Always get the carne asada fries. Huge serving when I dine in and they offer take-out containers if you request it, which I have to with the size of the meal. Restrooms are there. read more

Food was just okay, I had the beef taco, bean tostada and two rolled taco special along with the California burrito and carnesada fries. The fries were undercooked in the CA burrito and carnesada fries. I really liked the bean tostada, it was crispy tostada and packed with veggies and sour cream on top. Their hot sauces were not great, it was a bit watery and no flavor. I don't think I will return in the future. read more

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Bad service, took too long, the meat wasn't really cooked I even asked for it more grilled. I had to throw my food away.

Where can I even start . . . this food has given me the bubble guts plus non stop throwing up mind you , I've never thrown up Taco shop so this says a lot . I got a California burrito and some carne asada fries. The fries were under cooked & the meat wasn't really seasoned. The "salsa" just tasted like tomato sauce. so if they ask if I recommend , I'll gladly pass thank you read more

So my gf wanted breakfast so after searching for some options we settled on this spot. It's a fact that a mom and pop hole in the wall spot is guaranteed to have great food, and this place delivered. I got the food to go, it was prepared quickly, and we dived right in after I got home. My torta was delicious. The bread was the right consistency and the meat was tender and flavorful. My gf got menudo and tacos and those were the bomb as well. We will definitely be back and might order online the next time. read more

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Usually these small hidden spots are the best but not this one . The meat is good but the Customer service can improve. Unfortunately will not be returning. read more

Marlen's Taco Shop - Carne Asada Burrito (mostly tortilla) - Mexican Near Me - Spring Valley, California

We had a sporting event nearby and found this taco shop on Yelp. It was tricky to find as it's set far back from the street at the back of the parking lot. I had been craving a good CA Burrito and had high hopes as this place has some good reviews. The burrito was definitely a good size but unfortunately it wasn't rolled well and the whole thing fell open after my first bite. The meat pieces were all extremely fatty and chewy and no seasoning or flavor at all. The fries weren't cooked enough and were mushy. It listed Pico cheese and guac but it just had cut up tomato ( not full Pico) , a tasteless avocado crema ( not guacamole) and a little cheese. Overall my burrito was dry, tasteless and chewy. Will have to try a different spot next time we're in the area. read more

Marlen's Taco Shop - California Burrito - Mexican Near Me - Spring Valley, California

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This used to be a good spot... The quality and quantity of the food are Terrible. This was a $15 flavorless burrito, the size of my phone. read more

Marlen's Taco Shop - $15 flavorless taco, they call it a Burrito! - Mexican Near Me - Spring Valley, California

First of all these are the SADDEST rolled tacos I've ever seen. They have wrong kind of lettuce, hardly any cheese and the avocado was brown. I had to wipe off the guac, add queso and sour cream at home to make them edible. Next is that food itself is expensive, I leave a tip and I'm getting charged a hidden "pickup" fee. When I called the taco shop they said that the system automatically adds the pickup charge and they don't know why yet they don't bother to mention it. So everyone is getting charged this fee and they're just hoping nobody notices. read more

Marlen's Taco Shop - Rolled tacos - Mexican Near Me - Spring Valley, California

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I ordered a quesadilla and I got a tortilla with yellow cheese plain. I ordered guacamole and got mashed avocados. The chef is clearly not Mexican. read more

Marlen's Taco Shop - "Cheese Quesadilla" - Mexican Near Me - Spring Valley, California

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Have ordering from Marlen's for years & food was amazing. went 2 days ago & food was terrible. No taste or presentation at all. Bean burrrito w/cheese no flavor. Used to be #1 thing to order. Not no more. Beef fried tacos. Used to love meat & host of condiments on them. Now no flavor & looked they were refried. 2 orders of 2 beef tacos each w/rice & beans plus bean& cheese burrito = 42.50 dlls!! Place was clean but food not good. Sorry, i guess change. read more

Nice food to go or in' a lot to choose from mexican dishes,very comfortable in a place,plus parking are so spacious,fully recommended!since my rmtwin dayghters favorite tacos shop until they graduated high school,they dont forgot everytime they back home here to droby order on this shop,,,,,AAA read more

I tried the carne asada fries from here and they were horrible, fries were mushy, the cheese was the american kind melted all over like a film. Looked and tasted terrible, it gave me a stomach ache. I also ordered rolled tacos and they didn't even bother to chop the lettuce, it was just leaves of it thrown on top with cheese sprinkled over it. Sucks because the workers were very friendly, but I wouldn't recommend the food at all :( read more

I have been looking for Birria made with goat or lamb and a friend recommended Marlens. I was not disappointed!! Their Birria de Chivo is so delicious!! Fabulous!! read more

The customer service was amazing , as well as the presentation of the food and quality. Highly recommend to sit in or take out

Once again we have a great Mexican place in San Diego!! The birria soup was delicious, as was the carne asada fries!! (Very much recommended) My girlfriend is a tough critic when it comes to bean tostadas.. She said it's good, which means it was just alright. We also tried the ceviche tostada which was good.. It had a sweet sauce taste & was good, to our favorite but good.. This place is open for dine in or takeout. They have plastic partitions & were wearing masks. The place looks a lot like a standard taco shop. So far our two favorite things are the birria soup & the carne asada fries. Lots of entrees to try, who knows what we'll get next time. I would recommend this place for sure, yet another fantastic Mexican place that is worth supporting. Happy eating!! read more

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Muy amables y muy buena comida! The tacos and breakfast burrito were probably the best I've had in a while, this is a hidden gem for sure! read more

Marlen's Taco Shop - ! - Mexican Near Me - Spring Valley, California

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I ordered 4 orders of rolled tacos beans and rice And I put a note to please fry them soft . So the order arrives and I immediately smelled burnt oil or old oil that has a burned smell and I open the food and I'm disgusted and appalled by the presentation. And the level of how over cooked it is. All four orders were all over cooked the meat inside was extremely dry , and is that ROMAINE LETTUCE !!!, hardly ANY cheese and just over cooked beans on the rolled tacos.. and part of my order was missing. My kids and parents could not even chew the food .. we had to toss it all in the dumpster .. whoever runs this shop should be embarrassed that this left the kitchen as edible I would never in my life as a last resort for food order here or even recommend this place .. just stick to your regular top 5 taco shops in sandiego .. Becuase this isnt even on the list as human food .. read more

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One of my favorite taco shops, I usually order the adobada street tacos or the carne asada fries, both are . Prices are good and portions are huge, I was craving a burger and was curious to try one from the taco shop, I ordered the double bacon cheeseburger and fries... it was a huge burger that can easily feed two people. Highly recommend you try it, one of the best burgers I ever had. read more

I ordered the California burrito and my husband got the ham and bacon breakfast burrito. Both burritos were full of potatoes. The California burrito did not have much carne asada but tons of fries. My husband cut his burrito in half and it was full of potatoes. He didn't even finish half of it. Also, we both thought the red and green sauces were not good at all. However, the salsa that came with the chips was pretty good. read more

I was hesitant on ordering Carne Asada Fries via delivery because I thought it would be soggy, but it was still warm and perfect (i requested crispy fries). The meat and even the fries were flavorful. I also ordered 3 Beef Rolled Tacos Tacos w/ Guacamole and it was crunchy, the lettuce and guacamole were fresh. I can't wait to try other things on their menu. Would definitely order here again. read more

This place fudginggggg suckssssss.. I just bought a fish burrito for 13$ .. this thing was smaller than a food truck burrito. Cold as fuck. Fish was grainy and felt like I was biting sand. No rice. No sour cream. And the put lettuce. Not even cabbage. I call it a lazy ass burrito. They just don't care. Shame on them read more

Best taco shop in the area! Their breakfast burritos are delicious and all of their dishes are very authentic. read more

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We were looking for a New Mexican food place in the area. Marlen's did not disappoint. We had noticed that many places in the area have downsized their burritos and nachos. Not here! I ordered a carne asada burrito and it was huge. I couldn't even finish it since it was so big. We also ordered Mole, which can be a hit or miss and it was a huge Hit! Everything was great right down to the beans! I am not even a bean eater and they were excellent Glad we checked it out! read more

Tried this spot via DoorDash and glad we did. Carne asada fries remind me of the ones we had growing up. TIP: Get the meat well done (extra too on the side to add). I also chose to put the sour cream on the side as well since I saw a photo on here and it looked like a lot. Their red sauce is also so good and actually spicy! One of my favorite red salsa's I've had. Taking off one star because there was a little more fat in the meat than I'd like (but having it well done helped) and the burrito could use just a bit more meat. Other than that, I would totally order from here again, especially for their red salsa. read more

Love this area, has one of the most authentic Mexican food in the area if visiting or stopping by. Owner is there and very nice to everyone. People in the comments said prices went up but with this inflation it's expected but worth the pay. read more

This is my first time coming and and I am not disappointed! The breakfast burrito is huge and tasty. High quality ingredients for only $8. The horchata is delicious too. I'll be coming back!! read more

Marlen's Taco Shop - Ham, bacon potato breakfast burrito which also has beans. - Mexican Near Me - Spring Valley, California

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I've ordered delivery from here on and off since I moved to Spring Valley in 2018, about 20+ times so far. And they've only gotten better! First, they call to confirm any of my weird instructions which I appreciate. Second, the food has ALWAYS arrived still hot and fresh for me. Any fault in being cold is on the driver, but they are very close to me so that hasn't happened to me often so far. I'm a busy working mom, and this shop seems to be a mom and daughter operation and it SHOWS. They care about each other and their shop. The 2nd delivery person I had (male, middle age, white) told me that I should know the place looked super ghetto as he handed me my food. Uh, excuse me, I grew up in west National City and the hole in the wall mom and pop shops are the best so no thank you to your "advice". I've ordered burritos, street tacos, and combo plates and haven't been disappointed. I see other reviews have been unhappy but all I can say is that I've never experienced that myself. One of my favorites is their carne asada burritos have crispy fries every time! And the adobada street tacos are delicious. They've also recently upgraded their to-go/delivery containers so it arrives with no spills (like enchilada sauce). Give Marlens a try, I don't think you'll be disappointed. read more

The cheese quesadilla was good and so were the carne asada fries but could use more carne asada in the fries and less sour cream. read more

Marlen's Taco Shop - Carne Asada Fries - Mexican Near Me - Spring Valley, California

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Good Mexican food. Just found this place and we will definitely be back. Food was prepared just right and looked and tasted great. I'm hooked. read more

Pretty disappointed that my burrito is already half ripped when I take it home. Usually this spot is pretty good but this will leave a bad taste in my mouth. read more

Marlen's Taco Shop - Can't even roll a proper burrito. Smh - Mexican Near Me - Spring Valley, California

I ordered a mulita- the tortilla was hard and stale tasting. It's supposed to be a cross between a. Quesadilla and taco and they were SO cheap with the cheese. There wasn't even enough cheese to cover the bottom. The carne asada was also over cooked and dry. The caldo de res we ordered was also over cooked, meat was dry, and was hard to chew. Just kept chewing and wouldn't even come apart. It also didn't even have squash. So I paid $12.95 for potatoes and hardly any meat. read more

Marlen's Taco Shop - Mulita - Mexican Near Me - Spring Valley, California

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Marlen's Taco Shop is constantly on point with their food! The good is very good and the staff is always very pleasant.

This place is a hidden gem ... the food is delicious.. for sure... great job ... keep it up.

I came by for lunch here during my lunch break. The place can be kind of hard to find because it is behind a business in a small strip mall. I ordered the Pollo Asado Burrito combo for $6.19 plus tax. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/LnF82eFDN0wM-KwtcNsCSw?select=TPFOGJSQC27jITH0395UOA The highlight of the burrito was the flour tortilla. The tortillas was nice and moist. The chicken in the burrito was leg and thigh meat. It was mostly tender but some of the pieces had that rubbery texture. The condiments inside were good. The guacamole did not however appear to be that fresh. It was a little dull in color. Everything else inside tasted good including the tomatoes and onions. The rice was very good with bit of potatoes blended inside. The re-fried beans were good to average. The service was good and the place appeared a little run down. There was some kind of construction going on in the kitchen, so from time to time the sound was deafening. All together it was a descent meal, but It's not a place that has left me yearning for more. Well, at least not for another pollo asado burrito. read more

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Had the asada tocos and the meat was a little tough and had a lot of the cartilage, the birria tacos were good but the juice that came with wasn't that good, the caldo de res was really good. They missed two of our items we had ordered to and still charged us so we had to go to the restaurant to go get it. read more

Great little hole in the wall. Stopped by for breakfast on a Monday Morning. Might look sketchy because of the area it is located at, but you'll be surprised. Also the inside isn't the most impressive. Ordered Chilaquiles Verdes with Carne Asada. Order also came with 2 eggs your choice of how you want them cooked. My buddy ordered Menudo and he definitely recommend as well. read more

Marlen's Taco Shop - Chilaquiles Verdes with Carne Asada and 2 eggs. - Mexican Near Me - Spring Valley, California

The food was very good and the service too. My daughter loved the caldo the res and the tostilocos

This place use to be good but lately they have been messing up orders and giving out smaller portions. Ordered 2 Cali and chips and damn I literally got half a burrito and the chips had hardly any meat. I over heard the cook tray that they had not more carne asada. They also forgot my carrots. Won't be really coming here for a while. Hopefully any one who goes has better luck with there food than me read more

Marlen's Taco Shop - California Burrito - Mexican Near Me - Spring Valley, California

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It was not busy when I walked (one person eating in a booth, 3 people in the kitchen area) but I was left standing at the register while they finished their conversation. I put in my order ($63.76) and gave them a 15% tip because they are a mom and pop shop. Should have held off on the tip. We were given overcooked, dry meats, the rolled tacos were burned, the tortas were on stale bread, and we were missing two items. When I tried to call them, the phone sent me to VM and my call was not returned in a hour, so I called back, left a second message, in Spanish this time (by a native speaker)...still no response. They didn't deserve the tip and we will never go back. I encourage you to think hard about going elsewhere. At least you may be treated with respect, and I'm sure the food will be just as good, if not better. read more