My family's go to Mexican spot in Encinitas. Their tacquitos are our favorite, filled with a good amount of beef and are crispy. Their guacamole is good and the salsa bar options are usually well stocked. The nachos are solid and the carne asada is not too salty. Overall a great filling meal. read more

Mexico Viejo Restaurant - Super Nachos - Mexican Near Me - Encinitas, California

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I stopped by this location as I usually go to the Carlsbad one on my way home from the La jolla VA. I ordered a Carne de quesadilla and the Carne Asada burrito. I added sour cream and cheese to the burrito Service Wise I would say this place is at a lower level than the Carlsbad location or other places in general. I stood at the counter for five minutes, waiting to be attended to the menu which they've posted on the TV wasn't even up and nobody greeted me. I could have easily turned around and left and pretty sure nobody would've realized there was someone at the counter after being served the food here was better and taste and flavor. The salsa bar was better different salsa in this location instead of having two reds one hot and one medium you have a red a green and what looks like a Serrano pepper salsa that's hotter which I liked. I like the fact that the Coke machine worked here and they didn't serve you in a regular glass and charge you large for the price of a medium or medium for the price of a large. Do we miss out on this not really because we can simply order the smaller size and get charged the same but if you're not aware that the cook machine is not working in the Carlsbad location you do wind up with the charge of a bigger drink for the same size drink that you would've received otherwise the burrito was poorly wrapped, but this could be a ones off. I do think the burrito portions were more or larger. I should say in the Carlsbad location however like I said food quality was better at the Encinitas location in the Carlsbad location. read more

After LA Fit nearby workout, craving taco and carnitas for lunch. Great beef taco and nice juicy with some fat carnitas. Recommend. Always get same thing. Fish taco and burritos good too read more

Mexico Viejo Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Encinitas, California

I ordered the Carne Asada burrito and a drink. This was around five minutes after seven. I went over to the salsa bar and there were two tiny little cockroaches when I mentioned it to the woman at the counter she looked at me like duh. I thought the Carne Asada was very salty. While I'm eating my burrito and reading my book, I noticed they start cleaning up. There's no sign on the door, saying what time they close so I am rushing through my burrito and the woman never even looks at me. I just felt like I would rather spend my dollars elsewhere. read more

Mexico Viejo is a decent fast Mexican food restaurant with an extensive menu filled with all of the requisite foods. They have a solid consumer base and I have eaten there numerous times over the year. On Saturday I popped in for some Huevos Rancheros, my favorite breakfast. I checked to see if the Ranchero sauce, beans and rice were vegetarian and only the sauce was. The cashier allowed me to substitute lettuce and sour cream for the beans and rice and she was very friendly about it. My meal came out and even without the main sides it was huge, 3 tortillas underneath the 3 eggs, and more of them folded up on the side. It would have been enjoyable, except they did not serve sunny side eggs as the menu stated. Instead they served them over hard. I did not eat them but I created tacos from what was on my plate lettuce, pico de gallo, ranchero sauce and cheese. read more

Mexico Viejo Restaurant - huevos rancheros, hold the rice and beans with added lettuce and sour cream. - Mexican Near Me - Encinitas, California

This place has amazing Mexican food. I love their shrimp quesadillas and everytime it's been hot, yummy, and packed with cheese and shrimp. Plus their salsa bar always has hot carrots which are my favorite. Definitely recommend. read more

Hadn't been in since Covid "ended", but the bean burrito was back to its previous quality. Yay!

Walked in place looks abit dirty but had a nice clear menu. Ordered 5 beef roll tacos with guacamole and cheese I tried to order a rice of rice but music inside was loud and she must've not heard me. When I get back to work and open I see rice is missing and the roll tacos look stale. Didn't have a receipt so was sure if I paid for the rice or not. First bite definitely could tell these roll tacos were old the ends were so hard was hot at all cheese was room temperature. I called and ask if I could get a refund if I brought back the tacos he said no and said he would just make me new ones. Needless to say but I lost my appetite after that's so I just wanted my money back but wasn't but waste my time. Place is best to avoid read more

Mexico Viejo Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Encinitas, California

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Taco shop is open for the public. Me and father had a bad experience today with a employee. We were asked what color of hot sauce we'd like and I responded with both red and green colors and if I could please get 4 green since I like green sauce . The lady responded with a no only 2 and I asked if you could please add 2 more and I'll pay. She responds no we don't sell them. I was a bit confused it's for my burrito you just sold me, I didn't say that but I said what did I do to you. And the cashier said give him them. I said thank you. But this can't keep going on. read more

Mexico Viejo Restaurant - Store front - Mexican Near Me - Encinitas, California

Food is outstanding! Best carne asada fries and California burrito. Great salsa bar !

Food is good and fast. Bathroom needs to have a bit more attention. I wouldn't really call it "spotless". Think it could be cleaned more often. read more

So rude! Every time I go to this location they are beyond rude. This place is close to where I work so its my only choice when I'm tight on time. Today was my last time going though. Everyone I have talked to about this place has said they are really rude every time they go too. read more

I am always on the look out for a great breakfast burrito and this place definitely served me up one. I stopped in on a Saturday morning for breakfast and ordered the ham and egg with cheese burrito. For a little bit more, I added some pico de gallo. The burrito cost $5 and some change. The burrito was quite large and very tasty. I was very impressed with the quality of the four tortilla. It was one of those flour tortillas that had that very rich and buttery texture. I love it. I also like the fact that they put a generous amount of savory ham. The ham was good and so was the pico de gallo they mixed into the eggs. The pico de gallo had a small bit and very good flavor. The eggs were well scrambled and tasted very good. The burrito came with cheddar which was nicely melted in the burrito, but I felt that it needed more. I tried a couple of their salsas, the deep red and the tomatillo sauce and let me tell you, the red one was very hot. It also had great flavor but be careful it's a hot one. Just a little goes a long way. I would certainly order this burrito again. read more

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Food service terrible I order a veggie burrito and I notice the guy who did my burrito put the tortilla with cheese on the microwave . Why? Don't the have a grill we're to cook at . It was cold when I receive it . read more

Mexico Viejo Restaurant - a tortilla with meat and vegetables - Mexican Near Me - Encinitas, California

They quality of the food is ok (for fast food), but they increased their prices so much - again, comparable now to a high quality mexican restaurant, which it is not. $13.00 for just a basic mid sized vegetarian burrito, really? No wonder every time I walk by the place its getting emptier and emptier. You can get much better quality across the street for probably less/or the same price, but its much, much tastier and the burritos are twice as big. I understand they have to raise prices, but I think they are getting now greedy, absolutely unjustifiable. I would not be surprised if they will be out of business soon.... I used to go their for years on a regular basis until 2020, but not more. read more

Quick service and delicious food. I ordered through the Yelp website that sent my order through Grubhub, only to find out that they only use DoorDash. Mexico Viejo was able to expedite my order and Grubhub credited my acct. and sent me a discount for my next order. read more

Ordered a pollo desebrado quesadilla it was loud and clear by me and my coworker and they gave me a grilled chicken quesadilla. The cook got pissed and there's the food towards me on the counter when I returned it saying that's what I had ordered. A star only 'cause I have no other option read more

This Mexico Viejo location has been here forever, well at least since I was younger. I stopped going here for some time, but since Cotixan raised their prices, I needed to start looking for a new joint. It's not the greatest, but it's not bad either. The chorizo Burrito was super spicy, the California burrito didn't taste like a normal Cali burrito from other places. The rolled tacos were good, and so was the Quesadilla. It's definitely a hit or miss on this place, but if you need a quick Mexican food fix, it'll hit the spot. They have avocado salsa at the salsa bar so that's always a plus. I'm still trying other items to see what's good and what's okay but there isn't anything I've eaten that is bad. I would recommend this place because the price is still decent and the portion is huge. read more

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There are some places you just take for granted. They were there when you moved into the neighborhood, they have always been there in the decade since, and you can't imagine they would ever close down or leave; certainly children of the family that owns it will pick up the mantle and continue into the far future. No, I'm not talking about Denny's! Anyway, I've been coming to this 'old' place off and on ever since relocating to Encinitas. While stops closer to the beach are more popular among high school kids and others closer to the freeway attract surfers and bargain taco hunters (kind of a weird switch, actually), Viejo has become many a persons' go-to for Mexican comfort food. The beans and rice are very good, the carne asada isn't too salty and they drain it properly so tortillas don't become soggy messes, and the chips are cooked fresh with a full salsa bar at the ready. All of this would make them 4 stars easily, 5 stars on a good day, but I'm here for the fish burrito, so... Their Fish Burritos definitely rank up there as some of the better ones I've had. While I still prefer Roberto's up the street in the Vons shopping center, these come very close. The fish is well breaded and fried perfectly, no burn or chewiness throughout the whole of it. The slaw they include compliments the fish, it doesn't drown out the flavor with a sour dressing and has a good crunch for great texture. And, best of all, the cream they add to it has that hint of sugar and cools down the hot fish to make it good to eat straight from the start. All in all, an excellent mix of salty and sweet that is very enjoyable. My girlfriend had their Carne Asada, opting to forgo the fries inside for a California this time around, and also found it very good. A lot of places overcook the meat to the point where it becomes chewy as it waits on the grill, Viejo puts a bit more care. She put their guac on the side, allowing us to see a good consistency in it, not too whipped, and not chunky with too much salsa and globs of unmashed avocado. Again, not the best, but pretty damn good. Our son had their quesadilla, and it was massive. But such things are common in most hole in the wall Mexican shops. Still, tasty cheese, right amount of salt, massively colon-clogging, just like grandma used to make! In the end, quite delicious. Very good prices, lots of food, above par fish burrito. I know I'll expect to go there again and again in the future. read more

Tucked away in a quiet strip mall off of ENC Blvd., this place has some pros and cons. The pros include: decent prices; reasonably tasty food; good portions; large menu; easy parking; fast service (if not always completely accurate); a nice (operational in 2022) salsa bar with yummy salsa choices; including a spicy one; and nice clean tables (including some outdoor seating). On the con side: Food comes quick, but on a recent bean burrito, the pre-shredded out-of-the-bad cheddar cheese wasn't melted. Very little ambiance- there's a radio playing festive music in the kitchen, but it's barely audible over the drone of the ventilation fan in the dining room. TV that is unplugged hangs on the wall. While the place accepts credit cards, it's through one of those annoying devices that make you enter a tip while the guy at the counter watches you (and then goes to make your food). Also, fountain drinks are not self-serve, so no refills. Good for a quick bite. read more

RUDE!!!! They treat me like crap. They don't say Hi, it is more like "what do you want" They cater more towards Mexicans

The food is not great but not bad either. I recommend the Cabeza Burrito. What caught me by surprise is the strong sweat smell. It comes on strong as you reach the counter but it is noticeable from the moment you open the door. read more

Our order was completely screwed up and we didn't get the food we ordered. Order cheese enchiladas and we got chicken enchiladas. We ordered a fish taco plate and we got two fish tacos without the rice and beans that were supposed to come with the meal. So, we pad $ more than what we actually received. We ordered the beef rolled tacos and the rolled taco shells were all burnt. What a rip off. Over the last 20 years we've ordered out from them, but this was so bad, I'm afraid we won't be going back. read more

Servicio muy bueno y calidad de comida también personal muy atento y barra de salsas muy buenas x cierto

I ordered the Adonai's torts with a side of rice and beans. Not a terrible price. I was truly impressed though when the torts came out. For the price I did not expect it to be so huge! Not only was the portion size perfect (for me) it was absolutely delicious. Plus, on there salsa bar they not only had the usual salsa, sauce and jalapeños, they had cut limes. This really added to the meal. If so am back in the area and have a hankering for Mexican food I will definitely come back. read more

Mexico Viejo Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Encinitas, California

Back in 1996 when I first started frequenting Mexico Viejo it was my number one. At that time they were located down the street in a place about half the size. While their rent probably went up, the quality of the food dropped drastically. I still remember my first time. I was with a friend and hadn't eaten all do so was feeling quite famished. He told me to get the carne asada burrito. I ordered two. Given the fact that these are the size of a midget's arm, this was a mistake. I somehow ate all but a few remaining bites of the second....and subsequently thought my stomach was going to explode. While the carne asada used to be excellent, it is no longer up to snuff. The only thing they still have going for them is their chicken tacos (warning, they don't use all white meat), rolled tacos, and their salsa. I'd recommend a trip to California Chile (San Marcos, CA) if you're looking for something with a little more flavor. read more

Gross somebody was eating sunflower seed while making the salsa in back. I will never eat here or any tacoshop again I am over it. No Corona virus for me. read more

Mexico Viejo Restaurant - Somebody's eaten sunflower seed. - Mexican Near Me - Encinitas, California

Visiting from out of town and this was recommended to us as the best authentic Mexican food. A lot of the other ratings focus on service, and we did not come for service (although it was fine), we came for the food. If you want great Mexican food, this place is great and the portions are generous, prices low. read more

One hell of a nasty bean and cheese burrito. It was a wet, sopping, stinking and sloppy bag of a burrito. Never to return to Mexico Viejo! Lardy-da, probably, too. read more

The best fish burrito I've had in the area. Well above and beyond Kotija Jr and Juanitas. Soft flaky fried fish, fresh cilantro, fresh pico, delicious white sauce although it could use a minor tweak this burrito is the best in north county! The physical location is a hole in the wall and leaves much to be desired- but the bathroom is always spotless and feels like cleaning fluid. *** I've had two chicken tacos here since my last review because I had to give up gluten for health reasons (*eye roll/sad face) and they are delicious! Crispy corn shell not fried - basic lettuce and shredded cheese- but the shredded chicken is seasoned just right. Boy they sure do know how to make a classic. Good stuff. I miss the fish burrito though. read more

I was looking up the Viejo menu online when I saw stumbled upon their Yelp review. A meager 3 stars? That's insanity. If you don't like Mexico Viejo, there's something wrong with YOU. Know how you can tell it's better than nearby Rico's? Because it's full of actual Mexicans. Rico's never has Mexicans eating there. Nothing against Rico's, but if I'm choosing a Mexican restaurant, I'll follow the Mexicans. I can't speak for the other locations, but as far as Encinitas, Viejo is top of the list. read more

This has to be one of my favorite places to eat good mexican food. the staff is friendly and patient considering i always have questions about their menu.Always helpful and fast service! Prices are fair and the dining area is clean. read more

Yelp reviews by David Lujan Not interested in reading my full review - head straight to the bottom to see the ratings I gave this establishment: Who: lunch with the fam What: bean and cheese burrito, rolled tacos, quesadilla, breakfast salsa burrito When: 4pm Saturday Environment: very stock 80s Tijuana feeling How'd they do: Recommendations:not really Pros: decent food Cons: decent food My tip: try somewhere else if your looking for a good experience. If your just wanting a lard freed very traditional decent burrito this place might do Ratings 1 to 10: Cleanliness - 4 tables were dirty and floors had trash on them.. Not sure that top to bottom clean down has been done here in months.. Wait times - 8 Service - 3 not very pleasant at the register. Almost seemed inconvenienced... Food quality and taste - 6.5 Restrooms - 3 ...my wife said it was filthy Price (bang for your buck) - 4 not cheap $47 for my wife myself and 4 kids Final and overall thoughts - PASS.. Spend your money elsewhere.. read more

true mexican food experience. Dining with no air conditioning. Food tastes pretty good, even if the stole looks kind of scary. read more

Mexico Viejo Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Encinitas, California

Customer service is nonexistent. Order was incorrect. Cold food. In an already very poor location you would think everything else would be tip top. Not a fan! read more

Bad service attitude review. I used to love this place for their chili relleno burritos and drove over cause I've been out of town a long time. Today the machine was saying it cost 1.50 to use my card. They said they can't pay that. I said can you add the 1.50 to my order and they say no just go (I was being super nice). I called and my bank said my card is fine. My food was ready and I was so hungry. It made no since so I asked why if the card was okay. They said if I had cash to pay the 1.50 they could use my card and I could have my food. I only had some change. It made no sense and they were dismissive and were unable to explain - arms crossed just saying no we can't without the fee in cash. It was dirtier than I remember it anyhow. If you have no cash you could have an issue. I'm still confused. Hard when things don't make sense. Sad I feel I can't come back to a place I liked. Total nonsensical jerks. Ps I had added chicken and sour cream and the burrito was over $12 so it's not like I was getting a deal on my burrito. read more

The worse service in town!!!! They gave me so much shit because I want flower tortillas when I pick up my order. Suggestion to owner/manager: don't say NO to customer reasonable requests! read more

Tue 4/13/21Worst burrito ever . Ordered extra cheese, got no cheese. Rude girl. Skimpy on the hot sauce. Never will go back. Only. one there, should have known. read more

Living in north county San Diego we have so many taco shops to choose from. I come to viejo when I want a pollo asado burrito. They don't skimp out on the meat they give you your money's worth. They got plenty of seating if you want to eat there. And parking is never an issue most times. read more

Decent food. Bad service. The counter guy doesn't bother to greet you when you walk in, he acts like he's doing you a favor by taking your money since he has to get up from a table where he was looking at his phone. The most effort he goes through is when he throws your change at you. Not a word spoken, here's your change amigo and your receipt get your damn burrito now get the hell out of here. Uh, thanks but no thanks this isn't the only place in town where I can get a burrito. Good luck with your business. read more