Junior's Taco Shop

This is a hidden gem in Vista! We were looking for a casual restaurant for a relaxing dinner with…read morefriends, and this place was perfect. The food was fantastic, they have an excellent beer menu (and other adult beverages are available too), and our waiter was so fun and helpful. Two of us had the chicken mole - the chicken was perfectly cooked, the corn tortillas were handmade and fresh, and the mole sauce was flavorful and well balanced - delicious. The rest of us had the carnitas, enchiladas and a couple of tacos and everything was exceptional. We will definitely be back soon!

Went here for lunch with a friend for the first time to give it a try. Nothing fancy inside, with…read moreyour basic four chairs and a table set up with a small bar. There were approximately 12 tables in the first section, and it got a little loud as it filled up at lunch time but not bad to the point of annoying. Not sure how many tables in the second section. Our very pleasant server brought us waters and fresh Tortilla Chips with a Black Bean sauce on them and two different hot sauces. Very fresh tasting and enjoyable. We ordered Modelo draft Beers, $7 each. They gave us a breakfast menu, regular menu, drink menu and another menu that I didn't even bother to look at. Too much. My friend and I really like Taquitos, so we thought we would give them a try here since it was our first time. He got beef and I got chicken. They also have pork. For $15, we got five Taquitos covered with some Black Bean sauce, Guacamole, Creme Fresh and Mexican Cheese. They were piping hot when served, crunchy on the outside with a good amount of filling that you could sink your teeth into and really taste. They were delicious, some of the best we have had. By the time we finished our lunch every table in our section was occupied and they had opened up their second seating area too. A consistent stream of "To Go" orders was being picked up all during our lunch. If I could, I would have given them a 4.7-star rating. The only reason not to being a 5 is two things. First, the entry point is a choke point, people standing in and out the front door trying to get in and there are no waiting seats inside so people waiting to pick up a "To Go" order sit at tables and or stand over other diners by the front door. Second the ambience is on the noisy side and basic. For their great food it is not going to stop me from going back and trying some of their other dishes though.

Craft Beer line up for 4/20/2024.

Complimentary beans chips and some awesome sauces

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Rito’s Mexican Food

4.6(45 reviews)

2.3 mi

This place is a vibe, its calm has big screens for the games and its inviting. Its like a hole in…read morethe wall. The food is pretty good & the staff is nice. Id come back here.

Deep Vista in a strip mall near Automotive spots. Very local. Had a tasty burrito & cold Cerveza…read morewhen I came for lunch. Mainly Spanish speaking crowd. Fairly busy lunch traffic. No prices on the menu?! Small counter w/seats & about a dozen tables inside.

Dining room

Five Rolled Beef Tacos

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Inside dining

Rancho Grande El Toro Mexican Cuisine

3.9(73 reviews)

3.1 mi

Food and service is always amazing! Our waitress is always so helpful! Delicious! But, I did want…read moreto let people know that they are under new ownership/management and the menu prices have gone up a little. There is no happy hour menu anymore. I'm posting pictures of their new drink menu with new prices.

Food was ok, nothing special. The service and ambiance was confusing…read more All but 2 of 4 meals were wrong in some way. I got a burrito meal with double rice instead of beans and was brought a burrito with all beans. I asked if the burrito could be served wet and the waitress seemed confused, ultimately it came with red sauce and unmelted cheese on top but it didn't add much flavor. My partner also got got a burrito with no guacamole because it makes him I'll, he got guac on the burrito and no sides. Not sure how that was interpreted. Also, we didn't receive our food at the same time, with quite a gap of time in between. It feels like their priorities are in a weird order. Waitress was running around ragged and may need more training. For some reason one guy was hanging around on his phone acting as a dj for a room of maybe 12 people at 3 tables? He would have been better served as a busser to help the waitress clear up and refill drinks. The only condiments on the table was one shaker of pepper and we ended up raiding the server area for sauces. No refills until we were done. Also, they use A.I. for their specials slideshow on their T.V., which I feel like is a hint on the kind of experience you'll have. When will restaurants learn I'd rather see Polaroids of their actual food on a board than an A.I. interpretation of food that look nothing like what they serve? It could be better overall, if they focused on the food and training.

Clean Empty Dining Area

Two Shredded Beef Tacos Dorado Combination Plate

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Clean Empty Dining Area

Cocina Del Mar

4.7(98 reviews)

7.0 mi

Such an authentic and comforting Mexican dining spot! Cocina Del Mar completely won me over with…read moretheir amazing traditional flavors. The thick handmade sopes topped with flavorful grilled meat, fresh avocado, and queso fresco were sensational, especially paired with their rich refried beans. I loved the clean, cozy interior and casual wooden seating. Sweet service throughout. I will definitely be back!

Found Cocina Del Mar in the Osider magazine and decided to try it and glad we did. Shrimp cocktail…read morewas delicious

Table seating

Sopes

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Cerveza Suprema - $5

Tolin's Taco Shop

4.6(121 reviews)

2.3 mi

Love the tacos my kids love getting tacos from here it's our #1 spot go eat when we feel like…read moreeating tacos and as well as the burritos and menudo great service amazing food

Solid spot! First time just happen to be in the area house shopping. Got hungry looked up some…read morespots. Spelt based off pictures. Man that was a great burrito. My GF had the fries. I left with a smile. Small spot but gets the job done. Recommended.

2024 menu. Size options for asada nachos/fries! I wish this was the norm.

Cali burrito and all 6 salsas

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Asada fries

La Perla De Michoacan

4.6(40 reviews)

5.7 mi

We LOVE this place and admire how hard they work. The Shrimp Quesadilla is our favorite. Add a…read moreseafood soup (it's absolutely delicious), chips & guac & it's perfect for 2 to share (and you might have leftovers for tomorrow's lunch :). They are always busy and it seems there is only one cook so call ahead with your order! They have a clean shaded area to sit and eat (or wait for your take out order). The only downside is the traffic on East Vista Way gets so backed up during rush hour so plan accordingly but it's worth it :)

I love this place! Absolutely amazing food and amazing service. If you eat in, they give free…read moreconsommé and it's delicious. The fish tacos are delicious and on Tuesday they are really affordable. They do everything just right. Don't let the location fool you, this is delicious Mexican Seafood.

Small parking lot shared with liquor store next doors

Homemade Habanero, spicy mayo and chipotle sauces

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Truck and seating

Taqueria Chabelita

4.4(76 reviews)

4.1 mi

Fantastic authentic Mexican food! After living in Mexico for 7 years this…read moreis the best most authentic Mexican food in North County! Homemade tortillas were delicious. We ordered Chicken tacos, tacos de Pastor and quesadilla de Pastor. Excellent homemade hot sauces! Go you won't be disappointed.

The food was bland. Got the Menudo and it had a strange odor to it and was not very good. The…read morerolled tacos did not have much flavor to them.

Birria broth

Menudo, queso birria, taquitos, guacamole, and machaca breakfast burrito

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California Burrito

Las Brisas Mexican Cuisine

4.2(152 reviews)

0.6 mi

Well, today we learned that this is the original location. We used to go to the San Marcos…read morelocation, but today we drove over there and it was shut down for good. Fine by me! I can finally get chile Colorado, my favorite entree, again. It was at the Vista location the whole time and I didn't even know. They took it off the menu at the other location a few years ago. We will definitely be back. Bigger parking lot, friendly owner, and food the way I remember it from years ago. This is our updated favorite sit-down Mexican place.

We had been to the previous San Marcos location and enjoyed the food. They are no longer there. We…read morejust discovered this location and had a very tasty dinner. Order at the counter & they bring you the food to your table. Food wasn't spicy but flavorful. Would have liked a little more heat. Heard the burritos are yummy. Will try those next time. Friendly service. Family run restaurant. Lots of parking in their lot. Off the beaten path in the Ocean Hills area. Local clientele.

1st customers! Yahoo!

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Evaga Lounge

4.7(305 reviews)

6.7 mi

Food is amazing and service was just as amazing!! Super authentic food and good drinks! I highly…read morerecommend!

We celebrated my nephew's graduation from the Marine's at Evaga Lounge. George, the owner, came…read moreout and greeted us and even hand made our corn tortillas! The salsa was delicious and fresh, the food was outstanding! I highly recommend visiting. It seems there are a ton of Mexican food places in Oceanside but Evaga really stands out!

Bar area

Shimp Fried Rice

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Double shot extra añejo CaliFino tequila!

Craft Coast Beer & Tacos

This place in San Marcos is CRAFTed and curated to perfection. We used to come here when it was…read moreRip Current. Even though that closed this place was a nice surprise in its venue takeover. You order at the Bar counter for your Brew & for the tacos. The food is made at their permanent fixture food truck outside. The tacos are amazing and generously portioned. The Birria was my favorite! Carne asada was good too. The staffers are nice and ready to serve. There is high communal and individual table top seating inside and sports playing on the TV. Picnic Bench tables out on the front patio are & close to the food truck. It's pretty busy but worth the little wait for your tacos to be done. So sip sip while you wait for the buzzer to go off! Looking forward to our next visits here.

Terrible, terrible, terrible. Waited over an hour for tacos. At this point is doesn't even matter…read moreif they are good or not. Save your time and grab food somewhere else if you really want their beer. Oh and then by the time they finally gave us our food, they forgot three items we ordered and proceeded to say "you didn't order those" So on top of being slow, it's sh*t service, and crappy people.

Inside seating

Polo asada taco and birria mulita

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Ranch Water and Seastar

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13 reviews that are not currently recommended

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David N.

10 years ago

Fantastic food! The carne asada fries are probably the best in Vista, and the service is always friendly and fast. My favorite place to get mexican without question. I work in the same shopping center so I get food here all the time, and still have not gotten tired of it. read more

Sandy D.

11 years ago

Best potato tacos in town. I must eat at least 2 to 3 times a week or I just can't survive. The guys are so nice and friendly there got to try it if you have not. read more

Heather S.

12 years ago

Some good some bad! I've never had a problem with their lunch menu but breakfast was a little weak. Overall good portion sizes and I'll give them another shot. read more

matt c.

12 years ago

Been coming here for a couple months now. Food is always good the service is always spot on. Bummed I'm moving out of the area, but I will b back to visit. read more

Ricardo G.

583

295

7 years ago

Great breakfast burritos it's worth the drive from the beginning of north melrose ( Rickys Auto Repair ) I do highly recommend come check it out ... read more

Yeya,s V.

2 years ago

Great food great prices love it and they don't take long making your food like other places totally recommended

Joelle T.

12 years ago

I love this place. Everyone is so nice. Food is so good and the prices are great. Love this place.

Cristienne M.

7 years ago

Good food, good size portions, and good prices. Friendly staff

Gary P.

4 years ago

The best food in north co come here 4 the best

Tracy H.

Elite 13

640

368

225

16 years ago

Yum! Great taste at this typical taco shop.

Luccy Z.

13 years ago

Love their food, prices and service!!!

Sungate C.

13 years ago

pretty good!

Beth L.

103

15 years ago

Good food

Junior's Taco Shop - mexican - Updated October 2026

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Armando's Mexican Food

3.7

(195 reviews)

The food is good the prices for some items are way over price. They charge almost 5% for using a…read morecard. If you question it, they give you attitude. I ordered 3 cabeza street tacos I got 3 carne asada tacos. Time another taco shop.

We stopped in to try their burritos on the recommendation or a friend, we ordered the California…read moreburrito and the Carne asada burrito. Both were great, they were very meaty and filling. The salsa bar had a good variety to choose from, ranging from crazy hot to mild. There was also a pickled onion, jalapeno, and habanero condiment that was a nice addition to my burrito. The service was quick and easy, the location is in a shopping center and easy to find. There is also plenty of parking.

Taco's Don Paco

4.4

(321 reviews)

An Absolute Gem!…read more Tacos Don Paco completely hits the mark. The food is exceptionally flavorful and authentic, matching large portions with very affordable prices. A true standout is their incredible salsa bar, packed with a wide variety of fresh, delicious options that perfectly customize your meal. The entire space is pristine, and the staff is genuinely warm, welcoming, and fast. Great food, great prices, great salsa bar, and top-tier customer service--what more can you ask for?

Chat GPT told me this was the best thing place to get tacos in Vista and it wasn't wrong!…read more This place is amazing. And very good prices. Before I tell you how good the food was, I just have to say this because it's big for me personally... This place is very clean! You can see into the kitchen and everything is very organized and they're all cleaning in the kitchen and around the salsa table. The young man taking my order was very nice and helpful explaining the options to me as there were some things I was unfamiliar with on the menu. Back to the salsa table... they have 9 different kinds ranging from mild, medium, hot, very hot in green, red, orange and even creamy based sauces. So so good. My favorite was the salsa chipotle and the tomatillo salsa. He recommended his favorite item which was the Cuban torta. Super fresh bread, amazing flavors and textures, and it was really really good. And big. Lots of food and great prices if you ask me. I also got the home made tortillas ... wow! You don't see that very often. I had the chorizo, pastor and the quesobirra tacos. Big portions and again very reasonable prices.

Mrs. Taco

3.4

(211 reviews)

Stopped here for a Togo order. I got the Al pastor burrito…read more Service was fast. The place looks clean. My food took about 7 min. I think it was good. Maybe a little more meat. The taste was good. I've had better that's why I say good. I would try them again.

I've experienced pretty much the same things everyone else here is complaining about: they don't…read morelisten to the customer. While ordering, I had a couple of questions about how the fries were cooked, and the cashier acted bothered or didn't know the answer. That immediately irritated me because it made me feel like my food wasn't going to come out the way I wanted. This place was recommended by a friend, but let me tell you, I was really let down by the customer service. The food was just okay--nothing to brag about. Unfortunately, it starts with the beginning: a bad attitude can completely ruin your appetite. The atmosphere was also awkward. The place could really use some music in the background, and the layout itself felt strange. I tried it, but I won't be coming back. Unfortunately, I didn't feel very welcome.

Visitando Kalentanos

3.2

(19 reviews)

Went to this location cuz I am starving to death. The…read moreplace is huge, spacious and clean. I ordered 2 chile relleno burritos and with 2 mild salsa on the side. When my order was done, I was shocked to see how big the burritos were. So big that my husband said we'll split one and save the other one later. I agreed cuz I don't think I can finish it. Took a bite and I was blown away. It was the best chile relleno burrito I have ever had. It was so good that I ate 3/4 of it and told my husband to eat the other one. It's not greasy at all - it has a lot of fresh veggies and good salsa. I will definitely go back

It's good comfort food. When you are looking for something beyond a carne asada burrito, this…read moreoffers some good options. I used to come here when it was Colima's and it has a different feel to it. Now it seems a bit more generic- not so special. It's more like a family style mexican restaurant with a wide variety of things but none of them stand out. The dining area is very open and empty with tables with plastic table cloths and florescent lights overhead. I don't mind asthetics when the food is amazing. But if it's not, then I just don't find myself wanting to linger. This is a good backup place to be.

Aguacates Mexican Food

3.8

(22 reviews)

I've been here a number of times. Always friendly service. Always tasty food…read more My current take out order is a beef taco and a machaca burrito. Aguacates exceeded expectations on both counts.

Probably the worst burrito I've ever had in San Diego . Hopefully it was an off day but for 15…read morebucks, it was small, dry, luke warm, and even the salsa didn't help much. They didn't add the cheese to it that I paid extra for.

Aguacates Mexican Food

3.9

(15 reviews)

The food was amazing! Huge portions, great flavor - open late too so perfect late dinner! The staff…read morewas very nice and quick with service. They do offer seating but I believe an hour before close they lock up to help with a faster closing. They had a salsa bar but also in the seating area.

There's lots of Mexican restaurants on Santa Fe avenue in Vista and I've been slowly trying them…read moreall out. I finally made it to Aguacates. The restaurant is pretty casual. It was clean but not much in terms of decor. Service was pretty fast and friendly. I ended up with a carnitas burrito and a bottle of coke. The burrito was tasty, but the meat was a little dry. Other than that it was a fantastic burrito. The prices were pretty steep. It was about $20 for a burrito and bottle of coke.

Albertaco's Mexican Food

3.3

(451 reviews)

Yeah, so this place is definitely worth the drive. I pass about 20 taco shops between Oceanside and…read moreSan Marcos just to go to Albertaco's. Their California burrito is one of the best. It's sizable and the meat is always fresh, not chewy, and very flavorful. The best part is you get everything included with the burrito (AS IT SHOULD BE) like sour cream, guac, and pico. No paying to add those onto an already generally expensive burrito. Don't you hate going to other places and paying $18 for a Cali burrito, and then having to pay $1 or more per ingredient to add sour cream and guac when a Cali burrito should definitely already include those items?! Amirite?!? Tacos are great too! Lots of options for both meat eaters, pescatarian, and even some vegetarian options. This location has a drive-thru and is usually pretty quick. The line of cars should tell you that the locals love this place and it's legit! 10/10 would recommend.

I was in San Diego County a couple of weeks ago, around 12:30 AM on a weeknight was starving after…read morea long drive. If you're in San Diego, you already know you have to get some rolled tacos, so I found this spot and decided to give it a try. I got three rolled tacos two chicken and one beef and they were SO good! They were loaded with meat, and they were definitely not stingy with the guacamole or cheese. I actually preferred the chicken, but I loved that you can mix and match. Three tacos with no sides came out to under $10 but they do have a combination plate. I think that was probably like 12 or $13 which is an amazing price for the portion. I could only finish two because I still had a long drive back to LA, but I definitely could've eaten all three! I also loved the little hot sauce packets you poke a small hole and squeeze it right onto your food without having to deal with those messy cups. The drive-thru was convenient, service was great, and the food exceeded my expectations. I'm always looking for good mom-and-pop spots when I'm exploring a new city, and this is definitely one I'd stop at again if I'm in the area!

Señor Panchos Mexican Grill

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I've been here a bunch of times and i'm never disappointed. the food here is always fresh and…read moreincredible, the service is fast and super friendly and it seems like every time i go in the shop gets an upgrade! I usually get loaded carne asada nachos here cause they prepare this dish very well compared to other locations but every now and then i'll order something different and last night i was swept away by their pollo quesadilla. it's one of those dishes that puts many others to shame and raises the bar! The inside of the store is always well kept and it may be on the smaller side but they're always improving the dining space. senor panchos has become the regular spot for mexican food and for good reason: THIS PLACE IS DELICIOUS!

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Yareli's Tacos

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Wow!!!! Who would ever know that there is a sweet little taco shop INSIDE the Chevron station…read moreacross the street from Albertsons'!!!??? I had a tasty Adabado quesadilla loaded with lots of cheese & light on the pork. A bit on the greasy side but mighty tasty. Next time I will try a pollo asada burrito This is mainly a "to go"spot.... Order at the counter. The gal who takes your order at Yareli's also does the cooking. 1 table inside if you wanted to eat there. I shall return!

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