Just ate here and it was probably the worst meal we've ever eaten at this restaurant. We used to like this place. Been there around 5-6 times. Today was different. My partner's salmon was overcooked and tasteless. My flounder was horribly prepared. It had a soggy rather than crisp texture (supposed to be pan fried). Tasteless. Needed flavor but had none. read more

I stopped by for a quick margarita and it was happy hour, the jalapeño margarita was excellent and the chips and salsa were delicious. The service and outside atmosphere were perfect! read more

FOOD WAS AO GOOD!! We loved the whole menu! I got a popsicle cocktail and it came with the best fresh fruit popsicle it was amazing. the service was so great very kind and helped explain the menu. The place was beautiful i especially loved the squishy chairs! read more

Cocina de Barrio - Encinitas - popsicle cocktail - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Encinitas, California

Food was decent, I wish there were a bit more options with the tacos. We got the Birria tacos and an omelette. Service was decent. The restaurant was clean, but I did notice some food on my chair and the table was still a bit sticky. Food took a bit to come out. read more

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Their service is top notch. Every few minutes, someone would come to us and ask us if everything is okay so you know they are on it. The food is also really good, I had the ham & ham omelette and it was the perfect amount to keep me full. I would recommend this place. read more

Great food. Loved the healthy options available. Had Sauvignon Blanc from Baja that paired really well with the Ceviche.(Get the salsa macha!) I also had a very attentive server. The manager Oscar was very knowlegable and checked in a few times to make sure we liked our food and drinks. I loved the environment. Very pleasant and professional. I will be back soon! read more

Cocina de Barrio - Encinitas - Ceviche de Pescado - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Encinitas, California

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I'm sad to write this 2 star review because the Hillcrest location is one of my most favorite restaurants in all of San Diego. However, Cocina in Encinitas really let me down. The service was so inattentive, the meal was so rushed, and it just didn't feel upscale the way it should to reflect the steep prices. First of all, we ordered guacamole and margaritas to start and our main courses arrived first. Yes, the drinks and starter were not yet at the table but the entrees arrived. This is just wrong wrong wrong. Maybe they are still working out some kinks in the kitchen, I know they haven't been opened for long. The portions here are much smaller than in Hillcrest which is unfortunate, too, and my fish dish and sides were cold and mushy. It felt like the food had been sitting there before we ordered it and that's how it ended up on our table so quickly. The short rib and salmon were better but all around I'm so disappointed by my experience at this location, which I've been waiting for to open so long! read more

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The food was good and the portions were decent size. The one off putting thing was we asked for salsa with our meals and when I got the bill there was $2 charge. I've never been to a Mexican restaurant that charged for salsa. It wasn't like we went through one and asked for another. We only had one little side of salsa for $2. read more

Ambiance was great. Service was pretty good. Food left us wanting for more. Ultimately we were excited about the menu and reviews and felt that the flavors just didn't seem to give us what he had hoped. Nothing was wrong, just didn't really live up to the expectations. read more

What an adorable breakfast place. I think they also have Lunch but I went for breakfast and omg it was delicioso. You walk in and the vibe is super cute and the menu offering is fantastic. I mean churro french toast and upside down pineapple pancakes? How could you go wrong. I went with the slightly healthier coconut French toast and made a meal for $3 extra with the scrambled eggs and bacon and my friend got the upside down pineapple pancakes. I also did the bottomless mimosas for $22 for 90 minutes and they have like 6 or 7 flavors you can pick from and you can change it up each round if you wanted to and that's precisely what I did! My favorite was the butterfly and the mango flavors. Our server was Oscar and he was fantastic .. super helpful and attentive. Can't recommend this place enough .. it's a little hidden but conveniently located off the 101 so you can make a nice little day of it right in downtown enci! read more

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Awesome the best food ever. The service was awesome. Second favorite restaurant. The ambiance was awesome. Best night ever food night ever. read more

Stopped in here on a late Friday afternoon for happy hour. I had the La Glotona and it was good but i wish i got a margarita instead. Its served like a martini and was just okay to me. I also had the salmon tacos and they were a good size!! You get 3 tacos which is so nice for a happy hour option! The tacos didn't have much flavor in my opinion. The service and ambiance in this place are outstanding and one reason I'll definitely be back! That and because i want to try more things haha read more

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Been coming to the newest location here in Encinitas since they opened end of summer '23 since it's close to my office. Great staff and margs. Haven't really had a bad experience tbh. The quesadilla/mole appetizer is excellent. read more

If you are looking for yummy classy Mexican dinner this is the spot! Service is clean, friendly and all around great vibes. I recommend the mango habanero aguachile. They have a secret dessert menu for dinner that I recommend asking the waiter. I have been to the other 2 locations in San Diego and Encinitas is definitely the best, highly recommend! read more

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Great food, excellent service. Our bartender was so educational and friendly. Great tequila and drink options! We will be back again for sure. Muchas gracias read more

AMAZING! wonderful service! food was 10/10, service was SPECTACULAR! OSCAR was so attentive and accommodating! He was extremely flexible with the accommodation for table exchange & although he wants our waiter, he checked on us several times! A woman named Nikki was also all over the place with smiles which made the experience that much more welcoming! PLEASE BRING YOUR FAMILY!! IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR A PLACE WITH TASTY FOOD & YUMMY DRINKS- THIS IS IT read more

Best guacamole ever Absolutely beautiful menu Lovely staff Perfectly sweet setting read more

Thank you for taking care of my family customer service was great. Food was delicious! The manager was very nice we got awesome food recommendations from him. read more

Great margaritas and great brunch items, a tad expensive but worth it! Happy Hour margs only $5 - awesome!

Awesome service and friendly waiters! The food is ok but the drinks are delicious! Very clean and it's a great location.

Our server Yvonne Hurtado was very friendly and attentive. The margaritas and fries were delicious!

Loud....Loud environment....difficult to hear waitress tableside. Tableside prepared salsa not prepared properly, tomatoes cut so coarsely, nearly whole, too large to fit on the stale (and tiny tin of) chips provided. In general food under salted. Tasty sauces, but clearly missing salt. Cocktails tasty and priced reasonably. Other than noise level, atmosphere was nice. Stick to appetizers. Food should be served stove hot, not lukewarm. I normally don't comment on price, but our total seemed high with respect to what we ordered and compared to other higher end (Javier's) Mexican restaurants. read more

I've only been in once for lunch and thought the service was great and the food was very good. I had the chicken mole - the mole was excellent but the chicken quite dry. The Bloody Maria was strong and good! One major disappointment - they don't have a lunch menu, only brunch. Even on weekdays. read more

Once again, this place was fantastic! I had the chilaquiles verdes and they tasted authentic and delicious. Every time I've been there, the service is A+. Everyone is so nice. My husband and son enjoyed it as well. My husband had the drink called el pionero. It was so good. read more

Just love this place! Great food and service...and the margaritas are to die for. Almost feel like I'm in Mexico here without having to renew my passport read more

Cocina de Barrio - Encinitas - Chicken Mole...amazing food and reasonable prices. The service was excellent also - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Encinitas, California

Good service and good food as always. Located in a beautiful area. It's not cheap food. The quality was there yet it was affordable.

Worst food in Southern California! It's not Mexican food! It's a weird blend of I don't know what with Mexican food! The chef's don't even know what albondigas are and way over priced! I'll NEVER EAT HERE AGAIN! I suggest you stay away! Even the drinks were nasty! Your business needs to look at your menu and your chef's!!! I give it a big fat 0!! read more

Amazing Food and drinks. Had the tacos and the meat was insane and melted in your mouth. Hibiscus margarita was perfect! Best salsa!

On our way home from San Diego, i wanted to try this spot and saw they had good reviews! The ambiance is beautiful and the service was good! The food was excellent! Everything we order was delicious! 10/10 recommend this place read more

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Cute place, lots of TVs (for you sports watchers) but not in a terrible way, lots of seating. Unfortunately not for our flavor palette. We found the margaritas to be very sweet and the guac a little less flavorful for our liking. Our server was incredibly kind and accommodating, despite us leaving our intended reservation. Perhaps a great spot for snacky cocktailing, pending how you like to take your marg! read more

Good ambiance, but overpriced when compared to quality of food of nearby restaurants. Presentation of food was mediocre. We got charged almost $10 for a handful of tortillas. Worth one try. read more

10/10 all the way through. Not a single complaint, food way great, portions were large, service was very hospitable. Would absolutely recommend read more

Great food and great portions. The service was very good as well. Overall great place to eat would definitely recommend.

After a small walk down the 101 me and my husband decided to stop by around 3:05 pm on a Sunday to grab a beer and an appetizer. Unfortunately we were turned away by a young male hostesses saying they were closed for the day. I was confused since I double checked on their website and it said they closed at 4pm. It's very unfortunate because he didn't even give us a chance with our business. We ended up across the street for some drinks and food. read more

Very unique menu! The table side guacamole was amazing, the drinks were refreshing, and the entrees were flavorful. The waitress helped us decide on both the entree and drink, we weren't let down. Great suggestion and very friendly service. It was a bit loud but we were very close to the bar AND it was a Friday night. No complaints! We'll be back :) read more

Great job Cocina de Barrio! We enjoyed the service (thank you Wendy), drinks and especially the food. Fresh, beautiful presentation and good value. We will be back! read more

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Loved this place for its amazing presentation of food! You eat with your eyes first and they nailed that. The taste is exquisite. The homemade tortillas are to die for! Drinks are amazing and highly recommend this place to grab a bite! We first tried the Hillcrest location and loved it. So glad it opened much closer to us now! We have already been twice in Encinitas and can't wait to go again! read more

Cocina de Barrio - Encinitas - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Encinitas, California

Phenomenal, tacos were great service was great drinks were great. So much fun. Tacos were so good beef

First time visiting today, overall I'm leaving feeling unsatisfied. Our group of five were seated quickly in a booth section: The booths were super comfortable but a little cramped for a group of five. After sitting for a what seemed like forever we were finally brought water and our drink order taken. I specifically asked our waiter "Do you have Coke here?". His response "yes we do." Our appetizers came out and everyone's drinks at the table came out except for mine. It took forever for my drink to come out and when it finally did it wasn't Coke but Pepsi. I got the servers attention and asked him if it was Pepsi "yea it is sorry we don't have Coke." I sent it back. A waste of product and time, if he had told me no when I first asked I would have then ordered another drink no problem but because I was lied to and because it took forever for a soda to come out I told him I would be cool sticking with the water. We placed our food order and again waited a while, it wasn't the biggest deal for us because we got to chit chat and catch up with friends. If you are looking for a fast lunch I wouldn't recommend eating here as the are in no hurry about anything. I personally ordered the Chorizo Breakfast Hash with a side of sour cream and a side of tortillas. Everyone at my table was five bites into their meals before my meal finally showed up. The server left and wasn't seen very much of as the serves liked to hang out talking by the kitchen/bar area. My tortillas never came which again wouldn't have been the end of the world if 1. I was given a spoon or 2. The hash was a hash instead of watery stew. The plate itself wasn't a bad base, eggs were cooked to perfection on all purpose plates and my potatoes were cooked perfect, I'm just unsure of why it was so so liquid-y, it also didn't taste like chorizo to me, it lacked flavor. Two friends were discussing over who would pay and the server took my bosses card before giving us a receipt or anything ,he tapped the card and handed the card over along with the handheld POS system so he could be tipped and walked away. We pushed print receipt and a few moments later our server dropped it off at the table. After reviewing it I noticed we were charged for the side of tortillas I never received, meaning it shouldn't have been forgotten as the restaurant only had a couple tables and a ton of workers. I was able to flag down the server and ask him to please refund the tortillas as at this point I was ticked off, for the poor service I received. $3.25 isn't going to kill me but it was about the principal of the matter at that point. He said apologized and said yes he would fix it. After standing a few moments at the cash register he comes back to the table with three dollars in cash. He didn't actually give us a refund. The cost of the tortillas was $3.25 + tax which would have been a refund of $3.50. I don't like little games like this when going to eat. It also could have been the servers not being trained properly on how to give refunds, whichever one it is it's not my job to sit there and have to go back and forth. There's plenty of restaurants I haven't tried yet in Encinitas so I don't think our group will be returning. Best part of the meal for everyone was the salsa and aguachiles. Our actually meals were brought out hot but lacked flavor. The one plus that we thought was the sides of sour cream we ordered were a decent portion for the price. Also parking was easy and plentiful as they are in a shopping center. read more

Cocina de Barrio - Encinitas - Never received the side tortillas, and had very poor service. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Encinitas, California

Amazing service, amazing food, amazing aesthetic! I loved it. The food was so delicious and at first I thought it was a bit pricey but after tasting it, I knew it was worth it! Lots of variety of drinks and different types of food! Will definitely come back. Our server Abigail was absolutely amazing and helpful! read more

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