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Yes the line is always out the door. Yes it's worth it. Tijuana-style tacos on handmade tortillas, salsa bar that actually has heat, and everything comes out fast. Al pastor with pineapple is my go-to, baja fish is crispy and fresh, and the California burrito is stupid good. No table service, just order, grab your salsas, eat. Quick, cheap, consistent.
Loved the tacos here! It wasn't real busy when we walked in, but by the time we left it was packed and the line out the door and a line for the salsa bar. Tacos; Carne Asada, Al Pastor X2, Pescado and Sonoran.... Guac and chips. Al Pastor was pretty authentic I think. Even a slice or two of pineapple. Delicious. Salsa bar is good, I had the habanero and green salsa. Habanero had a nice kick. The napkin dispenser was hilarious with a Chihuahua wrestler Mexicano painted on it. Service was awesome, friendly and she was great explaining what would be on each taco. Place is clean. A rating.
Was it worth the wait? Not for an hour. Delicious tacos come dime a dozen around here. As visitors in the area, we stuck it out to see what the hype's about. As soon as we arrived, we noticed a loooong line of people waiting to order. The place is not that big, with limited seating inside and outside. I guess there's always a long line here and it doesn't move quickly. Being with a party of 7, I started searching for back up plans but we also had our dog so we figured we might as well wait since we were able to snag a table out front. The tortillas are hand made and everything is made to order, but so do many other taco spots in San Diego. The line moves a lot slower than other places and the food seems to take an extremely long time. We even saw people order slices of pizza from next door while waiting as appetizers knowing it would take at least an hour for the tacos. We got a variety: carne asada, al pastor, pollo asada, mushroom and shrimp. Everything was well seasoned and cooked perfectly. Most of the tacos had a nice portion of filling except the al pastor taco I got was skimpy. If you look at the photo, I took the one on the right, knowing it had less and gave the bigger portion to my brother. I was very disappointed though after waiting over an hour for it. The carne asada was good, but I've had similar elsewhere. We also got a few elote (street corn on the cob). The ratio of mayo, cotija cheese, lime and tajin was perfect and the corn had a nice crunch to it. I'm just so used to it being scraped off the cup and served in a cup, I was a little let down with that too. I would've liked my relatives from Japan try it that way so more of them could taste it. Limited spots in the parking lot and street parking can be difficult. Others will probably do the same as I did and try Taco Stand at least once, but no need to return.
I had the best tacos EVER! house made tortillas, extremely fresh ingredients,so juicy and delicious. Must visit! Afternoon is longer line. The best service
I came here with a friend who saw this place on TV. I was excited to try their tacos. It's a small taco restaurant with a little bit of seating inside as well as outside. When we got there the line was out the door, but not too long. We probably waited 10 minutes in line. When I first saw the menu I was worried that 1 taco was $3-5 dollars because I assumed the tacos were more like street tacos. They were bigger than a street taco and filled with meet and guacamole. So I ordered 3 pollo asado tacos with a side of churros. These tacos were BY FAR the best tacos I've ever had. The tortillas you can tell were made fresh from scratch. The chicken was so tender and had a lot of flavor. They put a lot of guacamole, but it wasn't too much or too little. It was also very fresh. As I was eating all I was saying was wow, wow, wow. I was at a loss for words. The churros also wow! They had to make a fresh batch by the time I ordered one so it did take awhile, but honestly so worth the wait. They were hot, fresh, moist and very tasty. I'm usually not a fan of churro because they are typically greasy and crunchy. These were soft like a donut. By far again the best churros I've ever had. If I could rate this place higher than 5 I would. I HIGHLY HIGHLYYYYY RECOMMEND THIS PLACE.
I saw a long line at this restaurant 2 years ago and figured it was worth a try. I visited The Taco Stand recently and was honestly a little underwhelmed. The restaurant was small but very lively. There is limited seating inside and out. You can see the whole staff hustling and bustling. They have a soda dispenser and self serve condiment bar in the back. It gets congested quick back there. The decor is fun and colorful. Overall, the inside is small but inviting. I ordered a bean and cheese burrito, 2 tacos de carne asada, one Al pastor taco, and a taco de nopales. The tortillas are hand made. That's always a plus. The nopales taco was cold. I was hoping that it would have been grilled because grilled nopales are fire. The nopales happened to be my least favorite item that I tried. The Al pastor lacked flavor. I also thought it needed to be cooked a little longer. It wasn't under cooked but needed more time. It came with sliced pineapples but it was barely drained and the juices made the taco very wet and sweet. The al pastor taco and nopales taco was served with their cilantro lime dressing which was flavorful. The bean and cheese burrito was good and hearty. It paired well with their chipotle sauce. The carne asada tacos were the best. The carne asada was rich in flavor and the meat was cut into good sized pieces. Served with a good helping of guac and cilantro and onions. A little messy but it was a hit. The churros are good. Good size and seasoning and not overly oily. Overall, I would revisit The Taco Stand. The tacos I would order them basic as possible. Just meat and cilantro onion toppings while adding the sauce myself. If the tacos weren't messy I'd give it a higher rating. One thing that caught my eye were the asada fries. Those looked good.
This place is small but mighty!! Walk up to order your tacos, find a spot inside or outside. Choose your spice level at the salsa bar and enjoy when your fresh tacos are ready. Pretty sure they press fresh tortillas for every order. Some of the best tacos we've had.
Since I've had their tacos before I wanted to try their shrimp burrito . It was good -I appreciated the fresh avocado in the burrito. And I felt every bite had a good amount of shrimp in it. Now that I've tried both l think I prefer their tacos more. And shrimp tacos here are still my fav. Also this place was packed with a line out the door. After I ordered I had to wait 20 min for my burrito. The price you pay for good food.
Haven't been back here in about 2 years unfortunately. Took my brother with me this time. Ordered the Baja Tacos, Pescado Tacos, And chips with guacamole. The price point is on point, the portions are massive, great salsa bar selection. Instead of waiting for a table we dropped the tailgate on the truck and ate right there on the street. FOOD TASTES BETTER OUTDOORS!
The Taco Stand serves incredible tacos just up the street from the beach, and that perfectly captures what makes SoCal such an amazing place to live. We tried almost every taco and the standouts were the Baja and Sonora. The fish in the Baja was perfectly fried. It tasted so fresh and airy. The steak in the Sonora was fatty deliciousness and the melted cheese brought things to another level. We waited in line for 30 min and close to another 10 min for our food to come out. The long wait made our expectations even higher than they already were, but the food still managed to impress us. I highly recommend The Taco Stand! Can't wait to come back!
As my first visit to SD in a long, long time, I felt it was necessary to visit one of the most iconic stops in the city! We have The Taco Stand in Las Vegas, but there is truly something special about getting delicious tacos by the water. The wait could get very tedious. The line wraps around the building into the parking lot with cars pulling in & out. You also wait a bit for your food. Compared to the location here in Vegas where I could be in and out in 5 minutes, spending nearly an hour standing around is less than ideal on a trip :/ But....... the food is unfortunately very very delicious. AND THE CHURROS! so yummy and sweet. My favorite is the Baja Taco. An absolute gem.
3.5 The small restaurant had a long line that moved quickly. Even the wait for the food after ordering was not long. I had the mushroom/vegan taco. The tortilla was great. The mushrooms were sautéed with garlic and were flavorful. What was missing was the spices and freshness of a sea side taco stand. There was a bit of cilantro and a dollop of avocado - but no salsa nor chili powder. I didn't mind the messiness of the presentation. Overall a solid taco choice.
This location is still one of my favorite Taco Stands! So close to the beach, you can get a great meal to go (seating inside is very limited) and have a great day in La Jolla! The Mar Y Tierra fries are my favorite thing to get there - super generous portions of shrimp and steak on top of some deliciously crispy fries and topped with a heap of cheese and sauce! For the price it's honestly a great deal. The food does take a while to come out especially when busy since they have to make everything to order it seems but workers are all pretty nice and seem to try their best to get you your food as quickly as they can. Honestly the burritos are a bit on the smaller side but they are priced lower than a lot of the other burritos in SD, so I guess it's proportionate. Highly recommend trying all the sauces from their large sauce bar as well!
First off, is it worth it to wait in the line? YES Small price to pay for the best burritos, tacos and churros around. The line is a bit of an optical illusion, it comes out of the building and down the sidewalk because there is only one person taking orders. Keep in mind, during the touristy holiday times the line is bigger and people are ordering large qualities which creates a bit of a back up. Typically it's 30 min from line to getting your food. Yesterday it was two hours as it's the holidays. What to expect: Stand in line (typical for this location) Greeted by a super nice employee. Pro tip, order the churros as these come out first and gives you a snack while you wait on the food. After you order hit the salsa bar line so you can get a stock up of the best hot carrots, salsa, onions etc. Find a spot to stand and wait for food. There is one way in and one way out so it gets a bit crowded. If you are dining in, find a seat quick as seating is limited. Note: there is seating outside as well. Grab food when your name is called and brace yourself for some amazing Mexican grub! Our order was churros (of course), Camarón burrito, California burrito, and a Baja taco. Baja taco is a little bit larger than street size, large chunk of fish and the fixins, it was fantastic! Camarón (not Cameron lol) burrito was stock full of shrimp, fresh avocado, cabbage, chipotle sauce, tomato, seasoned perfectly and was a full meal! California burrito had steak cubes grilled to perfection, awesome fries, cheese, guac, sour cream, tomato, salsa and was definitely one of the best I have ever tried Parking is in the lot or street. This area has so much to do and see, don't be afraid to park on a side street and take in this awesome location. Close to the Comedy Store, high end vehicle sales, or take the food, enjoy a quick drive west on Pearl and jump on Coast blvd to eat right on the beach. read more
Excellent spot for fish tacos in La Jolla. We waited in line for close to an hour, but it was worth it! The tacos are excellent - we loved the baja fish, shrimp, and al pastor. The only one that I wouldn't recommend is the mushroom taco. It's just sauteed mushrooms surrounded by a tortilla. They have a selection of self-serve salsas in the corner. Sit at the bar or one of the few tables outside if you're lucky enough to snag a spot. Otherwise, take it to go; there is a nearby park. Overall, another addition to the great list of amazing taco places in the San Diego area. read more
6 months ago
26 days ago
I haven't stood in line for tacos (or fries as the case may be) in a long time! But I did this time and it was worth it. The shrimp on the Mar y Tierra fries was amazing. Crisp, spiced just the way shrimp should be. The fries were crisp (not gluten free) and no sour cream! The tacos were also great. Mushrooms cooked to perfection. The salsa bar was amazing great bonus. The hot is hot. Which I love. They were out for he Chipotle so can't comment on that. The aesthetic is your typical taco stand. Ha! See what I did there. I would go back and order three tacos to try again. Great place to go before a show at The Comedy Store! read more
6 months ago
The tacos are amazing. Our favorite was the pollo asada but they were all delicious. You must visit the salsa bar while waiting for your tacos. We will definitely be back the next time we are in San Diego. read more
27 days ago
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1 year ago
This was my first time visiting La Jolla and so many local suggested The taco Stand. First of all the staff is incredibly nice and welcoming, the cashier gifted me the churros. Secondly the food is SO good and the portion are humongous- I got a burrito that was bigger than my face and the churros served with the condensed milk really did hit the sweet spot I needed to finish the night right! If you are visiting make sure to stop here and give this place a try! read more
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Priscilla M.
Thank you, Michelle! We’re thrilled you stopped by and felt welcome…
7 months ago
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6 months ago
The tortillas were really good, but overall, it did not have a lot of flavor other than the salsa. I had high expectations I had based on all the social media hype and the long line seen the night before. On the upside, come on a Tuesday morning and you can walk in with no wait. read more
Huge line when we went in the middle of the day on a Friday--which begs the question: what is everyone doing in SD that they can just stand in lines for everything? Low key kinda hard to find parking because the area has so many shops and restaurants. We had to circle quite a bit to find a spot. One notable feature of the tacos at taco stand is that every single one comes pre-wrapped in a piece of paper. It reduces mess while eating (albeit with the tradeoff that you might just take a bite out of the paper like I did lmao). I was most pleasantly surprised by the quality of meat in the carne asada taco. The beef was super tender and juicy and flavourful. (So many taco places overcook the beef and it gets dry and tough real fast). The churros were super fluffy and soft and super fresh. They went ham with the cinnamon sugar and it even came with a side of condensed milk but I feel like there was plenty sugar that I didn't need the extra dip. (It was so fresh that it was kinda doughy and not at all hard like stale churros from amusement parks). My next fav things were the salsas. It's open bar style and they have a lot of different flavours. Ironically the most mild one was the darkest in colour (very deep reddish brown) while the spiciest one was very light in colour (just looked like tomato pulp colour). I liked the salsa verde as well as these 2. The pickled onions were also very chipotle peppery which was nice I didn't love the al pastor tacos. They had some creamy sauce that i thought was way too heavy and the pork was a bit too tendon-y. The pineapples in the taco were not very ripe and kind of too fibrous. read more
Great simple tacos in La Jolla! We had time to kill before heading to the airport, so we found the Taco Stand and it did not disappoint. I had three tacos, the Baja ($3.99), Grilled Pescado ($4.69), and Al Pastor ($3.99). All tacos were amazing and there is a salsa bar at the back. Limited seating inside, but this is a quick to go spot that spots usually open up if you wait a little. Go here for your taco fix! read more
1 year ago
8 months ago
1 year ago
I don't particularly understand what the hype is for this taco spot. Waited for about 1 hour to try it. Found out you can skip the line by ordering ahead when I got close to the front. Got a fish taco and an al pastor burrito. There are definitely better taco and burrito places in SD. Given the volume of customers, they should change the oil more often as the fish in the taco had almost a burnt oil taste. Al pastor wasn't particularly flavorful. The salsa also wasn't replenished during my time there even though most of them were empty. Try other places, but if you must come, order ahead and skip the line. read more
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9 months ago
This place never disappointS. You can taste the freshness in every bite, especially the meat person to cook, juicy apple flavor. The burritos next level easily one of the best ever had. Nothing dry, nothing tough just quality food down the road. If you're looking for real Mexican food with of those ingredients, the spot is a must. read more
1 month ago
3 months ago
Honestly don't understand all the hype about this place. The tacos are reasonably priced and good, but nothing spectacular. The al pastor had a nice flavor and the carne asada was tender, but the camaron was not very spicy. Good salsa bar with several tasty options. Parking can be a challenge and the lines long, but service hustles and you don't wait long for your food. read more
1 year ago
Taco Stand has the most amazing breakfast burritos!! I always get the chorizo & egg breakfast burrito and add rice. One of my favorite things about the burrito is that it has beans in it, it makes all the flavors work so well together. My husband always gets the Mar Y Tierra burrito and loves it. We split a Baja taco too and it was really good! They have the best salsa bar too! The staff is so friendly and the food always out quick! We usually get ours to go and take it to the beach. read more
Wow.. I came here at 9:15 am bc I was hungry on eastern time. It was amazing. We ordered the el pastor volvan taco, pollo asada, and camaron taco (spicy shrimp). Ordered some churros for dessert. The spicy shrimp was amazing. The cheese seems to be grilled onto the tortilla and then the rest of the food goes on. When you take a bite, a long strand of cheese comes with. The cabbage in the shrimp taco was fresh and with the sauce, an amazing burst of flavors. A random find while walking along La Jolla coves. I"ll have to come back another time and try the burritos! read more
2 years ago
One of THE taco spots in La Jolla and overall San Diego. They are so juicy and I definitely haven't had a taco like I've had at The Taco Stand. They have a little toppings corner in the back for some other sauces, lime, onions and cilantro, etc. The place is small and can get packed so plan a bit ahead. All props to the workers for working in a small place and getting orders done quicky. I'd say I got my order fairly quickly with the amount of people that were there. Tacos: I usually get the pollo asado chicken and they were so good! You can taste the char from the grill and you can tell they were made fresh. The sauces were so delicious and creamy! Churros: The churros were made to order, crunchy, and melt in your mouth!! They were a good sweet treat after the tacos. It comes with a sweet white chocolate sauce. Highly recommend getting them! read more
2 years ago
I can understand why The Taco Stand is such an iconic staple in La Jolla. The vibe is casual, and the food is delicious. There's usually a line, but on this Thursday afternoon, there was only 1 person ahead of us. They serve tacos and burritos. We went for the tacos and wow are they good. There's a station in the back with various salsas, sauces, and condiments. There are some tables inside and some benches outside. Their tortillas are soft and they don't fall apart, even with the generous filling inside each taco. They have 2 fish tacos, grilled or fried. The grilled Pescado taco was so good, with lots of toppings and a generous chunk of avocado. The al pastor tacos are tangy and slightly sweet with a hint of pineapple. One of our favorites is the Senora taco with steak and beans on a grilled flour tortilla. The only negative is the guy taking the orders was a little intimidating. He didn't take my 10% off Yelp check in because I didn't show him before I placed my order. It's not a big deal, but just the way he said it. But the food made up for the awkward beginning. read more
9 months ago
Definitely the place to go when in San Diego Area! Parking and finding a seat can be a bit of a challenge but well worth it. read more
1 month ago
More info about The Taco Stand
621 Pearl St
La Jolla, CA 92037
La Jolla
Directions
(858) 551-6666
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https://www.letstaco.com/location/la-jolla
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Ask the Community - The Taco Stand
Are the carne asada fries gluten free?
NO. Fries have wheat in the ingredients and are in a shared fryer. They are very accommodating for other items and happy to answer any questions. Great spot.
What is the parking situation like?
Uh, there isn't one. Parking is super tight. Go a block away, and just park on the street somewhere. If you see a spot within 2 blocks, grab it. The lot next door is for Mitch's Surf Shop (which is a great local surf shop - must visit), so they're…
Do they sell deep-fried tacos? -fried the corn taco shell
Just soft shell, but they do have deep fried house made churros and chips!
Where do you park?
There is a very small parking lot shared by other restaurants and shops. You're better off finding parking on the street. We parked around the corner in a neighborhood.
Is it cash only? and do they have an atm machine?
I'm pretty sure I paid by credit card.
Is there a long wait when pre-ordered online pickup?
No just tell the restaurant workers you're here for pick up and they should have it bagged and ready to go
Is your chipotle sauce and cilantro sauce dairy free?
Hello, Both sauces contain dairy. The chipotle sauce has mayonnaise and the cilantro sauce has…
Do they have vegan options?
Very limited. Cactus Taco or Bean Burrito. Not a great place for a vegan.
Do you guys offer takeout?
They do take out, but keep in mind that they don't do phone/online orders on weekends because of how crowded it gets.
Gluten free items?
Hi Karen, Our tacos are gluten free, with the exception of the Baja and Sonora. Our quesadillas…
Are there any recommend times to visit during the day that's the least busy?!?
I have been there once when visiting San Diego, the family and I got there around 6pm and sat down to eat around 7:15pm. A long wait, yes! But damn was it worth the wait. We cannot wait to stand in line for a long time to eat there again! 😉
Is it safe to eat here for someone with a peanut allergy?
Be sure to let them know beforehand, but I believe you should be ok. I’m almost positive nothing in the menu contains nuts.
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The Taco Stand - foodstands - Updated September 2026
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