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    Rudy's Taco Shop

    3.4 (441 reviews)
    InexpensiveMexican
    Open 10:00 am - 8:00 pm

    Order Rudy's Taco Shop Takeout or Delivery

    Rudy's Taco Shop Photos

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    RUDY'S TACO SHOP ATMOSPHERE

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

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    Recommended Reviews - Rudy's Taco Shop

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    Quesabirria
    Scott L.

    Rudy's Taco Shop has two locations, one in Solana Beach and the other in Carlsbad. The Carlsbad location is tucked into a large plaza, occupying a small corner with two outdoor tables for dining. The indoor seating area is also modest, and the walls reveal the shop's long-standing history. The restaurant is especially popular during their Happy Hour, offered Monday through Thursday afternoons. I tried their $2 Baja Fish Taco, which featured a small piece of fried fish paired with plenty of cabbage, tomato slices, and mayo sauce. While the fish portion wasn't large, the freshness and balance of ingredients made it a satisfying bite. The $8 Mini Tacos Combo was the highlight. Despite being called "mini," these tacos were quite generous in size. The Al Pastor was grilled to perfection, though the pineapple chunks were a bit too small to balance the flavor fully. The Carne Asada was well-marinated and flavorful. The Carnitas had a wonderfully tender and juicy texture. The Lengua (beef tongue) was especially impressive, with large, satisfying chunks that were tender and rich. The Quesabirria Taco is another highlight in the happy hour menu, in which the cheese taco is well with the plenty of chopped beef with a side of the birria and a small portion of marinated onion. Unfortunately, the salsa bar was out of order during my visit, but the staff was generous and provided pre-packaged salsa in three flavors, ensuring I could enjoy my tacos with the full experience. They have redesigned the area in some dining hall details with the re-opening of the salsa bar as well as the showing of merchants at the area . Rudy's combines a nostalgic, homey vibe with delicious, well-prepared tacos, making it a fantastic spot for a casual meal--especially during Happy Hour!

    a police car parked outside
    Henry's T.

    San Diego Taco Series, Part 10 Rookie hazing. Boy has popular culture shifted on that topic in my lifetime. While it used to be overlooked in the past, it is now widely discouraged within the mainstream. However, that does not mean that it no longer occurs. Take this evening as an example. It sure seemed to me that these young officers were "delegated" the duty of retrieving food for the benefit of others. I sure hope that the location they were dispatched to was determined by those "others." I say that because the tacos here were...ok. Crispy tacos, soft tacos, rolled tacos. Fish tacos, chicken tacos, carnitas tacos. Their collective rap sheets bore a similar verdict...average. It wasn't that they were bad, they just wouldn't stand out if asked to appear in a "lineup" of other tacos. I sure hope that the "rooks" on duty didn't select this location of their own volition. If they were found guilty of that offense, I fear they'll be sentenced to additional "hard" time until their seniority is elevated in comparison to the next gen. And that's...Henry's Take. Photo credit: @danavoros #sandiegotacos

    Chips with salsa

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    6 months ago

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    5 months ago

    The very best food in town! So fresh, reliable and yummy.. Their vampire tacos are to die for

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    3 years ago

    Birria is the best! Birria burrito trumps all others. Wonderful food, nice locally owned business!

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    Page 1 of 12

    Ask the Community - Rudy's Taco Shop

    Are the beans vegan?

    I'm pretty sure they are not. many Mexican re-fried bean recipes are traditionally made with lard (rendered pork fat). which makes for delicious results. (unless you are vegetarian or vegan) I would ask if they have a vegetarian bean variety. They… Read more

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

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    Casa De Bandini at The Forum - 4 street tacos, good

    Casa De Bandini at The Forum

    4.0(2.3k reviews)
    1.0 mi
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    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!

    Photos
    Casa De Bandini at The Forum - Back dining room. At Christmas time. Wonderful decor during and outside of the holidays.

    Back dining room. At Christmas time. Wonderful decor during and outside of the holidays.

    Casa De Bandini at The Forum - Tostada no meat....$18!!!

    Tostada no meat....$18!!!

    Casa De Bandini at The Forum - Patio decor

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    Patio decor

    Los Tacos  - Baja Fish Taco (6)

    Los Tacos

    4.5(480 reviews)
    2.8 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
    Los Tacos  - Inside

    Inside

    Los Tacos  - Original Breakfast Burrito with Avocado Salsa

    Original Breakfast Burrito with Avocado Salsa

    Los Tacos  - 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)

    Rudy's Taco Shop - mexican - Updated May 2026

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