AMAZING!! Just finished my food. I'm very picky about flavor and they nailed it! I will definitely be coming back. I ordered nachos with carne asada and shrimp. Make sure you ask to have everything on it. Here's a picture of our food..... read more

Ama’s Cocina - Yeah......so good you won't get a picture of the food :) - Mexican Near Me - El Cajon, California

Authentic and homemade. We love Mexican food and we revisited AMA's and it was just as good the second time. Don't let the location fool you, you may not find better Mexican food downtown. The corn quesadilla and gordita have a soft crispy texture. Don't overthink your order, I asked what's on the stove and we had the chicken quesadilla and pork gordita.. Made fresh to order with/ a Mex Coke, it's complete. Simply delish read more

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Delicious tacos and great vibes! Stopped in for a quick bite and everything was excellent. I got the pastor tacos, my girlfriend had a birria taco and a beef hard shell, and every single one was packed with flavor. The horchata was perfectly sweet and refreshing -- highly recommend! The decor is super cool and the staff was friendly and welcoming, which made the experience even better. Can't wait to come back and try more of the menu! read more

Ama’s Cocina - Beef taco - Mexican Near Me - El Cajon, California

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They cook the food when you order so it takes a little longer but its worth the wait. The portions are also on the smaller side but thats fine by me. I'll take quality over quantity. The carne asada is my favorite. Its trimmed and seasoned perfectly. read more

This small Mexican restaurant is truly a hidden gem. From the moment you walk in, you can tell they care about quality and authenticity. Brings me back to my culture with not only the ambiance but food as well. The food is fresh, flavorful, and clearly made with attention to detail--nothing tastes rushed or generic. Every dish is well-seasoned, beautifully prepared, and consistently satisfying. I had the verde chilaquiles , which was so delicious! Forgot to take a picture in the moment . I also got the posole , recorded a video of how delicious it was , didn't disappoint! Whether you're craving classic comfort dishes or something a little more traditional, everything comes out hot, vibrant, and delicious. 10/10 definitely recommend! read more

Food was delicious! Ordered for delivery and it was ready quickly and arrived in good condition. Two cheese enchiladas with rice and beans, bean and cheese burrito, and churros. I will definitely be ordering from here again and learning from my below lessons. What I liked: - Enchiladas were delicious!! The handmade corn tortillas are really good. The cheese is great. They are slightly spicy. - Beans are the best, which is extremely important for me. - Bean and cheese burrito was also delicious What I didn't love: - I put "no onions" in my order request for the enchiladas and it did not have onions. BUT I didn't think to put "no sour cream," which would have been helpful because they are completely covered in sour cream. Had to scrape it off, which inevitably removed the sauce. However, the cheese and handmade tortillas totally made up for that. - Their rice is just okay. I'm picky about my Mexican rice. The moisture was fine but the flavor wasn't there. read more

Our favorite spot! Carne Asada Fries with chipotle sauce 10/10!! And the Cali Burrito. Always fresh pico!!!

Absolutely will be returning. I had 3 trips tacos and they were only about 11 dollars but were piping hot and loaded with tripa. I'm used to taco shops skimming on the meat but amas did not disappoint. I'll be back very soon read more

Almost everything was great, the only thing I didn't like was that the menudo lacked flavor. I had to add several things and even then I couldn't fix it. Maybe next time they'll make it with flavor. That's the only thing, everything else was wonderful. read more

i LOVEEEEEE coming here! the food and service always top notch !! clean space and the front girl is always so nice. The food is seriously so good not like all these other taco shops that make the food fast , this is more like home style authentic mexican food. read more

Ama’s Cocina - clean cute restaurant - Mexican Near Me - El Cajon, California

Authentic Mexican food made with love. Family owned place with great service, and even better food. The potato rolled tacos are my boyfriend's favorite. Today I wanted to try a bunch of menu items I've never tried before. I asked them which gordita is their favorite and got that one, chicharon prensado gordita, plus a chicken Huarache, and a pambazo. The Pambazo is like a torta, but the telera bread is dipped in a tomato based sauce and grilled, then it's filled with a mixture of chorizo and potatoes, and topped with shredded lettuce and crema. It was really good! The bread was so soft and flavorful from the tomato sauce. The Huarache is kind of like a sope and a tostada had a baby. It's a flat, oval shaped fried masa base that's pretty large, topped with refried beans and your choice of meat, plus shredded lettuce, cheese, crema, and onions. This was my favorite of the three items. The shredded chicken was in a sauce with stewed onions, it was moist and flavorful. The beans were creamy and perfect, and the masa base had a great texture. Less crispy than a tostada, more like a really thick corn tortilla that's still soft in the middle, but crispy on the outside. The gordita was really good and not what I expected when I heard chicharon, but I was really pleasantly surprised by the filling. It was really crispy on the outside and soft inside. A nice, simple, satisfying dish. When I was waiting for my order I saw they have a dessert that has platanos in it. I can't wait to try that next! And of course the churros too. read more

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Literally best tacos in SD! I got the birria tacos with extra cilantro and onions and they were so good. The service was amazing, everyone is so kind! I loved the music in there, it made me wanna get up and start dancing. 10/10. read more

The place is nicely decorated. 3 stars for that. The rest. Minus one. Prices not on menu. Are they a secret? Have to ask for each item. While you are at cashier. You pay the tip when you order, but you dont even know if they will call your number or bring your food. (They bring it). If it got busy, it's hard to tell when the cashier would have time to bring you your food. No chips and salsa that I could see. I really wanted to like this place. I got the chile verde because I had high hopes based on some reviews. It was a bad day to get that and something was off, so I didn't finish it. I don't know why it tasted the way it did, but I stopped to be safe. No ill effects, btw. It was probably just one persons bad experience. I hope. Maybe caught them on a bad day. My wife enjoyed her rice and shrimp burrito though. Just get something other than chile verde. read more

Always make sure to get your receipt! I decided not to, and when I checked my bank statement, I saw they charged me an extra $2. Straight-up thieves. The girl behind the counter probably added a tip for herself. Absolutely pathetic and dishonest behavior. read more

I had a breakfast burrito from this newly opened Mexican eatery in El Cajon. I ordered the ham, egg, cheese and house potato burrito for $8 and some change. The burrito was okay but definitely missed on a few levels. First of all, the burrito came with way to much potato and the potato pieces were way to big. The burrito had so much potato that I could not taste the ham, eggs, nor the cheese which was not even noticeable. Now if this was a potato burrito, then it would of been just right, but the burrito needed more eggs, ham, and a lot more cheese to make it a good breakfast burrito. In addition, they should also consider peeling the skin off the potatoes, unless they are using a red or yellow potatoes and crisp them up a bit! Also, they need to scramble the eggs separately first in a container, then pour them into the mix with the rest of the ingredients on the hot griddle. The eggs were not well scrambled. I did like the way they toasted up the flour tortilla on the burrito nicely on the griddle. I tried both of their hot sauce, the red and the green, and they were both quite good. I favored the red because it had more complex flavors and a touch of heat. read more

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Came here for the first time tonight because I see it on my way to and from work everyday, and I'm glad I did. Service is friendly and fast, and they have a cool dining area inside if you don't want your food to go. Got the pollo rolled tacos with guacamole, and they were awesome. Also got carne asada fries with carnitas added, and the order was HUGE and loaded with super tasty meat. The fries they use are a bit thicker than some other places, which is good, and they were cooked perfect. I'm stuffed, and still have tons of leftovers. Oh yeah, don't forget the horchata, it's great too. Definitely my new favorite mom and pop Mexican food place. I know I'll be here a lot. read more

Cashier was very nice Mulas are super good Cute spot for a quick bite I will definitely be back ! read more

Ama’s Cocina - a mexican restaurant - Mexican Near Me - El Cajon, California

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If you're gonna serve tacos the tortilla is such an important part. My corn tortillas were crispier than a chip, harder than a brick and could've sliced your neck! The carne asada had little to no flavor. read more

I just ate a carnitas combo which came with rice and refried beans and tortillas. And I must say that this whole food was totally taste less. Beans no flavor as always with the Mexican refried beans, and the meat was too crispy and no flavor either. A little bit of Adobo Goya added would surely give food some flavor. But Mexicans do not add sofrito or condiments to their food while they're cooking it which is when the condiments flavor the food. Honestly, I still haven't found a Mex restaurant that I can say that the food tastes good; meaning with flavor and taste. read more

Friendly people and really good food. We usually get our burritos from here. Sometimes we sit and eat as well and the service is great.

food was great! Not only that but this was the only place within a 3 mile radius that let me use their restroom. the costumer service made me feel like royalty! I will defiantly be coming back to eat here!! read more

Bravo! I have searched near and far for great tacos and service to match. Just my luck this is the one closes to home. With great prices and a taste to match, Ama's gets my vote for a must eat in El Cajon. read more

Ama’s Cocina - Mexican Near Me - El Cajon, California

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Great food and service. This place has always been my favorite little taco shop in east county.

Wow!!! So delicious! This is my new favorite taco shop. I had the California burrito and my husband had the monster burrito. The chips and salsa were so delicious, we ended up buying some extra to take home. This place is definitely a hidden gem. read more

Ama’s Cocina - California burrito. Everything was so fresh tasting. - Mexican Near Me - El Cajon, California

Would not recommend trying. Was very disappointed, I never leave bad reviews and I don't feel the rating matched the quality at all. The girls were very nice, but the food was awful. Probably the worst I've had and it's hard to mess up rolled tacos. My guacamole was also brown. read more

The Carne Asada taco was fantastic. I always pull a piece of meat from the taco to taste it by and it was tender, juicy and seasoned properly. The tortillas are scratch made on the spot with every order, you just can't get any fresher! The other standout was the grilled fish taco with the chipotle sauce. I'm already looking forward to going back! This is a very small place with maybe 6 or 7 tables, the family running it are very nice. Great authentic food served here. read more

Very good tacos, quesebirras are good and pastor tacos. Carne asada are okay but still good. read more

Ama’s Cocina - Quesabirras, tacos de carne asada - Mexican Near Me - El Cajon, California

Great place for authentic Mexican cuisine. I have had only good experiences when I visit for lunch. read more

Ama’s Cocina - Fish tacos are amazing!! The grilled fish is cooked perfectly and it's made with such care and love. - Mexican Near Me - El Cajon, California

Fantastic customer service and the Taco's were delicious! I will 100% be coming back!

Hair in my food. They should really use their hairnets properly not as hair accessories. read more

Ama’s Cocina - There is a hair in my food. - Mexican Near Me - El Cajon, California

best el pastor fries i have ever tried! Belen was the sweetest most attentive cashier ever!! highly recommend best taco shop in el cajon :) read more

Ama’s Cocina - el pastor fries! - Mexican Near Me - El Cajon, California

Amazing homemade taco shop. Everything is great here!! The mulitas and pambazo were fantastic! Highly recommend trying.

Was running short on money, and ama's gave me free tacos! They're amazing and the service is impeccable, 10/10 tacos. Great indoor spot too!! read more

Ama’s Cocina - Taco - Mexican Near Me - El Cajon, California

I went yesterday and we ordered the super rolled tacos. The cashier told us it was going to be expensive. We asked him how much and he said $89.00. He couldn't tell us why, but we thought it was nice of him to at least tell us it was going to be pricey. So we decided to order just regular rolled tacos. He asked me if we wanted sour cream and guacamole and we said yes. When we finally got our food, I thought the bag felt a little light for 2 orders of 5 rolled tacos each. When we got to the car, we opened up the food container to see and all we got were the rolled tacos with sour cream and a very dark guacamole. No lettuce or tomatoes like you usually get at other places. We were so disappointed and upset. I chose not to go back inside because I wasn't going to be very nice. We tried to spruce them at home, but it was pointless. We should've known we were in for bad experience when we saw that their menu did not show there prices at all. Honestly, if I could give it zero stars I would. Never going back there again. read more

Beat tacos in East county, hands down. Handmade tortillas, great hospitality, and overall a fire mom and pop shop. Highly recommend

East County gem! Real Mexican food with a great feel. The menudo might be the best I've ever had and every taco, torta and burrito I've had has been great. This is no taco shop. It's a real cocina just like the ones in Mexico. You have to try a mulita also. read more

The food is pretty good. They cook it as ordered ie ( well done meat etc ). My only negative is I've never been to a real taqueria that charges for grilled Chiles and onions. You have to order them for a charge. Tacos el gordo and any of the taco trucks give them automatic. Just my opinion but definitely worth a try in El Cajon. read more

If you want good birria I recommend driving a few minutes down to Chula Vista, even the tj 664 birrierias have better food.

3rd Mexican restaurant that opens in this location and the food is great. Gorditas and tacos al pastor are a must!!

Carne asada tacos were great. Adobada tacos had a homemade type of taste to them. Which is a nice touch when all you get is bland chewy meat from all these other places. I'll definitely be back. read more