We like them because of the drive thru. The service was relatively fast. We got the surf and turf burrito and it was good, with a large horchata. They offer menus to go but they don't have prices which leads me to believe locations either set their prices, menus are generic from corporate or prices may change frequently. $14.80 for a burrito seemed a bit high but it was tasty with good quality ingredient. The large horchata was $4.85, again a bit on the high side. A good place if you are in a hurry and don't want to have to leave your car although you can dine in and they have dedicated parking. read more

Vallarta Express - To go menu without prices - Mexican Near Me - La Mesa, California

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How do you rate a restaurant where the food is typically fantastic, but can never seem to get everything you ordered into a bag. What if they get the right number of items but incorrect items? Mistakes happen, no doubt. I understand that as well as anyone. They happen at Vallarta a disproportionate amount of the time. Literally more often than not. We've always went back through the order at the window with them just to make sure, and still would find items missing when we got home. I've advised them before that having a sharpie at the packing station to check off against the receipt would probably serve them well. All of this is known, and in and of itself, despite the real frustration one feels when this happens once, much less dozens of times, it would not lead me to updating with a one-star review. What did happen is that, the last time they forgot my order of rather expensive guacamole, we called. The phone rang for sometime before being picked up by a gentleman we believed to be the owner-- clearly a cell phone, and he was not onsite. We told him what had happened. He apologized, like one does, and told us to just let them know the next time we went through the drive-thru and they would replace it. He took our name. That was that. Except it wasn't. When we next went back through the drive-thru, we reminded them of our missed guac, and they refused to honor the owner's promise. Beyond that, they became rude and hostile at the idea. Obviously, we canceled that night's $50+ order and left. We have not been back. We used to go in once or twice a week. Maybe the message was not relayed. Possible. It does seem to me, however, that if your error rate is as high as there's is-- and it's not like they don't know this-- instead of arguing with the guest that has come back to your establishment anyway, you should probably bend over backwards to accommodate them. They used to make up for their horrible order fulfillment with friendly service and pretty darn good food. As the service tent pole fell, so did the tent. read more

Update: I've been coming to this place for the last 5 years and this is the second time it's let me down. The let down is the same, old carne asada - dry, not Smokey. I've been coming here for long enough to know that they have more good days than not and I'm more than willing to take that risk because their best (which is 90% of the time) is miles ahead of any 24/7 taco shop I've tried thus far! If you have it on a bad day, I do not fault you for never coming back. If they can tighten up on their quality control I believe they will get more business. read more

Vallarta Express - Carne asada Super Fries - Mexican Near Me - La Mesa, California

Drive thru is super easy and convenient, big portions. We got the Cali burrito and a fish taco which were market price. No complaints, would be back. They even have some covered patio seating facing the street . read more

Vallarta Express - California Burrito - Mexican Near Me - La Mesa, California

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Updated dating. Tried this place a second time. Although food seems to be fresh (drive thru took 10 minutes - no line), the California burrito was very disappointing. This didn't taste like what it was. It was overwhelming amount of pico and a very wet burrito. The tortilla was not able to hold up and a few bites in, stared to fall apart and rip at different sections. A total mess. Flavor on carne asada fries was good like the first time. Lady at the window was nice and gave all the salsas. read more

Vallarta Express - Falling apart after a few bites - Mexican Near Me - La Mesa, California

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Note: This is actually a 1 star review. I am leaving 2 stars so that it cannot be deleted by business owners. Since moving in the area a little over 3 years ago, I have eaten at this place many times. This is just a small, no nonsense taco shops style place with a few inside and outside benches for dining in. I have never eaten at the shop. Although the food is usually not good, I kept giving them a chance based on ONE visit when the food was actually fresh and the meat was actually tender and edible. Usually the rolled tacos are mushy and cold in the middle, and the meat from the carne asada and Cali burros is as tough as an old, dry leather belt that has been lying out in the sun for several years! Because I was tired and didn't feel like driving too far, I decided to give this place one last try. HUGE mistake. I actually felt it in my gut and told myself to walk out and go elsewhere as soon as I entered the door. There were 3 men "working" there speaking in Spanish and laughing. I stood there waiting to order for what seemed like an eternity. Although they all saw me, they ignored me and continued to carry on with their conversation. I was finally asked what I wanted to order after close to two minutes had passed. They looked at me as if upset and irritated that I had interrupted their conversation. I placed my order and served myself a few containers of salsa at the indoor salsa bar and just as I was going to sit down, I was told my order was ready, which was very confusing. How in the world had they prepared an order of rolled tacos and a Cali burro so quickly!?!? I commented that it had been a quick order and took my bag and left. I got home and opened the bag to find the burrito had not been properly wrapped and was just sitting out, bare, in the bag. I opened the container if rolled tacos and was horrified to find BLACK guacamole on top of the rolled tacos. I went to pick one up and it was cold to the touch and actually broke apart due to being so mushy. I cut the burrito in half to find soggy, undercooked fries and barely any meat inside. Mind you, this place's prices are anywhere from $4-$8 more than typical taco shops. Their burritos should be full of meat!!! I immediately called the restaurant to inform them about my order and to demand a refund. They told me to make sure I saved the food and brought it back to them. Not a problem. No way I was about to eat that old, disgusting food! It was trash!!! Fast forward to the next day, I returned the food, and although I had the food as well as photos with timestamps to prove what the food looked like right after I received it, along with my original receipts, the workers questioned me multiple times and called out 2 other people to observe the food and my receipts. It was honestly ridiculous. I contemplated having the order replaced. However, after witnessing their odd behavior, I decided to stick with requesting a refund. This is not a place I can recommend. The food quality and taste are just horrible, and considering what they charge, it's just not right!!! Do yourself a favor and steer clear of this place. We have so many great taco shops that are consistent in serving customers affordable food that is good in quality and taste. There is no need to settle for places like this. read more

Vallarta Express - Black guacamole and uncooked rolled tacos - Mexican Near Me - La Mesa, California

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This place used to be good but most recently their quality in meat has gone down. I ordered a B-R-C with steak but this time around it felt like it only had beans. Additionally, the meat was a little tough. Not sure if I'll be coming back. The only saving grace for now is that the drive thru line is always fast. read more

This place is great supper good Mexican food was not expecting it to be this good in La Mesa but worth it. And the people who work here are very friendly. They read more

Vallarta Express - Mexican Near Me - La Mesa, California

The last time we ordered breakfast burrito again & it was gross actually made us sick. So we won't be back .

I asked to add an item when I got to the window, and they literally made me drive around to place a "new" order. She refused to add a single extra item. VERY POOR. read more

My boyfriend ordered a burrito from here and they wrapped it terribly. He ate all meat wondering where the rest of the ingredients were, then he got to the bottom and it was all salsa. So he had a meat burrito then a salsa burrito. It was not appetizing, the burrito got cold and wet. Yikes. You'd think a Mexican restaurant would know better. read more

This place used to be good. Last several experiences have not been good. Carne tasted cold, old, was chewy, and lacked flavor. They also forgot several items in my order. Unfortunate. read more

Almost 10 years ago a very close family friend of mine gave me half of their Vallarta vegetable burrito. Immediately I was hooked. It pairs so well with the green and orange salsa. The flavor of the burrito has been consistent for the past 10 some years. I moved away from San Diego and then came back a few years later and have been so happy to enjoy this veggie burrito as often as I can. That family friend of mine has since passed, but in a way I still feel connected to them through this burrito. As silly as a sounds, I'm thankful that I have been able to experience something so profound that I have not only visited this establishment for as long as I have, but I have recommended this specific burrito to multiple friends and family members. Please don't ever get rid of this burrito. read more

You can dine inside or order Drive thru. Drive Thrus are always great. Open 24/7. (4) Beef Rolled Taquitos and Shredded Beef Chimichanga $23. The flavors were there! Very delicious and hit the spot. There was only one person ahead of us. They have trademark items on the menu. read more

Vallarta Express - Beef Taquitos. Order comes with 4 - Mexican Near Me - La Mesa, California

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The carne asada is outstanding and the red sauce is better than anything I've ever tried, nice and crisp and not so spicy. I recommend the cali burrito, I just wish there were more fries in mine. Over all the service is amazing. This is a go to especially because the spot is open 24/7 for the drive through and the inside/outside seating. It's always clean in the restaurant too! read more

I was actually going to order some tacos but I ordered a carne asada torta to go instead . I have to say not the best torta not even a little bit. It was way too dry . I will say your breakfast burritos are pretty good. Thank you ‍ read more

The food is decent for a taco shop, as it has gotten worse since my initial review. The customer service has become worse as well . They messed up my order again, and accidentally gave me someone else's order when I picked up my food. When I got home and opened the containers, I noticed and immediately called them. They told me to bring it back. I asked if they were going to compensate me for now having to waste time and gas to come back for their mistake, they said no. I told them they should give some type of compensation for the trouble, so they said to keep the other order. When I returned to the store for my correct order, they looked at the food and just threw it in the trash. Waste! When they gave me my new order, one of the other people working there shockingly accused me of taking the other persons order. I said no, it was handed to me. She replied why didn't I bring it back then, and I said I was told to keep it. (They likely would have thrown that away as well. More waste of food and money.) I have tried multiple to call their manager as this wasn't the first incident . He doesn't answer, or return your call. Very poor customer relations. read more

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The food was horrible. Ordered Philly steak burrito and side of rice. Rice was bland and hard. Also it had so many vegetables, who puts Lima beans in Spanish rice!!! The Philly burrito was disgusting and inedible. Greasy, no flavor or seasoning, and tasted burned. Tortilla fell apart because of the grease and all full of veggies hardly any meat. What of waste of $20. Will never go back again and will give world of mouth to family and friends not to come here so that they don't have the same experience and waste their money. Never again read more

Vallarta Express - Super greasy Philly Burrito that the tortilla fell apart. All veggies hardly any meat. Rice filled with so many vegetables, hard and bland. - Mexican Near Me - La Mesa, California

What a fantastic breakfast burrito! My favorite is the Chorizo burrito, it's huge, full of cheese, chorizo, and egg on the biggest flour tortilla I've seen. My Wife had a Breakfast Sandwich with bacon, egg and cheese on grilled toast. The sandwich was as big as the burrito with the bacon and cheese wrapped up inside an egg omelet hot off the griddle. When you go, don't miss the red (more pink) hot salsa. read more

I am shocked at the low star rating this drive thru Mexican food restaurant has. I stopped here on an absolute whim after I got a coffee at the Starbucks next door. All I ordered was a Carnitas Burrito. I was able to get my food really quickly. The cashier did not ask me if I wanted salsa, luckily they had just put two green and two orange salsas in my bag, along with a good amount of napkins. My burrito was excellent! It was huge and jam packed full of carnitas meat as well as guacamole and pico de gallo. The carnitas burrito was really satisfying and really delicious. I never ever order a Carnitas Burrito when I stop at Mexican food drive thrus, I am usually a Carne Asada Burrito gal, but I wanted to switch it up and I am so glad I did. read more

Vallarta Express - Carnitas Burrito - Mexican Near Me - La Mesa, California

Solid place for cheap easy Mexican food. Large portions and quick service. Very filling and tasty. Good for a late night since it's open 24/7 read more

Vallarta Express - California Burrito - Mexican Near Me - La Mesa, California

I found this location on my Yelp radar . I came in took plenty of pictures. The location seems very clean everything so far looks great. Inside is very comforting. They have a Coca-Cola machine with lots of choices which you hardly ever see in a taco shop overall experience five stars. Clean, friendly , excellent service . Food was delicious . Had lots of customers not sure why such bad ratings . Salsa was amazing The pico was amazing Quesadilla amazing . It's tricky to get out with your car you have to reverse out then go back the same way you came in. DO NOT GO OUT DRIVE THRU LANE YOU WILL GET STUCK LANE IS NARROW read more

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WTF, the Cali burrito was beyond huge, not wrapped thoroughly, just thrown in the bag dangling out. Touched it and it was very cold tortilla, I'm not sure why you can't wrap it correctly and serve warm food. I couldn't even enjoy it, cold like fridge cold, most of the fries were so hard I would have broke my tooth if I bit into them. I kid you not it was a cold huge mess, I just threw the whole thing in the trash. This place has a lot of potential but unfortunately I will never come here again, waste of $16. I tried the salsa out of curiosity & it was great, 2 stars for salsa. I'm not sure who works in the kitchen but you need training, fyi I was the only one in drive thru at lunch time, that should have been a red flag. read more

I came here after a fun Halloween party and being told there was no food at The Hills Pub at 11:30 PM- that was a blessing in disguise because it led me to Vallarta Express. My friend knew about this place and raved about it being cheap, delicious, and open 24 hours! As a Yelp Elite the reviews looked concerning but I trusted my friend. I got the shrimp burrito without sour cream. My friend double-checked that they knew I didn't want sour cream to ensure I would get the correct order which was appreciated. I see a lot of reviews say they get incorrect orders. My shrimp burrito was heavenly, healing, incredible! The shrimp was actually great quality and everything else in the burrito was tasty and filling! The little sauces on the side were also really delicious and they gave us quite a bit. Don't let the bad reviews scare you!! Try this place out - it may become a new staple like it did for me. :) read more

Double update: they're still forgetting to put sides in the bag. I like Vallarta but I have to dock another star for the bizarrely consistent inability to fulfill side orders. It actually makes me wonder, how old are the sides in their fridge if they're forgetting to put them in the bag the majority of the time? Are they only giving sides to people who walk-in and not drive-thru? Is there some kind of prejudice against customers inside cars? Maybe they can put a post-it above the inside of the drive-thru window that says "DON'T FORGET THE SIDES" or "NO TE OLVIDES DE LOS ACOMPAÑAMIENTOS". I'm just spit-balling here; open to other ideas. Isn't it strange that someone working the drive-thru for hours a day, days a week, can't remember the sides, but me, engaging in this process maybe once a month, remembers they always forget the sides??? How does that even make sense? Anyways, I'll record a video next time since it's guaranteed to happen again. It's like I discovered a new law of physics or something. read more

Normally don't review at all, but man, this location struggles. Asked for a California burrito without pico, repeated myself three times on the no pico part, and instead of no pico, they charged me for a veggie taco in addition to my burrito (with pico). The cali burrito also was barely even warm, and I had to microwave it after a 3 min drive home and it being wrapped in foil. Double check your orders people, something always has a problem when I've gone here. read more

I went a few days and I ordered two burritos Carne Asada what they gave me was disgusting. The first bite. I felt all the nerves from the meat never going back again. read more

We've been coming here for more than 6 years and it's usually good. They'll mess up the order about half the time, but they'll usually fix it when prompted. Normally, I would give 3 stars, but the last few times we have ordered here, the customer service has been atrocious culminating into today's experience. Our order contains carne asada tacos, which we asked for only onions and cilantro and the guy responds saying that the tacos "don't come with that, they come with pico" which is false. So first off, he doesn't know the menu items, so why is he taking orders? We stated that the tacos do not come with pico, they come with cilantro, onions and guacamole, and we want the cilantro and onions on the side. He responds, now sounding frustrated, that the tacos do not come with onion and cilantro. We repeat our order directly and then he says okay very rudely. Order is completed and right before we drive off, him thinking he probably turned off the mic, he calls us PUTAS. We get to the window, and after 5 minutes he shows up and in a very unprofessional demeanor states our total. I ask him to repeat our order as there was confusion and he says "what?!?" and we repeat ourselves for him to confirm our order. He repeats our order back very rudely. I then ask him if he was the one who placed our order, he said yes, then I asked why he called us "putas". He looked surprised and said he was telling the cook that. (What?) So he admits saying that. I said no you called US putas. Then he says "do you want a refund or what because I have cars behind you". I asked for a supervisor, and he said "tHeRe iS nO sUpErViSoR here" and smirks. I ask again. He says "you want the food or not I got cars waiting". I said "no me importa, I want the supervisor's number". He provides this number: (619) 892-1315 Hopefully this is the manager's number. We didn't get our food and we won't be coming back. It was one thing to have our orders correct 50% of the time, even having less than good customer service most of the time, but we're not gonna be called PUTAS. Wtf. Idk the guy's name but I haven't dealt with him before. April 5, 2026 around 12:30pm. read more

I would say the best part about this place is that the Drive -thru is open 24 hours. I had the potato tacos, I've also gotten regular tacos here once or twice. I would say honestly food is very plain. It is in a very convenient location though.. The staff aren't really that nice. Most of the time they just seem like they are trying to get you in and out. Kind of over priced if you ask me. I wouldn't go out of my way for this place. read more

Lovely service, lovely prices, lovely food. 7 carnitas tortas ordered and 1 bean & cheese burrito ordered. Crew is happy, I am happy.

I was a bit skeptical of this place due to the mixed reviews but I decided to go ahead and try it. The carne asada burrito and rolled beef/chicken taquitos were honestly really good! I love their orange spicy sauce. read more

My favorite burrito place the carnitas is the best and the burritos are huge (2 meals)

I think Vallarta is just okay, but a few things that make it subpar must be noted. Each time I go here, they never ever listen to special requests or put care into the order. For example, my mother in law doesn't like lettuce on rolled tacos. I told the person on the intercom TWICE, please don't add lettuce. What you think was on it when I got home? Yeah, great job all. Second, the food is always cold. Like, weirdly cold. If you order a burrito the meat is never warm, same with rolled tacos... it's almost like it's reheated? I don't get it. Third, the staff. You can legit tell they don't care about their job. They answer the intercom with little to no welcome, you can hear them horsing around in the background on it instead of working and when you get to the front of the window they ask for money and that's it. No thank you, no "red or green sauce?" They just are transactional. Oh well. Lucky for me I have lots of options around. We only go here when my MIL is in town as it's usually the place open the latest. read more

I came here while getting an oil change. I will be back for sure! Breakfast Burrito with Bacon. Delicious. First place I have sat and ate for a while. Great atmosphere and great friendly service. Their Red Sauce is actually Hot, Mix with green if too hot. read more

I come to this location occasionally because of the drive thru convenience. The quality of the food has generally been good with generous portions. One thing that tastes consistently undercooked to me is the rice. I think they're a little pricey compared to some other taco shops too but nothing crazy. The service is their biggest detriment in my opinion. Last night was the first time the person was friendly and smiled at me. Literally, every woman who's helped me at the window on all my previous visits has seemed like they didn't want to be there, didn't make eye contact or smile etc. Someone with a bad attitude here and there is normal, but when it's everyone - I think it's worth taking a look at the management style for the root cause. The woman last night was really sweet and friendly, it caught me off guard and really made all the difference with my overall experience. I hope her attitude rubs off on the others :) read more

Vallarta Express - Carne Asada tacos were huge - Mexican Near Me - La Mesa, California

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Have been to this location before and always enjoyed it This time I tried the surf and turf burrito and it was so good!! Definitely one of my top choices when it comes to burritos and flavor, the meat is seasoned just right everytime and the creamy red salsa is actually to die for!! Service can be laggy at times but for a taco shop I never pay too much attention to that. read more

The BEST!!! I don't know who is leaving these bad reviews but my husband and I come from El Cajon at least 2-3 times a month to eat here! Flavor is everything and they got it!!! Service is amazing and they're all very kind. We always sit outside no matter if it's cold or not. We love their outdoor area!!! Oh and their salsa is the best. Flavor everywhere. I'm writing this review as I'm waiting for my food read more

Vallarta Express - Shredded beef, tacos, and surf and turf nachos - Mexican Near Me - La Mesa, California

I wrote a review about 3 years ago. They'd changed the rice to include peas...actually using those frozen veggie mixes. I didn't return for a couple years. I tried them again, and didn't get the rice. My bean burrito was yummy. I've gone in twice, as was satisfied. Yesterday, I decided I will never return. I realize inflation has raised prices everywhere, but they are ridiculously over-priced. I ordered a chicken burrito, 4 rolled tacos, and 2 small Horchatas. It was $32. Had I not been in a hurry to bring food to my friend during his short lunch hour, I would've drove through their to-go line or backed up my car. Usually I get a bean burrito, but it would've been too messy to eat in my friend's car, so I opted for something else. I did notice the price of a bean and cheese burrito, at $8.50. Seriously! Beans are still pretty inexpensive. My 4 rolled tacos were buried under a huge pile of shredded lettuce. Thanks for the salad that comes with 4 rolled tacos, where a minimum amount of beef was inside. A small Horchata was $4; large, $8. There's better food than yours, and not nearly as expensive. Friendly staff, but charging that much is more like sitting at a nice restaurant. You are open 24/7 which brings in quite a bit of revenue. There's almost always a line, so you're not lacking business. My friend, a Hispanic, knows his culture's food very well. He too was shocked at the price, and said the food was "so so." I will never return to your restaurant. Pretty sure you can afford to offer better prices. Your neighborhood competitors have much better prices. I'm a nice person, so I put tip money in their obligatory plastic container hanging from the take out window. Pretty nervy for drive-through service. Tips are generally given for sit down service, where the food is served. It's sad that so many businesses, especially ones that have regular traffic, take advantage of consumers. I will never return to your restaurant again. read more

Vallarta Express - Mexican Near Me - La Mesa, California

Vallarta is one of my favorite spots here in SD for Carne Asada fries! To be honest, this is the only item I really order here because it's soooo good! My favorite is the orange sauce, which is their specialty! The carne asada fries is a good enough portion for two! It comes with fries (similar to McDonalds fries), sour cream, guacamole, cheese, and carne asada! The meat isn't fatty and has great flavor. Overall, this is my go-to spot whenever I'm craving asada fries! This location is more of a drive thru than a dine in. There are couple seats inside and outside, but mainly everyone orders from the drive thru. Service is quick and accommodating! When we went, they were generous enough to give us a bag of orange sauce when we asked for more. read more

Vallarta Express - Carne Asada fries - Mexican Near Me - La Mesa, California

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Not only did they try to overcharge me, they were rude to me when I called them out on it. I will never come back here again. The audacity of just how rude they are. $22 for two tacos,?? I don't think so. I went down the street to azteca and paid half the price and they were delicious. Azteca all the way screw this place read more