They've always had sloppy food prep, and forgot things when they were handing out the food. And there's no inner restaurant basically with the same sort of loud spanish music playing non stop. But this time was the worst I've ever been there, going thru the drive thru I only had a big bill to pay with now I understand not having enough change but that view was altered by me being sandwiched between 4 other customers and there were at least 3 other people who left without even ordering. They've really gone downhill. read more

The rude service at the drive through window makes their food not worth it. Long time customer, never again after this evening.

Their food is good when they manage to give you the correct order. Please double check your drive through order. It is frustrating to get home with the wrong food and no salsa. read more

I was looking for something quick before an event. I spent $8.86 on 4 rolled tacos, 2 bucks a round...wow! Started eating the rolled tacos; the taste was not good, unclear why. Choked it down, needing something to eat. Then, the fun started later that night with moderate stomach discomfort and intestinal issues, followed by an explosive profusion. I suggest San Diego DEHQ make an impromptu undercover visit, possibly taste test the food to validate. Sorry, I will not be back for another round of fun. read more

My all-time favorite Mexican taco shop that is still open 24 hours during covid19. Goes to show how hardworking the staff are to still provide food options to their customers! Still supporting this local shop even during covid19! I have been here for years, since my college years. I have ordered almost everything on the menu from breakfast burritos, rolled tacos, carne asada fries, carne asada burrito, shrimp burrito and more! Their Quesadilla comes with salsa fresca and guacamole sides, which we always pay extra for at other shops. Their menu is HUGE and they have options for everyone, even the picky eater in your household. They stick to the basics and I'm good with that. You definitely get your monies worth when coming here. Their orange looking salsa is a HIT every single time! Would definitely recommend. I actually going back on a weekly basis. read more

TIP: Their enchiladas always have cold cheese inside. It's weird. Try something else. TIP 2: I've gotten their adobada twice, and both times it had a bunch of fat, un-chewable, possibly undercooked pieces of meat. Their carnitas is good though. Best taco shop in La Mesa. I used to be an Ah-Jijo guy, and I'll always love them, but Vallarta Express is the biz. You can't beat the 24 hour drive-thru. Their breakfast burritos are among the best I've ever had. And THEY'RE CHEAP. They put beans in theirs, which makes all other breakfast burritos seem dry by comparison. Their beef tacos are damn near perfect. Taco shell is fried just as it should be, light and crunchy. Ample helpings of moist and tender beef inside. No soggy bottom (I'm looking at you, El Azteca). No taco falling apart as soon as you pick it up. Cool crisp lettuce and plenty of cheese. Rolled tacos come in an order of 4, chicken or beef. They come with guacamole AND sour cream, and (a little too much) lettuce and cheese. Their carne asada burrito is average, but not mind-blowing. The meat is on the tough side and could use a little more seasoning. I won't get their shrimp burrito again. It has beans in it. I am in the beans don't belong in shrimp burritos camp. But beans in a chile relleno burrito? YES. Their chile relleno burrito comes with beans and sour cream, and I was impressed. Simple, but tasty. Their Christian Fries are a standout - I've never seen them at any other taco shops. It's basically carne asada fries with two over easy eggs and bacon. Expect immediate lethargy afterwards. The Philly taco isn't bad. Shout outs to the fresh veggies, but it's missing something. It needs a sauce perhaps. It's kinda dry as is. The orange colored salsa at their salsa bar is excellent. They even have the tapered ladles, so you know they're on another level. My only complaint with this place is minor: the customer service is just okay. There's a girl that works the front counter in the morning that's always playing on her phone. She might be doing something work related, but it still looks unprofessional. She's doing the bare minimum with customer interaction, but hey, she hasn't screwed up an order yet. *Update: I'm knocking down Vallarta's by a star. Still my go-to, but my recency bias has waned. The customer service is still lackluster, and they NEVER repeat back your order in the Drive Thru. This has led to missing burritos. read more

Express is right. So express, that, they couldn't be bothered to cook the fries or melt the cheese in our California burrito. Cold cheese, cold fries, the meat is tasty but doesn't taste like carne asada, more like that smell when you can tell someone is grilling meat. Tasty but unexpected. The cold cheese and fries were enough that my burrito-fanatic husband couldn't finish it. There are plenty of amazing taco shops in the immediate area that we will not be back here. read more

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

This place is pathetic. If you go through the drive thru the food order is usually wrong. Like totally wrong, half the time. This is why I don't go here anymore. The people who work here are complete morons. read more

This place has terrible customer service. I like the food but i hesitate going in due to poor customer service. Cashiers always seem to have an attitude. Some time in 02/2023 I called in the morning and a young male took my order and he has such an attitude over the phone and even when going to go pay his customer service was horrible and my carne asada fries made with laziness. Last time I went young female cashier had attitude when taking my order. No smile or anything from her. I have been hesitating to go due to cashiers attitude but since i was in the area and wanted taco shop i decided to suck it up and just go. I WAS going to go order and eat inside. Female cashier from previous visit was taking out trash. When attempting to go inside to order, door was locked, staff along with her (young female cashier) were inside they just ignored us not even to acknowledge us to let us know inside was closed, mind you this was around 8pm. This place is not it to eat. HORRIBLE customer service read more

Best machaca burrito in town!!! They don't skimp on the meat like other shops. The green salsa here is also super yummy. They've even got Sculpin on draft. read more

Gave me the wrong item and refused to take responsibility for it or credit me for messing up. Food tasted disgusting too full of lettuce and unmelted shredded cheese and barely any meat it was terrible. Stay far far away. Not to mention charging $31 for 5 tacos and an horchata they've lost their damn minds. Can get better tacos anywhere else! read more

Terrible customer service, I was ordering and the cashier kept rushing me and rushing me... not only that but when I pulled up to the window not even a hi just my price, she also ignored me after multiple attempts to purchase carrots. Never coming here again!!! Update : just got home not only was my food wrong she didn't throw in any forks , no sauce for my salad , no salsa for my chips... can't even wrap a burrito the right way read more

As others have said: Customer service is awful at this location. Food is good, but only accurate about 1/4 of the time, so always check it carefully. Many times I've had to have things remade. Last time they were very rude despite 2 of my 3 times being wrong and I had to drive back....I won't be back again after that. read more

The food is great WHEN they get my order correct, but that's hardly the case. Every time I go there I get home to surprise food that I didn't order. This morning I ordered the steak and egg burrito and got a bacon, bean, potato and egg burrito. At this point I'm tired of calling them about incorrect orders. The people at the window always seem to be in a rush to get back to doing nothing even when there's no line. Frustrating. read more

Worst service ever! I went with my friend after a hike and we were so hungry, and this place was a joke. They literally handed my food messed up, I asked for two tacos they gave 1 with everything all over the place, and my friend ordered a burrito and it was semi open and when he tried to get it it fell in the bag and everything became soggy. Mind you that I was nice enough to give a tip before I even saw this. The girl laughed and said " is it you that smells good" and handed my food like if I was a joke. It was disrespectful and I hope that employee sees this. Never again coming to this Vallarta, genesee ave Vallarta is way better. Get your shit together jackson Vallarta. read more

Ya'll are sleeping on their Fish Tacos! It's worth the few bucks because of how massive it is!! read more

Vallarta Express - I'll take a fish taco please with red and green salsa - Mexican Near Me - La Mesa, California

I've been coming here for the past 2 years, never had I had such awful and RUDE customer service. Just 10 minutes ago, the cashier, rude AF. I know she doesn't care, obviously it's not her business. I hate for the owner to get bad reviews due to his employees. Hopefully this gets addressed, I love the food here and would HATE to stop going here due to a RUDE female who can't control her attitude. She said her name was Maria but who really knows. Hopefully the owner will message me. There's also another Taco Shop across the street called Rigoberto's. I can easily take my family of 6 over there. read more

Food is meh, carne asda was cold. Service was terrible and their small drink is literally the size of a water cup from fast food places. 100 percent wont return... read more

Good food. Cool, clean venue. Convenient drive-thru. Been here many times w/ the G-kids mostly w/ the drive-thru after picking them up from school. The burritos are pretty good size, generous portions. Oh yes, the chips here are really good! Kind of addicting. Light, crunchy n corny. Today the hub ordered the menudo today. It was really good. Super hot, tho. And he burned the top of his mouth a bit as he liked it so much it was hard to wait for it to cool down... He also had the Carnitas burrito. Big and stuffed full of carnitas chunks and guacamole. He had to save half of it. Our G-daughter is a vegetarian and likes to order the bean tostada or potato tacos or carne asada fries w/ beans (no meat). I had the chille relleno & enchilada combo w/ beans n rice. Couldn't finish it. Too much food. But it hit the spot. I washed it down w/ the Modelo Especial on draft. Good pairing. The seating is mostly custom designed bench tables. But it's pretty comfy and roomy. There is also a patio w/ more seating. The window seats are nice, too. There's not a huge amount of seating (maybe for 50 max). But it's a great use of space. Nice breakfast options too! Good to know. read more

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I went in this morning and order a ham breakfast burrito before getting to work and carne asada burrito and a chorizo burrito. The burrito went to three different places and they were all mislabeled. Wehn i called and explained to them what happened, she said bring them back. I explained I can't just leave work. Last week i ordered three bacon breakfast burritos and the bacon was charred in all three burritos. After contacting them abot the charred bacon they said it was too late and they were not going to do anything about it. If i could give the zero stars i would. This place it HORRIBLE AND SAVE YOUR MONEY!!! THERE IS 4000 OTHER TACO SHOPS IN SAN DIEGO AND I WOULR RECOMMEND GO THERE!!! read more

I'm a sucker for a good california burrito and haven't been able to find "my place" yet...until now!! So happy with my burrito; it was juicy, cheesy and crunchy all at once. More than impressed and will definitely be coming back asap!! read more

For a fast food take out drive through, the food is always perfect coming out. I like to order 2 Chicken Verde Enchiladas, the Verde sauce is made perfect with a little heat at the end of each bite. The chicken is moist and flavorful, not plain like other places. The vegetable rice is very tasty, puts a new twist to Spanish rice. There refried beans have a lot of flavor top with cheese. Excellent meal. read more

Vallarta Express - 2 Chicken Verde Enchiladas, vegetable rice, and refried beans - Mexican Near Me - La Mesa, California

Food is great. Hot sauce is great. Service is sub par every single time. Staff is impatient, rude, and acts as though your visit is a major personal inconvenience. Looking for a new spot for Mexican food. Can no longer support this poorly managed establishment. read more

WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE & FOOD EVER! Never ever coming back here again. Went last night and my order was completely wrong, checked the receipt and they gave me a completely different receipt too. My bf & cousin went back inside because there was a crash in the drive through and they got mad at us for getting the wrong order? They were very rude and unprofessional instead of just apologizing and making it right. When they gave us the food two men came out saying shit and trying to fight my cousin and bf. They said that we should be grateful they're "feeding us" like if we didn't pay for OUR food. We were able to let other people in the drive thru know so they could leave and go somewhere else. Awful place, can't believe they are still in business with their shitty ass customer service and nasty food. They even have a "give us a second chance before reviewing on yelp" sign on their drive thru window because they know all their reviews are shit. Nasty, awful, unprofessional & low lives. read more

Order a pollo asado burrito-no flavor:-((( The meat had zero seasoning, hot sauce had no flavor. First time,,sad to say, the last read more

Hands down the nastiest salsa in any taco shop in San Diego. And the burrito is $13 and barely had any meat. What a rip off. Never going there again. read more

Don't know what to say. It's okay I guess. My enchilada was so ice cold I had to laugh about it. Was comical how thrown together it was. Welp, maybe it's my fault for going at 8 pm read more

Vallarta Express - Enjoyed my ice cold enchilada - Mexican Near Me - La Mesa, California

This place is really delicious there Christian burritos is to die for it's really huge with every bite to die for and I been to a lot of Mexican eatery and this one of the best burrito spot read more

Place sucks. Straight up they just slop the food together and charge way too much for the quality they give.

Their potato tacos used to be so good but yesterday I got two and they put such a small amount of potato i thought they didn't give me any. They put a pound of lettuce on the tacos though smh never again! I paid $13 for two lettuce tacos and some beans and rice read more

My wife and I regularly hit up this establishment. Just went through the drive through tonight and the guys made a mistake on the order and gave us a tostada instead of a bean burrito. I explained we were missing the bean burrito. Within a couple of minutes - really fast - they handed over two bean only burritos with salsa - and apologized. I was very impressed with this. I normally pay with a credit card so unforuntately I was unable to tip. Next time I am there I am going to drop a fat cash tip to make up for not tipping in the past and the excellent service tonight. I really appreciate it when businesses do the right thing when mistakes are made. Viva Vallarta! read more

Beware! The La Mesa location has very poor customer service. My daughter warned me about the bad customer experience she endured. I should have listened. Unfortunately for me, my order was not correct. A simple request to the individual who took my combo plate order was to correct the error and provide the beans I ordered instead of the rice they provided. This request was met with contempt, as if I was asking for the moon. I was told to call a customer service number because there was no one at the La Mesa location that could address/resolve this very simple issue. FYI: I later learned the number they provided to address my issue was out of service. Thus, my decision to provide this Yelp review. read more

Food just isnt that great, but the prices are ridiculous. When it first opened they were inexpensive and around what typical Mexican food cost. They got popular and their prices jumped. This was before the pandemic so no that wasnt why. Its like $8 for a taco and combo plates hover near $20. For two people its easily $50+ to eat at a fast food Mexican place? Just go down the street to El Azteca read more

After being a long time customer and with how many consistent recent issues I've had while coming through, I have to leave a review so others are aware. The customer service is 85% of the time straight forward and borderline rude, which I can handle if the food I ordered delivered 9/10 times. Numerous times, my burrito which is literally a simple bean and cheese has been made with rice (and mostly rice). Not sure why??? My second frustration is the absolute lack in consistency with how big or bite size my burrito will be. Today was the final straw for me, my $7 burrito was basically the size of a Taco Bell burrito. I even called to let them know because I care about their success and they could care freaking less. They honestly have the best bean and cheese burrito in the area. But I won't be going back unless they can get their crap together! read more

Carne Asada Burrito - Gave this place a try. Picked up three burritos for approximately 27$. Bean and Cheese, Carne Asada and Breakfast. Approximately 10am. As I dont trust my kids when it comes to food most of the time I am only reviewing the Carne Asada Burrito that I purchased for my self. I would note that I also added cheese, as I typically do to all my Carne Asada burritos so that was the only change and I used no added salsa. The Burrito, let me say I was unfortunately not impressed by the flavor or the fact that I could taste primarily burnt meat, it does not go down well. The meat does not have anything special mixed or or added to assist in flavor, that said if it was fresh, the mere fat from cooking it would have helped. I will say that it did appear to be cooker and sliced very well but probably left over from a different day. Hence the burnt meat. The guacamole and pico went well with the burrito and the tortilla was nicely heated to a perfect consistency to provide a perfect rolled up presentation of a burrito. Will definitely give this another try at a different time of day just to compare notes. read more

Vallarta Express - Drive Thru Menu - Mexican Near Me - La Mesa, California

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Just a reminder that this food is amazing and the service is trash. Had good vibes while ordering then it all went down hill when we pulled up. They even have a sign that asks for a call or email before posting on Yelp! It's almost like they know their employees are rude and are trying to save face. Maybe don't hire people with bad attitudes? Times are tough right now and I'm sure you could find someone with a doctorate and a smile to give me extra salsa without coping an attitude and rolling their eyes. Imma still eat here though...... read more

Long line. rice was bad and had corn and peas in it. Quality salsa the orange was my favorite.

Came here several times and ordered a veggie burrito with no mushrooms, no cheese and no sour cream. Came here yesterday morning and all of a sudden there's no way to order it without mushrooms. Of course I was confused. After trying to communicate with the two staff members they agree to make it without mushrooms. I get home and get half way through and there's cheese all in the burrito. I haven't had cheese in years so my stomach has been upset, I'll never waste $10 here again. read more

Vallarta Express - Mexican Near Me - La Mesa, California

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We ordered 3 tacos and a Caldo de pollo at about 10:05pm 6/9. They took almost 20 min to give us the order. I got Home only to find that my tortillas are missing. When I called back and asking about it, the woman did not even say sorry. Super disappointed - I should have stuck with Rigoberto's! read more

Food is great here. Tried the beef tacos and quesadilla . Tortas are good as well. So as the soup . That's good for winter season.: