Casero Taqueria in Carlsbad is the real deal! Went there on a Friday a few weeks ago for karaoke night and had such a great time. The food was seriously amazing super fresh, flavorful tacos the carne asada and al pastor were my favorites, perfect salsas, and generous portions. Everything tasted homemade and hit the spot. The karaoke vibe was so fun and lively! Good music, friendly staff, and a happy crowd made it a perfect night out. Felt like a fun neighborhood spot rather than just another taqueria. Highly recommend and definitely going back soon! read more

We are very impressed with our experience at Casero Taqueria! The hostess was super friendly and sat us right away. Next, we received our waters and chips and salsa immediately. The whole staff was very helpful and friendly. Our server was always right at our table when we needed her and our drinks arrived within minutes. Same with our dinner! The chips are so fresh and I swear I could drink the salsa as a soup! So good!! We had the chicken enchiladas with a green sauce, a couple of street tacos and the guacamole. The flavors were simply amazing, and we had to make ourselves slow down and experience the meal! The drinks were absolutely delightful too! [[HIGHLIGHT]]The atmosphere is pleasant with lots of indoor and outdoor seating.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] We will definitely make this restaurant part of our "Go To" restaurant's! read more

Love this place! New owner, New Vibe and amazing service! [[HIGHLIGHT]]The bar in itself is reason to come here[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

[[HIGHLIGHT]]Was seated outside and found it cold. Seemed like they had heat lamps and it wasn't enough for me but it was survivable.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] It took a while for the server to get to us and when he did, we ordered drink first. After waiting a while he came back saying that the bar was backed up and apologized for the delay which I appreciated, and he offered to take our food orders. We had already been waiting a while for drinks at this point which wasn't great. Once our drink arrived, the food arrived shortly after. I got the hibiscus mistress but the mezcal which I thought was really delicious. I got a grilled shrimp taco and a carnitas taco. They were both good but weren't anything particularly amazing. I wouldn't say they were super flavorful but they didn't lack in flavor. It was just a middle of the road type of taco. I did really like the salsa that they came with and the portion size was good. Overall, the drink was delicious, the food was okay, but the service slow and not very attentive. I also noticed they mixed up a couple of the drink and food orders and brought us items that were ordered at a different table. I would come here again, but it wouldn't be my first choice. read more

Casero Taqueria - Grilled Shrimp Taco Carnitas Taco Hibiscus Mistress - Mexican Near Me - Carlsbad, California

I had a good time here. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The drinks were good and the ambience was lively and fun (we were watching a world cup game).[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Service was great but I ordered flautas and they were very soggy and not my favorite. I would come back though. Hopefully they were just having an off day. read more

Casero Taqueria - flautas - Mexican Near Me - Carlsbad, California

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The food is always great here but service is so bad! We ordered take out and our ceviche had no chips and our salad had no dressing. When I called to complain they said "sorry about the dressing" and that their ceviche doesn't come with chips if in a pick up order (online menu says served with chips). We left it at the manager would email me to resolve and I never heard back. So disappointed in such bad service from what is supposed to be a nice restaurant. It will be a long time before we come back. read more

Casero Taqueria - Menu of ceviche - Mexican Near Me - Carlsbad, California

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Chips and salsa are good. The rest of the food is bad. Carne asada is inedible -- all chewy tendon and fat, and in addition, tastes like they microwaved old meat from a couple days ago. [[HIGHLIGHT]]They now have karaoke on Friday nights which is miserable. You're trying to eat dinner in a restaurant at 7pm and it sounds like you're in a dive bar at 1am[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]]. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Another thing, the staff treats one of the bar tables as their office so you can't sit there because there are binders and a laptop sitting there.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Overall, an extremely unpleasant experience with absolute trash food. I've seen the changes at this place as it's been bought and sold (multiple times?) over the last few years, and this is by far the worst iteration. Place needs to close and be replaced by something worthwhile. read more

For take out from here a few days ago ordering the Chicken Salad. Pretty tasty. You get a lot of food but my only complaint is the chicken was cut into very small pieces making it somewhat difficult to stab and eat. Oh, and they went cheap on the avocado compared to the pic on their website. Still a good salad though. Would like to try one of their burritos next. read more

Casero Taqueria - Mexican Cobb - Mexican Near Me - Carlsbad, California

There are so many Mexican restaurants to choose from in this area and this one 1 s very mid. The management is great the food is average and the drinks are awesome. read more

Disappointed in how the service has declined. Wait staff didn't even look at us for over 20 minutes.... It wasn't until we were getting ready to leave that we were finally approached. Was sad watching the frustration from other tables as well. But glad we weren't alone in the struggle! Still love the food, but overall dining experience wasn't really worth it. Don't think we will return to a place which was one of our favorite date nights. Bummer. read more

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Visited Casero Taqueria over the weekend. It was such a beautiful day and I was craving ceviche. Casero Taqueria popped up and it looked decent. We were seated promptly and decided since it was a nice day to sit outside. Our server was attentive and super sweet and placed chips and salsa on the table. We decided on the shrimp ceviche for appetizers (very yummy and fresh) then for entrees we had the shrimp taco, Birria taco, Al pastor taco. You can make the tacos a combo with rice and beans but we decided on just the tacos. All the tacos were pretty good. Since it was a nice day, the restaurant seemed pretty empty which was shocking. Our server informed us , with old management, the restaurant was packed each day . However, the new management changed the menu and quality of the food which impacted sales and customers satisfaction. Probably to save money, Now from the sever, they are slowly changing the menu back to the old ways (cmon why change something thats working) Definitely worth a visit. Plus my Michelada was super refreshing! read more

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I was shorted a Mexican Cobb Salad on Mother's Day. When I called to have the issue resolved, I was told there was nothing they could do because the order was placed through DoorDash. Since no manager was available, I was asked to call back the next day. Fast forward to June 23: after leaving multiple messages with staff and receiving zero follow-up from management, I was essentially given the same response--that it was a DoorDash problem. Casero, please do better and take care of your loyal customers. I've always loved your food, but after my recent interaction with management, I won't be returning. It's disappointing because this could have been resolved with a simple follow-up and some accountability. read more

Came here during lunch hour on a weekday. There was plenty of seating and got seated right away. The place itself has a great ambiance and calm atmosphere. I ordered the chile relleno plate which was one of the limited time specials. Although it was soaked in a lot of sauce, it was still good and held its texture. I wish the menu had more of a variety. Overall, I think it's a great place to have lunch and socialize! read more

Casero Taqueria - Chile relleno special with rice and beans - Mexican Near Me - Carlsbad, California

We are from Arizona. We live tacos. But these were among the best we've ever eaten--tasty salad fillings and freshly cooked fish and smash burger. Friendly staff and service--can't be beat. read more

[[HIGHLIGHT]]Sadly Jaime's team has ruined what was once a really great spot in Carlsbad.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Not much of a surprise considering the total crap that his other restaurants pump out. The reviews all over here and Google explain everything that's gone wrong with Casero, from the menu changes to the smaller portions to the totally haphazard service. I tried it a few times in the past year since the change and each time something major went wrong. Now I regret to say I'm done. Sad to see this one go. While the doors aren't closed yet, they will be soon enough as the regulars are surely done with it by now and the reviews are so bad that not many new customers will even try. Textbook litany of mistakes. read more

Great in the beginning. Serious decline. I'm sure part of this is trying to operate in the post Covid and high cost environment we live in now. Had a Mobile order for pickup. 4 tacos and guacamole. Order placed at 6:08. System told me ready by 6:25. Got there a few minutes early and expected a small wait. Got my 4 tacos at 6:45 and only after I asked to cancel the order since it didn't seem like it was ever going to be ready. Got home. Missing the chips that were supposed to come with the guacamole. Food was all very average compared to what they used to be and the price paid. Modifications to the tacos were not correct. The hostess was really nice. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Ambience is nice.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] I hope they can improve. Used to be a great place I recommended to everyone. read more

We went for late lunch for some tacos. Probably because of the weird time, this place was almost empty. Nice outdoor patio, mostly in the shade at that time. This is a really nice restaurant with nice decor and ambiance inside and outside. We had two tacos each for afternoon snacks with no rice and beans. The waiter was nice and attentive. I had chicken and grilled fish. Grilled fish was a bit fishy that I could smell it on the plate. Maybe not next time... Grilled chicken taco was delicious. The tortillas tasted like homemade. Good mixture of chewiness and fluffiness that tastes like comfort. Nice place for an off-time low key outdoor dining for tacos! read more

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My friends and I visited for dinner and chose to sit at the bar. Unfortunately, our experience was disappointing from the start. Upon arrival, we were met with an unwelcoming attitude from the bartender. After ordering a single shot of tequila, we waited approximately 15 minutes before receiving it. Service throughout the evening remained inattentive. After our food was delivered, no one returned to check on us for an extended period of time. When we received our food it comes out wrong. When we expressed concern, the owner explained that there was a large party that required most of their attention. While we understand that accommodating large groups can be demanding, it felt as though our table was deprioritized and overlooked. Additionally, the house margaritas did not taste consistent with previous visits, and the food quality did not meet expectations. Overall, the combination of inattentive service, inconsistent drinks, and underwhelming food made for a disappointing dining experience. We hope the restaurant can improve service consistency and ensure that all guests feel equally valued, regardless of other events taking place. read more

Casero Taqueria - Appetizers and birria tacos - Mexican Near Me - Carlsbad, California

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If I was already in the area and hungry and it's happy hour, I might come here again and give it another shot, but it did not wow. Portions were generous and food was tasty in a would-be-good-for-a-chain kind of way, but also served on the lukewarm side unfortunately. Chips & salsa might've been my favorite part honestly. Vibe was stripmall upscale and the open air patio was a nice unexpected touch. Service was good. Little drain flies or fungus gnats or something were a consistent hassle at the table. Margaritas were overly sweet. Extra meh. read more

Love Casero! The surf and turf burrito is so tasty! [[HIGHLIGHT]]It's wonderful to have events here on the patio as well![[ENDHIGHLIGHT]]

This was a favorite spot. I was bringing all my out of town friends here to experience great food. I will watch the reviews, but after reading the recent reviews and seeing the dissatisfaction of so many loyal customers about slow service and the food not being what it was, I will watch reviews in hopes to see things better... but I have other spots. What makes it worse are the defensive responses from Aaron that don't offer solutions to the once loyal customers. read more

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The food (that we actually received) and the atmosphere were great. Unfortunately, the service was terrible--mainly due to how incredibly slow it was both times we visited since the new ownership took over. On our first visit, we agreed to sit outside on a very cold night because we were told there were heaters. The heater near our table didn't work, so we asked if we could move closer to a working heater or go inside. The hostess said that would be fine and told us she'd be right back--but she never returned. Instead, she continued seating new guests at tables with working heaters. Eventually, another family got fed up and left, so we took their table ourselves. Even then, it took an extremely long time for just two of us to get drinks and appetizers, and our dinner order was never taken. When our server finally came back, we asked to check out and ended up getting takeout down the street. Two weeks later, we returned with a friend and had nearly the same experience--very long waits for drinks, food, and service overall. During this time, we noticed the owner and friends hanging out and having a good time while customers waited. We had enjoyed this place before the ownership change, but we won't be back unless things improve or ownership changes again. It's a shame, because the restaurant has a lot of potential. read more

Food is not bad. Burrito for 16$ and it was very filling. Parking can sometimes get difficult on busy weekends or hours, but there will usually always be something open. Service was friendly and they give free chips to the table. We did not have to make a reservation for a friday lunch. read more

Casero Taqueria - Carne Asada Burrito - Mexican Near Me - Carlsbad, California

My family loves coming here for dinner. My kids specifically ask to go get empanadas. Their service is great, very friendly and attentive. The owners are wonderful and welcoming. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Casero's ambiance is beautiful and the outside patio is really nice.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Check out Taco Tuesday, it's a lot of fun. read more

Casero Taqueria - Birria - Empanada - Mexican Near Me - Carlsbad, California

The cocktails here were really tasty and the staff were all super friendly! They helped us to decide on drinks and were continuously checking on us to see if we needed anything. The patio at the back is great too! Would definitely come back next time I am in town! read more

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Only had one pretty decent food item out of the seven things ive tried Biggest issue is that the food comes out with missing things or I was given the wrong item The service is pretty bad. Can take several minutes for someone to greet you at the door. Staff seems really lost. Seems like they don't have a manager that trained them on how to do things. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The place looked okay.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

I used to love this restaurant. I ordered last night wanting a cozy soup meal. I ordered the Beria soup. ITS NOT SOUP. It's literally just a bowl of meat. I thought they would make it drinkable. I tried to call to let them know. I would've just ordered a taco and that it's confusing. The owner had an incredibly rude tone was yelling over the phone and asked me why I didn't ask them What a soup was before I ordered it? Sorry I was expecting soup not a bowl of meat. I'm just disappointed with the way he thought he could talk to me. If you don't like interacting with customers, why would you choose this as your job? Extremely disappointed, a super yummy spot manager shit LOL ALSO just realized they have some items on the website listened cheaper and over charge you? Or the menu in the restaurant is more expensive... Like the churros are listened on the website as 8$ and they charged me 12$. Really confused on what is going on with this place. Also Please take the time and read the way the OWNER responds. Like who is this guy I wonder how he treats the staff and other customer. Bro needs an attitude check! And I guess a price check on that menu too!!! read more

Loved this place but it's going through new ownership. You cannot get regular guacamole appetizer anymore. Or homemade chocolate sauce for churros. Service is amazing as always! read more

The food isn't good and is dry. It lacks flavor. The service was slow and the staff didn't seem to be very engaged in the operation. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The ambiance is nice and the restaurant atmosphere is overall very well lit and pretty.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] I wouldn't expect very much from your dining experience here. read more

Honestly, thought the food was very good! This was not the first time that I've come to this restaurant and had pretty lame service. I'm really not trying to be a Karen, but nobody saw us for quite some time when we arrived and there were things missing in our orders, and we added some things and they never came. The waitress didn't handle it with much Grace. It seemed like the restaurant was understaffed, which would explain why the vibe was what it was, but not the first time that I have experienced this here. Love this restaurant and just want it to succeed! read more

[[HIGHLIGHT]]Ambiance-4.5 nice vibe, Bad Bunny on[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]], Customer service-4-attentive, appeared to take longer for food to arrive but they were busy for a Tuesday Food-1.5 thought chicken mole was overcooked and not tender. Sauce was okay. Refried beans and rice in containers not to my liking. Prefer black beans and rice. Felt Pollo Loco does it better. Wife had quesadilla and taco. Said quesadilla lacked flavor. My wife does a better job with tacos . Overall not inspiring. Having trouble finding good Mexican food in Carlsbad. Wanted to like but disappointed. Would not recommend. read more

Elevated Mexican food. We dined at Casero on a few occasions and here are the reasons why we come back. Service: Friendly and attentive members of staff. You won't have to wait long for menus, drinks and food orders. Food and drinks: Nothing missing in these departments. They offer fully stocked bar with good selection of wine and cocktails. Food is very testy. Typical Mexican flavours and seasonings. All ingredients mixed well together and got our taste buds wanting more. Very good presentation too. Plus, tortillas are made fresh in house. Prices: Average SoCal prices. Definitely nothing overpriced and justified for the quality of food and drinks. P.S. great location and nice outside seating arrangements. read more

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Food: 5/5 Drinks: 5/5 Portions: 5/5 Atmosphere: 5/5 Cleanliness: 5/5 Customer service: 5/5 Speed: 4/5 Price: $ Outdoor seating: yes, they have a covered and open patio ADA access: yes Restrooms: yes m/f Dogs: on patio Kid Friendly: yes Vegetarian options: yes Vegan options: few Ambiance: casual Pros: delicious food, filling portions, complementary chips and salsa, drinks are delicious Cons: gets busy and waitresses are often very busy read more

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This is my favorite taco Tuesday spot! The margaritas are fantastic, and the grilled shrimp tacos are my absolute favorite. The shrimp is juicy and not overdone or rubbery. The new owners make their own salsa and it is to die for. I always ask for extra and eat all of it. The owners are the folks who own Tommy V's (another fabulous establishment) and they are some of the kindest people I've ever met. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The vibe is great here. You could come here casual, date night, or girls night.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] I can't wait to hang out here in the summertime! read more

Ordered an Arnold Palmer which smelled like sewage!!The waitress agreed and took the drink back. Also noticed food splattered on the ceiling of the restaurant, pictures attached for reference. I spoke with the owner and he comp'd our meal but was argumentative and unapologetic and stated that the splatter has been on the ceiling since 2021 when he bought the restaurant for $1.5m. Not sure why he felt the need to name the price, but needless to say, not going back!! Disgusted! read more

Casero Taqueria - Ceiling - Mexican Near Me - Carlsbad, California

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Our party of four went on a week night in July. We were able to get a table with no problems around 6:30 pm. The setup and vibe are really cool! They have a great menu that is reasonably priced with some great options. They did seem to be a little busy or maybe understaffed. So food, and chips took a little bit of time. But the service and taste made up for that. There was one point were they ran out of chips so we had to wait for them to make fresh ones - upside...they were warm and delicious! read more

Love the food and the service is exceptional. The food is made with very fresh ingredients.

Tonight is the first time I went to Casero with the new owners from Tommy V's. I ordered take out and it was over the top delicious. We had the Cobb Salad and Chicken Enchiladas. A lot of food for a very reasonable price. [[HIGHLIGHT]]We will eat at the restaurant next time as I really like the setup.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] The staff were very friendly and made me feel very welcomed. read more

This place is my go to spot now. Came in this past Sunday and had DELICIOUS food. The birria tacos stole my heart. A must try! We were served by our waitress Heather. She was very attentive to us! They were short staffed but we still had an amazing experience! Can't wait to bring all my girlys next time! read more

Casero Taqueria - Birria Taco - Mexican Near Me - Carlsbad, California