I am going to start with the service. These are the nicest, most welcoming employees I have ever encountered. My son wanted to try the aguas frescas. The gentleman not only gave him a taste of all 3 flavors, he then mixed a couple varieties together for tastings. We were almost too full to order an actual drink. I was referred here because of a carne asada meat they do called Aeida(?). Sounds like i-e-da. It was the tastiest carne I have ever had. My buddy ordered the same thing and said the same as well. Not only was the carne great, the burrito packed cheese and a great pico inside too. Their chips and 3 salsas also hit the spot. My son had a breakfast burrito and loved it. I have found my new favorite Mexican food place, I only wish it was closer to home. read more

La Cocina - Mexican Near Me - Ramona, California

I decided to try this place after reading all the rave reviews, I'm not impressed. Service was good & place was clean but food was bland & the salsa sampler everyone is talking about is also just mediocre. 7.99 for my burrito that I wasted because no need to waste calories on food that isn't good. Bummer...really wanted to like this place and actually walked all over Ramona looking for a good place to eat. read more

My go to spot for Cali burritos, chips and salsa, and beef tacos! The lunch special is perfect for me and the staff here is so friendly!

Food is very authentic but service is VERY slow. This place has been around Ramona forever and is always a good sit down. Come here if you are patient. read more

I have eaten here my whole life. This is probably the most consistent Mexican Food in Ramona. I love the chips and salsa while you wait. I literally had my first carne asada burrito here and love it to this day. Great tacos. Great burritos. Decent chips. Stop by and realize that it's a cheap mexican food place, but a good place to eat. read more

I've eaten at La Cocina more this year than any other time of my life. Other than Casa Reveles, this place has the best hot carrots. They always give free chips and plenty of red and green salsa with each order. I normally get their bean and cheese burrito...in fact, bean and cheese is also my chicken noodle soup substitute. So if I'm not feeling great (like when I was arriving back from China and recovering from food poisoning) I get a bean and cheese. One day, my dad went to another taco shop and got me a BC. It was $2 cheaper than La Cocina, but also half the size. I realized how consistent La Cocina is with their portions, quality, and service not by just going there repeatedly but also ordering the same thing over and over. Another favorite of mine lately has been their beef tostada. My boyfriend also loves the Bravo burrito. Their carne asada fries are delicious and their Aidas nachos are incredible. Casa Reveles is my favorite sit down Mexican restaurant but La Cocina is my preferred taco shop. It doesn't have a drive thru but that has yet to deter me from going. Oh, they also have really good chili rellenos. read more

La Cocina - Mexican Near Me - Ramona, California

So many taco shops to choose from here and luckily the yelp community suggested this above most, being born and raised in california I know and love good mexican food and this did not disappoint. The carne asada burrito was excellent, the chicken and rice burrito was amazing. Definately reccomend coming here if you happen to be in Ramona . read more

Delicious food!! Wonderful staff and service. They never disappoint. One of our favorite places in Ramona!

This place has really good Mexican food . The taquitos with guacamole is made here and so fresh. The salsas are perfect. We are looking for a place like this close to home . We will be back ! read more

I think the food actually had the opportunity to be quite good but the service was less impressive. It seems that our order somehow fell through the cracks and we ended up waiting an extra 15 or so minutes for our to-go order, which was sitting on the counter the entire time. I even asked one of the employees if our burritos would be ready soon because I felt like I was waiting a really long time. Instead of checking to see what the status was, he just told me that it would be ready soon and turned away. A few minutes later, another worker noticed the bag on the counter that contained our burritos and realized their mistake. However, they barely acknowledged it and offered only a half-hearted apology. Annoyed, I left the restaurant with our lukewarm burritos. I recognized the potential that my California burrito had if only it had been served hot. The fries were crispy and there was a good ratio of french fries, carne asada, sour cream and cheese. Oddly, I didn't see the California burrito on the menu but the cashier told me it was an option when I inquired about adding fries to the carne asada burrito. We also got a couple servings of chips and salsa. We didn't care for either the red or green salsa, unfortunately. The red salsa tasted more like ketchup than salsa. I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt and assume this was a fluke in service. I think the dinner rush proved to be too much to handle and somehow our completed order went unnoticed. Had it not been for this issue, I'd likely be giving them four stars. read more

Best Mexican food in Ramona! We had the beef tacos, soup and the rolled tacos! Fantastic! Definitely grateful we don't have to drive down to San Diego for some great Mexican food!!! read more

This is the best Mexican restaurant in Ramona. The meet isn't over cooked and it's always prepared i a timely fashion

Good Mexican for the money, my husband got the Pacifico he was craving, and my son threw Spanish rice everywhere. What's not to love?

Best Carne Asada burrito. Chips great Service great. Lots of taco shops in Ramona, but none have a better Carne Asada burrito.

Best Mexican food in town..... nice frendly and fast service....we order hear all the time

Best place to get Mexican food supper good supper friendly. The staff there care a lot about there customers, not to Expensive

In Ramona we go to different Mexican restaurants for specific items. However, La Cocina has all great items! You can order anything on the menu and it will be fantastic. Best Mexican food in ramona in my opinion! read more

My favorite Mexican restaurant in town. Authentic and always consistent.

Best Mexican food in Ramona. Juan's great Service makes me bump up this restaurant to 5 stars. Great chips and salsa. I had the horchata and a salad with carne asada. read more

La Cocina - Salad with carne Asada...yummy salsa as dressing - Mexican Near Me - Ramona, California

Not a big fan of their food. The food is ok, but doesn't have a lot of taste. I've had a couple items on their menu and I have yet to find something that is so good that I'd want to come back, except for the Jamaica agua fresca. The nachos are pretty big, but nothing special, the breakfast burritos aren't very tasty, and the tacos, beans, and rice are ok. read more

Yumm! We drove by later at night, and stopped in because we were starving....unimpressive looking little place, but DELICIOUS food! I ordered chicken tacos, and they were packed with chicken....so good! read more

A hole in the wall Mexican food restaurant that my family and I have been patronizing for years. I'm pretty sure they know my moms exact wine order when we walk in now. Their food is fast, hot, and VERY good. I am always left full and most of the time with leftovers. They will give you extra salsa, drink refills, anything you ask for outside of your order. Perfect for lunch or dinner, a quick bite with friends, or a nice get together with a group. Don't judge this place by its cover, because the inside is amazing! read more

Man, I hate giving 1 stars. But this place really disappointed. My dad picked up dinner to go and brought home a breakfast burrito. I don't know how a breakfast burrito could turn out bad, but it tasted like how I would image cardboard or dust would taste. There was absolutely no flavor to it. I could not eat more than two bites. In addition, this place is very pricey. I would recommend any of the other Mexican food places in Ramona before this. There is too many other options in this town. read more

This restaurant makes you feel south of the border and the rustic feeling that comes with it. Though not fancy the food was great. We had the 3 rolled taco lunch special and the huevos rancheros. Both were great !! Quick easy and good for food. Staff are friendly and helpful. We will stop here again when in Ramona. Enjoy !!! read more

My cousins and I were looking for a Mexican restaurant after finding out all the pie shops were closed. We saw the sign for La Cocina claiming the "best Mexican food in Ramona" and being the Mexican food junkies we are, we had to try it out. The place was really clean and somewhat busy. I ordered a small bowl of menudo and a carne asada taco with sour cream, cheese, and guacamole only. As soon as we sat down, we were given a basket of chips, hot sauce, and jalapeno carrots. I love my carrots soft and not too hot and their carrots were exactly that-- perfect! I waited a while for my food and I started to get antsy, but as soon as my food came out, I was completely satisfied. The small bowl of menudo was in a 12oz styrofoam bowl and came with two tortillas and a plate of cilantro, 6 lemon wedges, chopped onions, and peppers. The menudo was delicious and they were not stingy with the tripe! The taco was a good size and packed with the sour cream and guacamole! The carne asada was pretty good, too. Everybody was really happy with what they ordered, which included carne asada burritos, carnitas, and a chicken burrito. I have to mention how nice the staff was. After you order, they don't give you a number or ask for your name, but when you sit down, they bring you your food and drinks to your table because they remember your face. Then when I went up to get my horchata refill (first refill is free), the guy asked me how my menudo was. I was really impressed with their memory, considering there were about 30 people eating in the restaurant, plus the several to-go orders I saw coming in and out. I never get that kind of service at typical taco shops. They had a tv so we got to catch the end of the football game, which we were happy about. The bathroom is clean! read more

I grew up eating at La Cocina a lot with my family, so maybe I'm a little biased. This is not "fast food", Mexican style. You are going to wait a little bit for your food, especially during the main rush-hours. But it's worth it. Their carne asada burritos and tortas are my faves. They give you unlimited chips/salas (and hot carrots), and their verde salsa is to die for. That said, the inside of the restaurant is a little cramped, and I wish they would expand/move into a larger building. Just try to go there for a Sunday lunch and you'll find no place to sit down, and that to line up to place your order, you'll be standing in front of other people eating. read more

As far as Mexican food goes, it's very good. Ordered a bean and cheese burrito. The food was ready fast and brought to our table. Before hand, chips and a variety of salsa were brought to the table. All of the salsa was good, but the green was my favorite. Overall, food and service both good. In fact, halfway through we were asked if we needed anything more. So service was pretty awesome. read more

See all

Delicious and consistent with good portions. Love the updated interior and the always polite staff. Thanks again.

How can this place only have 10 reviews when it is constantly packed? Does Ramona not have internet? lol. La Cocina has excellent mexican food. Nuff said. Try the carne asada quesadilla. read more

I'm impressed with the rice and beans with chips and salsa. I haven't tried the beef taco yet, but my other option was a sandwich from across the street for $2 more. The taco, although it's wrapped in a fried shell, had shredded beef inside. All things considered, I think I made the better choice. I will try the other side, next time. read more

See all

I have lived in San Diego most of my life, that being said, I have been to A LOT of different Mexican restaurants... La Cocina is by far one of the best little shops around. It's family owned and the food is delicious! I recommend getting a Carne Asada burrito, or a Chicken Fajita Salad, or the Meatball Soup (Albondigas) or or or!! Take your pick, it's all great! read more

Started a tradition by hiking some mountain then coming down for some good Mexican food! This is definitely the best place around for some good Mexican food. They do have just about anything you are craving and are pretty quick to get it to you. Their polo as ado is quite amazing! Bold flavors, perfectly cooked chicken snd great guacamole to top it all off! Parking is off to the side or out back but there's plenty of it. They do offer call ahead orders and do have plentiful indoor seating. So grab a chair, wait for the food to come and dig in! You earned it! read more

This is a must stop after hiking in the east county! Stopped on a whim the first time and I've returned many times without disappointment. Order their Aidas burrito. Its a small mom and pop taco shop and they generously hand out a basket of chips and platter with three salsas when you eat inside. Their agua frescas always helps slake my thirst. They also have beer, but I've never ordered. Stopped by today and my daughter was very happy with her chicken taco plate. Look forward to my next hiking adventure so I have an excuse to stop again. 5 stars for taste and value. read more

This is one of my favorite places in Ramona. Great good, fast service and good prices. Highly recommend.

The food was good! We ended up ordering and taking to our room and it was worth the drive. When I went inside to pick up the place looks really nice. read more

Just went there for lunch. All the way from RB. Pretty good pollo asado burrito. We called in our order ahead of time and they must have given it to someone else by mistake. That person missed out on their shrimp burritos. We had to re-order our food and wait a while but it was worth it we had a veggie burrito, 2 pollo asados, and a carne asada and all of it was great. Thanks for the great food. -Robert read more

This review is really just for the benefit of non-Ramonerians. If you live in that overgrown shithole of a town, these nice folks are probably just trying to give you what you demand, That said, the people here really are very nice. And even though it's a walk-up order place, they brought a basket of chips -- okay, they were really stale -- to our table along with a dish of three different salsas. So far, so good. But the main dishes? Hoo boy. Rice that tasted like it was from a mix box. Frijoles refritos that tasted like Rosarita straight from the can. Hard taco shells. And Chile Relleno that came with a thick layer of dough like you get on dipped hot dogs at the fair, and slathered with sauce that tasted more marinara than Mexican. All in all, just really bad Americanized Mexican food. Too bad, because like I said, these seem like really nice folks. read more

this was our first time we tried eating here. Salsas were fresh and very tasty. I loved there tacos they had shredded beef inside and the Chile relleno was very good too.. my husband had steak rancho plate he said it was very delicious I tasted it and will definitely try that next time..my son had street tacos he tried one of each said they were pretty good. The price is reasonable we will be back read more

There are lots of Mexican restaurants in Ramona but La Cocina is the absolute best one in my opinion. I've been going there over 30 years. Their chicken flautas are so good but so is everything else. read more

Wow! I've lived in SoCal for years and will say this is one of the BEST for authentic Mexican food. Ramona, California is such an amazing town. I recommend going in the fall and walking the downtown area. The service at the restaurant was top-notch and everyone in the town was so nice. read more