Had a 5/5 experience celebrating a birthday brunch here! The food is phenomenal- the sopes benny…read morehad the most tender lamb birria and the churro & french toast was heavenly! Not pictured but also delicious were the popsicle margaritas. The mango popsicle was perfect for the hot day. A special shoutout to Theresa for her cheerful and uplifting service. All the staff we encountered were lovely but she went out of her way to make sure we were well taken care of and felt special celebrating. I've visited both Cocina de Barrio locations and loved my experiences at each. Will definitely be back and highly recommend you try them to dive into delicious Mexican dishes with great service!

Fantastic experience. The recipes are elevated and fun, fresh, and delicious…read more We had the cucumber jalepeno margarita, the Paloma, the shrimp tacos, fish tacos, ceviche, guacamole and chips, and churros. Everything was incredible, the standout being the mezcal raisin sauce on the shrimp tacos- trust me when I say you'll be thinking about it. Definitely enjoy their happy hour and unique take on traditional recipes.

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.

Rochelle was amazing!!! Super friendly . I was very pleased with the clean decor. Definitely…read morerecommend!! Secret gem!!!!

Roschelle is amazing and had great service! Super friendly and helpful. I was very pleased with the…read morerest of the restaurant as well and how clean and vibrant it was. Thanks yall!!!

If you're looking for authentic, comforting Mexican food, La Especial Norte is a must…read more This spot has that true mom-and-pop feel, and you can taste it in every dish. I come here at least once a week/ 2 weeks, which says everything. My go to is the carne asada/ CA burrito, always packed with flavor and generously portioned. Their soups are incredible too, some of the best in the area, especially if you're feeling under the weather, they hit the spot every time. The deep-fried shrimp wrapped in bacon is easily my favorite item on the menu. It's rich, crispy, and just ridiculously good. And don't skip the molcajete, it comes out sizzling in a hot stone bowl and is perfect for sharing. Everything here is consistently tasty, portions are great, and the service is warm and welcoming. One of those places you keep coming back to. There's also a pickup window if you order for pick up, wish this place was closer to my place.

Great food and service. I would recommend this place everyday of the week and then someread more

This is one fun place! You feel the vibe as soon as you walk in the door and the hostess greets…read moreyou, they have a sense of humor and a big smile and you know this is gonna be a fun lunch. It's located in a beautiful shopping plaza called the forum so a great place to shop and then eat, or eat and then shop.. Now enter Jasmine, who just took care of everything with again a huge smile and what can I do for you? We started with skinny margaritas, perfect and delicious with chips and salsa. My wife had the chicken tostada, which was huge and delicious. I went on Jasmine's recommendation, chicken flautas, and they were great. But what made it fun was that everyone else was having fun a great vibe plus outdoor seating if you want it and easy parking.

We came here on a random Tuesday night. Checked in via yelp ahead of arrival and were told 20-25…read moreminutes for a table. Perfect! Got to the restaurant and the hosts were too busy messing around to properly greet us. Once I got their attention I let them know we were there and they said they'd have us seated shortly. A LITERAL HOUR later we got a table. Seeing that it took so long to be sat (well past our expected duration) you'd think service would be fast! Nope. Our server didn't check in with us for over 10 minutes. Next (finally) came the chips. We put in our entire order as soon as we could (as it was now almost 1.5 hours past when we thought we would be eating). Drinks came in random shifts, waters were NOT refilled. Now, to be 100% honest, the food was GREAT! Fantastic quality, great selection, even our pickiest kid was happy with her meal. So I do give credit where credit is due. The food was fantastic. But the customer service was incredibly lacking. Visit at your own risk!

Never buy chicken soup anywhere else. Homemade flour tortillas and the best chicken soup w chunks…read moreof avocado, their Cali burritos use potato instead of fries but are so good as well. Simple clean atmosphere but a local fav, if you're in from out of town come here for sure for the authentic SoCal experience. Tucked away near Mountain View, a local staple!

I have been going to Jorge's on and off for years since it is very close to my work. The soup, get…read morespicy, is excellent. The food quality is solid. I like their soup, rolled tacos and enchiladas best. Parking can be hard at peak times due to many other restaurants in the strip mall and every other business with a sign saying XYZ Parking only.

Pleasantly surprised by this one. Sometimes the local eateries can be hit or miss, but this long…read moretime local restaurant is true to the town! The fried goat cheese salad and prime rib hit the spot for me! I love that there's a wide selection on the menu for everyone to choose from. I think there's live music some nights as well. I need to remember this place for more family get together. They've always been so good at accommodating larger parties for us! Service has always been up to par as well.

Quite upset with our experience here. I came for a birthday brunch with my family and it made me…read morehonestly wish I chose somewhere different. The establishment is fine overall, good space with fine decor, but our service, and mostly the rate at which we got our food and attention, was horrible. We had 2 waiters during our time and idk if there was no communication about our table or the second waiter we got was just so needed at other tables but we just unfortunately felt neglected. Our food between ordering and getting it (after having to inquire 2 times) took about 50 mins to get. Meanwhile tables that got seated way after us got their food before. And we didn't have a complicated order. A lot of our food when it came out was Lukewarm which is sad bc the flavors were overall good for everything. The second server while a nice young gentleman, was just scattered and not attentive. We had to keep being the one to catch him to ask for refills on drinks and even then, that was few and far between being able to catch him. The last time we inquired about our food before it actually came, he made a joke like "sorry guys. But like, sometimes when it takes a while for food come, the food can taste better" and it was like, no...no it didn't. We could only think, man this would have tasted way better if it was fresh and didn't take almost an hour to get. Overall, big bummer of a meal...especially as a birthday meal.

When out-of-town visitors wanted burritos and other Mexican food for their last morning in San…read moreDiego, we headed to Juanitas! Lucy was very welcoming ... and patient while eight of us placed our orders. I finally tried the Huevos Rancheros (4/5). The eggs were perfect, but the rancheros sauce was a pico de gallo. The flour tortillas were great. My wife had our favorite here: Carnitas Burrito (5/5). In fact, we refer to this restaurant as "Juanitas Carnitas" ... the best Carnitas Burrito in San Diego County!

Best Chile Relleno I think I've ever had in my life. To me, this is the test of a Mexican place -…read morecan they do the Chile Relleno right? Juanita's Taco Shop passed the test! I ordered a Chile Relleno + Taco plate and got the carnitas taco. Also grabbed an orange Jarritos since I don't regularly get these at home. Food was prepared quickly and the guy at the counter was pleasant and efficient. Plenty of seating was available, but I decided to get take out and brought it back to where I was staying. Food stayed hot after a short walk, and I thoroughly enjoyed my meal. There was honestly TOO much food, and I had enough for a late night snack and early breakfast bite as well. I would definitely come back to try something else on the large menu!

Talk about a HIDDEN JEM. Right next to a gas station isn't usually someplace you find AWESOME food…read morebut this is one of those exceptions. Having set my Apple Maps before reading the description of the restaurant, my wife and I set our course on the way back from the San Diego Zoo. I didn't want to get home too late and the parking situation for the better restaurants near the zoo didn't look promising so we decided to go further away from San Diego to find a place on the way home near the 5 freeway. Cancun may not look like much but the food is pretty freaking amazing. My surf and turf burrito filled with generous amounts of shrimp and carne asada was incredible. Adding sour cream and guacamole just put it on another level. No burritos like this near my home. My wife's shrimp plate was also a winner. Lots of shrimp. My wife's only gripe was not enough rice and beans. Even the side of corn tortillas was moist and tasty. I'm not sure if they make their own tortillas but it seemed like it. Even the french fries are incredible. Nice and crispy but not dry. I thought I'd still be hungry after just the burrito but I had no idea what a monster it is. Even after eating 3/4 of it, the remainder was still heavy. The older lady working the register is so sweet. A little hard to understand since she has a thick accent but very nice and helpful. The cook was cool too. Very happy when I stopped before leaving to tell them the food was "delicioso". Don't let the gas station scare you away. The food is jammin'! I plan on stopping by again when I attend Comic-con next year.

Big time hidden gem. Fried sea bass is the only way I want seabaas from now on. Solid beans and…read morerice. I might prefer flour tortillas. Also fairly big shrimp. That pineapple yellow sauce is really good. Nice and spicy green sauce top

It's kind of strange to have this little restaurant next to one of the best Mexican markets in this…read morearea. But anything you can get in the market they will cook for you at the restaurant and it is all fantastic. I can't wait to go deep into the products at the market and try everything. My roll tacos today are the best I've ever had and they were six dollars! This place is a winner and local.

Writing this review specifically about the chicken tamales. I paid $16.99 expecting traditional…read morechicken tamales, but they were mostly potatoes and carrots. Each tamale had only one very small piece of chicken, about the size of a quarter, not marinated. I called to let them know, and the response was a laugh and an "oops," which felt like poor customer service. Just a heads-up for anyone buying the tamales expecting actual chicken.