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Lupe's Cafe

4.4 (264 reviews)
InexpensiveMexican
Closed 8:00 am - 9:00 pm

Lupe's Cafe Photos

Business Info

LUPE'S CAFE ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Casual
Good for groups
Good for kids

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Recommended Reviews - Lupe's Cafe

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Reviews With Photos

Front counter
John G.

First visit here. Came because of the good Yelp reviews! Big fan of chicken tacos so that's what I ordered.

5 rolled tacos
Jay B.

This is a no drive thru location. They have 6 tables inside and a few picnic tables outside. It was pretty clean when I walked in. The woman that took my order was nice and the prices are reasonable compared to a few other taco shops in the area. I ordered a carne asada burrito with sour cream and 5 rolled tacos. The cost was less than $20. I liked the shredded beef in the roll tacos. There was a good amount of meat in the burrito which was good.

chimichanga
Caitlin K.

Maya was sooo sweet taking our order! It made the whole experience amazing. and the fresh homemade salsa and fresh chips made me even happier! the price is so great for the quantity and quality of food you're getting. would come here again!!

Nico E.

This photo doesn't do this Shrimp Quesadilla any justice, wow absolute banger of a quesadilla hands down best ever had

Carne asada
Walflower D.

They dont skimp on portions im glad we found another good mexican food resturaunt. We were out within ten minutes. It tastes amazing and it didn't give me any tummy problems. So thats better than this other place near walmart in poway i tried personally. Im glad to just find another great spot in poway!

Outside
Tyson C.

Hidden off the road, next to a liquor store. Some tables inside and a few picnic style tables outside. Burritos are BIG and tasty. The salsa bar has a great selection of mild, chunky and hot salsa. And don't forget the carrots, they are spiced perfectly and not overly hot. Service is decent and the food is made fresh to order. Come hungry.

Exterior
Annemargaret B.

With certain cravings, you want to experience exactly what you had the last time. Well, it been a while. Perhaps too long. Lupe's has updated the interior. With the menu still the same, I expected that great meal I had all those years ago. Ordered cheese enchiladas, rolled tacos and the beef taco plate. Nothing was greasy. More bland and overcooked. It was awful. Tortillas were unusually thin. The oil had an awful aftertaste. My memory was better than reality. Now I know what to except and will keep driving.

a menu on the wall

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1 month ago

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6 months ago

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11 days ago

The BEST taco shop in Poway. Yes, I've tried them all. Great food, good service, excellent salsas...you name it. This is easily my #1.

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1 year ago

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1 year ago

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3 months ago

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6 months ago

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7 months ago

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6 months ago

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1 year ago

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5 months ago

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6 months ago

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2 years ago

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7 months ago

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3 years ago

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1 year ago

The carne asada is great, I've enjoyed in it the burritos a lot with their salsas. Super nice staff, quick service and delicious food!

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Photo of Gina S.
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1 year ago

Delicious bean tostada with fresh tasting ingredients! I ate outside in the fresh air. Table was clean. I'll be back

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1 year ago

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1 year ago

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5 years ago

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1 year ago

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1 year ago

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2 years ago

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4 years ago

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1 year ago

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4 years ago

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2 years ago

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6 years ago

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3 years ago

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2 years ago

Drive 23 minutes to get there and at 8:30 on a Saturday night they say closed. Really, not what the signs say.

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4 years ago

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1 year ago

Great food at great prices. One of the best taco salads I've had. Friendly staff. Only issue we had was not much parking.

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Photo of Lewis G.
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5 years ago

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2 years ago

Has never disappointed. We usually come here once a week after my son's baseball games. Food is delicious l!

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2 years ago

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3 years ago

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1 year ago

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3 years ago

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T&T Tacos & Tequila Grill & Cantina

T&T Tacos & Tequila Grill & Cantina

4.3
(136 reviews)
1.5 mi
$$

So I don't normally write reviews but me and my friends came here on Friday night just for a quick…read morebite and something to drink. We don't normally sit at the bar but the restaurant was packed (as expected for a good place on a Friday night) so we sat at the bar. For me personally, I don't usually interact with the staff unless it's ordering our food but we had the pleasure of meeting Bella, she was very friendly and fit right into our conversation. Although it was extremely busy her and the bartender seemed to move quick paced and anytime our salsa or drinks were empty bella refilled them without asking which was awesome! You can tell they enjoy working here because of how much fun they were having, it's nice to see staff enjoy a job rather than loathe. Again it was super busy but the bartender made drinks quickly and Bella kept checking in on us to see if we needed anything which is unusual because when a place gets busy and more people come in sometimes staff doesn't check in as frequently or I feel a little bit neglected but this place was fantastic!!! Everything tasted amazing, I would definitely recommend the Fajitas and the chips were perfect! We all got T&T Cadillac Margaritas and unlike other places you can actually pour the grenadine on your drink yourself which I prefer! All and all everyone was incredibly kind and it was a very fun environment!! Definitely going to be coming back soon!!! Thanks guys!

Simply the best Mexican restaurant in the area. Polite…read morefriendly young staff. Lots of tables and booths inside , as well as on the patio. A great bar with great bartenders. The food is what makes this place special. Everything is prepared with quality authentic flavors. Family friendly and a large menu. On this day , we were 4 adults and 1 toddler. Hannah was our server and took care of us well. We had the wet Chile verde burrito, Baja fish tacos, Chile relleno and beef taco combo , and the steak and mole enchilada. We all shared bites with each other, and everyone was happy with their choices. The margaritas can be strong, and they're delicious. This place ranks up with San Diego's best places. (Mi Guadalajara in old town , Fidel's in Del Mar, casa de bandini in Carlsbad). This restaurant makes me happy to call San Diego home!

Photos
Dining room
Dining room
Mini Chimis
Mini Chimis
Chips and salsa

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Chips and salsa
Yesenia's Mexican Food

Yesenia's Mexican Food

4.4
(1.2k reviews)
2.2 mi
$$

Yesenia's is delicious and the menu is massive. I don't come here enough. So many options and the…read morefood is flavorful with good portion sizes. They have tons of combos to choose from which is nice to try different things. They even gave us free chips.

Came back for the sake of nostalgia, as this was my go-to spot when I lived in the area…read more I ordered a Carne Asada Burrito. Food quality is, without a doubt, amazing. You can taste every ingredient and there is obvious thought put into their recipes. The salsa bar is on point as well, and when they say spicy, they mean it. Whole 'lotta flavor no matter which salsa you choose. I had one issue though, to the point that I'm not sure I'll come back. When I received my order, I noticed that the bag felt lighter than usual. I didn't think much of it until I got to the car, but when I went to take a quick bite before heading home, I couldn't help but notice how small the burrito was. I know for a fact that this wasn't the case a couple years back when I was coming here regularly. I'm all too familiar with shrinkflation, and I get it, doing business isn't cheap, but I would have gladly paid a couple of extra dollars more to get a big burrito similar to the size of what you get from a 'Bertos shop, or really any SD taco/burrito joint for that matter. Place was clean, service was friendly, but I didn't leave very satisfied... $13 for a burrito this size just didn't make sense to me, no matter how good it tastes, but ~$18 for a bigger burrito with the same ingredients and quality, I would stop by on the regular. If you don't have a big appetite like me, none of this even matters, but if you do, don't come too hungry...

Photos
Yesenia's Mexican Food
Shrimp burrito.  $11.99 (July, 25)
Shrimp burrito. $11.99 (July, 25)
Outdoor seating

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Outdoor seating
Taco Taco Poway

Taco Taco Poway

4.0
(683 reviews)
0.9 mi
$

I've been driving by this location so many times that I finally made the effort to stop in and try…read moreit out. I decided to order one of their 99¢ fish tacos and an order of fish and chips. The fish taco was satisfying and delicious. Paired with the fish and chips, it was a great and affordable lunch. The fish was crisp and flaky and they provided a mountain of fries to go with it. They inciuded all the fixings to go with the fish. Plenty of tartar and cocktail sauce and limes. I was impressed with this place The service was outstanding as well. Friendly and efficient. Next time I visit, I'll have to try one of their margaritas.

Well, lookie what I found.. .99 fish taco! I am on a best fish taco quest. So when a friend…read morecancelled last minute plans, I searched fish tacos and it bright me here. ** Note to the wise... they share the lot with DMV, so drive and park defensively during business hours ** It's a take a seat kinda place. And the staff will take your order. I got... 2 fish tacos (surprise) and some chips and a Diet Coke ... under 7 bucks! If you're traveling with a service dog, they have mostly high tops inside, so, take a seat outside. Which is also quite lovely. They have a fun vibe inside. About 6 high tops and 2 lower 4 top tables. Outside they have three picnic tables WITH umbrella!! Brisas was my server and she was very nice! Let's talk chips. They are served warm and have a good amount of salt. The salsa are green and red and are pretty standard heat and quality you'd expect of a San Diego taco shop. Fish tacos, were as expected. Small corn tortillas, shredded cabbage, fried fish, onion, tomato, cilantro and fresh lime. You cannot beat this price for fish tacos! And they are something I would eat again! As I rank fish tacos based on taste, this is the average expectation of a taco, making it a 3. On par with the Villa on Grand (3) or Rubios (at a fraction of the price) . It is not as memorable as Taco Craft. For the price and quality combined 4.5! I also had opportunity to try the chicken and cheese quesadilla. That was yummy!

Photos
Inside was very attractive.
Inside was very attractive.
Chop cheese tacos (left 2) & Pulled pork taco
Chop cheese tacos (left 2) & Pulled pork taco
Outside

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Outside

Lupe's Cafe - mexican - Updated June 2026

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