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The Craft Taco

4.7 (58 reviews)
Closed 10:00 am - 4:30 pm
Updated a few days ago

The Craft Taco Photos

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THE CRAFT TACO ATMOSPHERE

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Recommended Reviews - The Craft Taco

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Shrimp bowl
JiaJia T.

Best place to eat in the balboa park. Food is bold with so much flavor. The ingredients are fresh and I loved the plump sweet shrimp and all the fresh flavorful accompaniment.

Michelle M.

Every time I come here to the museum, I love grabbing something from the TCT. Super convenient with delicious food and hot drinks. Their staff is super amazing! Since it's inside the museum, it's nice that it's inside the atrium so you get all the vibes while having a delicious snack. My recommendation Sesame lattes Brown sugar Any of the burrito bowls Make sure you get carne asada!

Nini H.

Cute little spot in the nat history museum. The drinks here are seriously so good! Esp. The Cafe de Olla and Matcha drinks. Had the surf and turf burrito. Excellent!!

7.24.35- California burrito
Kim I.

I used to think who eats museum food?! But honestly.. I'm sold! Craft taco you did an amazing execution in your bean and cheese burrito and California burrito. Portions were descent and prices were affordable. So you are telling me I get to be educated AND eat yummy food too. The service is wonderful, everyone was so kind, so much space to sit and enjoy your meal as your stare in awe the fossils hanging from the ceiling. I would highly recommend coming here and they also collab with local artisans, one specifically that stood out to me was "Hija Del Maiz" where they had assorted pastries. We loved the poptart.. hands down the best I've tried ever. Come support this gem

Taco trio plate
Stephanie T.

I needed a quick fix of some tacos while at Balboa Park and this small spot in the Museum of Natural History was a great find via Yelp. Many seats available and no need to have an admission to the museum to check this spot out. Walk in and you'll see it on the right. Carnitas tacos ftw! That's all I need to say. The first bite of that taco from the trio taco plate was so delicious. From the carnitas to the sauce, so damn good. The other tacos were tasty too, but the carnitas were *chef's kiss*. The carne asada fries were a generous portion and must be shared. Matcha lemonade was a touch of sour but that's good for me to balance with the matcha bitter.

Cheese quesadilla

Husband ordered a $7 cheese quesadilla. It had a small dusting of powdered cheese. Inedible. They also provide no hot sauce to help someone choke it down. Ridiculous.

Service counter
Emmett T.

The Craft Taco serves as the primary food and drink vendor on the ground level atrium of the San Diego Natural History Museum in Balboa Park. You don't need an admission ticket to visit this business, just tell the staff on duty at the desk that you're here for The Craft Taco. A mobile service counter was set up on the right side of the floor while at least a dozen small tables for seating were arranged in the atrium. Coffee, tea, milk, and lemonade were available as beverages. Starters, bowls, burritos, street tacos, and craft tacos were the food categories. I wasn't able to participate in the Yelp event held at The Craft Taco's flagship location in Sorrento Valley. This was an opportunity to taste some of their products. I picked two of the craft tacos which were full size and served on handmade blue corn tortillas. The first was the Dorado Fish which was a beer battered whitefish with paprika and chipotle aioli sprinkled on top. The second was the Surf and Turf which was made up of carne asada and shrimp topped with crema, fried queso oaxaca, and cotija. Each taco was neatly assembled on a cardboard plate. A worker delivered them to my table within ten minutes of my order. The beef and shrimp in the Surf and Turf were both juicy and flavorful. The handmade tortillas were fresh and noticeably soft. My only quibble would be the pricing as all five of the craft taco varieties were priced at a whopping $10 each!

03/10/2025 menu and a vibrantly painted wall
Henri V.

Got Tacos and Dinosaurs? Craft Taco does... Fact: San Diego County has more Mexican restaurants than most counties across the United States. San Diego is the #1 city for Taco Tuesday, fish tacos! Despite the many taco places, I will only eat tacos from places that are clean, offer fantastic ambiance, and the tacos are made with fresh, extraordinary ingredients. Craft Taco has a shop in SOVA (Sorrentino Valley, the area near Del Mar, where I've wanted to go and have their craft tacos. Well, now Craft opened in San Diego, inside The Natural History museum in Balboa Park. Eating fancy hand crafted tacos with views of the skeletal dinosaurs and free parking.. it was All fantastic. No need to pay museum fees if you just want to go to Craft taco. Just make sure you enter through the museum doors with the descending stairs, pass the concierge and the cashier ordering stand is to your right. The staff were very cordial, helpful and super nice: both Alejandra and Marco. Dining area is casual, clean and is actually in the seating area in the mezzanine. Hanging overhead are recreated whales, great white sharks and the main lobby greets you with the skeletal dinosaur mini Brontosaurus, so so cool! The menu has limited offerings, I ordered the Dorado fried fish, Camaron shrimp and a carne asada for Fendi. A chilled glass bottle of Jarritos tamarind soda was refreshing. All tacos were presented spectacularly and looked appetizing. The blue corn tortillas were hand made and the fresh filling of slivered cucumber, tomatoes, onions and micro herbs complimented the tacos deliciously. These toppings were not the usual: onions, cilantro, salsa and guacamole but are also available upon request. The shrimps were marinated and seasoned perfectly. The dorado fish also seasoned and crispy was scrumptious. My pup Fendi enjoyed the carne asada meat. Because of such a positive overall first impression, I will probably return to savor the other items on the menu. Go see the dinosaurs and have some tacos at Craft Taco. Recommend

Surf and Turf Taco

Everything was amazing! The Rosemary and Lavender Latte was super smooth. I also got the Dorado Fish Taco and Surf & Turf Taco. They were perfectly balanced! It all tasted so fresh. The tortilla was just mind blowing to me. Jonathan was so kind as well! I loved hearing how much heart has gone into everything

Kelsie G.

Stopped in here with my run club for a bite and was met with INCREDIBLE service and food! It's such a neat location being right under the museum and there's the museum gift shop in there too so we browsed while waiting for our food. Big fan and will definitely be back!

Menu
Rachel N.

A hidden gem within Balboa Park! Located on the first floor of the Natural History Museum (no entry fee required to visit The Craft), The Craft Taco is a local family owned business that places an emphasis on delicious food and community. The two brothers that run The Craft mindfully source their quality ingredients and pastries from other local small businesses. Their love for the San Diego community shows not only in the food they serve but also in the quality of customer service their staff provides. Everyone I've interacted with has been welcoming and quick to help with any questions I've had. They also offer a discount to museum members and Park staff! As a frequent visitor, I've enjoyed every menu item I've tried. You can't go wrong with any of the tacos to choose from (nopales is a favorite of mine) and the Cali burrito has a good balance of meat, potatoes, and guac. The beans and rice are tasty and vegan. If you're looking for a super filling meal the bowls are a good option! While the name can be somewhat misleading, this spot also has a variety of impeccable hand crafted coffees. They offer traditional espresso drinks but my favorites are the specialty drinks made with house made syrups. Two must-trys are the black sesame and the piloncillo! All drinks are flavorful without being overly sweet and the espresso pulls are meticulously calibrated for a perfectly balanced shot. You can also find quick grab and go items such as sandwiches, pasta salad, hummus and pretzels, apple juice, and chips. Definitely check out the large assortment of locally made paletas for a quick sweet treat! I highly recommend The Craft Taco if you're in Balboa Park (or just looking for good food/coffee from a friendly place). Grab a taco and a coffee and enjoy the park!

Carne asada and pibil craft tacos
Azizi A.

Cafe style restaurant inside the nat, San Diego natural history museum. We tried tacos, surf and turf burrito, and shrimp bowl and we were very impressed with the quality of the food. They used quality ingredients and executed the dishes perfectly. The food flavor and quality exceeded the price and all expectations. Definitely a must try. Chef brought out the food from the back and was nice enough to check in with us to make sure we enjoyed our food.

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7 months ago

I got the surf and turf burrito and the vanilla macha! And both amazing and delicious, I'm definitely coming back for more!

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4 months ago

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Marco T.

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Marco T.

Thanks Mary! We are also hooked haha.

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Marco T.

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Delicious! Friendly. Gets busy around lunch but enjoyed our food! Will come back if ever nearby.

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Marco T.

Thanks for stopping by Joe! Hope you make a trip back down soon :-)

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Awesome food, bigger portions than expected. The surf and turf taco was great. The fish tacos were awesome. Highly recommended!

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Ask the Community - The Craft Taco

Quixote - Chocolate cake

Quixote

4.0(662 reviews)
1.6 mi
$$$

This place is so cool for celebrating special occasions…read more We celebrated our anniversary and they gave us a candle with our names on it!! So sweet The interior is so cool - very gothic medieval vibes inside!! We tried a couple of items but specifically LOVED the squash blossom and the crab donut and the duck memelita! The fried chicken tacos were pretty good as well Personally I did not love the fondue - comes with corn tortillas on the side - it's not my favorite style Drinks were great - I tried the guava Paloma and liked it a lot but wish it was a bit more sweet more guava flavor

Four of us dined at Quixote last night. I can see why it takes a few weeks to get a reservation…read more The place is truly magnificent. We ordered about six small plates, and they were all delicious and unique. Hard to pick a favorite. I'd say the shrimp tacos were absolutely incredible. Everything else was packed with flavor and very different than anything you will encounter at any other restaurant. It is special. My only complaint is that the place is so dark that you can barely read the menu. Also, being so dark, you can't get a good look at the food or even see color. And I would think that the food is beautifully presented. We are in our 60s. That might have something to do with our inability to see anything in that low light condition. We had to pull our phones out so that we could light up the menu and check out the food we were about to eat. It does make for a dramatic ambience. There are thousands of candles that add to the experience. But I gotta knock them a point because I couldn't see my food or read the menu without help.

Photos
Quixote - Dramatic dining space!

Dramatic dining space!

Quixote - Bay Scallop Black Cocktail. Tender octopus, creamy avocado, and a hint of sweet heat from the sauce.

Bay Scallop Black Cocktail. Tender octopus, creamy avocado, and a hint of sweet heat from the sauce.

Quixote - Cool and dramatic setting!

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Cool and dramatic setting!

Coasterra - main entrance

Coasterra

4.0(4k reviews)
2.4 mi
$$$

Made reservations on open table but the space is so big there were still lots of vacancies when we…read morewent for a Saturday lunch. Ordered the crispy calamari, ceviche trio, and ahi tuna tostada. Enjoyed the different flavors of ceviche and was a fan of the super crispiness of calamari. My fav was the ahi tuna tostada. Super dressed up and had a good mix of crunchy, tart, salty, and mildly spicy. The restaurant has a great view of the ocean especially if you sit outside. Our waiter was very friendly and our food came out in a timely manner.

My girlfriend made reservations for Mother's Day for an early dinner since her mom was in town. The…read morehostess were friendly and led us to our seats. The gentleman/waiter handed us the menu and went on his way. Chips and salsa along with waters for the table were brought and then that was when the service of our waiter went downhill. We ordered the ahi tuna and guacamole for our appetizers but the timing for the meal was so off. It was a long wait before the waiter even checked back on us and which is when I asked for a refill on my water and chips. We had order drinks as well. The smoked old fashion was good and the ahi tuna appetizer portion was plentiful. There were some parts of the diced ahi that was a bit chewy. The gaucamole portion was large and it wasn't until I asked another waiter did my refill of water and chips arrive. For entree, we got the scallops with corn cake, a salad and I had the poblano burger. I asked for the burger to be cooked to medium. When the entrees arrived my burger was overcooked with no pink in sight. The flavor of the burger was good but the burger was definitely dry as can be. The corn cake with scallop was interesting it was almost like the corn cake was a croquet that encased a corn salsa. Overall the food was okay but the service left a lot to be desired. The waiter and the end seemed to put up a fake act when the check came. Since we asked for the check it seemed like the waiter was on hyper speed. Overall the view is nice but the food and service did not meet the expectations.

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Coasterra - Skyline & bay views

Skyline & bay views

Coasterra - View from patio

View from patio

Coasterra - Main dining room

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Main dining room

The Craft Taco - mexican - Updated May 2026

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