I used to frequent Rubios a lot since they seem to have the only taco Tuesday deal around and in this economy I can't justify a $6 taco. Only been to this location a couple times since I used to live more north but I'm happy with how my orders came out both times. [[HIGHLIGHT]]I only got takeout but I came in to get salsas from the bar and each time it was clean and well stocked, even during lunch rush.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Speaking of, fyi, there's a lot of parking but also a lot of stores to compete with and can be tough to park. read more

I have NEVER felt less welcomed than I did when I was served by a gentleman who appeared to be the manager of the restaurant. The receipt showed cashier name German. He seems to be new at this location. I have lived in this ( RB / CMR ) community for over 34 years. I have enjoyed the food at this location for many years. It was more heartbreaking to feel the way I felt when this individual was of my own ethnicity. In the last 34 + years, I have always felt welcomed in all businesses I attended. I wonder what Mr Ralph Rubio would say? read more

I love coming to this Rubios. It's so close to a lot of shopping and I really enjoy stopping in for lunch after running errands. I've come often, both day and night, and feel like all the workers are equally nice and accommodating. I love the staff and whatever the managers are doing is working really well! [[HIGHLIGHT]]The salsa bar is always well stocked and when we brought our parents last week for some tacos they exclaimed, "ooo it's so clean in here!"[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] The food here is also always cooked well and I love coming both by myself and with others. I've recently been trying more things on the menu and have been pleasantly happy with everything. This past week I tried the steak street fries and they were *chef's kiss* I think fries are really fun to have with SoCal Mexican food and I've never had a problem with the fries tasting anything but delicious at this location! (I've had some really weird fries at other locations but have never had a problem here!) I also love that Rubios has a great rewards program and great coupons. I hope that never goes away because it's one of the reasons I love this chain so much. Rubios is such a San Diego gem and it's so nice to have so many close by. This particular location has a soft spot in my heart and it's always such a joy to visit for a nice meal. I hope this location never closes! read more

Rubio's Coastal Grill - Steak Street Fries and The Coastal Trio® - Mexican Near Me - San Diego, California

Love their bean and cheese burritos and add red rice. I get the kids meal with chips, a churro, and light lemonade. All really good and good serving sizes too. read more

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Rubios was good, the sliders were tasty. They were filling and delicious. Pretty good for a delivery. It came hot and in shape. I forgot what I drank but I do remember it was good. read more

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No matter what you get here. You can't go wrong! Everyone is super sweet. [[HIGHLIGHT]]It's always clean.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]And, the decorations are great![[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Every time, I'm in town I have to stop by for a fish taco! And, if you come on a Tuesday they have taco deals. So, next time you're in town make sure to come here! You won't regret it. read more

Rubio's Coastal Grill - Rubio's - Mexican Near Me - San Diego, California

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Rubio's in Carmel Mountain Ranch = consistency you can count on. The beerbattered shrimp tacos are crispy and golden every time, the classic fish tacos are always on point, and the Baja Bowl was fresh and satisfying. You never have to wonder if today's order will taste different. [[HIGHLIGHT]]I'm docking a star because the vibe was a little off. A few lights were out, the salsa bar needed a refresh, and there was some trash on the floor that could've been picked up.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Nothing major, but it took away from the overall experience. read more

Rubio's Coastal Grill - Mexican Near Me - San Diego, California

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i got the bowl no meat. because i am vegan, also got the drink... and chips!!!! but i never got any chips. the bowl was ready as i was filling up my drink and e all the workers disregarded the chips!!!!! so dayumn lackadaisical!!! this is not how you run a business read more

Rubio's Coastal Grill - I need my full refund back - Mexican Near Me - San Diego, California

Fish and Chips were awful , Small kids size portion and no flavor. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Trash cans overflowing inside.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

Rubio's Coastal Grill - Kid size fish n chips for an adult price. - Mexican Near Me - San Diego, California

This location has really gone downhill. We went here today to grab some lunch and left disappointed and still hungry. There was the absolute minimum amount of meat in our bowls, think 4 pieces, and we paid about $55 for three people (2 adults, one kid). They really need to clean their soda fountain out or maybe just throw it out and get a new one. I tried three different drinks from it and all of them tasted off. They seemed to be understaffed, which isn't their fault, but they should be making sure there's adequate staff. I highly recommend skipping this location for Rubio's and heading to Habit next door. read more

[[HIGHLIGHT]]Yuck! Very gross and on top of that nasty![[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]Trash everywhere.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Staff is like jaded and walk around like they are upset they have to work there. Must mean management is rude to them it's usually and indicator when that is the case. [[HIGHLIGHT]]I walked into the restroom for a leak and to test out the toilet as well! And I could've sworn as I was washing my hands I looked down in horror. Because I swear I thought I saw what looked like someone's privates shaved on the sink. And I'm sure you would too. Unless you looked closer. It's a hair net[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]]. Then I went to the counter and saw someone missing a hair net. Would not recommend. For such a nice area. It's a really poorly ran place. Employees sure but this is a management issue for sure and reflects bad on the franchise owner who probably isn't running this very nicely read more

Rubio's Coastal Grill - The uhhhh Baja sink special? - Mexican Near Me - San Diego, California

Will never come back to this Rubio's, had a really gross experience. Rob brought our food to us and accidentally dropped the clear sauce cup with a lid onto the ground. It was visibly leaking and he still picked it up and handed it to us saying it was still good. The sauce cup was cracked and leaking, so we went to ask for a new cup of sauce, and Rob tried to push that it was fine. Finally Rob gave us a new sauce cup, handed the cracked one to the kitchen employee and said (in front of us) "Just give it to the next customer." I'm under no illusions about fast food restaurants, but when customers return an food item (especially in bad condition) you are NOT supposed to serve it to a different customer for sanitary reasons. It's also really rude to drop food on the ground in front of a customer and then still serve it to them, and push them to still take it when they ask for a replacement. That's basic food safety and hygiene, and also basic respect. For the sake of my health I won't be back. read more

Man! It gets worse. The manager replied... asking me to go online to provide the same information I already did here so they could follow through on the complaint. Well guess what... nothing. 1 Month later and no reply. Glad I went out of my way for you, just so you could treat me poorly again. Ugh. read more

My review is based on dining-in experiences. Rubio's in Carmel Mountain consistently delivers a solid dining experience, and a huge part of that is their great customer service. Our little one really enjoys their food and we've become regular visitors, and we're always impressed by the friendly and attentive staff. A special mention regarding Rob, who has been present on several of our visits. He consistently makes an effort to ensure diners have a great experience. His efforts are a major reason why we keep coming back to this particular Rubio's. Beyond the fantastic service, the food is reliably good. We usually order tacos, although we sometimes get a burrito. We appreciate the consistency. In all our trips, we've only encountered a minor order mistake once, and it was quickly and efficiently resolved. I can't comment on a take out experience, as we always dine in. Overall, Rubio's in Carmel Mountain offers a winning combination of consistently good food and great customer service. read more

We were starving from moving. Stopped by for a quick lunch. You order at the counter and take a seat and food is delivered. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Inside looked bright and clean.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] We got shrimp tacos and salad with grilled salmon. Everything tasted fresh and healthy. [[HIGHLIGHT]]We sat dined Al fresco![[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

Rubio's Coastal Grill - Salad with Salmon - Mexican Near Me - San Diego, California

REALLY! After I order three tacos and a burrito you tell me that you hope 30-35 minute wait for my food is acceptable. That is not at all acceptable for fast food/tacos! At least tell me before I pay so I can go eat next store. Extremely disappointing. read more

Well I guess you can see why they are going out of business. Came to grab a quick kids meal for my kid today and waited 20 minutes for the food! Come on you can guys could do better. Employees were nice hence the 2 stars, but the kids meal with guacamole for 11.00 I really wasn't good at all. [[HIGHLIGHT]]This used to be a fun place to come with the family but no more.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

Rubio's Coastal Grill - Kids build your own taco - Mexican Near Me - San Diego, California

Ordered 3 fish tacos the tortillas were so hard I threw the tacos in the trash!. More money poor quality. Better off going to the fish district. read more

Came in after a rough week. Just wanted a peaceful meal of predictable food. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Came in and the restaurant is relatively slow other than a couple of crying toddlers climbing all over the chairs and booths.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] I could see they were finished eating and probably ready to depart. I Ordered a rainbow bowl with grilled mahi mahi. It takes over 30 minutes. The rice was a mixture of hard bits dispersed throughout. Imagine juju candy stuck in your teeth. The fish was so hard and dried out it was difficult to even cut it with the plastic knife much less stab it with the fork. Old beef jerky would have been softer. It must've been on the grill the whole time. Sadly, I felt so shity, I wasn't up to ask for different bowel. I choked down just over half of it and you couldn't know this but I came from a clear your plate kind of family even if it was awful. So afternoon I decided to sit here like a whiny little troll and write a pissy review. I'm I being part of the problem? Maybe. read more

You can never go wrong with Rubio's. I tried their new beer battered shrimp tacos and they were delish. The shrimps were crispy and not overly battered. The tacos were served with cabbage, pico de gallo, and creamy red sauce. Definitely worth a try. I ordered for pick up via the app and always it was smooth pick up. The service is always great and staff is very friendly. read more

Rubio's Coastal Grill - Beer battered shrimp tacos - Mexican Near Me - San Diego, California

I had such a lovely meal at this location. The staff was very friendly and patient! The food came out in a timely manner, and the whole order was done correctly and cooked well! I have no complaints about anything. They have some great vegetarian options including impossible meat as a protein option for your food. I always get the Mexican street corn bowl with impossible meat, it is absolutely delicious! They had plenty of indoor seat and some outdoor seating. There are umbrellas for the tables outside for when it's hot but there are no heaters for when it's cold. The tables are not bolted down so they can be moved around to accommodate for larger parties. The parking is very easy, this location is in a huge plaza and shares a very large parking lot. There are also a lot of good store near by so could definitely knock out a couple of errands in the near by surrounding plazas. read more

Rubio's Coastal Grill - Mexican street corn bowl with impossible meat - Mexican Near Me - San Diego, California

Some pretty good mexican food here. However, their service is quite lackluster. It took them well over 13 minutes to get my food out one time I went. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The floors are quite regularly dirty, and the bathrooms have a strange smell.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]Although the food is great, the resturant itself leaves much to be desired.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

I don't usually do reviews for fast food places... but we had a really good experience on Saturday night. The man helping us was just super friendly and helpful- I feel like his name was rob... or bob... I don't remember but overall good service and good food! read more

If you like Rubio's, then this one is a good one because there's lots of parking & lots of seating, including a large outside seating area. I pretty much always order the fish tacos plate on Tuesdays near the end of my bike ride, and the tacos are always hot with fresh tasting cabbage. The only fault: service can be slow if busy. So I only go here when there's no line up. If I can give 1/2 star, I'd give 3.5 stars. One of my preferred places for fast food. read more

Rubio's Coastal Grill - Fish taco plate - Mexican Near Me - San Diego, California

Wow...so disappointing..l ordered the fish and chips and the 2 fish pieces were thin and small. I also ordered the lobster tacos..small pieces of fried something in a soft under cooked corn shell and the refried beans were watery and the rice was tasteless and dry. The only good thing were the fresh tortillas chips. Not worth my precious dollars. Never again! read more

Food was okay, but they could've filled up my California bowl a little more. A lot more. I attached a pic of it so you can see the amount of space there was. :( read more

Rubio's Coastal Grill - California Bowl hardly filled--look at all that space! - Mexican Near Me - San Diego, California

Been coming to this Rubio's location in Carmel Mountain for many years, but no longer. I'm pretty sure there's been a change in ownership/management in the past few months, and it's not for the better. Ordered the ancho citrus shrimp burrito which, under the old owner/manager, contained a delicious balance of large ancho citrus marinated shrimp, guacamole, rice, and black beans. Today's burrito was 95% beans, just a smear of guacamole, maybe a tablespoon of rice, and four tiny, clearly unmarinated, very tired looking shrimp. It was so overstuffed with mushy beans that it fell apart after a few bites. For $17. And the iced tea tasted distinctly of mold, which makes me think the machine hasn't been cleaned in a while. Do yourself a favor and stay away. Whoever has taken over this location has no clue what they're doing. read more

This is my favorite Rubio's in San Diego county. The staff is friendly, [[HIGHLIGHT]]the restaurant is clean[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]], and the food comes out hot. They almost always get my order perfect, even though I have customizations. Last night my to go order was wrong (a rare miss!), but manager Rosa went above and beyond to make things as right as she could (given we were unable to return to the restaurant). Thank you, Rosa! I'll remain a loyal (and frequent) customer. read more

I am a huge Rubio's fan, in fact, I am pretty sure I had Rubio's twice in a week just last week. On 4/6/23, I received an email alerting me that it was $7.99 for any burritos (that day only). SO OF COURSE, I ordered on the Rubio's App and scheduled for a 6pm pick up. When we went to pick up ( we arrived around 5:40pm), and business was booming (makes sense since we cant be the only fans!). Unfortunately, since we scheduled ahead of time, our food wasnt ready yet (our fault not theirs), so we waited around for some time, but it was ready at 6pm sharp! The salsa bar never fails, we love almost all of their salsas (for me, dont love the roasted one at all). The burritos are also always top notch for me. I always get the same one - Ancho Citrus Grilled Shrimp & it never fails to hit all the cravings. My hub also always sticks to his usual Shrimp & Bacon. You cannot miss with either of these two burritos. Surprisingly, we much rather prefer burritos here than most other places. read more

I ordered take out for my family from Rubio's and overall we thought the food was too spicy, not very good, and barely warm. I ordered online, got there about 5 minutes before the food was supposed to be ready and it was a little late and we ate the food within 10 minutes of it coming out and it was still barely warm. They were fairly busy as they were running a promotion for a local high school which I think is fantastic by the way. Restaurant was mostly clean, one of the employees was scrambling to clean the tables. The staff was friendly and the manager came out to the folks in line to politely tell them they were running late which I also thought was great. read more

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Came tonight craving some fish tacos and had a very unpleasant experience. I interacted with two staff members, both of whom were incredibly rude. The cashier was talking to someone else while I was ordering and seemed like he did not want my business or want to be there. I chose to dine-in, and when the server brought my order, she dropped it on the table, slid it to me and then walked away. I said "thank you" and she did not respond or grab my table number. [[HIGHLIGHT]]While the staff was standing around joking with one another, the trash bin was overflowing and there were table numbers and crumbs all over the restaurant.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] As someone who has worked in multiple restaurants and been coming here for years, I was disappointed in how they were behaving. Additionally, the tacos, rice, and chips were dry, overcooked, and definitely not worth the high price. I feel as though the standard and quality of the food, service, cleanliness, and atmosphere has gone down tremendously in recent years. I will not be coming to this location anymore, nor will I be dining-in at Rubio's restaurants. read more

Gross, low quality and expensive. Beans were watery like diarrhea. Go nextdoor to the Fish Market - night and day. read more

Rubio's Coastal Grill - Only got 3 tiny shrimp. This looks like vomit. Avos look disgusting. Wtf. - Mexican Near Me - San Diego, California

I love rubios! When I go there I always get the chicken burrito especial and I definitely recommend. The food comes out in decent time and [[HIGHLIGHT]]the restaurant is kept nicely![[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] The workers are kind and patient! [[HIGHLIGHT]]The restaurant is located in a nice area, it's not too loud, and it's great for everyone![[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

I've loved Rubio's fish taco's since my first time some 30 years ago. I've drifted away but always come back over that time. Thought I'd stop and see how it is as we climb out of the pandemic. Stopped at the Carmel Mountain Road location for dinner after running some errands. In short I can't imagine ever feeling like I need to eat at Rubio's again. Ever. Regardless of how many posters of Richard Blais you have plastered on the wall. My table selection was based not on where I wanted to sit, not such that I was a comfortable distance from the sparse dine in diners, but solely on a table that wasn't sticky and/or didn't have the previous diners crumbs all over the table. Food was fine, but seriously, "coastal cuisine"? There's far too much competition, that do a whole lot better, so that's a headwind you'll fight forever. I'm diabetic and the Diet Coke wasn't working (it happens) so the ice tea was a good alternative. So when I found the first short, black, fairly curly) hair on my plate I removed it. I have looong grey hair and a loooong grey beard. Any color left me long ago and I was dining by myself. Halfway through my 2nd taco I found the second hair I realized then and there when you put it all together; I never, ever, need to eat at Rubio's again. As I looked back in the kitchen on my way out all I can suggest is get the dude a hairnet. I know it's not intentional and I'm sure all sanitary standards were being followed, but in these times the appearance of unsanitary is going to make or break ya. In this case, it broke ya. read more

Rubio's Coastal Grill - One of two hairs on my plate. - Mexican Near Me - San Diego, California

Manager is exceptional. Kudos to the whole staff. Cashier on point. Manager on point. Cook on point. Great job

Conveniently placed my order and paid via the Rubio's app for contactless pickup. A bit disappointed that the app wouldn't let me customize my order with an open note area to omit things like cilantro like other apps do. The app gave me an estimated time for my order to be ready of 15 minutes and I made it down there just after that estimated time. There were several customers waiting when I arrived. One couple placed their order in the store and were waiting outside, with several more customers actively picking up inside. I waited patiently until those inside left with their orders before I walked inside and discovered my order was waiting for me on a shelf by the register. Yay! I grabbed the bag with my name and started leaving, but thankfully the last behind the counter mentioned that my order should have two bags. The receipt stapled to the bag I grabbed clearly notes that there were two bags, but in my rush I didn't notice it. My bad! I grabbed my second bag and double checked my order in the truck before departing. Happy to note that the staff I saw working when I visited were all wearing masks for their safety and the safety of the customers. Here's what was ordered: - Wild-Caught Norway Lobster Burrito - California Bowl with Grilled Mahi Mahi - (2) Tortilla Soup with guac and 2 corn tortillas Everything was well bagged and ready for transport. I especially want to note that my two soup orders were each snuggled inside a second container with individually packed guacamole and my tortillas wrapped in aluminum foil. Here's the rundown on the taste: Wild-Caught Norway Lobster Burrito: This is a good sized burrito, especially for Rubio's. It was still warm when I arrived home and was delicious! I'd order it again. California Bowl with Grilled Mahi Mahi: This is my dining partner's go-to order here and it didn't not disappoint as far as I could tell even as a take out item. Tortilla Soup: Whomever was making the soup that evening obviously did not follow the recipe or even bothered to taste the end result because it was terribly salty. It looked like the usually decent tortilla soup, but it easily had double the amount of salt needed. You would need to add a lot water for it to be palatable. -1 Star for that. Rubio's is a good joint that makes good food. And their app makes contactless ordering and payment convenient. The staff are doing a great job--thanks! It's just the soup during this visit was not on point compared to my other visits. That won't stop me from coming back again. read more

Rubio's Coastal Grill - Wild-Caught Norway Lobster Burrito - Mexican Near Me - San Diego, California

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The food is decent for a fast food. This place was slower than the typical Rubios I go to in terms of when we get our food. Not sure if it's just here but the prices have jumped so high. It's no longer a good deal to get Fish Taco Especials anymore. I remember the days when original fish taco was $2.50 and a fish taco especial was $3. Now it has crept towards $3.00 for original fish taco and $3.50 for fish taco especial and now seeing the menu, it's $3.50 for original fish taco and $4 for fish taco especial!! I usually eat 4 fish taco especial but now having to cough up over $16 for that is ridiculous. I'm just gonna start learning to make my own fish tacos now because these prices are not worth it especially for fast food. I ended up getting the trio taco special they were offering as that seemed to be the best deal and under $10 budget for fast food. But not going to lie, I came to Rubios for the price point on seafood and now it's just too expensive to come I feel. If I'm going to cough up paying these kinds of prices, I might as well eat a proper seafood restaurant. read more

I love Rubio's and have eaten at many of them. Always great food, nice people, and clean restaurants. I visited the Carmel Mtn. location for the first time today. After paying $16+ for my meal, I went to get my drink. Diet Coke said "out of order" which I know is code for "we forgot to order it." The agua frescas were also "out of order". (Would have been nice to have been told this before I paid!) I settled for iced tea, which tasted like dirty dish water. I'm guessing they haven't cleaned their tea brewers in months. I asked an employee if they had Diet Coke in bottles and she said they did not, even though they had regular Coke. The whole place was sticky, trash and bus bins were overflowing. NOT a great experience! read more

Rubio's Coastal Grill - Mexican Near Me - San Diego, California

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Rubio's has always provided quality food at reasonable prices. This location is great at what they do but they do get slammed due to their proximity. They tend to be busy on fundraising nights, so don't visit when they host one. Cashiers are friendly and always try their best to keep the lines moving. On slow nights, you can find a clean place to enjoy your meal but on busy nights you can forget about it and just take your food to go. The salsa station is always full or quickly replenished. The beverage station is always wiped down too. With other eateries within walking distance of this place, Rubio's has proven they belong and are here to stay for the long haul. I've seen other eateries come and go and I'm glad as well as thankful that Rubio's has been able to stay open and keep people coming in. Be back soon. read more

Went in a for quick bite to eat with my Mother and Sister today . My Mother and I split the Grilled Chicken Salad and I mentioned to the Manger that the chicken portion seemed very small compared to my usual previous orders.The manger came back to our table and brought us each a little extra side of chicken . We were so surprised and enjoyed our wonderful salads . Thank making our little lunch date so wonderful! read more