I first came here in February when I moved to north county. The customer service is great at the counter, but other than ordering food the place looks and feels like any ordinary taco shop in San Diego. The food was good, it's on the higher end and I believe that this is because of the quality of the fish is better than other joints. One thing ! will say is I did not like how messy it was inside. None of the tables were clean or comfortable. They have indoor and outdoor seating. It was pouring rain outside the evening I came by, but I will say the fountain drink section needed replenishment and I think it only happened after I asked for a few things that were missing from the area. The staff that I asked happened to look bothered so I also brought up that the black rug they had in front of the fountain section is completely soaked and has a puddle. This area is not connected to any pipe drains nor the outside at all. It was a slip hazard-- my sister, myself as well as many others were wearing flip flops and it would have soaked our entire foot. The staff member moved it to their outdoor covered patio to the left of the fountains but she looked annoyed. They did not have any signage or props to show it was wet and this is a liability. I have not returned and don't plan on it because this place had too many red flags. The staff didn't even offer any hot sauce, salsa or anything to us when we got our fish and beef tacos read more

Well, we beat the lunch rush by 5 min (arrived at 11:55am), but it took 1 hr and 10 minutes (at 1:10pm) for the food to arrive at our table. People who ordered 30 minutes after us got their food first. I've never waited more than an hour after ordering to receive food, let alone tacos. They have signs saying thanks for your patience. They make the food fresh after we order. BUT it's kinda ridiculous that we had to wait more than an hour after ordering to get the food. Especially since the meat wasn't even warm/hot when it arrived. PLENTY of to go orders were completed before ours. So I guess if you want your food to arrive in a reasonable time, maybe get your food to go. I got the nopal (cactus), al pastor, and carne asada tacos. Al pastor was my favorite. Nopales was pretty unique. Carne asada was kinda dry. Overall, not bad, but there are better options. Oh, and they only have one restroom (all gender), so if you need to wash your hand, be prepared to wait a long line too. read more

The Taco Stand - Tacos Near Me - Encinitas, California

See all

Tacos were delicious! Carne asada was really flavorful and tender!! Pescado tacos had big chunks of delicious fish! They give generous portions of everything! The corn tortillas are so good! We love this spot. Try the freshly made churros, oh my goodness!! Highly recommend! read more

Two words: this place is amazing. Came on a Monday just before 11am. Nobody in line so quick service and fresh, hot tacos. All of the salsas were great and I loved the vibe on the patio. Cool tiled floors and Mexican music playing in the background. Can't wait to come back and try their fries and California burritos! read more

The Taco Stand - Baja Taco, Camaron Taco, Al Pastor Taco - Tacos Near Me - Encinitas, California

Amazing food, people so nice the service was excellent, and the place and ambiance was just perfect will come here again.

I absolutely love this taco shop as a local business! The food is very fresh and they have great options. The inside is decorated very nicely and spacious. The churros are a MUST if you're coming here, you'll see why. The lines are super long and wrapped around the building so just be ready for that! read more

The Taco Stand - Tacos Near Me - Encinitas, California

Amazing salsa bar and great tacos!! We are leaving happy and full. Will definitely be back for more :))

Food is mid and the wait is insane took about 50 min to get 3 tacos and a burrito after ordering, Roberto's is truly so much better

The food and service was incredible by far the best burrito in SD that I've had. The restaurant and staff contributed to an awesome and friendly ambiance. Props to Oscar the chef, was extremely kind and welcoming to us and made this a memorable trip to taco stand!! 10/10 Would defiantly recommend!! read more

jaime is awesome at the register and the food was amazing. The onions are a must if you are stopping by

Not too sure what the hype is for this restaurant. We ordered the carne asada, battered fish, and their pork. The tacos were okay, nothing really special. The tortillas kept falling apart. service was a bit of a mess. They weren't busy but our order got lost and had to talk to the workers multiple times. I would go elsewhere for tacos. But at least their churros were good read more

The Taco Stand - Hot Churros - Tacos Near Me - Encinitas, California

See all

I'm honestly so disappointed in my experience at "The Taco Stand" I usually don't leave reviews, but this visit was frustrating enough that I feel compelled to share. First off, the restaurant wasn't very busy, yet it still took around 30 minutes for our food to come out. When it did, everything was plated together, even though we had ordered separately. Small details were also ignored--like my shrimp taco, which I specifically asked for on a flour tortilla. They verbally confirmed the change but didn't follow through. The biggest issue wasn't even the food, though that was a letdown too: everything was overcooked, borderline burnt, and honestly almost inedible. But I chose not to make a fuss about that. What really pushed this experience over the edge was how my mother was treated. She didn't realize that the cheese on her tacos was melted (which, to be fair, is on the menu), and she politely asked for a small side of shredded cheese in a tiny 2oz container. Instead of helping, the "manager" mocked her for not knowing the cheese was melted and insisted that if she wanted more cheese, it would cost $1.50--no exceptions. When my mom came back empty-handed, I went up to politely explain the situation myself. I was met with the same rigid attitude. The manager was firm that the only way to get a tiny side of cheese was to pay $1.50. I explained, very kindly, that as a business owner myself, I know how much goodwill matters--and how easy it is to leave a positive impression over something so inexpensive. Instead, he doubled down, telling me it was "on the menu" and we should have known better. At the end of the day, my total bill was $110. Over something as minor as a little bit of cheese, this restaurant lost a customer (and future recommendations) forever. It's a shame that something so small turned into such a negative experience. I really hope the owner sees this and realizes how damaging that kind of customer service can be read more

The Taco Stand - Tacos Near Me - Encinitas, California

See all

Waited in line for 30 minutes to order. Then waited another 30 minutes to get our food. They have a great salsa bar and the tacos and burritos are delicious, but be prepared to wait! It seems like they were also doing a bunch of online and phone orders, which slowed down service for people dining in. You order at the counter and pick a place to sit inside of outside. read more

I feverishly yelp searched as we drive down from OC for a quick dinner spot. Unfortunately this was not as the line was out the door and the wait for food was long. But deservedly so since it was a Friday night and their food is excellent. Not knowing the size of their tacos, which in fact were quite hefty, I ordered 5 for my kid and I and that was too much. But it was great to have some variety. We had the Baja (fried fish), Al pastor and one carne asada, plus an order of churros. The wait ended up to be 45 minutes and they looked like they were putting together orders as fast as they possibly could the entire time. We started with the churros so I could still drive and they were absolutely yummy. 3 in an order. We liked the Baja best. Large piece of fish and great tortilla. We loved that creamy light green sauce the best with it. The Al pastor was fine but nothing noteworthy. The carne asada was meaty and delicious. All taco stands are not quite the same When leaving SD we hit another one and experienced the following differences. The churro at the second place was skinnier and smaller and less satisfying. However it came with a nice dipping sauce or leche that we didn't get in Encinitas. The Baja taco had a lot of cabbage which my daughter didn't like while the Encinitas one has just a little. I also preferred the Encinitas one. The other one was also extremely busy but not nearly as backed up. I'm glad we were able to have some famous SD tacos while visiting! read more

I've only had the California burrito here (a few different times), but it os awesome. The salsas are very fresh. And the carne asada has such a nice smoke from the grill on it that it really almost tastes like bacon. and the meat is very tender. And the portion is very huge. I really love this burrito. read more

Haven't been here in a while but stopped in for a late dinner and remembered that yes, the perpetual line to order is worth the wait! We ordered the churros (came out before the savory food but we devoured them anyway), the surf and turf burrito, and 3 tacos - carne asada, nopal (cactus), and mushroom. All were delicious! I just wish the food would've arrived more quickly, 20 minutes was a bit longer than I would've preferred. I still recommend for fast casual Mexican food in a lively spot! read more

The Taco Stand - Carne Asada Taco, Mushroom Taco, Nopal Taco - Tacos Near Me - Encinitas, California

MUST share the surf & turf fries with a group!! The grilled shrimp tacos are always my favorite - it's not "spicy" just has a kick and is sooo juicy. Some other favorites are the carne asada and battered fish. The wait is long but worth , and if you're extra hungry the churros are iconic. Deep fried to perfection! read more

This a great little gem. My brother lives here and I visit quite often. Every time we drive by he comments on how good it is but there's a huge line so we pass. This time there was no line so we stopped in and I'm so glad we did. I had a steak taco and fish taco - both were absolutely yummy. This was a few days ago so I forget the names of the tacos but honestly looking around to the other patrons it seemed like all the various tacos were a hit. Be forewarned they are messy but oh so finger licking good. read more

The Taco Stand - Street corn and two tacos each - Tacos Near Me - Encinitas, California

See all

Street parking. Ambiance is cute, loved the red on the inside and the blue tiles in the patio. Service was friendly but when there's a line, food will take a while. Chips and guac were delicious. Guac was well seasoned and bright from the lime. Baja fish tacos were DELICIOUS and I loved slathering the cilantro cream sauce on top. Salsa bar is great! Did not care for the grilled fish as it's under seasoned with no grill char. BD did not care for the asada or the pork and I'm like how??? Churros came with condensed milk. I'd come back for the Baja fish tacos alone. read more

The Taco Stand is definitely a popular spot...you can tell by the line and how packed it gets. We had a bit of a wait, and when we finally ordered, there weren't any open seats inside. Luckily, we grabbed a spot outside on the bench seating. The only downside was that the vinyl benches were scorching hot in the sun...literally too hot to sit on. We ended up putting sweatshirts down so we could actually sit, which worked out fine but was definitely unexpected! That said, once the tacos arrived, it was all worth it. The food was fresh, flavorful, and absolutely delicious. The vibe here is fun and lively, and despite the seating hiccup, we really enjoyed our visit. Great tacos, great energy. We'll be back (maybe just on a cooler day or with a shady seat!). read more

See all

Best loaded fries in the whole wide world! So glad i came here with my family, we celebrated our birthday and it was really fun. We also had drinks that we drank and those drinks were really good. The fireplace was awesome. All of us warm and the guy sitting next to us had a hat and a blue sweater and it was really kind to us thank you. read more

These guys are AWESOME!! LOVED their MAR Y TIERRA fries If I could marry their corn on the cob I WOULD but I'm Human and that's corn!! read more

The Taco Stand - Tacos Near Me - Encinitas, California

Last night my friend & I stopped into The Taco Stand - I've heard such great things about the food so it was nice to finally get. The line to get in moves very quickly & we were lucky enough to snag two spots on the bar seating next to the kitchen. We started with guacamole & chips & went to the salsa bar & tried quite a few. The app was fresh & delicious. Next came our churros - DEVINE. I would come back just for the Churros. It took about 30 minutes for our tacos & while they were delicious & it was busy, it wasn't my favorite taco I had in SD, but they were good. The corn on the cob came about 10 minutes after the tacos. It was also delicious but probably would have preferred dessert last & main courses first. Either way, it was a fast moving environment- lots of chaotic energy which was fun to watch. read more

See all

Overrun with Encinitas gringos in their beachy casual clothing, and I say that as one. I've never seen people try so hard to look like they aren't trying. Bring your dog. Bring your baby stroller. The food is quite good but it is crowded and the Mexican music is too loud. read more

Out of all the Taco Stands in San Diego County, the Encinitas and La Jolla locations are far superior in their food than the others. These two locations consistently deliver fantastic quality food. Not so much for the other locations. The new one in Oceanside is hit or miss, one day it's great, the next time you wonder what happened. read more

Amazing tacos and burrito. Worth the wait. Great service and ambiance!! Love this place read more

The Taco Stand - Amazing tacos and burrito. Super authentic and worth the wait! - Tacos Near Me - Encinitas, California

See all

The Donald Trump of taco shops--highly touted, great reviews and....falling entirely short from beginning to end. What a complete disaster. A disaster. Waited 45 minutes for 6 tacos. 45 minutes. A Friday at 3:00pm. Disaster. Guacamole? Horrible. Chips? Horrible. The service? Even worse. Tacos finally came out after 3 trips up to say, "hey? Everyone ok back there?" Ice cold tacos. Flavorless tacos. Nightmare What a nightmare and a pile of trash. Will never be back. Ever. Never ever. Trash. You people are complete trash. read more

Roschelle is amazing and had great service! Super friendly and helpful. I was very pleased with the rest of the restaurant as well and how clean and vibrant it was. Thanks yall!!! read more

Long lines but well worth it. Best fish taco I have ever had! The salsa bar is incredible and once you order it's super fast! Super cheap for what you get. Ok the corn on the cob was out of this world good. I can't wait to return next year! Go and be amazed. Btw, employees super nice especially older man at pick up area. read more

I am surprised I haven't reviewed taco stand so far. This is by far one of our favorite taco places in San Diego. As usual - I got a mushroom taco and nopales taco and husband got the carne asada burrito. We also got a bag of chips to enjoy with the complimentary salsa bar. The food was amazing as always but found the chipotle salsa watered down this time. Hopefully it was an honest mistake. Ps: the long lines are worth the wait! read more

Eating fish tacos here have forever changed me and every time I visit San Diego, I will try my hardest to get their fish tacos. One single layer of soft corn tortilla, perfectly fried white fish, delicious chipotle sauce, and the right amount of veggies. I inhaled three at a time with no regrets. We tried their chorizo breakfast burrito that was good, but not great. The baja taco is where it's at here. When the line is long- pro tip is to DoorDash a pickup order. read more

The Taco Stand - Chorizo and Egg Burrito, Baja Taco - Tacos Near Me - Encinitas, California

See all

The food is so good that we keep coming back. We have had so many items on the menu and can't find anything we don't like. Our regular order for a family of five is one California burrito, 3 shrimp tacos, 2 chicken tacos, a bean burrito and 2 corn on the cob. The people working there are so friendly and kind. The ambiance is fun and casual. We have gone in sandy swimsuits and it was no problem. Best food in town! read more

I still love Salud more but I really liked this Taco stand location for two reasons: 1. More parking around the area 2. More seating space They work on the same principle as the La Jolla location and also have a line but it moves quite quickly. The tacos here are just the same as the other locations. We got to sit at the counter and watch them work, which I can never do in La Jolla. In the future, I know I'll prefer this location more than the other ones. read more

See all

Our food took over 30 minutes to get because they kept calling out take out orders . Felt like that was way too long for tacos.

We heard rave reviews about The Taco Stand so we decided to check it out. We were staying in Carlsbad for a family vacation to Legoland and drove to the closest one that made sense for us in Encintas. I've never been to Encintas before! Cute area, but parking, oof. We drove past The Taco Stand one night and the line was out the door. We have a toddler, so we skipped it the first night, but went back another night and we were able to get seats. It was still crazy busy though! We ordered 1 Al pastor taco, 1 Sonora taco, 2 Baja tacos, Mar y Tiera fries, corn on the cob, 1 horchata, and 1 Al pastor volcan. Everything tasted great, hype is worth it, I'd eat here again but I just don't know if we can deal with the wait with a kid. Maybe not so family friendly. read more

See all

James was amazing and has the best customer service. 10/10 food and 10/10 workers, line moves fast and we got our food very quick for how many people were there read more

Food: Delicious Service: meh TLDR: would def still recommend. Parking wasn't too bad and this location has more seating than the la jolla location. Went w/ a group of 4 and the line outside was a little long so there was some wait but not too bad. However, we were not expecting to wait 30+ minutes for our orders to come out. The waitress also forgot several items from our order a couple of times. It took about 3 to 4 times total for them to get all of our food items to us. She looked pretty busy so I felt bad but they gotta find a way to make the system work more efficiently and accurately. Food tho... was amazing. 5 stars. The adobada (aka al pastor), carne asada, and camarones (shrimp) were our favorite for tacos. The fish taco was good too but I think some other taco spots have better fish tacos. The carne asada fries were bomb as well. Friends got burritos which they really enjoyed. Unexpected banger was the churros. T'was fluffy, crispy, cake-y. Yum. Would still highly recommend this place but expect some wait time during their busy hours. read more

On vacation in Carlsbad, some one told us this place is good. And YES!! It is. So, we have to come over twice for tacos. read more

SO AMAZING! It was my first time here and i'm definitely coming back, my friend got the burrito and it was amazing !! fav spot! read more

The Taco Stand - Tacos Near Me - Encinitas, California

The service was great!! Everyone was so friendly and the food is always amazing!!! Love this place!!