I am putting three stars because it wasn't bad, but I was not impressed and will not be going back. It was basically overpriced Mexican/Oaxacan food. There were hardly any people there when we got there. Looked like just the manager/owner/waiter and some friends watching a soccer game and a lady cooking. My husband ordered a chicken burrito. He says it was good, but has had way better burritos for less money. I had black mole, it was also good and I enjoyed it, but it wasn't something that was wow. The service was also "meh" I felt like I was almost bothering the server/owner/manager/man by being there. So thanks, but no thanks. read more

Do not visit this establishment! Manager is so rude! As a proud brown individual I will say food is nowhere near authentic. And environment is not welcoming or family oriented. DO NOT Give them any of your hard earned money! Not worth it at all. I am ashamed to call El Tejado a Family Restaurant. Closed it down!!! Oh it does not deserve Any stars :( read more

Food was good. I had a chicken taco with a beer and hubby had shrimp burrito. It was over priced. I looked at the yelp menu so I didn't get to see everything. The owner not very friendly until we had to check out. It's a small place. Not planning on going back or recommending. read more

We loved this place! Best molé I've ever had and I will be thinking about this meal for a long time. Chicken fajitas also amazing. Authentic and special Oaxacan food, run by a lovely family who we had such a great time chatting with. Amazing service and a total gem. Can't wait to come back! read more

They have a lot that is not crowded at all on the weekends. Super close to the freeway on/off ramps too so a great place to stop if you're driving up and down the 5! We came in thinking this was fast casual but its a sit down situation. They bring you chips and spicy sals while you wait for your food though which is always nice to munch on! I ordered a taco and mole tamale and omg THEY WERE BOTH SO GOOD. The tacos have homemade tortillas and are giant (so don't be deceived and think they're street taco size). The mole tamale was HEAVENLY!! They do a phenomenal mole and the tamale was also giant so I left very fully and happy. Service felt a little slow but not unreasonable at all. Definitely a great place to try in the area! read more

El Tejate Restaurant - Tacos and mole tamale - Mexican Near Me - Carlsbad, California

Very good! So flavorful and the owner Tomas was very nice and hospitable. Loved it. Ended with an organic coffee with cinnamon. read more

El Tejate Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Carlsbad, California

Stopped by for a snack in this Oaxacan restaurant and ordered black mole tamale with pork - best tamale I have ever had period. Very flavorful, plenty of meat, great mole. Quite filling as well - did not order anything else and left satisfied. Disclaimer: never been to Oaxaca :) read more

The ambiance is nice. Good Mexican vibes. But I can't say the same about service, had to call over a few times. The menu was giving you the Oaxacan feeling like "damn this food is gonna be bomb!" Unfortunately that wasn't the case. I got the torta Oaxacan and I literally at 1/4 of it. Meat tasted nasty left it untouched. When I saw the chorizo on the tlayuda I already knew it was going to be a disappointment. Idk any of their financing but if ocean side charges a lot for rent and they are charging a lot for their food, they should go a little higher. I wouldn't mind paying it, but please use higher quality meat to match your prices. read more

Food was really great. They make everything from scratch, including their tortillas. The burrito huge. Their cecina was full of flavor. It took a little time to get the food, but well worth it. Ambiance could use a little work, but it was very clean. I will be back for sure. read more

Found this restaurant on my way home from the airport. Food is delicious the tajado tlayuda is amazing!!!!! The server has been attentive the whole time we were dining. read more

Deliciosa, y muy grande!!! The salsa was marvelous. We also ordered the quesadillas and they were amazing, the tortillas are made in the restaurant. The place is clean, and the service was great. The waiter was kind, and helpful. Loved the place. read more

El Tejate Restaurant - The Mix Tlayuda - Mexican Near Me - Carlsbad, California

The food was outstanding. We wanted to try something different. The service was very good. Our server patiently explained the food to us since we had no idea. Too bad it is way out of our way. We were in this area for another reason and heard about this place by a friend. read more

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This was the worst experience I have EVER had!!! They are very deceitful and cunning. I wish the service was as good as the food. We called ahead of time to see if they could seat our group of 10 plus 2 babies. Sure, no problem! This is what we were told. We got there and we were seated in what looks like a dining hall (not a big deal) We ordered off the menu and told our server to please bring our food as it was cooked, that we did NOT want to wait for it to all come out at once, due to having mostly young children in our group. We waited. And, waited. And again, waited. In that time, 3 parties of two and three people came in. We were brought our drinks and chips. In the time that we sat at our table, they brought out our drinks and chips. We watched as the other parties were served their food, paid for their food and exited the restaurant. All while we have still not received 1 meal. All 3 parties left and then we were brought our food. BUT WAIT!!! The server apologizes by telling us that he had 3 smaller parties walk in after us that he had to serve first!! We are are taken back by his "apology". But were so hungry that we ate our food. The food was fantastic! I would say go for the food! BUT WAIT!!! Here comes the bill. Gratuity was included, as to be expected in a large sized group. But the prices on the receipt did not match the menu. Everything that we ordered was $2 more than what the menu said it was. We brought this to our servers attention and we were told that there is a sticker on the menu that states that some items have an additional cost and that the "true" cost of the items are on their website. Ok, so now we are home and curious, so we check out the menu online. To our surprise the items are cheaper than what is listed on our menu. I wish our experience was different because the food was fantastic. But due to the owner/servers deceitful and cunning attitude I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND DINING HERE! I wouldn't mind paying the prices on my bill if the menu would have reflected those prices. However, this restaurant decided to deceive its customers to make money and we will NEVER dine here again. read more

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Be careful when the bill is presented. He overcharge the prices. Food is expensive. Not menus and lack of staff only 2 people working. Slow service.. Ambience death and smell like old building. read more

Very excellent flavors. Delicious . Menu is a bit confusing to those who may not understand true Oaxacan cuisine, however the fajitas had excellent flavor. Also authentic pork tacos cut and marinated in the back was perfectly seasoned. I accented with salad verde and it in one of the best I've had! read more

El Tejate Restaurant - Rustic ambience to enhance the appeal - Mexican Near Me - Carlsbad, California

I must say, the food surpassed my expectations. Despite encountering numerous mixed reviews beforehand, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality and flavor. read more

So this is the first time I have been to this restaurant ... all Covid practicing in use here temperature check etc .. only 1 other couple inside restaurant we are all seated at same time. I ordered 2 negro Modelos to start on tap. Chips and salsa very authentic menu displayed with phone display app. We ordered 2 pork and cheese tacos and Tlayudas mixed everything was very good the reason for 1 star off was the wait for food was 40 minutes. Thomas the owner was exceptional and I will come back again. read more

El Tejate Restaurant - Tlayudas mixed $13.99 - Mexican Near Me - Carlsbad, California

The mixed tlayuda was flavorful and huge. The grasshopper taco was crispy and salty and reminds me of tiny shelled-in shrimp, good source of calcium. The enchiladas had a fresh green sauce. Overall the food was excellent, and generously sized. The servers were very polite and kind. I've never had tlayuda or grasshopper and now I'm a fan. read more

Fresh and authentic food especially the mole. Will come back next time we are in town. read more

Came in with a party of 8 on a Saturday night. Restaurant was quiet and clean. Ordered red mole, beefsteak tlayuda, enchiladas, and the beefsteak plate. The red mole was literally the best I've ever had, spicy, smooth, and packed with chicken. Tlayuda was a new experience for us and that was delicious as well. Many kid friendly options on the menu and the gentleman serving us was happy to explain different menu items. I'd definitely return when I'm the area. read more

El Tejate is a hidden little gem! One of my co-workers had brought fried grasshoppers in a to go box last week, and he let me try one. It was crunchy and spicy with hint of lemon. He told me it was leftovers from the day before. I decided to give the place a try. They immediately brought chips and salsa. I wasn't a big fan of the salsa, it was dark and a little too thick. I ordered the fried grasshoppers (it's an appetizer), and a adobada torta. The fried grasshoppers were amazing! Very flavorful. I recommend putting lime on them. This might not be for everyone but if you're open to trying new stuff, definitely give it a try! The torta was also very delicious. I will say, the place is a little pricy for the quality of the restaurant but the food is very very good! read more

El Tejate Restaurant - Fried grasshoppers! Delicious!! - Mexican Near Me - Carlsbad, California

This hole in the wall is a great spot for authentic Oaxacan food! We tried the torta Oaxaqueña, the tlayudas, mole, and el tasajo especial. All of our dishes were cooked to perfection and the service was wonderful. It is a family restaurant and only one person taking orders, bussing tables and checking on his guests - but he does a great job of making sure to recommend the best options. I will drive an hour and a half to eat here again. My favorite was the horchata con nieve de tuna ! read more

El Tejate Restaurant - Tlayuda - Mexican Near Me - Carlsbad, California

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This place was one of my favorite Oaxaca places in San Diego. I currently live in Encinitas, and couldn't express the flavors without having to stop by in try this place out. 10/10 food and service 10/10. read more

El Tejate Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Carlsbad, California

Went on a little road trip to San Diego over the weekend. On our way back we got really hungry and came on Yelp to find a place to eat. Being that we have family from Oaxaca this place caught our eye. So we decided to try it out. And I am so glad we did. This place you can tell is a small family owned business. We got there and it wasn't packed at all so we got seated right away. It was only one guy serving everyone but he did it with no problem. To drink we got their agua de horchata with tuna ice cream. (Tuna is a Mexican fruit they put in Oaxaca) my wife loved it! She almost got a second one but had to save space for the food. You can also never go wrong with a glass Mexican coke. They also have beer on draft and other mixed drinks. To eat we got their tlayuda with tasajo. It tasted really good and authentic. We have been to other places that sell tlayudas and we're disappointed but this place is really good. Also got their enchiladas verdes de pollo. It comes in 3 but I couldn't wait so I ate one before taking the picture. The salsa verde tasted very home made. Had the perfect spice to it. Their tamal de mole rojo was probably our favorite. Tasted so good. It was just filled with flavor and you didn't need to add any salsa or anything to it. It was perfect by itself. We were a little skeptical about trying this place as we have been disappointed before. But we were pleasantly surprised. This place is definitely a must if you live in Carlsbad or if you are around there. Thank you for the great service!! read more

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Authentic and portions were great had the Tlayudas Mixta some mezcal was legit the chapulines all great owner was cool and had a good conversation with us place is a small in whole In the wall but great food. read more

El Tejate Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Carlsbad, California

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Holy Mole, if you love mole this will be your heaven! They specialize in authentic Oaxan food!! This place doesn't have the fancy tables or menus but what they do have is good food. I would say the atmosphere is like a takeout place but without the takeout. If your ok with not being fancy and focus more on the taste, this will be your place. Everything we ordered was delicious! The only downside is the kids menu is nothing special, it's pretty much chicken nuggets or a bean burrito. I think they could improve the kids menu with some better authentic options. read more

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Was going to give 4.5/5, however, through no fault of their own (short staffed) I decide not to because the food more than made up for it. Jose was our server and he made sure we were taken care of. It's very hard to find traditional Oaxacan food. It really did hit the spot! I want to go back and try other items from the menu and hopefully they won't run out this time. read more

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Wow what a pleasant find! We were at a soccer tournament in the area and were looking for somewhere to eat and ran into El Tejate. Having come from Mexican heritage I had tried Horchata, but never con nieve de tuna. So good! Also tried the Tejate drink - deelish! Food was bomb too! Had the chilaquiles verdes and enfrijoladas. Def recommend! read more

This is a place that I wanted to try based on the Yelp reviews. Sadly, we were disappointed. We stopped by for lunch on a Thursday afternoon anticipating a delicious meal. We decided on getting the torta oaxaqueña and the green chile chicken enchiladas. I ordered the horchata with the tuna ice cream. The food came out in about 15 min. The torta was huge and hearty. The green enchiladas with chicken were good but the black beans were salty. read more

El Tejate Restaurant - Horchata con tuna ice cream - Mexican Near Me - Carlsbad, California

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Good burrito's, service was great. It's a alittle small but the atmosphere fits the space.

Came here for the 1st time tonight and this place is great!! The tacos are really good and big, good flavor and only 3.99 each read more

El Tejate Restaurant - Beef tacos and pork tacos - Mexican Near Me - Carlsbad, California

This spot is right off the freeway so it's easy to find. It has some of the best delicious Oaxacan style booking. I settled for the Torta and it was delicious. It had chorizo, steak and pork all in the same bun. The horchata and Jaimaca was delicious. Highly recommend. I did remove 1 point for lack of theme or ambiance. read more

El Tejate Restaurant - Mole Negro - Mexican Near Me - Carlsbad, California

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Excellent food. Nice family business.The food is made to order and worth the wait! We will return to try other dishes.

So Yelp has it wrong about many vegetarian options. We went to this place and sat down. The menu was unclear about vegetarian options (which is totally reasonable) so we wanted to ask. Took forever for us to find someone and we had to flag them down for them to ask us what we wanted. When I asked about vegetarian food the answer was "it's rare, we have a cheese empanada.". When I then asked about their enchiladas the answer was an unsure "oh cheese enchiladas maybe". When I pushed a bit more to ask if the sauces were vegetarian, I got unclear answers. Overall there was no attempt to help or cater to us. I would have been ok if his answer was "I'm so sorry but that's the only vegetarian option we have". Instead we found that he was unwilling to find out for us and didn't seem to care. Super disappointed. read more

Stopped here on our way from San Diego on vacation. Everything we had was wonderful - tamale, enchiladas, botanas, and tlayuda cecina. Thomas was very hospitable. We look forward to returning on our next trip. read more

This place definitely looks like a hole in the wall but our food was delicious. My boyfriend got the Tlayuda Mixta and I got a tasajo taco and a choriqueso taco. We were pleasantly surprised at the portions and the flavor. The service was a little slow (we went on Cinco de Mayo) but the food made up for it. Will definitely get takeout from here in the future. read more

El Tejate Restaurant - Tlayuda Mixta - Mexican Near Me - Carlsbad, California

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Let me just start this review off by saying, what a pleasant surprise!! We found El Tejate via Yelp and we are so happy we did! My husband and I ordered the Cheese Chilirellano and the Green Chili Chicken Enchiladas. The first thing we noticed was the delicious presentation of our food and the second thing we noticed was the large portion of food on our plates. Both dishes met our expections and more. They were full of delicious flavor and we can tell the food was prepared with much care and attention. The homemade chili and tortillas were just another wonderful added bonus to our meal. We highly recommend El Tejate for the food and for the owner Tomas! He's a very nice and caring man who takes pride in his food and it shows. Come by and try the food at El Tejate you will not be disappointed! I'm just sorry I forgot to take a picture for your viewing pleasure. read more

Hands down the best homemade Mexican food in Carlsbad. This food is wholesome, not greasy. And the mole is straight out of Oaxaca. If you are craving true authentic OAXACAN style Mexican food you must try this place. The owners are super sweet and very accommodating. We will be back again. read more

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This is a very authentic Mexican restaurant the food is very authentic and very good! I had one of the best michelada I have ever had including in Mexico. If you want real Mexican this should be your place. read more

El Tejate Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Carlsbad, California

We were planning on going to Las Olas in Carlsbad. But it is no more which doesn't surprise me seeing how it was not very good last summer. Got on Yelp to satisfy our Mexican food craving and found El Tejate. Don't let the fact that they share a common wall with a Thai restaurant confuse you when you park. There are signs and arrows pointing the way. We were the only ones in there at first. The brother and sister are so attentive. Can't tell how many times we were told everything is made from scratch. It is!! Room is basic. Decor is basic. Very clean. The food is really good!! So different than "gringo Mexican food". The quesadilla was by far the best I've ever had. They have Mexican coke yum!! I had the big thing that looks like a pizza. So good. I am not a Mole fan so I avoided anything with large amounts of mole. Salsa good with a slow burn. I really want to go back a keep trying different things on the menu. Very different. Really good. read more