This place was AMAZING. Not sure why it was 3.5 stars. It deserves 5. It didn't have a large menu but every single thing we ordered was delicious. I got enchiladas & cafe de olla. My husband chorizo sopes. The free salsa from the chips was SOOOOO good. They said it was a scratch kitchen & you can tell. Service was good. Place was big & clean. read more

The service was a 2.5, nice enough people, but they didn't check on us once after the food was delivered to the table. The food was very bland, I would say this is the Denny's of sit-down Mexican cuisine. No Salsa Fresca or sour cream offered with the tacos, just plain. The beans were great, and that's about it. The bathrooms are outdated and smell like sewer and death. The decor is very dated and gloomy. The music is horrific. A pretty bad experience for being so close to Mexico. This place needs a huge revamp for sure. Not coming back. read more

Achiote is adjacent to the outlets and is a better alternative to food chains if you want a to sit down and have a relaxing meal. It's very spacious inside and clean. We weren't familiar with this restaurant but took a chance and it worked out very well. I ordered Tlapeño which a chicken, vegetable, and rice soup. It sounds simple but it is packed with flavor. It's the perfect comfort soup and would eat this daily if I could. And with the handmade tortillas...mmm. I also tried the mole which had a nice kick to it and was very tasty. The service was friendly and efficient. I definitely recommend trying this place if you're ever in the area. read more

See all

Good service, good food , nice place the drinks are amazing and food was like u are in TJ hahaha so good read more

See all

My parents were visiting us for a week and my mom really wanted to visit the Mexican border. After a nice drive down, we found Achiote right on the border with Tijuana in the outlet parking lot and this was good enough for my parents. We came here for lunch on a Friday and large restaurant had a ton of seating to choose from, bar, booths, and tables. The menu here is absolutely massive, featuring an insane amount of dishes from all around the spectrum. For me, I was sold once I saw a giant torta which description is "Giant Mexican telera bread sandwich stuffed with carne asada or tender chicken breast, bacon, refried beans, guacamole, lettuce and melted cheese served with fries" and I really didn't need to see much else. When this thing was put in front of me, I couldn't help but smile and realize they were not joking when they called it a massive sandwich. The sandwich itself was really, really, really good and the flavour of the meat inside was top notch and tasty while the french fries on the side were delicious as well. Overall, Achiote exceeded my expectations with top notch service and really good food. My parents were both super happy with what they got and the free chips and salsa was a nice touch as well. Although I wish we were able to get into Tijuana for lunch, the long car lines left us not wanting to spend the whole day doing that. If you find yourself near the boarder or at the outlets, Achiote is gonna treat you right. read more

Achiote - Big ol' torta - Mexican Near Me - San Ysidro, California

One of the best things here is their valle Verde salads. Today I tried it with salmon and it did not disappoint. This place has been here for years its one of our go to for catering. The salad dressing you can buy to go its always a hit. I come here on weekends for brunch that too hits hard. The espadana omelet has cheese peppers and mushrooms topped with a creamy Chipotle dressing. The chilaquiles are crunchy I recently tried their creamy cilantro I think my eyes rolled back. The flavors are authentic here. The service is so attentive. You never have to look for your waiter. read more

See all

It's been a super long time since I've been here....food was good but the service was less than fine. The menu is a little strange in my opinion.....lots of breakfast options, few vegetarian options, not much of a variety. They do have a lunch menu but it's only available Mon_Fri. 12-4 pm. Seems it wants to be a high end restaurant offering a few steak, chicken and salmon option but the ambiance is definitely not high end. Food was good but limited options in my opinion. One had a torta, I had cheese enchiladas which were good, another friend had chicken fajitas (and they came out with no sizzle) and another friend had the quesadilla gold (this was really small for the price). I suggest that you look at the menu before going if you are in the area. read more

See all

*spacious restaurant * good for large parties * customer service was ok * food was good This place is usually busy on Sunday's. The menudo is good here it is rear to find a clean and tasty menudo I love that the meat is perfectly cut. The chipotle chilaquiles were amazing. They have cafe de la holla and it's not too sweet which I love. The salsas here are supper good and tasty definitely coming back this place is a must try if you are in the mood for authentic Mexican food! read more

See all

What I ordered: chicken fajitas. They were delicious, a little over priced. Three Blue Moon beers. They were cold and delicious. No complaints. The ambiance was cool I felt relaxed and the place felt clean. The seats weren't sticky nor the tables. THE SERVICE!!!!! WAS HORRIBLE!!!!! They ignored me the whole time!!! I only asked for refills and corn tortillas and each time I had to flag someone down. The managers sat down to eat the same time I did and the had multiple servers checking on them. THEY got better service than I did. I work in the industry so I'm not a demanding customer but this was BS. I left a 5 tip no to be a D! But I'm never coming back read more

Achiote - Mexican Near Me - San Ysidro, California

For those who have never had this type of food before it will be ok, but I expected more being married to a Venezolana. I ordered the Plato Llanera, and it had pork (carnitas), plantains, black beans, it was good. I would have liked butter with my arepa. Wife and daughter ordered cachapa with queso, they liked it.. It's a small place, it was packed, but super friendly staff. I would have liked to try the seafood, maybe next time. read more

I had one of the worst experiences I've had in a restaurant at this place. I have a service dog and he was not welcome by the staff. We sat in a table by the bar, our server was clearly overwhelmed and we sat there for 45 minutes without drinks or food until I finally was able to flag him down and ask for my drinks we got them. By this point maybe an hour has gone by and my dog made a noise. No one had even noticed him before this as he was just laying under the table since we got there. An off duty employee that was seating at the bar didn't like that he made a noise and came to our table very rudely and said "if he makes another noise you have to go" and we responded that she should worry about the service we are receiving and maybe get us our food or drinks and she said that she was off the clock and those were the rules. We decided to leave after this as the service was horrible and someone came to literally yell at our table. Just wrong!! read more

Delicious food and great service. We will definitely be back and let friends and family know about it

We visited Achiote last Saturday around 9-10 am. We were surprised to see there was no wait to seat. We decided to seat at the bar pero usual. Our server Yada was in this ocassion too busy that she didn't realized my tortillas had not been brought out with my food. My biggest surprised was the portion of a $14 dollar plate of huevos con chorizo, literally portioned for a child! My boyfriend and I were so in shock. When I asked the manager/supervisor if this portion was 3 eggs as stated on the menu, she said it was not. It was 1.5 eggs as it was the half order, portions had been adjusted . I would add that the price was also increased. Mind you, the menu didn't specify if it was for the full order or half one. Nevertheless, 14 dollars for 1.5 eggs and 2 small spoons of beans and eggs is just not worth the $14.99. Makes us sad that not only were prices increased but portions lowered. There is definitely a noticeable difference in customers during the morning rush hours, not as busy as in the past. Will we go back, perhaps only to satisfy my boyfriends craving for their mole chilaquiles and not as often as we did before. read more

Achiote - Half order of huevos con chorizo 1.5 eggs to be exact - Mexican Near Me - San Ysidro, California

Me and my family love coming here! The food is always fresh, service is always on point checking in with us pretty much the whole time we are seated here. The cafe de olla is the best Ive ever had! read more

Achiote - Mexican Near Me - San Ysidro, California

See all

First thing first, if I were to only rate this place on breakfast and service it would be 5/5. We are regulars at this spot as locals, so we've gotten to know the servers and breakfast items very well for a handful of years. The chilaquiles, omelets, menudo, sopes, and flautiza are great! Servers are always quick and friendly. The ambiance is great as there is usually a pretty packed house for breakfast especially on weekends. Recently however, a new owner has acquired the place and the price has risen immensely. Sure, they renovated the outside but for a meal for 4 we're paying about or over $100 not including tip. The owner also decided to charge for chips (if ordered before 12pm) which used fo be available all day. They also decided to change the menu options, an breakfast is no longer offered all day and there is a clear breakfast and dinner time. read more

Achiote - Salsa and Cafe de Olla - Mexican Near Me - San Ysidro, California

2nd time here in 3 years. Same server Worth it, yet again Kids mini quesadillas - French fries were nice and crispy, even after it got cold. That's the best! Quesadillas were great Salmon- nice and tender. Vegetables were cooked perfectly Chicken tostadas - came with 2 tostada's. Full with protein. Chicken was shredded small and juicy. Not dry at all. Great flavor Quesadilla gold. 1 quesadilla. Good. Maybe having w would've been better as it was a smaller portion Flan. Big piece. Tasty. Perfect Guava cheesecake. Wow! Great flavor. Soft and most. Huge slice. Comes ala mode Ful dinner and dessert with 2 beers came out to $139.00. great price Server was pleasant as always. read more

See all

My mom went this morning and she loved this place. The server was so kind Only thing was my Mom wanted to leave and thought she could pay with the hostess. When I tell you, my mom called me, so disappointed and so upset because of how the hostess treated her. My mom said I am so sorry to bother you. Is it possible to check out here and the hostess huffed, and puffed the whole time, rolled her eyes at my Mom . Keep in mind. My Mom was apologizing the whole time saying I can go sit back down if this is gonna cause any issue, and my Mom is so kind, and the waitress said you're fine and rolled her eyes and smacked her lips at my mom. My mom won't be coming back here, but the fact that someone felt like they can treat a senior citizen. This way is unacceptable. This happened this morning we won't be back read more

It was my first time at Achiote. I ordered a chorizo burrito, we shared a green salsa chilaquiles. The beans were so good. The chilaquiles were cooked perfectly with crunchy ends and not soggy centers and were just the right amount of spicy (just a little kick). Chorizo was lightly seasoned and fresh. The fries were something I've not tried in this style before, seasoned with herbs, and very delicious! The place was on the larger side, the service was okay, the ambiance was pretty quiet, though it was a weekday morning. The 3 of us LOVED this place and it is a rare treat. There isn't any other Mexican restaurant I would give 5 stars to or even a 4 frankly. The food was as good as home made, but with slightly better presentation (sorry mom). Can't wait to go again. read more

Achiote - Enfrijoladas, chilaquiles verdes, chorizo burrito. - Mexican Near Me - San Ysidro, California

amazing place, we love basically all the menu, food does taste mexican and the service is so good, everyone is super nice and the ambiance is also nice, spacious, clean, music is on a good level, we love it there read more

¡NO REGRESO! Le tengo mucho cariño a este restaurante por ser mexicano, como yo. Sin embargo, después de muchos intentos fallidos de hablar con los encargados del lugar y de pensarlo una y otra vez, muy a mi pesar he decido dejar mi comentario. Es importante mencionar que este comentario, no está basado en una sola experiencia, sino en más de las que debió haber sido. Fui muy paciente y regresaba una y otra vez esperando la reivindicación de la experiencia, pero en lugar de ello, cada vez iban más en decadencia. Aquí enumero el sin fin de sus oportunidades de mejora. - La vitrina de los pasteles vacía y descuidada. - La atención de algunos meseros, es totalmente indeseable por cualquier comensal. - Las porciones bajaron considerablemente, pero lo precios no solo no se mantuvieron, sino subieron también de manera considerable. - Los totopos (chips) si los pides antes de las 12 del mediodía, te los cobran a $3.25 dólares la pequeña canasta. No es que el precio sea alto, pero considerando que antes eran de cortesía a cualquier hora, no es algo agradable que ahora debamos pagar por ello. Además, si llegas después de las 12 del mediodía, si no pides los totopos, no te los llevan y se hacen los que no se dan cuenta. - Cambiaron sus asientos lo cual se aprecia, pero desafortunadamente no fue la mejor opción ya que estos tienen la armadura de metal y hacen un molesto y constante ruido. - El mesero lo vi dos veces durante toda mi estadía, de modo que tuve que apoyarme con meseros que no estaban atendiendo mi mesa. Esto, me ha pasado varias veces con diferentes meseros. Algunos de ellos, a través del mal servicio y mala actitud, dejan notar lo agotado, enfadados o inconformes que están. Algo que lamento mucho, sin embargo, yo como cliente no soy responsable de ello. - Las tortillas de las quesadillas de maíz eran ricas y de muy buen tamaño, lo que las diferenciaba de una quesadilla hecha en casa. Ahora, es la misma quesadilla que hace en casa mi hijo de 10 años. Ya la veras en la fotografía. - Pedí "una quesadilla de maíz" para acompañar mi caldo y me llevaron "dos de harina" Vamos a dejarlo hasta aquí porque si sigo haciendo memoria, le seguiré encontrando. Considero que esto debería ser MÁS que suficiente para que El Achiote Restaurant tome medidas de mejora. read more

Achiote - Pedí "una quesadilla de maíz para acompañar mi caldo y esto fue lo que me llevaron. - Mexican Near Me - San Ysidro, California

See all

So we made a trip to the outlets and needed to grab a bite to eat. This was the best option available so we grabbed a seat. The food was phenomenal. We missed the lunch time rush so the chips were a bit stale. We started with the carne asada fries and they were soooo good. There were chunks of meat everywhere, the fries stayed firm, and I personally enjoyed the guacamole. I had the enchiladas as it was perfect. I was a bit full after the fries, so I had some leftovers. My gf had the pozole and torta. While the pozole was good the torta was amazing. The bread was sooo flavorful and it went well with the meat and guacamole. I know for sure what I'm ordering next time. read more

See all

The mole enchiladas are to die for!!! The servers are usually very nice & quick with the food.

I absolutely LOVE this restaurant! I used to eat here alot when I was working on the POE project. I had the half size El Achiote which was delicious. My husband and his colleague both had the Molletazo. Everything was delicious! My absolute favorite thing I had this morning was the Cafe de Olla. OMG how have I NEVER had this before??!!??!! Now its all i want!! The restaurant lacks a little on the ambiance side but with food this delicious and the great service i can look past it. 10 out of 10 would definitely recommend!!! read more

See all

Five stars for the food and service! I had never had mole on an omelet before I ordered the Oaxaca omelet at Achiote. It was so good! The cafe de la olla (coffee with cinnamon and sugar) was amazing too! 3 stars because the restrooms are always gross and why can't they figure how to allow checks to be split? read more

I don't know what happened to the service,the menu,the food we have been coming to this place for year but unfortunately well not be coming back new menu, new everything who ever change it to a more high in dining don't know what they're doing this is San Ysidro !!! read more

This was a nice little spot The food was okay could've been better I expected the burrito to have some type of negatively however all it had was meat Very disappointing read more

See all

My family loves coming here on the weekends. The food and service are always great, and it's definitely worth the drive!

I have been going to your restaurant for over 15 years. Changing your menu to a reduced decision has taken away from the family oriented restaurant that kept bringing us back to your restaurant. Not only is there a lack of options but lack of ambiance instead of Mexican music we grew up with. It is now hospitals waiting room music. The waiters are great and has seen us grow up I wish they would take the waiters feedback on how we all want this place back to its original menu read more

Food is always amazing here, the portions and the amount you get for the price is great. The ambiance is usually calm and friendly but be prepared to wait if it's the weekend as they get really busy. We had about 4 different servers the entirety of our breakfast, had to ask twice for a drink and about 3 different times to three different people about the birthday hat/celebration. read more

See all

Tengo desde que abrieron Achiote ordenando puños. La receta de puños cambió de nuevo. NO ORDENEN PUÑOS. Malísimos!!

The owner is just the nicest man ever and the food! Don't get me started on that. It's is the top 3 best Mexican food I've ever had. It is a small building but lots of tables I'd love to see it be big one day. read more

el servicio fue excelente Daniel y Karolina son muy buenos meseros una personalidad ideal para el servicio al cliente. la comida muy buena pedí un plato que se llama talpiqueña y de postre Guava cheescake muy ricos. de nuevo el servicio excelente... read more

Achiote - Mexican Near Me - San Ysidro, California

The food was good. Everyone in our party of six liked their meal. My only complaint was our server never smiled once. Not once! We were all polite and friendly towards her but she did not smile or behave friendly at all. I've always been taught customer service should be friendly I don't think she got the message. read more

Eat here at least once a year. I call it Mexican home cooking. The food is always good and prices reasonable. The service is always good and atmosphere is nice. read more

Huge 5 starts to this restaurant! My boyfriend and I decided to have a little adventure to visit the border and wanted some authentic Mexican food. OMG this is def the place to go! Their pozole was pure fire and packed with flavor. Their chips and salsa verde are a great appetizer. Their tres leches cake is to die for! Thickest and juiciest slice of cake I've seen and had in my life! First place I'll come back to when I visit CA again. read more

See all

This will be my 5th time coming to eat here. When we come to San Diego i don't mind driving further more to come to Achiote. I love their food. Fresh, authentic, great flavor. good size plates. The micheladas (Chavela)mmm really good. Service- great! Everyone here is so polite and they make sure that your coffee cup or glass of water is always full (not flavor water). Server comes to your table to make sure you are taking care of. The ambiance is relaxing- background music is perfect to eat your meal. The place is nice and neat and the colors around the restaurant are calm and peaceful. read more

See all

Great service and great food! A little pricey but u get what u pay for! We had the lengua and chilaquiles...they were both very delicious and very tasty and plentiful! Destination place when we are in plaza de las Americas! read more

Achiote - Bar - Mexican Near Me - San Ysidro, California

See all

We always come here when we go into TJ for the day. Great food and atmosphere. Servers are very friendly and attentive. This last visit, I had the chicken enchiladas in green sauce, which was recommended by our server. It was good, but the chicken was a bit dry, and I learned that the green sauce is not my thing ( I should have stuck with the red sauce). Refried beans were good, but just know they're made with lard, and in today's day and age, it's not a good thing to use anymore. The salsa that comes with the chips is very delicious. A major disappointment is since the pandemic, they removed many items, and the hamburgers were one they cut from the menu. It's too bad because the burgers were very delicious (which is why I gave 4 stars). Hope they bring them back (hint hint). We'll still come back, of course. read more

Achiote - Chicken enchiladas in green chile sauce. - Mexican Near Me - San Ysidro, California

Actually, the food prepared in the morning, and they serve it throughout the day, so in between that, the food becomes medium temperature. I sent it back, my suggestion is probably get there first thing in the morning. I was surprised to see so many people standing in line to eat there. read more

Horrible service all servers would just walk by. Food was not good at all. Tortilla soup was only tortilla no chicken or anything Would not recommend this place at all read more

Achiote - Kai, Taylor - Mexican Near Me - San Ysidro, California