Craving some Mexican food and passed by this place. Ordered drive thru. I could only see the inside through the drive through window. The ceiling was suspicious. I was a little thrown off when they charged me for pickled carrots, but the weight off of burritos made up for that. Ordered a fish burrito and a surf & turf burrito. The surf and turf burrito was tasty! There was a good amount of shrimp. read more

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It's that good! Stopped by for a late night/early morning snack. Hit the spot - tacos were really big and quite tasty. Tried the red and green sauces as well which both were great. Service was fast and friendly. This is walk up or drive thru only with a few tables outside. read more

I've come here for years. Came after a movie at AMC. Today I got the carne asada burrito with sour cream. It was delicious. The service was quick and she was nice. read more

Drive through with goodness awaits! Food, Service and Convenience all 5 Star! Try it, you'll like it! Main street Poway. read more

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My review is regarding their hours. Yelp and Google say the open at 7 am. Even a flyer for their December holiday hours say open from 7 am. That is a lie! We have experienced multiple times going there at 7 am, they are never open. Even during the pandemic but that was a valid excuse Now, it's unacceptable. I love the food but you have to be ready for business at the time you say you open. It's absolutely bad for business. If you cannot open at 7, change it so you don't waste people's time. read more

El Armando's Mexican Food Poway - Armando's breakfast burrito - Mexican Near Me - Poway, California

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Used to praise this place. Now sadly prices have sky rocketed and food quality and amount you receive has decreased significantly. Ordered a carne asada burrito and it reminded me of the size of a flauta. 13.95 after tax for this. read more

El Armando's Mexican Food Poway - Mexican Near Me - Poway, California

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Ordered Cheese Quesadilla and beef rolled tacos. Nothing special. The serving was smaller (see photo below)compared to other Mexican places we have been. The hot sauce green and red were so spicy that we had to eat the food with out any sauce at all. Reasonable price though. read more

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We ordered almost $80 of food. We asked to ensure all items were in the bag. We went back asking for the item we saw missing. We were told no. We paid for it. Never got it. That is wrong. Called. We're told I was wrong again and to drive all the back to show them. Worst service. Liars. And thieves. read more

El Armando's Mexican Food Poway - 2 carne asada quesadilla. Only for one. After asking multiple time for what I paid for - Mexican Near Me - Poway, California

Meh. Food is alright. Not the best. After about the 100th time of getting a bad attitude from the cashier because I want extra sauce I'm leaving this review. I'm sorry but I'm going to need more than four small sauce containers for my LARGE Carne Asada fries and other items. I'm spending over $30 bucks every time I come here. Which is frequent. Don't give me an attitude if I ask for an additional two sauces. Now you've lost my business completely. Fire your cashiers on a hot sauce power trip, they cost you a steady customer today. read more

Best carnesada fries around for miles, definitely don't forget to try the rolled tacos or nachos!!!!!!! Red salsa is the best

If you're looking to get some quick Mexican food, this is a go to for me. I don't need the fancy plated food, I want to eat some good ol' burritos and carne asada fries. Every time I've gone it's been a good experience. I think their proportions to price is decent and they're very filling. I will admit that their birria tacos are very questionable because I personally didn't like it and I'm not sure if birria tacos are supposed to have beans in then. This place is more for take out than dine in. read more

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Was visiting friends nearby and stayed at a motel up the street from here, and picked up a CARNITAS BURRITO on my from the airport. It was fantastic. Mind blowing! Brought my friends a few days later - all four of us had CARNITAS BURRITOS. On the way back to the airport, I bought TWO CARNITAS BURRITOS - ate one in the airport & brought one to my wife. How is the rest of the menu - I have no idea. But the CARNITAS BURRITO = FIVE STARS! read more

Convenient location, good customer service and great food! Please, open earlier. The other option opens earlier but is NOT good.

I get the #19 almost daily. It's so good. Always get extra salsas. They are fast and generally pretty healthy.

Armando's breakfast burrito is the best for anytime of the day!! Served all day long and the give you carrots which most places these days charge for!! read more

Carne asada burrito at El Armando's. have gone up in price and down in size. Less Carne asada, and more guacamole and pico, which makes for a cold burrito.No longer worth it. I get that prices are going up because of the minimum wage increase, But El Armando's does not fit the criteria of the wage increase. I am a frequent flier to El Armando's but I will no longer be Customer. Adios El armando's! read more

El Armando's Mexican Food Poway - Mexican Near Me - Poway, California

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I paid 16.50 for asada fries which were not even filled half way..... if I am going to pay this much I expect a good portion. I don't think l'll be going back to that location. read more

El Armando's Mexican Food Poway - Mexican Near Me - Poway, California

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My daughter and husband got food poisoning here . They really need to check the temperature of their food! Safe to say we will never come back here again. You've been warned. read more

This place charges $1.50 for jalapeños & carrots sides that are free in every other Mexican restaurant in the world ... now that's just pure greed ...taco plate came with literally 3 shreds of cheese on it and was all lettuce .... beans & rice were completely bland ... worst $15 I've spent in a long time .... absolutely disgusting terrible Mexican food.... read more

El Armando's Mexican Food Poway - Mexican Near Me - Poway, California

If you grew up in Poway, you know it as 'The Barn' or 'Alberto's' because the name changed so many times you had to just stick with one and call it a day. There used to be these painted outdoor wooden tables that hung around for decades like statues. When ownership changed they'd get a fresh coat over the stoner engravings left in the wood. One in particular that survived from 1990-to 2012 was the 'UL' symbol. The tradition was if u sat at this table u had to make sure to re-engrave it through this year's coat of latex. Over time, the carving was so deep that the numerous shades of paint: yellow, red, green, blue, back to yellow, etc., could be unearthed and observed like sedimentary layers of an archeological find. Alas, I'm back here after over a decade of neglect. Much has changed but the core vibe is still 100% living and breathing. Pulled in by the gravitational pull of both nostalgia and hunger, I went today for the rolled tacos. I remember Alberto's was always the best as they put both grated cheddar and cotija atop the tacos. When combined with the salsa this formation of atoms was pure dopamine. Today the tables are plastic. No carvings or nostalgic 'back in the day' graffiti., but I sleep better at night knowing she still stands. read more

El Armando's Mexican Food Poway - 3 Rolled Tacos w guac n cheddar and cotija - pretty much the same! - Mexican Near Me - Poway, California

Ohhhh man, they have a new burrito that kicks chamoy out of the water, yes it's a hot Cheetos Cali burrito!!!! It was perfect and it wasn't hard chewy carne Asada like down the street, plus it's open late. The reason for the 3 stars and not more was I don't like the beans here and the rice is usually sucky too, the hot sauce is a hit or miss and they charge to use a card but a lot of things are great like the el Armando's breakfast burrito mmm mmm mmm. If you live in poway you already know there's not many places to choose from but I will go here with a smile on my face cuz I know most of the time it will be good. read more

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I've been looking for decent Mexican food in the Poway / Carmel Mountain area for a bit and this is probably my favorite. I've been here 7-8 times so far, typically for lunch, and the food has been fresh, quick, and tasty. The service has been friendly and I haven't had any issues. It's basically a shack with a drive through, but honestly that's probably a good sign for a nearby spot to grab a burrito. read more

El Armando's Mexican Food Poway - Grilled Chicken Chipotle Fries (without Bacon) - Mexican Near Me - Poway, California

Two words. Food poisoning. What made it worse was that the service was horrible but we couldn't get out of line because there was one car already behind us and one in front of us. Otherwise we would've drove off. The girl working there barked at us through the intercom, then took forever getting our food. After we paid, she shoved the bag in our hands and didn't bother giving us salsa. We had to sit in our car trying to get her attention and she looked like she was visibility bothered that she had to get up and get us some. I haven't had service this rude in a very long time but I guess I understand when the person is just miserable in general. What can you do? I had to laugh at the whole thing to be honest! Food: the carne asada was fatty and soggy. Gross. Please go to the other spots in Poway for your Mexican food fix and save your money here. Never again!! read more

Poway , Poway , Poway !?!?! This is by far the best Mexican food coast to coast!!!!!!! We drive from LA to eat here ! So people of Poway appreciate what you got . The food is made "after " you order it in the drive through. Wait time is 10 mins tops . It is consistently awesome. If you one stars think it is so bad move to Florida and try Mexican food there . This place is awesome. read more

El Armando's Mexican Food Poway - Nachos - Mexican Near Me - Poway, California

Carnitas burrito!! Nice shredded and crunchy! Could feed up to 2 people. Does have pico I personally asked for pico on the side. Would order again.. read more

El Armando's Mexican Food Poway - Carna Asada chips - Mexican Near Me - Poway, California

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RUDE!!!! Their customer service is horrible!!!!! I asked a question about the menu and received attitude lol I didn't know asking about a menu item was going to piss you off. On top of that when I got to the window they practically threw it at me and didn't say a word. The food is 6/10 but the customer service is 1/10, for the price I'd say go somewhere else where they appreciate your business. read more

Love their grilled shrimp quesadilla!! The employees there are wonderful and great at patience! read more

My go to place for Mexican food. Love their burritos and quesadillas. Also the longer running hours is a huge plus for late diners like me.

I would recommend skipping this place. Continue driving... The food is not terrible but I just can't recommend it. This drive thru taco shop is broken, beaten down, and dirty. The owners should invest in a few cosmetic upgrades. The signage and outward appearance of this place looks like it has been neglected for many years. I would venture to guess the inside of this hole in the wall is very similar to the outside. Dirty.. Also take a look at some of the previous reviews that mention maggots and toothpicks in their food.. yikes! With that being said, the California burrito was not terrible, I would give the burrito a 6/10. No guac or sour cream come inside the burrito, weird..? The salsa red/green could be better. 5/10 read more

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A-ok. +drive thru +patio seating +parking spaces +food cooked to order +tummy didn't get rekt +kids menu items -no indoor dining room -no self serve salsa bar -no self serve soda pop machine -no customer bathrooms -debit/credit card 50¢ fee read more

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I paid $4 for a drink that was literally all ice. When asked for a refill, I was told no because one they don't serve refills and two if I wanted my drink with less ice I should've asked for that before hand. I don't have a problem with no refills but you didn't serve me a drink. You served my ice with a bit of juice and then made it a big deal for a refill. read more

The bean and cheese burrito here was just awful. Cotixan really does beat this place. Maybe it's convenient and has a cute exterior but the food doea not suffice. Unfortunately we will not be stopping here. The beans were watery and no flavor, the tortilla was dry and crisp around the edges almost tasted old. read more

Always fresh and delicious food. The service is excellent as well. A must if in a hurry and need a great meal.

My favorite from here are the rolled tacos ! I love that they give the option to place a dozen rolled tacos for a decent price ! I also love Armando's breakfast burrito ! So good !! read more

El Armando's Mexican Food Poway - Rolled tacos - Mexican Near Me - Poway, California

I've been coming to El Armando's since I was 7. I'm 21 now. This place is bomb. As prices have gone up over the years, it still does not disappoint me. When I go, I usually get the Hot Cheetos Carne Asada Quesadilla and Regular Carne Asada Fries and Adobada Tacos. The food is freshly made right off the grill (every now and then, it's oil-y and greasy but if you soak it up with napkins...it solves the problem) and ready to eat. I take my friends here and they all love it and wanna come back the next time they are in the area. The staff here is so nice and understanding and friendly! This place may be pricey but if you are willing to spend the money and look for some good Mexican Food, I totally recommend this place to anyone who is looking to eat fresh hot Mexican Food read more

Tasty (but honestly pretty oily) option for drive through Mexican fast food. Pro tip: it's popular. Sometimes I'm waiting 10 minutes to work my way through the drive through line. Don't assume it will be empty in advance. Pro tip #2: it's definitely better than the Taco Bell catty-corner from it though! So if you're craving some drive-through Mexican, El Armandos beats Taco Bell every time! Pro tip #3: they have a walk-up window... and this place is walking distance from the library. Just going to put that out there in case you're chilling in the library and start craving a snack. Enchilada plates are super yummy. And ... heavy!! Physically heavy. You get a lot of food for the money. I'm not crazy about the kind of cheese they use in the quesadillas. But the asada is good quality, not gristly. The only thing, as mentioned, is it's very oily. Usually my hands are covered in oil and it's dripping down and pooling in into the styrofoam box it's served in. Service is always good. They have been consistently kind to me, and never messed up my order. So yeah it's probably not the healthiest Mexican fast food out there. But it's tasty, satisfying, and great value for the money. read more

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My husband and brother picked up food tonight from here. My brother went to ask if a certain hot sauce was in the bag and she rudely interrupted before he could finishing asking and she said very rudely "everything is in there". The after coming back home and taking the food out, we found out one of the burritos were actually not in there. We live about 15-20 minutes away. Will never go back. Bad service. The food wasn't all that great either. He called them to notify and they did asked if we wanted to go back another time for one or our money back. But we really had a bad taste in our mouths because of the lack of good customer service in the beginning. Also, since we live further away. read more

The food is terrible and this was not the first time. Unfortunately it's the only restaurant opened (besides Taco Bell) on my way back home but next time I'd rather eat a piece of tire rather than eat their salty food. I will sis of heart attack before I even finished the food! Yuuuk!! read more

El Armando's Mexican Food Poway - The winner for the most dried and dehydrated, saltiest disgusting Mexican food is!!! El Armando's restaurant at Poway Road! - Mexican Near Me - Poway, California

Overpriced and the food tastes bad. Horchata is also awful. Very disappointed, for $40 for a burrito and a couple tacos you'd expect some better quality. They also charge you for the broth to dip the birria tacos in, which was weird, and if you can even believe it, it also tasted bad. read more

The food is good but they're not open at the time they say they will. This happened a few times already. I have called them multiple times to confirm their hours but they have not kept their word. This was for both pre-pandemic and during pandemic times. I think they seriously need to improve on their time management skills. I will update my review once I see an improvement in this matter. For now, I give them 3 stars for the food. read more