Hands down the best tacos I have had in San Diego. I was actually blown away by this place. I have…read moredriven past it countless times and was always intrigued by the cute mascot and the outside decorations, but I was also confused why there was almost never anyone inside eating or grabbing food. The parking lot looked exactly how it always does. Barely any cars and no one inside when we arrived. There is plenty of seating though with booths inside and some outdoor seating as well. The menu is posted above the register and has a ton of options that all sounded really good. They also have bottled aguas frescas like horchata and jamaica. Another reviewer mentioned they are house made. They also offer canned sodas, bottled drinks, and juices. I ordered three tacos: the New York steak taco (their version of carne asada), a cabeza taco, and a carnitas taco. My husband ordered the flour quesadilla with asada and two al pastor tacos. There is a salsa bar with hot sauce, red salsa, limes, radishes, grilled onions, and grilled peppers. My favorite thing there was the grilled onions. They were a little cold so I'm assuming they had been sitting there for a while, but they were still so good. Our food was brought out to our table. Service was pretty neutral. Nothing amazing but everything was smooth. I asked for no salsa on my tacos because the employee mentioned the same salsas were already at the salsa bar so I could add what I wanted myself. When the tacos came out they looked incredible and smelled even better. The New York steak taco was a thin slice of steak laid on the tortilla topped with guacamole, onions, cilantro, and beans. My husband got the quesadilla version of this and it was honestly amazing. The cheese was that perfect melty quesadilla cheese. I have never had beans on an asada taco before but it added such a nice touch of flavor and saltiness. The steak itself was sliced thin enough where every bite was tender and full of that rich beefy flavor. The al pastor taco really stood out too. Unlike a lot of places that use ground pork with seasoning, this tasted like real al pastor. The pork was juicy in the middle with a crisp exterior that made every bite really satisfying. The cabeza taco is what really sold me though. It was incredibly tender and packed with flavor. You can tell it was cooked slowly. The carnitas taco was different from what I'm used to but in the best way. Instead of shredded pork it was large chunks of carnitas. It was juicy, flavorful, and made me rethink how carnitas tacos should be done. Every bite kept confirming the same thought in my head that this might be the best taco spot I've tried in San Diego. I still have a lot more places to explore around the city but this place definitely set the bar really high.

First time try this place place and probably last…read morelast We ordered Adovada burrito and 2 carne asada burritos paid $56 Very little meat with a lot of beans and LETTUCE ( that's right they put beans and lettuce in burritos

We were looking for a good Mexican spot while in El Cajon, and El Culichi looked…read moretempting--particularly as they have Sinaloan style chilorio on the menu. Chilorio is slow-simmered pork, shredded, fried in lard, and simmered in a sauce of chilis and spices. I've not found this dish anywhere north of the border and couldn't wait. I wasn't dissapointed. The chilorio was savory with deep flavors of chilis and spices. It's available as an omlette, but also as a side on its own, served in pan with a warm stack of very good corn or flour tortillas (or a mix of the two). In addition, we tried their birria de chivo (goat stew), also made in the Sinaloan tradition, with different chilis than the original Jalisco version and very cumin/cinnamon forward. Totally delicious. And totally affordable, at inexpensive-moderate menu pricing. The spot is charming, welcoming on the outside, tidy and clean on the inside, and run by a friendly family--who are happy to educate guests on their very special menu. I'd consider this a destination restaurant. Worth the trip from anywhere in San Diego County.

The food was amazing. The salsas were they were actually spicy and really good flavor…read more (Might want to give them a heads up or request not as spicy or no peppers on certain items). We had -Michelada -Menudo -Coctel de Camaron (had Serrano peppers) had a really good flavor, didn't taste like ketchup like other places. -Had a taco de lengua (no picture)

The Poblano Burrito is honestly one of the best burrito I've had in San Diego. I literally drove…read morefrom LA just to eat this delicious burrito. It has such amazing flavors, and honestly so huge. I love it :) I highly recommend it.

Love getting breakfast burritos here. So fresh and filling. Great salsa bar. Friendly staff and…read morethey just recently expanded seating into a larger suite.

The Smoked Tuna Blue taco was fantastic! So were the California burritos! Would definitely…read morerecommend this restaurant!!

I live up the road from Taco Azul,and a couple years ago,I took my friend out to lunch for some…read moreblue fish tacos,and I've been hooked since.Very fresh and delicious. I get take out from here quite often. Recommend

The International tamales were the best I've had. Very good size portions of meat inside. Also, the…read morecustomer service was very friendly. I will definitely be returning!

Best tamales in all of El Cajon and San Diego County! Highly recommend checking them out! We got…read morethe salsa verde chicken (green salsa), pineapple, beef with red salsa, and some rice puddings. Emilio was super helpful and friendly, I'll definitely be coming back here when I have my tamale cravings! Tip: when you take them home microwave them in the corn husk to keep them moist

This menudo is so good! The service was good the place is clean my go to spot for menudo fore sure.read more

There was plastic inside the menudo. So now you can tell the place isn't even authentic. They buy…read morepackaged food and resale it at an expensive price. Meaning that their soup is not theirs. It tasted disgusting. When I say this had john and sally written all over it and no Jose and Maria. No im not racist.... anyone can tell the difference. On top of that, why ask for special instructions if you're not going to follow through? Very disappointed.

Went golfing at Carlton Oaks and found this place nearby. Lots of people ordering food inside and…read moreat the drive-thru. Mexican restaurant run by non-Mexicans with tasty and generous amounts of Mexican food. We shared the nachos carne asada with half no cheese because of my dairy free son. Lotso food and tasty meat. Chips stayed crunchy all the way to the bottom. Also had the machaca burrito and taquitos. Yummy. Great service. Friendly and very accommodating! Plenty of inside table seating. Glad they have a self-serve soda fountain. Next time we're in Santee, we'll be back.

One of the busiest mexican food shops is see is Santee. Love that they have a huge parking lot with…read morea drive thru as well. Their horchata is creamy, sweet, and super refreshing with the perfect amount of cinnamon. The carne asada fries was lacking a little bit of flavor but the fries were still crispy with all the sauce on top. We try their two different hot sauce the red and green and none of them really had a good flavor or kick to it. Dimly lit restaurant with clean bathrooms. Service was super fast. We were in and out in less than 10 minutes even though there was a lot of people in line.

Tavo's has recently taken over "Pinchas Tortas." They offer as their namesake goes a variety of…read moretacos and beers, but also mix of Mexican fair such as tortas, quesadillas, burritos, rolled tacos, combination plates, and breakfast! For my fist visit, I had a trio of taco de adobada or marinated pork and a side of rice. The tacos were good, and I appreciated the fact that they included guacamole, and also came with chopped white onion and cilantro. The pork meat was tasty but could of been a little more tender. Also, I would suggest they put on a finer chop to the white onions so that one does not get a strong sense of onions. They put a very good amount of meat and guacamole which is always a very good thing. The rice was very good. It offered that good Mexican rice flavor and a loose consistency. They offer a salsa bar, but with only two salsas at the moment. I hoping they add that ever so delicious avocado salsa soon! Service was friendly and welcoming.

Good food, great Mexican flavor, the service good and the ambience in the place good too because…read morethey have spacious tables with chair with tv for have a moment of relax eating.