So let me begin by saying that we raised our kids on Jorge's. When my daughter visits now from out-of-state, it's one of her first stops. It is an old friend. I can't remember how many times we have said to ourselves at the end of a long day's work, "Let's get Jorge's." But the dirty little secret is that this location, the original Jorge's--and the one I've been patronizing since the 90's--hasn't been owned by Jorge for a number of years (the Santa Fe location is run by the founder and his family). Everything appears the same: the look of the place, the menu and the hometown-hole-in-the-wall vibe. And frequently it IS the same--or close enough to make no never mind. But sometimes, it is not. The food doesn't quite make the grade. The tacos are haphazardly thrown together and end up a leaky mess. The carnitas and carne asada can be too dry. Worst of all, their signature chicken soup does not have that umami broth that heals all ills. And at these times, Jorge's offerings seem more like industrial grade fare. To be sure, sometimes things are fine. But given this self-titled "Mexicatessen's" history, it should be fine not sometimes, but most of the time. Lastly, I have to say that on my last visit for lunch, my order was quite deliberately begun after two patrons behind me--apparently well-known to the cashier--had gotten priority. No bueno. It used to be that Jorge would send one of his nephews to maintain quality (to say nothing of his own reputation), but I haven't seen him or any other familia lately. And as the saying goes, dime con quién andas y te diré quién eres. So as an old patron, who wants you to live up to a great legacy, let me gently say: you're dropping the ball. read more

The chicken soup is perfection itself! I need more words for this review. Nice day, isn't it? And how about those METS?

I called in a pick-up order which was ready very quickly. The restaurant was clean, the gentlemen who helped me (per the receipt was Enrique) was very efficient and friendly. I ordered two carnitas burritos and a large soup. The total, pre-tip was $41.80. That burrito was NOT worth $12.90. Seemed like bland shredded pork, not the tasty carnitas I was hoping for. The tortilla was good, the size was fine, it wasn't bad but was mediocre and not worth the money. I really liked the soup, my husband didn't as much although, he enjoyed the burrito more than I did (there's no accounting for taste)....maybe this isn't all that helpful. read more

Ok walk in mexican place. Might have ordered the wrong item, but when you ask for crispy carnitas and they are just plain no real flavor carnitas.... you get a 3. The rest of the burrito was also average... but good salsa. Lots of folks coming in and out on a Sunday, so I'll give it another try if I'm around the area. Just a little place with no real ambiance. Small tables inside and out. Soda machine and not much as far as other drink options. Tough parking due to a very popular brunch spot in the same strip mall. Seems like a bunch of people were carrying out soup, so maybe that's the ticket. I'll try again and update... but going to stick to my go-to's for now. read more

Jorge's Mexicatessen - Carnitas burrito! New spot... - Delis Near Me - Encinitas, California

Pains me to write this as I really appreciate Alex and the family ownership of Jorges and Rauls shack, but the service at the location on el camino real is terrible. And David needs to go. How is it possible to order two items, pay and pickup the order, and drive home and find out you dont have what you ordered and paid for??? Incompetent David, thats how. While i get that mistakes are made and its on the customer to double check and open the bag and go through the entire order to make sure youve got the right stuff, you would think that two items wouldnt require added attention, right?? When i had to call and ask what happened, the response was completely inadequate and when I asked to speak with the manager, this clown, David started laughing at me.. And told me he WAS the manager. Being rude and incompetent is exactly how you earn a two star review from a longtime customer. And Ill be sure to let the owners know when i see them. The service at Rauls is just so much friendlier and better.. read more

Not sure why all the recent beg reviews. Been coming here for years, items I get are unchanged. Chicken tortilla soup, same recipe forever, still the best in town. Quesadilla, well it's hard to screw that up. Rolled tacos, pretty standard no complaints. read more

Jorge's Mexicatessen - Menu 2 - Delis Near Me - Encinitas, California

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Stopped here while cycling past. It's just OK. Prices are reasonable but the food just isn't flavor packed. The chicken was flavorless and tasted like plain pulled chicken with zero seasoning. Salsas and guacamole were uninspiring as well. I'd try it again in a pinch, but would otherwise avoid. read more

Delicious food! Best beans in town! We were there at 7:30 and the place closed at 8, but they still gave awesome service and hot fresh burritos! read more

Burritos are so good, along with their red salsa. We stop on the way to the beach and grab a couple of burritos, we usually get the Californian but today we picked up a couple of breakfast burritos with egg, bacon and potato. Today the burrito was heavy on the potato but that was alright since we planned a long walk on the beach. Phone ahead orders are allowed which makes it even better. read more

The burritos were definitely good. The service there was good the guy taking your order got everything correct. Serving size is pretty small for the amount of money that you pay. I ordered a flying saucer with Carnitas had to pay an extra five dollars for Carnitas. Please see picture to see what I'm talking about small serving looks like it's missing some of the ingredients. read more

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Spicy chicken soup cures any form of congestion plus it warms the heart and soul. $9.60 for a large. Love the Daily Specials. Try the Mexican Rice Bowl... very filling and tasty. Great deal for $7.95. Also, one of the only places that have a crispy flour tortilla bowl for their taco salad. Only $7.50 and called a Taco Salad Deluxe. read more

My favorites were the chicken soup and the fish taco. The soup broth had a good flavor, shreded white meat chicken, avocado, carrots, tomatoes, cilantro, onion. I would have preferred more cilantro though! The fish taco (for $2.45) was cheap for the taste and size. The fish was a good size, fried crispy and brown and it came with cabbage and salsa. The bean and cheese burrito was just okay. The two taco combo with cheese enchilada was also just okay. I didn't realize they were street tacos (i.e., small) and I thought the carne asade and pork adobada were on the dry side. The cheese enchilada red sauce needed more tomato flavor too (my preference). The vinegar cabbage was tasty-I enjoyed it but wouldn't necessarily go out of my way to order. No salsa bar but already filled in containers--my husband says it tastes like El Indio salsa. The prices are cheap to reasonable overall with the menu billboard on the right side of the wall, above the maps. It jus says "Mexican restaurant" on the outdoor sign with "Jorge's" much smaller in front of it. The inside is kinda old but who cares. You can tell lots of people come here lots. (The other Jorge's is closed on Sundays whereas this location is not!) read more

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The food was as good as I remember it from years ago, which is refreshing when I've been disappointed by many of these places recently. The food was really good and I'll definitely be back. The pricing was a bit confusing though. A California burrito is $10, but doesn't come with guacamole and it's $1.25 to add; but carne asada fries come with guacamole for $10.. so the tortilla costs the same as the guacamole? read more

Jorge's Mexicatessen - Two soft taco and enchilada combo - Delis Near Me - Encinitas, California

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Did not include an item I need to go order. I had to return to the restaurant to pick up the main item of our order.

Their chicken soup is great! I recently got their California burrito it was good, but it had way too much sour cream in it for my taste. Service & ambience could be better. read more

The BEST food around. We love it!! Chicken soup is amazing. Great taquitos. Awesome enchiladas. All good!!

The best breakfast burritos. Fresh eggs, meat and potatoes. I drive out of my way to grab a bunch on the weekends. Fresh, friendly and fast. Can't find a better local place. read more

My favorite breakfast burrito at the moment. I love coming in and seeing fresh chicken stock being cooked. Great place.

Best chicken tacos and chicken soup. This place is a winner. Just wish it was closer. read more

Jorge's Mexicatessen - Taco comes w guacamole - Delis Near Me - Encinitas, California

Best Best chicken soup!! We go there every time someone is sick, it's cold or when we feel like having soup. It's so delicious and comforting. read more

Great crispy chicken tacos! Hidden gem next to a card shop (hubby fav). Ordered the combo plate with enchilada and taco, and hubby had 2 tacos. Fresh lettuce, cheese, and guoc. Beans (whole pinto style) and rice were standard. Plenty of parking. Couple of small tables inside. We will be back! read more

Really?? These tacos were sad! Street taco size but listed at regular soft tacos. Menu does say onions and cilantro (minuscule amount) only, lame. Meat was dry and just loaded with salt to get any flavor. Would not recommend. Miss the true street tacos in TJ with everything and cheap enough to order a half dozen! Damn inflation... read more

Jorge's Mexicatessen - Carne Asada Tacos? - Delis Near Me - Encinitas, California

Still great after all these years. I tried their new leucadia restaurant when I came to try manna atelier which was closed for two days for a private event. This place down the street is way better and doesn't operate as a private club. I suggest you come here. read more

More than half my soup is rice. I've been here several times over the past year but haven't been in a while until today. I pay an extra $2.50 for extra chicken with my soup. Today more than half my soup is all rice. There's not even enough liquid to really be called a soup after the rice soaked it all up. This is my very disappointing leftovers from lunch that I thought would be dinner tonight... pretty much 100% rice and definitely didn't get the extra chicken I paid for. Is this place under new ownership? Used to be the bomb. read more

Jorge's Mexicatessen - Mexican chicken "soup" but really rice with a splash of broth and half the chicken I paid for. - Delis Near Me - Encinitas, California

The authentic Mexican chicken soup, as everyone says, is terrific. I also like their crispy tacos; my favorite is the crispy carnitas taco. Their fish tacos are also quite good with a decent size portion of battered/fried fish read more

Have you tried the whole raw onion burrito? Its called the shrimp burrito on the menu. Don't tell me we have inflation, there is no excuse to this. A pack of jumbo shrimp at costco is $20 and I just paid $12 for a raw onion wrapped in a tortilla sprinkled with a few small shrimp. Perfect example of a great place gone bad. read more

Jorge's Mexicatessen - Onion burrito, deceivingly called the "shrimp burrito" - Delis Near Me - Encinitas, California

Hands down best tacos Ive had for the price since I've moved to the area. Meat on the adobada was juicy and flavorful and the CHICKEN SOUP is excellent. Size of the tacos is AMPLE considering the price and I'm happy about it. I would come back here every week if I could haha. read more

They have the best chicken soup ever. I always order the large soup spicy. It never gets old! You can order extra chicken, in the soup (less expensive) or separate ( comes on the side, you get a little more but imho it's not as good cause it dries out quick and gets cold). read more

This is where to find the best chicken soup! The kind you crave when you need soup! Traditional Mexican dishes too.

I love their chicken soup. It is the best. Whenever I'm feeling a little under the weather, cold or just wanting comfort food I come to jorges for the soup. It has so much flavor and you can choose spicy or not spicy. The spicy is a bit much for me so I usually get some of the hot salsa and spice it to my liking. It's a popular place, especially for the soup and there is usually a line. Maybe it's a placebo but it seriously makes me feel better every time and if you look at the other reviews you'll see I'm not alone! read more

Jorge's Mexicatessen - Chicken soup not spicy - Delis Near Me - Encinitas, California

I don't recommend this restaurant. For starters, I ordered the Chilaquiles with eggs. The meal was served with beans and rice as a side. The Chilaquiles sauce did not have a homemade taste, but rather resembled store-bought enchilada sauce and the beans and rice had a bland taste. My partner ordered a breakfast burrito that had bacon, but the bacon was burnt. read more

Everything is yummy, but I keep coming back for the soup. Its magically healing, delicious, and made with the freshest, highest quality ingredients. If you are in the area and don't have access to your grandma's chicken soup, get yourself a container (or four) and take it home and watch it do its magic. 10 stars read more

Went based off the reviews but was a little disappointed. Taquitos were overcooked, chicken and rice burrito the chicken was not marinated and the chili verde burrito didn't have enough green sauce. Additionally they did not have separate green sauce. Salsa was okay not as good as other local places. Spoke to a couple of customers who really liked it and obviously from the reviews a lot of people like it but probably won't go back read more

Great service, great food, owner is very cordial and welcoming, their spicy soup is a must have. They also have a non spicy version if you can't tolerate heat. Recommend it if you are looking for comfort food especially when you are under the weather. read more

Came by few days ago. You order inside and they call your number to pick up. They have seating inside and outside. We ordered... Fish tacos Quesadilla Chicken mole The tacos and quesadilla were delicious. The mole sauce was overly sweet. It was probably the worst mole sauce I've ever had. If it was 50% less sweet, it would have been better. I will most likely be back for the fish tacos. The hot sauce has great heat and is very tasty. The rice and beans were delicious as well. read more

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So yummy! Had fish tacos today & they are delicious/ huge! one is filling but i got two because of the great price. I also ordered the soup and it is sooo good. A must when coming here!! Thank you Jorge & staff read more

Jorge's Mexicatessen - fish taco - Delis Near Me - Encinitas, California

Taco was okay. But the chicken in quesadilla tasted very off and mushy. Had the worst food positioning after for 2 days.

I wish I could give them 0 stars I called in an order and got there 15-20 minutes after but they told me it would be ready within 10-15 minutes. Got there and it wasn't ready. Saw at least 7-8 people come in and out with their order before I received mine because it got "mixed up with another order". Absolute horrible service. When I arrived they should have figured that out. Wasted 30-40 minutes at the restaurant just waiting for my food. read more

We were looking for a quick bite to eat and this place showed up. Located in a strip mall in a small suite. No tables on the inside currently but they do have some outside. Ordered a carne asada burrito and a combo plate with two Street tacos with rice and beans and a cheese enchilada for my honey and I. The carne asada meat was seasoned and very juicy. My girlfriend Pam loved the flavor of the meat as did I. It didn't need salsa which I've never done before. The cheese enchilada was a bit on the spicy side. I ordered a carne asada taco and chicken taco. Both were served on corn tortillas. They were both good! read more

Got so sick after chicken soup on Friday last week. Its 3 days now still suffering Called the place no one cares. I will never go again. read more