what can i say? they're bomb! i really need to come here more often, its right in the san pedro square market where you can grab food here, get a drink at the bar right next to it, and find seating p much anywhere where its a nice place to get out of the house & enjoy some company! the staff here is excellent, and the tacos are ready in no time, excellent place to come & grab some delicious freakin food read more

Loteria Taco Bar - Mexican Near Me - San Jose, California

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TL;DR: past yucca fries were better I use to get yucca fries from Loteria taco bar all the time. They were perfectly fried - light and airy. Something changed though and the heaviness of the yucca fries I tried this last time really has me questioning my memory. Maybe they weren't that light? Maybe I was just enjoying the vibes and not paying attention to the quality? Were they always this greasy?? In any case, I need to find a new spot for yucca fries :/ read more

Loteria Taco Bar - Mexican Near Me - San Jose, California

I really wanted to love this spot because the vibe at San Pedro Square is always great, but Lotería was a bit of a "meh" for me. The tacos and nachos are okay, but let's be real--the prices are pretty steep for what's actually hitting the plate. I don't mind paying a premium if the food blows me away, but these felt a little basic and not at all the quality you'd expect for that price. You're definitely paying for the "downtown location" tax rather than the actual quality of the meat. The service is countertop. They aren't friendly nor rude -- they just kinda are. Other businesses have a kiosk to order from and they should probably do the same. if you're already in San Pedro with friends and craving tacos it's ok, but if you're looking for the best tacos in SJ, this isn't it. Better off hitting a truck for half the price and twice the flavor. read more

The tacos were good and they even come with a side of chips and salsa. Service was pretty fast since I went about 30 minutes after they opened. They don't have many choices for soft drinks though, however I do recommend this place. read more

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Hands down my favorite taco spot. I've been coming here for years and it's always super consistent and always delicious. I got the quesabirrias and the pork belly taco both were insane. The quesabirrias were super juicy and packed with flavor, and the pork belly tacos were next level insanely tender with the perfect crunch. They also give you chips and salsa with every order The service is super quick, and the staff is always friendly. The vibes here are amazing the decor is modern, super sick, and honestly unlike anything else I've seen. Safe to say this is some of the best tacos in San Jose, and I'll definitely keep coming back for years to come. read more

Loteria Taco Bar - Mexican Near Me - San Jose, California

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I've been to San Pedro Market Square a handful of times, and Loteria Taco Bar has quickly become a favorite go-to spot of mine! Like the majority of the places here, you order at a counter and get a small plastic buzzer to alter you when your food is ready. There is a ton of seating inside and out, but it can get busy on a weekend night, or when there is a nearby event (like a Sharks game). It gets loud inside, but it's a fun vibe! I've tried a handful of things from their menu: -Garlic Yucca Fries: simple and great to share; the spicy ketchup sauce is perfect! -Al Pastor Taco (adobada, fresh pineapple, pickled onions, cilantro, and salsa roja): I really enjoyed the seasoning of the al pastor, and the contrast of the fresh pineapple and pickled onions. I wish there was a bit more meat because it was so flavorful! -Shrimp Taco (melted jack cheese, purple cabbage, chipotle cream, and pico de gallo): Probably my favorite taco; I don't usually see shrimp tacos with cheese, and I really liked the crispy edges that this had. The chipotle cream is a perfect complement to the fresh grilled taste of the shrimp. Definitely order this! -Carne Asada Taco (steak asada, cilantro, onions, and salsa roja): This was solid; I wish there was one other topping on this since it was a bit plain. I would definitely get the carne asada in a burrito or on nachos-the flavor is delicious! -San Jose Quesadilla (birria, cheese, cilantro, onions, and chipotle cream): definitely recommend this as a shared item; the birria and consomme are mouth-watering! Huge props to the Loteria team for making incredibly delicious food consistently! Looking forward to my next visit! read more

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One of my favorite spots in San Pedro Square! At this point I've basically made my way through the menu & in my opinion the highlights are: * San Jose Quesadilla - SO good, it's a birria quesadilla, really good size & packed w flavor * El Gordo Burrito - Absolutely packed & everything is super well distributed * Quesabirria & Surf n Turf Tacos - served w chips / salsa and pretty loaded Love grabbing some food here & sitting outside to watch the game, everything is made pretty quickly and there's typically a good amount of seating around! read more

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Nachos need some work.. they have a lot of chips but nothing special for a loaded nacho. Al pastor was just ok read more

Loteria Taco Bar - Mexican Near Me - San Jose, California

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I'm sorry to say that my experience at Loteria was not a great one. It was our first time at San Pedro Square Market, and we wanted something for dinner that wasn't too heavy and quick. So, we settled on Loteria. I ordered the Carnico Bowl with carne asada, and it was just meh. The beef was grey looking with no evidence in its coloring that it has ever been grilled. The guacamole and rice were similarly unmemorable. The color and temperature of the beef (it wasn't even hot) were so concerning to me, I only ate a small amount of the dish. My husband ordered the chicken mango habanero tacos, which he reported were off-puttingly soggy. I will say that we enjoyed the chips and the salsa. The chips were crunch and not greasy, and the salsa was light and flavorful. I don't know if we just went at a bad time or if this was a one-off experience, but I don't expect to be back to find out, unfortunately. read more

Loteria Taco Bar - Carnico Bowl - Mexican Near Me - San Jose, California

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Located in San Pedros Square Market, Loteria Taco Bar has decent variety of Mexican food, with a big emphasis on tacos. The taco selection is pretty grand, with 12 options, 3 of which are vegetarian and 9 meat and or seafood. The tacos are pretty pricey, especially when compared to the many other taquerias nearby, but I'm sure the rent here isn't cheap, so it makes sense. I ordered an Al Pastor Taco & Quesabirria Style Brisket Taco, both of which were very tasty! The meats were full of flavor and the tacos did have quite a bit of meat. I appreciated that the tacos came with chips and salsa, so you didn't have an added expense. Service was friendly and food came up quickly! read more

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I ordered the loaded yucca fries and was surprised to see how much cheese was poured on top and that's after I asked for sour cream on the side. The yucca fries could have been crispier also. I didn't know I was ordering a comfort-food style meal, a photo of their food would have been helpful. I ate the meat and then threw out my $20 meal. The service also wasn't great, the worker didn't really respond when I asked questions. San Pedro Square is really nice though, love the outdoor patio. read more

Loteria Taco Bar - Loaded yucca fries - Mexican Near Me - San Jose, California

The vegetarian options are a little disappointing here, I wouldn't advise getting the fried plaintain and black bean taco because the beans were't drained and my tortilla broke as soon as I lifted it up and I got my food for here so it wasn't sitting or anything. The butternut squash taco tasted decent but was highway robbery for what is in the taco. If I ate here again, I would get a burrito or a quesadilla instead and not trust the tacos here. read more

Loteria Taco Bar - Fried Plantain & Black Bean Taco and Butternut Squash & Kale Taco - Mexican Near Me - San Jose, California

$12.25 for house chips and guacamole So plain. It comes with salsa and guacamole pictures. Maybe I ordered the wrong ones. read more

Loteria Taco Bar - Chips, salsa, and guacamole - Mexican Near Me - San Jose, California

Was feeling a burrito and this was convenient since the rest of my party was also eating in San Pedro Square. Ordered my usual thing to try at any new Mexican spot - a burrito with carne asada (Gordo burrito here) Price was a little higher due to the location but expected. Service was friendly and food came out quickly. Good sized burrito that came with a side of chips & watery salsa (not great for dipping) Burrito had all the right flavors and was almost too much for me to finish. I'd definitely come back here again read more

I went in with low expectations but these tacos were amazing and absolutely LOADED with protein. Loved both the birria and shrimp tacos. 2 is more than enough so I'm glad I split with a friend. Love that the chips came with salsa but I could have used 3x the amount of salsa. Maybe they'd give you another if you go up to ask - not sure! Worth checking out for sure. read more

Loteria Taco Bar - Mexican Near Me - San Jose, California

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Located inside San Pedro Square Market. After walking around to check out other possible eating spots this taqueria got my attention. I got the 3 tacos plate which is about $21. The plate comes with complementary chips and salsa and you choice of meats. Let's talk tacos: Carne asada 6/10 (way too much black pepper). Chicken 9/10 (the mango pico salsa is very good!) Carnitas 9/10 (comes with onions and cilantro and habanero salsa) All tacos have a very spicy salsa added to them, if you don't like spicy ask for it on the side. Chips are okay, the salsa for the chips has a lot of cumin flavor (it was a no for me). Overall solid 4 stars. read more

Loteria Taco Bar - Their mango habanero salsa is very spicy but good. - Mexican Near Me - San Jose, California

Birria taco brilliance. Was in a rush to get Friday lunch. Service is fast, efficient and staff are on it. Had the two taco lunch. The special tilapia taco was fresh, hot and with delicious mango/pepper salsa. The birria taco was my favorite ever! So dang good. First time here! Beyond delighted with my food and quick service. read more

Service was good, the staff are friendly and fast. The food was nothing i would personally rave about or go back and order the same thing again. Had gotten the san jose burrito with the fries on the side instead so it wouldn't get soggy. The chips and side of salsa were really good. read more

Loteria Taco Bar - Mexican Near Me - San Jose, California

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This is my go to spot anytime I am in the square. The meat is fresh and I haven't been disappointed by any meal I've tried with them. The burritos have the perfect meat and fillers ratio. The nachos platter is huge and you can pile on anything you want. The enchiladas are soft and cheesy. I can go on! It's located inside a busy food court. Grab a table and watch TV or listen to some music while you eat. read more

Got the tacos al pastor and carne asada for takeout. The tacos were seasoned well. Unfortunately the chips were stale, and the tortillas were falling apart. read more

Loteria Taco Bar - Mexican Near Me - San Jose, California

I came here while visiting my brother who lives in Prunedale,CA. We attempted to see the 49ers stadium but it was closed to visitors so we took a detour to San Pedro Row to grab a bite to eat. There were so many different types of cusine from pizza to Vietnamese to tacos. I choose Loteria for the San Jose Quesadilla. The birria meat was well seasoned and cooked perfectly. It had just the right amount of spice and then dipping it in the sauce it came with really kicked it up a notch. read more

Loteria Taco Bar - Mexican Near Me - San Jose, California

I got the 3 taco combo and chose quesabirria, carne asada and mango habanero. I liked all of them very much. The chicken one could've been a little spicier but I suppose they deveined the habanero so it wouldn't be that spicy. The quesabirria had nice flavor and so did the carne asada. It came with a side of chips and small salsa. Good meal overall. read more

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Came here to San Pedro Market Square recently for dinner before going to a concert at SAP. They offer plenty of food choices inside and have plenty of seating areas and it was comfortable. After browsing at the all the eateries, we stumbled upon this Mexican place that had a wide selection of good food. And how can you go wrong with Mexican food. I got the chicken bowl which was delicious and very quick service too I might add. I had plenty of chicken left, they didn't give much of the rice so I went back to see if I can get a tortilla so maybe I can eat it as a wrap. The guys there said they don't have tortilla. I was a bit surprised by their response and confused so I asked if I can actually buy it and the response from both the guys there was pretty stern and they said 'no we don't sell 1 tortilla!' I was bummed and walked away, a little confused but what am I to do. A good place to eat, they give plenty of food but don't ask for a tortilla, they don't have it! read more

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Best Tacos Ever! Even just to watch how they grilled simple standard size corn flour taco shells and added a bunch of cheese then press grilled each one providing a more robust flavor. Grilled shrimp cooked to perfection. All seasonings were exquisite. Their tacos come with a slathering of cabbage on top and a generous but not overpowering chipotle dressing. All tacos come with an abundance of chips and salsa. Chris worked wholeheartedly from the minute he took the order through every detail of cooking to plating. Would strongly recommend and look forward to bragging and bringing others back here!! read more

Loteria Taco Bar - Mexican Near Me - San Jose, California

So inconsiderate charging $5 for meat if you only add one spoonful of ground beef. More like jalapeño nachos.

My mom and I came here after a mishap that prevented us from continuing with our previous dinner plans. We got two tacos as well as the daily aqua fresca which happened to be watermelon. The service and ambiance for Loteria Taco Bar is the same as most other places - San Pedro Market is relatively crowded, and you can see people going about their day and getting food while waiting for the beeper they give you to go off. The service is relatively friendly, though nothing remarkable. The food itself was quite oily, and the sauce was very spicy. I probably should've suspected that it would be like that but for some reason I decided to try it anyway, which made the aqua fresca very helpful. The aqua fresca, both before and after eating the taco, was very refreshing, but I ended up finishing it before finishing the taco which made the spice a bit harder to handle. Overall, it wasn't the best, but it was fulfilling enough to finish. I'm not sure if this is the type of food that I would go for again, but it was interesting to try. read more

Loteria Taco Bar - Watermelon Aqua Fresca - Mexican Near Me - San Jose, California

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Love this place! However in the past two years the food quality has gone down. My go to has always been tacos, but they don't give two tortillas per taco anymore and the size has gotten smaller. Today, I ordered al pastor, carne asada and shrimp. Al pastor was the best, but very oily. The carne asada was my least favorite, because I quickly realized it was ground beef. I recommend trying other items at Loteria or other places in San Pedro Market. read more

I had San Jose quesadilla and it was delicious. The portion was large. Could have shared w another person. The consome was delicious, a bit spicy. My daughter ordered a chicken bowl and felt it was more of a salad than a rice bowl, plus it was $16. Not worth the small bowl. I'll definitely return to try other things on the menu. read more

First of all, the service was great and that is the only reason why the stars are even reached to 2 (stars) but this chicken burrito was cold, unseasoned chicken, unflavored ass red rice(make believe red rice at this point) and out of the can pinto looking and tasting beans. The chips were crispy and not stale and the salsa had a good kick and to be honest the salsa was the only thing holding this burrito together. I remember when I used to go to San Pedro in my 20s this taco bar used to be 10x better! what is happening!? But as all good things... they don't last I guess. I am beyond appalled to have spent $20 on a burrito I could've asked a kid to make for me using make believe ingredients in a make believe kitchen and have it taste better. You're better off going to la Vic's down the street! Better yet a taco truck! Do this info what you will. Do as I say, not as I do. read more

Loteria Taco Bar - The most disappointing chicken burrito I have ever had. - Mexican Near Me - San Jose, California

FYI : VERY stingy with providing extra salsa. Paid for 5 orders with a total of nearly $100 and they refused to give me more than 2 half filled tiny containers of salsa. What a joke. The guy filled the tiny salsa container halfway and told me I could only have 2. Shitty experience when you pay that much they can't give you the amount of salsa that you need to make the meal enjoyable ? With a 5 order $100 tab they couldn't provide the salsa ? La Victoria is just as good and half the cost. Super loud and not enough seating . Not a good experience, especially given the high prices and rude service. read more

I used to love this spot at San Pedro Square - it was my go to when I was there. I was disappointed to see that their prices have gone way up - I remember it being about $12/15 for three tacos and now it was almost twice that! Also they got rid of the taco that I loved, the kale and butternut squash one. I think overall their flavors are less creative now - I didn't see anything like the duck carnitas and whatnot they used to have. I kind of think a $9 taco should be substantial. I got the birria I think it was about $9 and decent but I can get 2 quesabirria elsewhere for that price that are better. The vegetarian one I got (plantain and black bean) was pretty good and I did like the shrimp taco - but they do seem very pricey for what you get! read more

Loteria Taco Bar - Three tacos - Mexican Near Me - San Jose, California

Went for lunch with a friend and we decided to try the burritos here! I got a steak burrito the one with curly friend and my friend got the one with spicy Al pastor! Both were really good! Mine had curly fries and they were crispy and crunchy! I also had the mango pineapple agua Fresca and it was good! Just wish they gave more salsa and maybe had a pico de gallo for the chips! But other wise it was good! read more

First time trying this, menu looks bomb! But food was not tasty at all and staff not friendly either. Asked for a Market Quesadilla with added chicken, they said cannot do that? Take off Portobello Mushroom, and said it's mixed? Should have options for certain allergies or preferences. Anywho, got a Loteria Quesadilla which has everything in it, just to receive a plain cheese quesadilla with chicken? Like, that's not what I asked for. Definitely do not recommend and would not come back! Ambience was great overall, because it's a dining room for all places and it's San Pedro Square, vibe is always there. read more

The Al pastor tacos are the best I wish I got all three of my tacos Al pastor. I got the happy hour deal which came with the watermelon juice and that was the best decision i could've made because it was so fresh!! The decor was really nice. It's in San Pedro market so no direct seating you just pick up your food and sit elsewhere. The two men working there were nice and quick making my tacos, I'd come again. read more

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This place has never disappointed me. While the tacos are on the pricier side, this is somewhere where I think it's worth it. The flavors pack a punch and the service is quick. Make sure you try the plantain taco and the shrimp tacos. Have heard great things about the surf and turf taco as well. Highly recommend you make this a stop when visiting San Pedro Square. read more

Loteria Taco Bar - Shrimp taco, Fried Plantain & Black Bean Taco, Carne Asada Taco - Mexican Near Me - San Jose, California

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The food is very solid. The shrimp tacos are excellent and a personal favorite with a beer. Service is fast and organized, but not super friendly, they just are there to do a job and totally fine. It's a taco joint, you don't need depth from your cashier. It's inside the market at San Pedro so it can be busy and loud, but it's a take away place. Grab your tacos, chips, and salsa and go outside with a beer and enjoy the nice California weather. read more

Service was great... food not so much.. in town for a visit but dont agree with the reviews .. And the spoon of rice I did have was not fresh. It was a $30 bowl I could have went to chipotle‍ read more

Loteria Taco Bar - My bowl had little to no rice... the lid came of so those are all the toppings ... - Mexican Near Me - San Jose, California

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The food here is really hit or miss -- maybe 60% of the time it's good, but the other 40% it's just not. The service, though, is consistently awful when it comes to the guy with the hat taking your order. He is so rude it makes me anxious to even order. I literally wait until someone else is at the counter before I place my order. On top of that, they're extremely stingy with the consommé. I always order the quesabirria, and 100% of the time they "forget" the consommé. And when I point out that two quesabirrias come with two consommés (which is clearly stated on their own menu), it still turns into a hassle. read more

What a total letdown! I was at San Pedro Square looking for something to eat before hitting the club, and Loteria Taco Bar happened to be one of the many restaurants in the area. I got myself the San Jose Burrito ($15) with asada. Let it be known that after trying that burrito, I would not even consider paying half the price for what I got. It is not the size that is the problem, but rather the taste. Every ingredient was borderline flavorless. First of all, the meat was not even grilled or marinated. It was awfully dry and hard to chew. The refried beans were unsalted. The fries were unsalted and added no additional texture to my burrito. The tomatoes and lettuce were not fresh. The food was made quite fast, at about 5 minutes from ordering it on a busy Saturday night. Surprisingly, the ingredients are not even the worst part? On several occasions, I find myself biting into... sand particles?! Some type of gravel. Why are there little rocks in my food? And before you ask... no, the alcohol did not help make it any easier to eat. At least the chips were edible, though they do not give you enough sauce. Oh! And they did not give me sauce with my burrito. Still, no sauce was going to save that disaster. Hmm, come to think of it, maybe size would be a problem if I was going to be eating all of that... Loteria Taco Bar is NOT the spot to hit up if you are at the San Pedro Square area. I would avoid this place at all costs! read more

Loteria Taco Bar - San Jose Burrito - Mexican Near Me - San Jose, California

I've tried this spot a few times when I'm craving Mexican food in San Pedro square. They've got Innovative dishes like duck but I would say overall the flavor palette is mid..Nit to say it's bad because the food is good, it's just average. Price points are what to be expected and the portions are definitely worth the price. Service is always great and they take their cooking serious which I love to see. Needless to say Loteria is worth a stop by when you're in the SP square. read more

Loteria Taco Bar - Mexican Near Me - San Jose, California