Awesome spot. I got a cali burrito. The beef was very well seasoned and overall the burrito is solid. The red sauce is really tomatoy which I don't personally like, but the green sauce was really good. The price and quality the food was excellent. I recommend this spot for you if youre craving mexican food and are not looking to spend too much. read more

Raul's Shack - Fast Food Near Me - Encinitas, California

Rauls was never on my radar due to Alibertos being next door. Well Alibertos jumped the shark and now sucks so I dropped by Rauls for a carne asada burrito one day and I was pleasantly surprised. You know how they say you are the company you keep? Well it's close proximity to Alibertos could be a mark against them. But don't let it be so. Food is definitely fresher and tastier. A nice beach community taco shop that I will definitely be frequenting. read more

This has become our go to spot in downtown Encinitas for Mexican food! The family love the taquitos and the carne asada burritos are done just right. read more

The Mexico City soup is THE best soup ever! It's the star of the menu by far! Affordable , quick and yummy food.

This place is categorized as "Vegetarian", so I've been anxiously anticipating a visit to Raul's Shack (which is only open certain hours). I managed to catch them open today for lunch & ordered up a veggie burrito, which was just about the only Vegetarian item on the menu. Fortunately, they do not use lard in their beans (I asked), at least not in the whole style pinto beans that are included in the veggie burrito. The veggie burrito came with beans, rice, pico de gallo and lettuce. The Good: fresh cilantro, good spicy red sauce, good rice, fresh ingredients. Definitely better than a burtos. The bad: they didn't put many beans in my burrito, in fact, I was wondering if it had any beans at all until I got halfway through the burrito. No cheese; I probably should have asked for cheese, but it would have been nice if they included it by default in the veggie burrito. The green hot sauce was also disappointing, mostly sweet, hardly any spice whatsoever. From a vegetarians' point of view, this place isn't so hot. I've sent an edit request for the category and asked Yelp to remove the Vegetarian tag from this spot, which is obviously not catered towards vegetarians. read more

This is my favorite burrito place of all time! I'll admit it- I'm from the east coast. Maybe I don't know what I'm talking about. But this place.. amazes me. The carnitas.. the carne asada.. the rolled tacos.. the soup with a warm tortilla! Oh my gosh, the soup! Hot sauces are wonderful. My native San Diego bff agrees.. this is the place. Grab food and walk down to the beach, take it home, or sit at the outside tables or indoor area with the crazy stickers you can buy for 50 cents. Raul's is a win everytime- not like the gross place next door where I once was given brown guacamole! read more

Having been here many more times now, I would like to upgrade to 5 stars. Their menu is full of good stuff. Their tortillas are still warm, soft, and to die for. Their chicken soup is particularly notable, one of the best around. My mom does not even really like chicken and she loves their chicken soup. Their tacos are really good as well. This place continues to be the best Mexican place within many blocks (that's a big deal in San Diego County). Only downside is they close early. Forget about getting munchies here after bar-hopping, or even a late dinner on a weekend. read more

Their Green sauce is some of the best I have ever tasted. This sounds like a hyperbole, but seriously, you need to try it. No joke. The Beans and Rice are vegan. And they have potato taquitos which are wonderful! The service is great--Alex is there everyday and sometimes he will sit down and join other locals at their table while they are eating. Sadly, right next to this shop is a Mexican food chain called Filiberto's, which must cut their sales in half. But, do not be swayed--Raul's is healthier, higher quality, and the better business. Support mom-and-pop stores over chains! read more

Best adobada I've ever had...awesome. Seasoning and juices were awesome. I like spicy stuff and this wasn't very spicy but the flavor was amazing...good salsa as well. If you're in Encinitas, or have a hankering for a good burrito...give it a whirl; you won't be disappointed. Next time, I'll be trying the tacos...my roommate had one and it looked pretty damn good. read more

While I love both, I find it funny that Filiberto's is right next to Raul's. While I enjoyed tortas, I never really looked for them. Raul's converted me. I heart mi tortas. Ole. read more

Good burrito, mid salsa. Found a hair in my food but I'm ok with it because it went down effortlessly

Best carne asada I've ever had. Meat was very flavorful and chicken soup was delicious came with rice tortillas and avocado pieces. Love how they used paper / cardboard takeout boxes -- more environmentally friendly. Best fast Mexican food I've had. read more

I was not that impressed with this place. The burritos are smaller than other places and charge a bit more. The veggie tacos were good but the tortillas were hard as if they had gone stale a bit. I would prefer another place. Cash only. read more

Having spent my teenage years in Encinitas I have had my share of taqueria food and I must say Raul's pulls ahead of the competition. This place was featured on Huell Howser's road trip through CA and he loved the food. It has a raw freshness to it that I feel most other places simply lack. I'm sure many people have ordered a burrito and find that a certain topping has somehow found its way only to one side of the burrito. This has never happened to me here. Whatever I order is made with efficiency and care resulting in some very tasty Mexican food. It's within walking distance of the beach and although not open for 24hours like it's neighbor Filiberto's it boasts superior food at comparable if not cheaper prices. While they only take cash there isn't any odd tax addition after the fact so at the most you may get quarters which always pleases me. When I see something cost $4.50 I like when I actually only pay $4.50. Final thoughts: Whether your just passing through or your a North County Native definitely go on by Raul's. The friendly people and the great food make this roadside tacqueria unforgettable. read more

Happened upon this literal hole in the wall on accident-- we were starving and looking for another place for tacos, and "settled" on Raul's. Best mistake ever!! We were in town for two days and came here for lunch both days. We tried chicken street tacos, carne asada street tacos, a chicken taquito, and beef taquitos. Their carne asada is THE BOMB. I like mine simple with just onion, cilantro, and lime, but the street tacos came with guac. (The guac was great so I'm not complaining). Tortillas were soft and warm, and didn't break or crumble. Definitely worth the 5-10 minute wait for food. read more

I have no clue how this place can have a 4 star average. I'm giving it a 2-star and that is only there for the burrito which was at least average. The fish taco I was most looking forward to on this particular day, was easily among the worst I've ever had. I too my order to go, and when I tried to eat it maybe 10 minutes later I could not. It looked great in the box but even better at the bottom of the trash can. Sitting on top of 2 very hard corn tortillas (so tough I simply could not bite through them) was a small (fish stick) sized piece of breaded extremely greasy/wet fish. On top of that was a nice pile of cabbage as I would expect to see except it was drowning in ranch dressing! Really? What a pile of crap this was. Avoid for sure. Second item was a California Burrito. It is the saving item here as it was at least edible. Decent sized, tender beef. Way too many soggy fries but I never expect crispy fries in a burrito. Think of the California burrito as more of a potato and asada creation. In the end, if you are looking for a burrito you should be fine. Want some tacos? Go somewhere else. read more

Dear Raul's, You are the reason I miss SD burritos. Your carnitas burrito is probably my favorite of all time, since the tender pork is perfectly cooked. Please find the time to open a shop in Hawaii, since I believe you could make good money here due to the lack of delicious burritos. Until then, I'll just have to keep spending $350 to fly home for a good burrito. Love, Keri read more

I had a chicken taco- and it was quite tasty! The quality of meat was good, and the salsas are delicious. Not such a great atmosphere, but the food more than makes up for it. Nom nom nommm! read more

I'd been here several times, never great, but this was the poorest. I ordered the Breakfast Burrito which was dry and tasteless; the egg was overcooked, fillings were skimpy and bland. Asked for extra cheese and got less. If I hadn't gotten sides of guacamole it would have been inedible because it needed moisture. read more

Ode to Raul's Shack is right as the Parking is tight. The place is good if your in the Encinitias hood. I'm going to try it again with a buddy that's never been Hope I can up it to a five But four's all 'Ive got for this little dive. read more

4 1/2 Stars Fantastic flautas that are always very tasty, while the salsa is superb. It also has the best chicken and rice burrito that I've ever had. Rauls is good b/c it gets the basics down (i.e. the tortilla, chicken, lettuce, etc). Since the indigents are so good, most of the dishes here are delicious. Though the location is not ideal for eating in, Rauls may be the best and freshest Mexican food in Encinitas. read more

Raul's is a religious experience for me. And its the best of the best . I live on the East coast and only get to the San Diego area once as year or so. Regardless of what the schedule is I rent as car and drive to Raul's which is about 40 mins. From the airport. Their food has me whimpering with delight. You'll never eat a taco like this, go on, try and find one anywhere, and let me know. Anyway I order way too much food , ate some there to satisfy my watering mouth. They have two tables outside and and as few more inside read more

For lunch I had their carnitas burrito which was full of flavorful pork meat and some guacomole that I had to cut my meat intake for the rest of the day. I was completely shocked that there was no beans or rice in it, since I was so used to having a burrito in the past with carb fillers instead. Hubby enjoyed his California burrito. Definitely a place worth checking out, but sometimes the line may be long since there are only a few workers. This is a very tiny place, just keep in mind there are no restrooms here and only a couple of tables to sit indoors. read more

Hard for me to be thrilled by Raul's...And I love a good soft taco, so I was really hoping to be thrilled by the eats here. I had the carnitas taco. While it was fine, the pork just unfortunately wasn't that succulent/cruncy/juicy/fatty masterpiece that you look for with really great carnitas. Actually, not much flavor, really. It was served the traditional way, with just cilantro and diced white onion. The tacos were small and I don't hold that against Raul's -- Soft rolled tacos are usually bite-sized. That's what these were. So order four or five, if you're hungry. One of my dining companions got the beef burrito and it looked big, meaty and tasty. Another friend had the vegetarian, hard shell taco. That one looked good, with fresh, although basic ingredients: shredded iceberg lettuce, orange cheddar, etc. The breakfast items looked good. If I lived closer by, I'd try the chorizo and eggs... read more

Amazing. After 20 years in Encinitas, I don't think that I'd ever been to Raul's, and what a shame. Fish tacos, outstanding, So Cal to near perfection. I suppose the tortillas could have been a touch fresher, so I can't give it the coveted 5 stars, but good, darn good. The kicker? You're just blocks away from Moonlight Beach. Welcome (back) to paradise. read more

I love Raul's, and have enjoyed it for years. They are friendly, and the food is tasty and made fresh. Other places come and go. It's still the best in downtown Encinitas. Recommended! read more

Beans were cold meat didnt seem fresh. Also tasted like canned beans. When are these cheap Mexican food places going to go away or just stop popping up in "white" neighborhoods. Why cant we have good food everywhere???? read more

So this is the best Carne Asada Buritto on the plant? If so, you've never had a Carne Asada Burrito. No flavor. Is it Quantity over Quality? Blah. Stuck with me the rest of the day into the night. not good, not good. I get better higher quality authentic food in my neighborhood and I live 1500 miles from the joint. Once again a sign of over enthusiastic I know nothing about food yelpish enflated ratings. Seriously. read more

I love when people who don't really live here tell me where the best fish taco is. Jorge's is my go to but a close second is this place. The slaw is so fresh and the salsa is delish. We always call this place "Mama Raul's" cause if they are closed they put out a sign saying it had something to do with mama. read more

Spent $9 for a burrito tipped the cashier $2. $11 out the door for one small burrito and when I asked for three salsas, cashier informed me that he would only give me two! Turns out the $9 burrito was so small, two salsas was enough Can't throw in one more salsa for a $9 burrito?? Lame! read more

So so yummy! I've never had anything here that wasn't delicious. It is by FAR better than Filiberto's next door. They have high quality ingredients and everything is fresh and never greasy. My only complaint is their weird hours. They are never open when I want them to be. And since I don't work in the area anymore, there goes my plans for lunch. So I guess, minus one star for that read more

Really good.. I'll go back next time i'm in the area. I had the fish burrito. read more

Raul's Shack - Raul's fancy dining room. And my beautiful wife. - Fast Food Near Me - Encinitas, California

Great carne asada tacos. I made the mistake of ordering an enchilada, which was well below par. I would go there all the time if it was closer. read more

So I got the chicken taquitos, and found a rather large bone in one of them. I mean, the taquitos were tasty and the people who worked there were nice, but, I'm just sayin', don't forget to chew thoroughly. read more

Raul's Shack - My unexpected lunch guest. Yikes! - Fast Food Near Me - Encinitas, California

We were visiting from Las Vegas and came across Raul's shack Best fish tacos spot the tacos were delicious we had some chicken burritos and they were delicious too service was super fast and great! Definitely worth it!! read more

We love the carne asada burritos here. Always great! Really everything we have gotten here has been tasty.

Worst salsa. No flavor. That's Mexican food 101, good salsa. It's lazy. Born and raised in San Diego so I will say I know Mexican fast food. Actually Chula Vista, raised, an American fed by my friends parents and grandparents who were Mexican and this is far from what they made. Good for tourists. Juanitas's is good for locals. Service is good though just wish they'd work on that one thing. read more

Wow. This place is sooooo.... sl...oooooooooooow. Judging by how long it took all orders to come out, not just mine, it seemed like they were cooking everything to order from scratch. The chimichanga was good, but the California burrito was lacking a lot. Basically just meat and fries. There's cheese and sour cream in there too but they are completely lost in the flavor-muting fries. Needs more. Guac, cilantro, onions...anything. Not a total waste of money, but definitely not worth the wait. read more

Recommended by a family friend - the food was wonderful! Sadly, they were out of horchata but we did have tamarindo and jamaica. The fish tacos, chicken tacos, and carne asada nachos were enjoyable, with salsa (rojo y verde). Wonderful little family-run place. read more

Probably the best street tacos and burritos I have ever had. The meat is cooked perfectly, tender and flavorful!! It is also pretty cheap