not the best! The burritos are average, had no favor! Just a boring burrito. During the lunch hour they have no guacamole?? They gave me some runny green salsa instead. If you want a good place try senor frogs on linden. Way better and it's a nice sit down restaurant with better quality in Carpinteria. read more

El Taco Grande - Red salsa and some green substitute because they didn't have any guacamole.. - Mexican Near Me - Carpinteria, California

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Pit stop in Carp. I was on the prowl for some good Mexican food. I happened to find this in the shopping center and marched right in. I ordered a small carnitas burrito. A small burrito was a little bigger than an average sized burrito. The carnitas were soft, tender, and seasoned perfectly. They weren't crispy like some places. The burrito was filled with rice, beans, and salsa. The fajitas were also delish. So yummy so aye aye aye!! OXOXO read more

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If you want fast, cheap and easy, this place is it. It is definitely fast, but you also can sit down and get free chips and salsa. we stumbled upon this place when we got off the 101 to look for gas. It is right off the freeway. Located in a strip mall, the ambiance is not there, but the food quality certainly is. I had the enchiladas, ala carte for $3.75, and it was a good size portion. They were delicious! Next time we drive through here, we will stop again for sure! read more

During our COVID crisis, the cooks refuse to wear face masks. No thanks. I won't be returning here.

Horrible customer service, the young lady on the phone talking with "su Tía " while taking our order. Horrible food.

Was there in March. Nobody wears masks or says hello and it was empty. Went to rudys across the street and it was great.

I was riding my bike from SF back to LA taking the PCH. Coffee for breakfast, and a handful of almonds from the day before. I figured I ride as far as I could and eventually stop for lunch around noon. When my ass no longer wanted to take the abuse from the undersized Suzuki motorcycle, I found myself in Lompoc, near the Vandenberg AFB. Figured if they had SpaceX rockets, they'd probably have somewhat decent food. I was wrong. My only reasonable choice was Panda Express. And apparently entire town had same idea. The line was huge, so I said fuck it and kept on riding. Got back on 101, riding south. I was jittering from cold and starving, plus a 7+ hour ride, I was barely changing my gears in the right order. Then I saw a familiar exit where I spent the night coming back from a festival and decided to veer off to get a sweater and food. I went by a big plaza that had cvs and Albertsons, and lucky me there was a Goodwill. Got myself a thermal and was ready to keep on riding. Then saw a generic looking "Restaurant" sign, with a mention of tacos. It was this or another shitty permafrost meal from Starbucks. I went with the taco place, because I was craving salt and fat. The super friendly server greeted me and asked what I wanted. Me being on keto, again, I figured I'd just ask for a plate of meat and guac. While the food was being prepped, I went to the bathroom and put on my second hand thermal. Eventually food came and it was exactly that - meat and guac. Now normally I wouldn't write a review about a quick road meal, but after tasting these carnitas and guac, my energy levels shot up. Suddenly my sore muscles and eyes were a thing of the past. It was a huge plate too, for a reasonable $16. Perfectly crispy and slightly charred on edges, fat and salt. Perfect. A dash of hot sauce, and time froze still. I stuffed my mouth with as much carnitas and carne asada as I could, finished my water. Geared up and left. read more

El Taco Grande - Carnitas, Carne Asada, Guac - Mexican Near Me - Carpinteria, California