Rudy's and the whole team are fantastic and very easy to work with. I recently hired them to provide dinner to a group of 100, and they truly went the extra mile to make sure everyone was well-fed and satisfied. I highly recommend Rudy's for dine-in, takeout or catering. read more

My husband ordered two California burritos in the restaurant at 7:40 pm. They close at 8 pm. He asked for NO sour cream. We got two CA burritos WITH sour cream and the carne asada was so overcooked, it was probably the meat in the scraped down section of the grill. The burritos were not edible and disgusting. We usually love their food and are so disappointed with this order. read more

The Chicken Soup is loaded with SALT. Feels like 75% salt in the liquid. Hard to swallow and diluting it with water doesn't help. Luckily my order was Togo and ended up straining all the liquid out and ate the potatoes, carrots, chicken and rice. Those were also heavily infused with salt. I was really hoping to find somewhere closer but I will not be returning. read more

Probably my favorite taco shop, hands down. My go-to orders are the street tacos (shredded chicken and carne asada) soft tacos (grilled chicken with lettuce, sour cream, guacamole, and cheese on a corn tortilla) and the breakfast burritos (all of them)- all consistently delicious. I've been coming here for years, and the consistency in both the quality of the food and the service is actually pretty remarkable. In my opinion, you won't find a better taco shop in Carlsbad. The ingredients are always fresh, and everything tastes like it's made with care. Highly recommend Rudy's if you're looking for top-notch Mexican food done right. To the entire staff, thank you for the years of great service and food! read more

Rudy's Taco Shop - Mexican Street Tacos (shredded chicken and Carne Asada) - Mexican Near Me - La Costa, California

This is a decent taco shop with all the staples. I love that they have draft beer, so if I want to pop in for a quick bite I can enjoy a cerveza. However, the food is inconsistent. I always order the same regular breakfast burrito, and a few months back it shifted from all the ingredients being well integrated to everything being in a separate thrown together lump. The service is also quite lacking, sometimes the cashier is friendly but most of the time (I've been here many dozens of times) she barely acknowledges you. Not great, seeing as authentic Mexican restaurants are known for having outstanding service. I go here simply because it's close to my house, but I may start going to Los Tacos up the road, where the owner is super excited to see me and greets me by name. read more

Routinely visit Rudy's. Dave is a great owner. Many upgrades over the years. Excellent carne asada tacos, get the big ones. New salsas also good. Like their chips and guac. Recommend. read more

Rudy's Taco Shop has two locations, one in Solana Beach and the other in Carlsbad. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The Carlsbad location is tucked into a large plaza, occupying a small corner with two outdoor tables for dining. The indoor seating area is also modest, and the walls reveal the shop's long-standing history.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]The restaurant is especially popular during their Happy Hour, offered Monday through Thursday afternoons.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] I tried their $2 Baja Fish Taco, which featured a small piece of fried fish paired with plenty of cabbage, tomato slices, and mayo sauce. While the fish portion wasn't large, the freshness and balance of ingredients made it a satisfying bite. The $8 Mini Tacos Combo was the highlight. Despite being called "mini," these tacos were quite generous in size. The Al Pastor was grilled to perfection, though the pineapple chunks were a bit too small to balance the flavor fully. The Carne Asada was well-marinated and flavorful. The Carnitas had a wonderfully tender and juicy texture. The Lengua (beef tongue) was especially impressive, with large, satisfying chunks that were tender and rich. The Quesabirria Taco is another highlight in the happy hour menu, in which the cheese taco is well with the plenty of chopped beef with a side of the birria and a small portion of marinated onion. Unfortunately, the salsa bar was out of order during my visit, but the staff was generous and provided pre-packaged salsa in three flavors, ensuring I could enjoy my tacos with the full experience. [[HIGHLIGHT]]They have redesigned the area in some dining hall details with the re-opening of the salsa bar as well as the showing of merchants at the area[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] . [[HIGHLIGHT]]Rudy's combines a nostalgic, homey vibe with delicious, well-prepared tacos, making it a fantastic spot for a casual meal--especially during Happy Hour![[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

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We were craving Mexican so beyond my better judgement we stopped by Rudy's on the way home. My husband was up sick all night. Battered Fish Burrito was horrible! The fish was rotten and black. I ate one bite, unrolled it and it looked so bad! Rolled tacos are usually my favorite. Green and brown runny quacamole. The meat was so dry, tasteless and unable to chew! Never going there again. read more

The very best food in town! So fresh, reliable and yummy.. Their vampire tacos are to die for

I grabbed my order from Rudy's, a La Costa staple, and headed home to enjoy it. I stopped by for a happy hour fish taco and added a bean and cheese burrito. I'm leaving this review for the owners: please check your line. The beans were some of the worst I've tasted--flavorless and unrecognizable. A simple bean and cheese burrito should be consistent. If this basic item isn't executed well, it raises concerns about the rest of the kitchen. You guys are great and I love the shop but come on now.. this just says someone's not following the standard. I'll try back in a few weeks. Cheers. read more

Holy smoke! The best chili relleno/ surf and turf taco/ cheese enchilada combo ever!!! The staff is great. I even wave to the kitchen staff. Everything here is fantastic, and it's my kids favorite place for California burritos. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Eat inside, outside or to go ! Can't miss![[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

[[HIGHLIGHT]]Uncooked queso, about to go bad guacamole, stale chips, filthy Restuarant.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Food is awful and WAY OVERPRICED.. Still, I am grateful to Rudy's for awful food, as I will,now,learn to make my own queso, buy my own fresh chips and a;tear dry make my own gauc, rice and beans. Poor quality food, tasteless guacamole, stale chips. Please take our advice...STAY AWAY read more

We wanted so bad for Rudy's to be great, but man has it gone downhill! Yesterday, my wife and I ordered a crunchy beer battered fish burrito, beef rolled tacos, a tostada supreme and a quesadilla on our way home from shopping. We made the 6 min drive home, looking forward to a nice takeout meal. Sadly, the food was cold and the fish was not at all "crunchy". My wife took one look at what appeared to be old limp fish, said yuk, and tossed it! The quesadilla was totally cold and the rolled tacos tasted like they were also hours old. The tostada was about the only thing that wasn't cold or nasty looking. Topping it all off, I woke around 4am with that Montezuma rumbling in my stomach. You know the one! Ugh! Rudy's used to be our go-to for a dependable Mexican meal, but after spending $50+ for cold, nasty looking food that nobody took any pride in preparing, I doubt we'll be back for a very long time. Do better, Rudy's! read more

Food was cold ordered a #2 asked for beef taco cheese enchilada, enchilada sauce was so cold it was like tomato paste and couldn't melt the little bit of cheese in the enchilada and second I received a chicken taco witch was tougher then the sole of your shoe never again will I spend my money here gross save yourself and go somewhere where else read more

I decided to try rudys taco shop, they have some delicious food but on this occasion I decided to try their tamale special. It was completely inedible, tasted and smelled like I was eating a block of charcoal. The meat inside was fine, but the smell of the tamale shell was completely overwhelming, it even permeated the beans and rice, I ended up having to throw the whole plate away. Bummer read more

I've never once been impressed with the food here. It really is mediocre. Sauces are about the most basic average red and Verde sauce you can imagine and the food has never been more than meh. I went for 2 fish ($2) tacos and 1 birria ($3) off happy hour menu. Had I actually spent the $14.50 menu price I would have been pissed. Nothing was more than room temp and though the fish tacos appeared "fresh" at first, the fried fish was just a greasy sloppy batter version of itself. I also made the mistake of peeling it to check out what little fish was in there and that was def not any type of white fish like halibut or haddock. I can't see any reason why people eat there other than convenient location. read more

The young girl who was working the cash register this evening needs help with learning customer service. Didn't greet any of the customers coming in and was not friendly. Besides that, the food was delicious! read more

3.5 stars. I thought it was pretty good, not great. I'd try it again though. I got a veggie burrito and added shredded chicken. Overall, it was tasty but the chicken was like chewing on a rawhide. So chewy that i just spit it all out. Next time I'll try it with carne or pollo asado. All of the Salsas are pretty good. read more

San Diego Taco Series, Part 10 Rookie hazing. Boy has popular culture shifted on that topic in my lifetime. While it used to be overlooked in the past, it is now widely discouraged within the mainstream. However, that does not mean that it no longer occurs. Take this evening as an example. It sure seemed to me that these young officers were "delegated" the duty of retrieving food for the benefit of others. I sure hope that the location they were dispatched to was determined by those "others." I say that because the tacos here were...ok. Crispy tacos, soft tacos, rolled tacos. Fish tacos, chicken tacos, carnitas tacos. Their collective rap sheets bore a similar verdict...average. It wasn't that they were bad, they just wouldn't stand out if asked to appear in a "lineup" of other tacos. I sure hope that the "rooks" on duty didn't select this location of their own volition. If they were found guilty of that offense, I fear they'll be sentenced to additional "hard" time until their seniority is elevated in comparison to the next gen. And that's...Henry's Take. Photo credit: @danavoros #sandiegotacos read more

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Had the combination plate w cheese enchilada, chile relleno, rice and beans. Chile relleno was okay but did not like batter or sauce on enchilada. Was uninspiring meal for Mexican food. Price was great. Customer service was meh . Will not go back. read more

This is a great Mexican restaurant. Very quick service and is easy ti get your food and get out. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The restaurant itself looks fine.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] We have gotten catered by Rudy's more than I can count, and they never let me down. In fact we are getting catered tonight. read more

Native San Diegan here. This place is really good. There are plenty of clowns in the reviews who'd be better off at Chipotle or On the Border eating fake Mexican food. Someone ordered a veggie burrito and added shredded chicken. . Unreal. read more

We're from out of town but we've been to this Rudy's many times. We've tried several different items off the menu. Everything is EXCELLENT!!! The flavors just jump out at you. Their salsas and pico de gallo are superb. read more

Ordered here to be delivered. Firsts they forgot a shrimp taco that was ordered. The chips and salsa ( that is pico de gallo not salsa) the enchilada sauce tasted like a can sauce. But the worst part was the tostada was just a tortilla was not fried and had a long hair in it. Will not recommend anyone eating here. Needs some serious changes. read more

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For a fast casual place it's hard to beat. Solid, delicious Mexican food with great serving size. The meat was juicy and flavorful. The tortillas tasted good. The balance of meat to everything else was just right. And the refried beans were spot on good. FOOD: Ordered a little of everything. A street taco with carnitas, a fish taco, and a bean, cheese, and rice burrito. Loved them all. The carnitas was juicy and flavorful which can sometimes be dry. This wasn't. The fish taco was tender and had great crunch. Not too much batter but not too fishy either. I love they didn't hide the fish behind tons of cabbage. The burrito was good. Nice balance between the tortilla, beans, cheese, and rice. And the salsas were both great. Slightly favored the green tomatillo one. SERVICE: Good. The food was served quickly and politely. There was more than enough salsa given which is great. No napkins though which was a bummer. COST: More than reasonable. Excellent for what you get! read more

Rudy's Taco Shop - Bean cheese and rice burrito - Mexican Near Me - La Costa, California

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Horrible! I used to like this place and even had them cater a couple of events in the past. I ordered a shrimp burrito and chicken tortilla soup. The burrito had 2 sad over-salted shrimp. The tortilla soup was just salty water with rough chicken and stale tortilla chips. Disgusting tasting food and the employees there are rude or disinterested at best. Do yourself a favor and find a different taco shop. read more

You should be ashamed of yourself Rudy's to call this a taco shop. Drive up the road and go to El Pueblo. It's like some stoned teen age kid put together a low sodium meal for their Grandpa. No flavor, stale chips, tough meat....$16. read more

Rudy's Taco Shop - Mexican Near Me - La Costa, California

Meh food.... Beans were not cooked and the food was meh. Mole was beyond salty. Rolled Tacos were so small...seriously- never seen them that small Native San Diegan, so I know a good taco shop. Lots of choices. read more

Terrible, Terrible management, 1st time here food was good, happy hr. Refused to allow me to order for son at school (takeout) for happy hr. When and picked up my son, refused happy hr prices because I returned after. Unbelievable. Will never come back.. unbelievable read more

[[HIGHLIGHT]]I sat down while waiting for take out and was appalled at how dirty this place was.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]The food was nothing special but also would not return based on the lack of cleanliness.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

Never again. Ever. I'd say I visit this place 2-3 times a week. Normally around 1-2pm post lunch rush, and they are never really that quick but it's not too bad. I happened to notice today they have a new system that, you guessed it, is now directly asking for a tip. I'd hope that means they're trying to up their quality...nope! There was no on in line or waiting for their orders. Placed an order for BRC. Waited 4 minutes and saw a burrito order come up. The workers continued to chat and chat and then a call came in. Then another customer and another. My order sat there for 7 minutes and they just went back to chatting before acknowledging an order was waiting there. With absolutely no urgency they gazed at the order trying to figure out what it could be. Now 8 minutes, which may not sound like a lot but when you're just looking at your order, trying to get their attention, on a break. It's annoying. Now the burrito, literally one bite had rice. The rest, just beans and little bits of cheese. For $9($1 tip). I'd rather eat the buffet style food at Walmart check out stands. That stuff is clearly served with more care. Keep your watery salsa, watery beans and tasteless rice bits. I'll keep my money and I suggest that everyone do the same. Especially when there's such quality Mexican food in the area. read more

They have really good food but the chicken soup is my favorite. I have moved up north but when I'm in the area I try and make sure i can order their soup. read more

Ordered from DoorDash, thought I would try something local. Ordered the combo with a pick 2 option. One soft taco and an enchilada. Cold, and received 2 enchiladas. Would not recommend. Not worth the money. read more

Rudy's Taco Shop - Receipt - Mexican Near Me - La Costa, California

So, their chips and guacamole used to be the best. We would go there and buy them before we would have parties. Something happened recently and they are now purchasing prepackaged chips and the guacamole is runny and less flavorful. I don't know what happened here, but we won't be buying our chips and guac there anymore. read more

We have been loyal customers of Rudy's mexican restaurant in La Costa for years, but the owner made a huge mistake a few weeks ago by instructing his cooks to downsize the food portions. We typically order every Friday the exact same items. Two weeks ago Friday we ordered our typical burritos and 6-rolled chicken tacos (taquitos). When we opened up the burritos and the rolled taco's we were stunned to see how much smaller they were. This past Friday I called in our order and before I placed it I explained the above to guy on the phone. He told me the owner had told the cooks to downsize the food portions. I told him that we are regular customers, but if the food is downsized we will stop supporting their restaurant. They are many options when it comes to Mexican restaurants in the area. When I went to pick up the food the guy told me that the owner told the cooks they must downsize the food portions. I told him the bean & cheese burrito was the size of something you can get at Del Taco for one-third the cost. I wasn't sure if they had made our food with sizes and ingredients back to the normal volume, but hoped they had. Unfortunately when we got home the food sizes were still small. See the photos of the lack of guacamole and cheese and Fresca on the rolled Taco. This is a very tough time with COVID-19 hammering local restaurants. We have been loyal supporters of Rudy's for years and during this point in time the only restaurant we have been ordering from. On the other hand, the owner, who I am sure is hurting financially has made the choice to lower the quality of his product and also raise the prices. That is his choice and business strategy, but it seems rather short-sided as he is driving his most loyal customers elsewhere. This Friday we will be ordering at one of the other great Mexican food options in Encinitas. read more

Stopped by for lunch today to check it off my list. SERVICE - The cashier was nice. FOOD CA Burrito - This was on Thrillist's Top 12 CA burritos so we had to try it. It was honestly just okay. Not at all bad but...normal. Nothing mind blowing. Simple meat, fries, and sour cream. We prefer Lolitas. Carne Asada Tacos - Again, it was alright. Nothing amazing. Fish Tacos - The fish was very crispy and the sauce was good. We liked this better than the carne asada ones. Overall, standard little Mexican food shop. Not a place we would frequently visit but we would not completely write it off either. read more

We used Rudy's Solana Beach to cater our rugby club tailgate for 300. The food was fantastic and plentiful. Issac and his team were a pleasure to work with. Highly recommend and would use again. read more

Rudy's Taco Shop - Mexican Near Me - La Costa, California

Their prices are pretty high now! I ordered: (1) Bean & Cheese Burrito (1) Bean and Cheese & Rice Burrito Got them home and they were TINY ....definitely NOT worth the $7.50 per burrito! It's beans and cheese and rice.....they should be really large burritos!!! And, I got a side of Spicy Carrots, for like $3-4. Got them home and opened the container and there were like 4 carrots in it, but mostly Jalapeños! Not worth the $20 I spent on 2 burritos and carrots. Bummer because I really like to support Rudy's! read more

Birria is the best! Birria burrito trumps all others. Wonderful food, nice locally owned business!

[[HIGHLIGHT]]I needed to take some time to complement the amazing atmosphere and service of Rudy's taco shop.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] The cashiers are always kind and more than willing to help out and the food is some of the best in Southern California. read more