We asked for carne asada tacos and they said, "Say less, I know just the spot." That's how we ended…read moreup at Lilly's Tacos. You order at the counter, grab your toppings at the side bar, and wait for your freshly made tacos to come out. They call your name when your food is ready. They also have a small fridge with canned drink options. The tacos were really good! I usually stick to carne asada, but they also offer cabeza, lengua, and cachete -- cuts that are more unique and harder to find, so definitely try those if you want something different. It definitely feels like a local favorite. The line can get long but it moves pretty quickly. I went on a Saturday afternoon and street parking was easy to find.

If you're looking for some quick tasty tacos, this is the place to be! When looking up for some…read moretaco options, this place came up on the search list, and boy did it deliver. A small counter to take orders, a limited selection but very selection delivered. One section had the order station and the kitchen, and two more sections were for seating. They had a kind of sauce station, which was nice as each customer can customize per their preference. This place was buzzing with people even on a Thursday afternoon, can't imagine on weekends. We got 3 tacos, each being $3.49, very affordable, but extremely tasty. I personally preferred adobada which was delicious. Chicken fajitas were great too. Definitely recommend this place for a quick bite or a full fledged meal.

yum!! decided to stop by for a quick lunch. the customer service was incredibly sweet and…read moreattentive. the menu is huuuge so you definitely have many options. they also have free refills!! it's so rare these days. it is located near some batting cages so i think that duo would seem fun to do sometime. thank you!

This is a very popular taco spot in Santa Barbara. There was a long line to order some tacos. After…read moreordering, grab a table (outdoors) and wait for the name to be called on the loudspeaker. There's also a batting cage on the side. I got the Triple Play to try three different tacos. They were so good and filling! I would definitely recommend this place to family and friends when we're in Santa Barbara again!

Came here on a Saturday around 2 pm. We were planning to go to Los Agaves just a block away but…read morethey happened to be closed. Parking was very easy on the street and free. There was a line of people waiting. Took us a little over 30 minutes from getting in line, to ordering and receiving the food later. CASH ONLY. Their specials menu seems to change every day or so. We ordered a taco de hongo (sautéed mushrooms with epazote in a light cream sauce w/ 2 homemade corn tortillas), enchiladas de plaza (chicken breast, potato mushroom, red chile sauce, topped with cheese, chile pasilla strips, cream sauce, avocado and radish), a tamal norteño de puerco (pork tamal), #16 súper-rica especial (pork on 3 tortillas, a modelo, and a piña pepino agua fresca. All for around $63 without tip. They had a tomato salsa, salsa rojo, and salsa verde options. All were delicious. All of the food was excellent and super flavorful. I would say my favorite was definitely the tamal. So savory and the masa was the perfect texture. The pork tacos and mushroom taco were close behind, also delicious. The enchiladas were my least favorite. Still good but I just don't think I can be an enchiladas fan no matter how hard I try!! I just am not a fan of the texture of the tortillas when sauced up. Nevertheless, everything was finished up and nothing left behind. The agua fresca was also super good and refreshing. Very sweet and a little thick so we thinned it out a bit with some water. They have limited outdoor seating but a lot inside. A single bathroom right by the parking lot entrance. Nice and cute spot with hard workers. Would definitely come again!

Hmmm..... Where to start!?!…read more It was cool watching all the cooks in the open kitchen, the staff looked happy and I was so impressed with the scale of business coming out of such a small kitchen. I did notice that workers were going back and forth to a house nextdoor picking up stuff-- cooked food, veggies and such... The restaurant itself is pretty cute-- open seating inside, nice outdoor seating. The older gent who took my order was sweet and kind. I was looking so forward to this place. But sadly, it simply wasn't worth the wait or cost. This is a picture the remaining portions---yes we ate most of it because we chose to not eat ANYTHING before getting there and the hungry anticipation took over--- we really tried to like the food, but it was just not great. #1 beef taco-- on the white plate--dry dry dry. No flavor. Just dried out beef jerky shavings on a tortilla. Didn't eat it. #18 Julia child's favorite --on Black plates- weird pork meat with crunchy peppers, and globs of melted cheese-- not great. Over-hyped. No flavor, no sauce, pork was soft, had no chew- it was strange. We had a special tamale item on the banana leaf. Chicken mole-- way too sweet, no sauce on top, and somehow it was super wet-- moist and too soft. We ordered a chili releno, but the guy didn't hear, so we didn't taste that-- I asked for some of the crema that comes with it and was charged 75¢ for a small 1oz portion-- tasted like hot cream. Watery and lacking body. No flavor. Cinnamon coffee was served in tiny cups-- super hot, no cream. Asked for cream-- and one of the guys said " no cream" was rude and wasn't interested in helping ---we only got one lid, so I mentioned that there is no way to carry scalding hot coffee with no lid-- someone finally brought the smallest amount of milk. Old coffee with cinnamon stick flavor-- not even good. Guacamole was really sad. Super whipped smooth shinny avocado with tons of pico in it. No citrus, no salt, just crunchy pico-- zero avocado chunks or flavor. The avocado is served on and with fresh tortillas -- the tortillas were great, but they are served with everything, so it felt like a waste. NO LIMES!! The salsas were decent. But NO LIMES!!! Negro Modelo especial beers were ice cold, refreshing and delicious-- the beers had limes. We paid $68 for the food and drinks- I left $10 for a tip. I don't really feel like this was authentic Mexican food at all. I am not sure what to call it. It seemed like it has been "gringo'ed" down-- no heat, no chiles, no spice, no flavor, no limes, no love. Glad I can mark this joint off the list.

Excelente service in the cashier, very helpful and friendly. Delicious food and with tasteful spicesread more

I really enjoyed my one taco here. I ordered the steak taco, which came in like one large thin…read morepiece like if you were to get from a backyard Mexican friend's BBQ. I think the other reviewers nailed it. You have so many great Mexican food joints here, and you start becoming less inclined to try new spots because you have your staples. ie lily's tacos, Los Agaves, the shop in Public Markey, Los Arroyos ... etc And I can safely say this is a great spot to keep in the back pocket too.

I think advance tipping that is automatically requested from every POS system now should be against…read morethe law. You should not be tipped for service until you provide good service. I paid 15% on an $18 veggie burrito to go that took 25 minutes to be delivered when the line was literally empty. I want my money back!

Amazing. This is our 3rd time here and this place is the absolute best. We tried the Sal de Mar…read moreceviche - expensive but well worth it. Mmm... the fresh tuna tartare, watermelon, guacamole and pomegranate seeds. Unbelievable and what a great combination. Also got the Tia Juana and Norteno tacos... best tortillas and filling, queaabirria - yummm. Everything is top notch and I'm so happy that we stumbled on this place in the SB public market. Who knew that this high end food is at this open food hall. It's the best.

Food was amazing with a nice ambiance. The host and the cashier had some great recommendations.read more

Absolutely best Mexican food I have tried in USA. Their Salsa options are amazing and food was…read moreabsolutely delicious. Ambience is pretty cool and they have outdoor seating as well. Service is great. 100% recommend it when you are in the town.

How Can I start this food was exactly what i was looking for it was delicious Mexican food but if…read moreyou are from Sinaloa and looking for something relatable to what we like this is it. Tacos de lengua were my absolute favorite and the people helping you out are so nice and humble. We will be definitely coming back.

I always come here with my family to have a good time, and I just want to say that Javi with the…read morestaff were so friendly. The food was super delicious everything was absolutely great. Strongly recommended.

Perhaps the best Mexican food in Santa Barbara when considering over all meal options. Amazing…read moreselection from the mouth watering tacos to the wickedly delicious Red Chicken Mole. Their Chicken soup is my go to when it's cold or someone is sick. The truck is to make sure you add a couple squeezes of lime slices in the soup. Not only delicious but a natural cure all. Another highlight that cannot be overlooked.... One of the best selections of Agua frescas in town. You're basically looking at 3 different options that are all delicious. I really can't pick a favorite, I'm just saying you gotta try one. The only thing that can be tricky is the parking. Be patient and try not to cross Milpas unless you're using a lighted crosswalk. Get in there and grab yourself some of the best Mexican food Santa Barbara has to offer. . Id add an extra Star if I could! .. There .

Was craving a burrito BAD after making the drive up to SB for the weekend. Tacos Popeye wasn't me…read morefirst choice, but I'm very glad that this is where I ended up. Tacos Pipeye makes a hefty burrito filled with basically whatever meat you can think of. I got the carnitas this time -- a tried and true favorite -- but next time I find myself in the area I'll have to try the pork belly burrito. Two friends also ordered the steak and barbacoa burritos and both also looked divine. Service was super quick and super friendly as well, they've got it down to a science at Tacos Pipeye.

Tacos were amazing. The workers were nice and it was a nice environment. I would definitely go back…read morehere again to get my tacos.

We love their sopes and they have a lot of indoor seating with booths. Lots of great lighting when…read moreyou sit in the back with cultural artwork This is our go to spot for quick Mexican! We recommend their sopes. Have not tried the other menu items yet!

My friend and I haven't been back to Santa Barbara since 2021. So here we are back in May 2026. My…read morefriend and I took a Santa Barbara Sunset Sailing tour. I knew we would arrive back late and there're not a lot of restaurants open past 9:00. We arrived back at the dock at 8:30PM. My friend was hungry and as we were walking back to our hotel, we saw Santo Mezcal still open YEAH! As we have seen in the past, the place is packed and super lively with diner finishing up. There were spots open at the bar we took. Edgar the bar tender (cocktail aficionado) was great! We ordered Cocktails, Espresso Martini and a Mezcal Paloma (so good) I ordered the Shrimp Empanadas. My friend ordered the King Fish Crudo and the Enchiladas Verdes. Even though they were ready to close our food came out hot, fresh, presentation great and tasting delicious. It was a great ending to our sunset cruise night. Atmosphere: fun lively. Service: excellent. Food: excellent.

Super easy and convenient location if you're arriving by Amtrak Train…read more This was the perfect place for lunch on the patio after arriving to Santa Barbara. Service was great and very attentive. -The pulpo or octopus tacos were insanely delicious. The meat was so soft and tender. And oddly their rice and beans were also really really good. -The ceviche was not worth ordering tasted like red chili oil on ceviche.