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    Pure Taco

    4.2 (553 reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 9:30 pm
    Updated 1 month ago

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    PURE TACO ATMOSPHERE

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    Recommended Reviews - Pure Taco

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    Pulled Chicken Taco
    Nicole Erin B.

    Impressed by the portion sizes and relatively moderate prices of these tasty tacos. The corn tortillas tasted fresh but were a little undercooked which led to a soggy bottom from all the filling. The chicken and pork tacos were both tender and flavorful with generous portions of guacamole. A lot of the seating is indoor/outdoor style which is a great place to enjoy fresh air but also stay shaded. The menu is clearly labeled with allergens including gluten free and vegetarian. Definitely will return!

    Skinny Margarita, $12 and Pure Marg, $12
    Elle C.

    While I'd been to a few other restaurants and coffee shops on this street and in this area, I'm only discovering Pure Taco now -- perhaps because we usually don't seek counter-service eateries; desiring a small, quick bite, we decided to stop in. We learned, however, seated at the bar top, it's full service... and while I didn't plan on a cocktail, my thoughts are it's wrong not to order a cocktail seated at the bar top! I don't like cocktail mixes; appreciatively, no mixes were used in my Skinny Margarita ($12), which was quite (almost too) tangy but thankfully, not sweet. Hubby enjoyed his Pure Marg ($12) -- both cocktails surprisingly (and deliciously) strong. We started with their Corn in a Cup ($6.95) -- with an option to be served with chips (which were enjoyably thick & crispy, and learned that the tortillas are made daily). In addition, they use fresh fish (never frozen). The Baja Fish Tacos (2/$5) and their Grilled Fish Taco ($5.75) consisted of generous planks of fish, served within thick corn tortillas. We had the pleasure of being served by Osheana, whose positive energy, enthusiasm, and knowledge of their menu items made our first visit a fun and enjoyable one! I like the open-&-airy, indoor/outdoor, casual vibe and reasonable prices. We're now fans of Pure Taco.

    Ashley E.

    I saw Pure Taco when I was across the street at a coffee shop. So we decided to visit on a taco Tuesday. The specials were amazing--buy three get one free for tacos, discounted beers, AND free chips and salsa w every order. It was lit... Now you know I'm a self proclaimed taco expert, so I have high standards. I ordered two Baja fish tacos and the green curry shrimp taco (sounded interesting!). The service was great, and the guy that helped us was really nice and friendly! Now for the tacos...I give the fish taco a 6 out of 10. The main issue is that they were not hot. Actually, none of the tacos were hot. They were all lukewarm...which is unfortunate. The second issue was the amount of liquid running off the tacos. I guess the slaw was in liquid and it wasn't drained prior to putting it in the tacos. So this made what was supposed to be a crispy fish taco into a soggy, lukewarm situation of a taco. And lastly, the tortilla was a miss for me. It was house made corn tortilla but it was either too thick or not all the way cooked. It had a chewy texture to it. All that aside, the seasoning and flavor of the fish taco was great. For the shrimp curry taco, I'd give that a 4 out of ten. There's actually nothing wrong with the taco--I just did not enjoy the sweetness of it. The presentation was also not great. It looked like a blob of white sauce on a tortilla (see photos). Adding the lime helped somewhat and elevated the taco to a 6, but if it was hot, it could have been a 7. The chips, salsa and guacamole were excellent!

    2 fish tacos
    Ray L.

    I love that it's an affordable casual quick order place you go up to the register order. Find a cute seat. Seating is mostly outdoors and they bring the food to your table. They have a stellar deal of two fish tacos for five dollars every day and they are good sized! I would say this is a really affordable place for the area. You can tell the tortillas were freshly made. It seems like it's a California Mexican type place. I would definitely go there again for a quick bite! It looks like they also had a full bar.

    Steak taco, and battered fish taco
    Jan H.

    Went to the Carlsbad street fair, and stopped off here to eat as they had open seats at the bar. If you sit at the bar it's full service, or if you are sitting at a table you must go up and order at the counter. It's not a huge place and most of the tables were for small parties. Thankfully it was just me so I had no problem finding a spot at the bar. It did take them a minute to take my order, but they were a bit busy. The server did offer to get my drink for me from the self-service station, which I really appreciated and took her up on. They have tacos, burritos, bowls, Etc. I ordered the battered fish tacos, and the steak taco, the cilantro lime rice, and the black beans. Both of the tacos were really good, but the rice was pretty bland. It didn't really taste like much, and seems more like a filler. The beans were black beans, they didn't have refried beans, but we're pretty good. They did kind of taste like they needed salt, but since you have to go get all of the condiments from a separate area I didn't want to leave my food unattended so I ate them as was. Honestly though they were fine even without the salt, I'm just a girl that likes a little salt and most of her food LOL. I would like to try one of their bowls, maybe the next time I'm in the area or at the street fair. I did notice they had a taco Tuesday, and a decent happy hour, which would be great if you live or work in the area. If you do I definitely say check them out.

    Paloma Cocktail
    RJ S.

    It's a solid taco shop featuring a modern fusion of flavors! Pure's menu is a melting pot of various global cuisines, but delivered in classic Mexican dishes like tacos, burritos, nachos and salads. The staff is great and the open air order-at-the-counter setup screams SoCal. I've a lot of menu items, but some of my favorites include the Baja Fish Taco, Korean Pork Bo Sam Taco, Salmon Bowl and Pure Greens Salad. If you're thirsty, they have a full bar, beer, wine and Dole Whip for those with a sweet tooth. Try their Pure Marg! It's made with an orange simple syrup that packs unique flavor. Don't miss out. Try it for yourself!

    Nachos with beef
    Pamela R.

    2.5 stars... The hubs and I wanted Mexican food for lunch so we decided to try Pure Taco since we were in the area. The space is cute, mostly outside with inside bar seating. They have a full bar and a wide choice of tacos but its more like a fast food restaurant... Chips and salsa are not complementary, so we chose the nachos and added beef. We also ordered the avocado fries. To drink, we tried the Paloma and the Pure Marg. The service...our server/bartender seemed disinterested and preoccupied with finding the right channel on the TV. She only checked in with us after we were done eating. The food...everything looked/tasted like it came out of a can/bag/jar. Nothing was good. The drinks...also tasted like pre-made mixes and bottled juices...not good. Will not be returning and do not recommend.

    Chips and Chips, Salsa & Guacamole**
    Justin C.

    This is a solid spot for global tacos in the heart of Carlsbad. You order at the counter, self serve drinks, and they bring the tacos out to you. I liked in the indoor outdoor vibes - classic San Diego surfer Carlsbad. I wanted to try as many flavors as possible so I ordered the traditional 1/2 flight. I got four tacos: grilled steak, pulled chicken, pastor, citrus braised pork. I really enjoyed the grilled steak and citrus braised pork. Tortillas were a touch thick for me. Also ordered chips with guacamole and salsa and enjoyed them as an appetizer. My tacos came out pretty quickly. Next time, I'm looking forward to trying the global 1/2 flight.

    Mixed greens
    Nell C.

    Salads were overdressed and salty today. Mixed greens salad was hard to consume and wish that I got the dressing on the side. Salad leaves were fresh and topped with grated cheese.

    Halibut taco
    Billie B.

    The Caesar salad was enough for two or three and delicious. I had the halibut taco which was small but full of fish and very good. My husband had the California burrito but could only eat half. There is no table service. You order a they bring it to your table.

    Zach H.

    Food is actually very good, even for SoCal Mexican food standards. But it is literally crazy that they don't have in house salsa. Asked for salsa and was given pico... won't be back but service and food was good. Need to have salsa made from scratch in SD.....

    Baja Fish Burrito
    Leanne D.

    We were spending the day in Carlsbad and wanted to grab a bite to eat. Walking down State Street Pure Taco caught our eye. At Pure Taco you place your order and pay at the register and then you seat yourself at a table and your order is delivered to your table. We opted to sit at the bar which is full service. We ordered the braised pork burrito and the Baja fish burrito. My fish burrito was more rice than fish but was still good but we did come pretty hungry. Adding some Tapatio to the burrito gave it more flavor as it was a bit bland for my liking. Based on our burritos the food was a 3-31/2 but the bartender's service and friendliness and ambiance bumped my rating to a 4. I would definitely try this place again but next time I would try their tacos since it seems to be their specialty given the place is called "pure taco".

    Suzanne W.

    Nachos were good for a snack. Margarita was good. We liked the outdoor seating. Bartender was friendly. Will come back for the fish tacos. What a deal.

    Pastor Taco &  BBQ Brisket taco

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    Thanks for your review Shane. The pho taco is amazing.

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    Page 1 of 14

    Ask the Community - Pure Taco

    Is this place dog friendly?

    Yes we are!!

    Do they accept Apple Pay?

    Yes I believe they do, but best to call the location.

    Do you serve fry bread?

    No - not to my knowledge but they have delicious food.

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

    Los Tacos

    Los Tacos

    4.5
    (482 reviews)
    9.6 mi
    $$

    If you haven't tried the spicy surf and turf burrito here, you're missing out. It's the perfect…read morebalance of heat and flavor. Since the location is in a small plaza, parking is definitely a challenge when it's busy. I highly recommend placing a mobile/phone order ahead of time so you can just grab and go. Highly recommend!

    I decided to stop by Los Tacos in Encinitas after reading all the great reviews about this specific…read morelocation! The parking lot has plentiful parking but was completely full as I was leaving around 12pm. There were tons of order pick-up spots and 20-minute max parking spots that help with the flow. The restaurant was impeccably clean with a growing line of lunch-goers. The workers were very efficient and the line moved quickly. I also noticed the apparent owner/manager talking to regulars and greeting customers as they walked in, which I really liked to see! I was served my order to-go in less than 10 minutes and ended up unexpectedly using the other 10 minutes after taking my first bite--after that it was hard to stop. The burrito was the perfect size (not too large and not too small). My original breakfast burrito was wrapped in a fresh hand-made tortilla filled with fluffy eggs, the perfect amount of bacon, cheese, soft fresh potatoes, topped with the avocado salsa verde which went perfectly with everything. I even ended up sipping the salsa (it was that good) between bites of the burrito. I was also blown away by the clean and fully stocked salsa bar. So many options (including non-spicy ones for those with gastric limitations too!) and they even offered radishes, carrots, and pickled onions individually wrapped with care. Everything tasted fresh and home-made. After 7 years being away from San Diego, Los Tacos delivered exactly what I had been missing. This location really blew me away and I will definitely be back to see what else it has to offer.

    Photos
    Inside
    Inside
    Original Breakfast Burrito with Avocado Salsa
    Original Breakfast Burrito with Avocado Salsa
    3 taco combo (mixed between garlic shrimp, baja style fish and carne asada)

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    3 taco combo (mixed between garlic shrimp, baja style fish and carne asada)
    Miguel's Cocina

    Miguel's Cocina

    3.9
    (1.9k reviews)
    3.1 mi
    $$

    Wow, surprised the rating is currently 4 stars only! We made reservations a week or so in advance…read morefor a Sunday night around 730, and it did not seem very busy. Restaurant is very close to the 5 freeway as well as the Carlsbad Flower Fields and Legoland. I enjoyed the food and fancy-casual ambience. Seems like a fairly large stand-alone restaurant with it's own parking lot. Service was attentive and friendly. We came at the recommendation of a local and loved it! We chose this spot also for the queso that comes with the complimentary chips and salsa. So tasty and not too spicy--like a fresher/?healthier/whiter version of nacho cheese. Mango margarita 4.5/5 (with tajin rim) was enjoyable. Strawberry margarita (blended, virgin) 3/5 was good, but reminded me of candy, so probably just not for me. Trio burrito was outstanding. Loved the sourness of the green salsa over the carnitas, the carne asada with red salsa, and even the shrimp burrito (I don't usually love shrimp!). It tasted lighter than typical Mexican food. Portion was impressive, and it came with a side plate of rice and beans. Chile relleno was 3+/5 imo but my fiance enjoyed it as one of the better ones he has had. To me, it just paled in comparison to the burritos :)). Overall high quality, nice-ish (not too fancy) dinner spot for groups and more! Would recommend to others to add to their Carlsbad/SD area trip.

    We arrived and I parked in the first handicap open spot. I was thinking how lucky and next to the…read moredoor. Well, we walked in and it was the "to-go" entrance but we were able to walk to the front of the restaurant and get a seat. We were seated quickly and my picky mom was able to choose where she wanted to sit. It was a little cold for me, and since we opted to sit in the way back it was a little dim. We were seated and served chips, salsa, and queso blanco dip. The sip was a nice touch. The chips were warm. Of course we had a lot of questions about the menu and our server was very helpful in helping us decide. After eating so many chips and queso, I decided on an appetizer for my meal. I had the empanadas. Mom ordered a bowl of albondigas and a combo plate with cheese enchilada and a taco, with the taco on a separate plate. The albondigas came out first. They were not very hot. Maybe lukewarm. We asked for them to be heated. They did. They had a nice flavor. I think I enjoyed the broth the most. For me, it was missing potatoes and had too much tomato, just a preference, there is no wrong way to make albondigas. I asked for all the condiments in the side and they did put everything on the side. The empanadas were okay. Seemed like they were made ahead of time and then slightly warmed. Again, I was missing the potatoes in the picadillo. Mom said her tortilla from the taco was very tuff and hard to eat. It seemed pre fried and old. She opted to eat the inside of the taco with tortilla chips. She's picky about her enchiladas. The cheese in the enchilada was slightly melted. The enchilada looked freshly made which, for me, can be a bad thing because making it fresh and heating in the salamander versus in the oven doesn't allow the cheese to fully melt. Now, the enchilada sauce was good and the rice was very good. Mom did complain about the lack of fullness in her plate. I reminded her that her taco would have sat in that empty spot. . . lol. . . On our way out, we noticed they were making homemade tortillas and wondered why we didn't get any lol. . . I think if I was in the area again I would stop in, especially for the albondigas.

    Photos
    The bar
    The bar
    Sangria, Strawberry margarita, chips, queso and salsa
    Sangria, Strawberry margarita, chips, queso and salsa
    Happy hour all night!!!!

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    Happy hour all night!!!!

    Pure Taco - tacos - Updated July 2026

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