I love classic places like this. Warm chips and yummy salsa when you sit. Great decor, friendly service. The queso fundito with that chorizo add-on is divine. They offer tortillas, but we like it with the chips. They have a really good kids menu that includes a burger and fries, which is great for a family like mine with a picky child in the mix. The rest of us got to have Mexican delights and the picky one loved it so much, we had to go back two days later. read more

Went today for Happy Hour and specifically pointed to the Happy Hour menu when ordering. Our bill was $68....much more than anticipated. 2 Margaritas and 4 street tacos with a side of guacamole. The service was terrible and waitress talked politics to the customers next to us. Bad experience all around. read more

Margaritas are great, as is the service. Queso Blanco is tasty, but probably very salty. Food is fine. read more

Verdes El Ranchero - Bar scene from outside table - Mexican Near Me - La Jolla, California

It's too bad that the owner's daughter is now running the place. It used to be a great little local restaurant but she is now involved and evidently missed taking courses on hospitality! She is incredibly rude to customers and extremely entitled. With her permanent scowl on her face, she makes it very difficult to want to go back. read more

This restaurant was incredibly noisy, and the guacamole left much to be desired, possibly made from powder. On the bright side, the rest of the food was decent read more

Verdes El Ranchero - Powdered guacamole. - Mexican Near Me - La Jolla, California

I have been coming here for 15 years and they always turn out a quality product. The food is the best Mexican (in my opinion) in La Jolla. The drinks top notch. Vegan options both beans and chorizo. Tamales several option that include vegan. Pro tip carnitas, Sunday chili Colorado, and the Paloma's. read more

Verdes El Ranchero - Try the Paloma with or without salt - Mexican Near Me - La Jolla, California

Daaaaaannngggg!!!! This place is bomb. Carnitas, carne asada, seriously up there for best in SD. It's old school San Diego Mexican cantina. I've probably only had the tacos and their salsa's but that's all they need. Great tequilas. It's not fancy or "modern" like some poser shi. Strong margaritas too! It is always busy though, so you are warned, do not be turned off by wait times. They run a lean operation. It's San Diego cantina the way it should be! Shout out to Tina Marie for making some muy fuerte margs. Good vibes inside and a friendly area in Bird Rock which is often, and wecomely overlooked. This place is kinda a hidden gem in the neighborhood and locals may not want to know. But seriously if you live in San Diego county, come here for dinner and drinks at least once. read more

Verdes El Ranchero - Ground beef crispy taco, grilled fish (cod), carne asada taco a la carte. What's not seen is a Cadillac and habanero house salsa. So good - Mexican Near Me - La Jolla, California

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Our server Mina was absolutely awful. She sat at a booth with her friend, clearly drinking a margarita under the table. Gave us the menu 5 minutes after sitting. She kept bringing in more and more free food for her friend, refilling her food and drinks meanwhile our chips/salsa, and water were never refilled. Truly appalled, she couldn't care less to be there read more

A great spot! Excellent service given by Coya. I couldn't decide between the Chimichanga and the Enchiladas Suiza. I felt like something fried but the sauce on the enchilada sounded so good so she told me get the chimichanga with the suiza sauce on the side with it. It was really good! The chips and salsa were great too! A great spot in La Jolla. read more

The flavor! My utmost respect to the chef, the food simply combines expert technique with perfect quality ingredients. Shrimp ceviche has that tart and juicy citrus and Tabasco burst; tacos scrumptiously crispy with its fresh lettuce tomato and cotija crumble; pollo asado plate was succulent; and the drinks were delicious. Authentic and unpretentious high caliber Mexican cuisine with easy friendly service. Felt safe eating outdoors while social distancing. read more

Verdes El Ranchero - Shrimp ceviche, tacos, pollo asado with cheese enchilada - Mexican Near Me - La Jolla, California

Visiting for the BC and this is probably the worst Mexican place I have ever tried! The food absolutely tasted like cardboard. I have never had Mexican food be so bland. Grossly over priced for what you get. The restaurant was so loud no conversation could be had. This is more a bar for locals to drink way too much and get loud as the drinks were strong and people were getting obnoxious. Avoid! read more

Tried the battered fish tacos today and they were AMAZING! Although I love this restaurant, I didn't appreciate being served a visibly dirty water glass and witnessing a waiter eating while seving food! Cleanliness should always be a top priority. read more

This place sparked inspiration for me. I was impressed by the variety of Options available- they were not your average choices and I loved that they have vegetarian options! I loved everything we tried. The drinks were delicious. I loved the tamales, and their specialty dish is a do not miss: "El Ranchero Special Cheese Crisp" a unique spin to a Mexican pizza. It was phenomenal. I was and still am thinking about this meal. read more

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We got great service from Coya wich made the experience enjoyable. The food was good quality and big portions. The prices are good. The inside of the restaurant was very cozy and warming. Overall and amazing spot. read more

Food is always fire. Staff is super nice, quick and attentive. Dope spot in La Jolla. Portions are crazy. Flavor is fire. Family owned joint. #gohere #eatmexican read more

This place was great, it was near the La Jolla cove, drinks were nice and strong and the food was probably one of the best fajitas I've ever had. We were highly impressed. Service was great too. We will definitely be coming back. read more

Verdes El Ranchero - Ambiance - Mexican Near Me - La Jolla, California

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This place is a hidden gem in the La Jolla area! I had the best chimichanga ever! The service was quick and everything we ate was delicious. Only con was that the tap water tastes a little funky, but that's on me for choosing that! Definitely a must try! read more

I tried Verdes for the first time last weekend. Our wonderful bartender Hid was excellent and he suggested the surf/turf burrito and crispy tacos/enchiladas combo. Wow EVERYTHING was delicious, served piping hot and perfect. Pomegranate margarita was on point. I'll definitely return. read more

Verdes El Ranchero - Pomegranate margarita - Mexican Near Me - La Jolla, California

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Alright place. Waiter was a little strange but ‍. Nothing standout-ish from this place. Expensive food. And I finished a whole California burrito, which I normally don't. Which makes me think the sizes are smaller than normal? But maybe I was just being fat also. Lol. Tasted good though! read more

Verdes El Ranchero - Inside the Cali burrito - Mexican Near Me - La Jolla, California

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This place was outstanding food was amazing service was wonderful their tamales are delicious would definitely recommend this restaurant you can't go wrong . read more

This may sound like fake news but this is the best Mexican food I have tasted in a while... I will definitely come here again and recommend it to my kids... super awesome and authentic! Chile Colorado is my dish! read more

It was our first time here and I highly recommend this restaurant! The food and service were great plus I love the look of the place!

Good food and atmosphere. Outstanding service. Parking was a challange. Solid choice dor Mexican food for the price. Not a ton of seating.

Throughout my entire childhood I watched my mom and her friends drink pitchers of margaritas here for years. I was four years old when I said to myself "One day you'll drink a margarita and have as much fun as they're having." MY DREAM FINALLY CAME TRUE! I had a (two) Cadillac margaritas and I was feeling real great! It was the most majestic experience to order a margarita. For food I got the veggie burrito and it was delish! I got no cheese or sour cream, but with beans. The veggies were grilled and definitely fresh. Everyone else at the table also loved their food. Maybe it was the nostalgia of the night, but I loved this place. The food was delicious and the drinks were strong and tasty. I will absolutely be back! read more

Verdes El Ranchero - Mexican Near Me - La Jolla, California

Not only is the stuff friendly and competent, but every single plate was outstanding. Total gem. Do not miss. read more

Verdes El Ranchero - Ceviche, carnitas tacos and pollo plate. - Mexican Near Me - La Jolla, California

Best place ever! Been going here since I was a kid! Cheese Crisps are incredible! Beans are my favorite! Guacamole..yum, real avocados! Hope they open back up today! read more

We were looking for a sit-down Mexican food restaurant to go to with my Pacific Beach family. Most of them in PB are taco to go restaurants. Found Verdes on Yelp. What a find! Family run, great food, even better margaritas! It was a busy Friday night, but you wouldn't know it with the way the family team welcomed you, and efficiently ran the restaurant. It was a big hit for all of us but especially for my family that lives nearby. They can't wait to go back with their friends! read more

Their Chile Colorado was terrific. Properly spicy too (even for an old curryhead like me). read more

Verdes El Ranchero - Chile Colorado. Soooo tasty. - Mexican Near Me - La Jolla, California

Bad food at even worse prices. We ordered shrimp ceviche + guac to start and several other entrees. The guac tasted like they dropped some avocados into a blender and dumped it into a bowl - zero seasoning at all. No salt, no pepper, no tomatoes, onions, cilantros or anything at all. Completely flavorless. Shrimp ceviche was ok, though rather liquid-y. Food went even further downhill when the entrees came out. The seafood burrito with battered fish had basically no fish. Just fried batter with a sliver of meat in it. The carne asada in the quesadilla and surf and turf burrito were both scorched to the point of being burnt, covering up any flavors that would have been present if they actually put any ingredients in the burritos other than the flavorless guac. At 16-20 dollars per entree - you'd be better off going to a chipotle and getting two burritos and saving one for dinner read more

This place offers a Tex Mex meal that's hard to beat, and their restaurant salsa might be the best I've ever had. From queso blanco and tostada to tamale, rice, and beans, every dish was incredible. Shelby, our server, was exceptionally friendly and attentive, and the cocktails were delicious. The real star of the show, however, is the food. I'll definitely be back every time I'm in San Diego. read more

Very good mexican food, genuinely friendly service by Shelby. The insidearea is a little tight, but they also serve outside on the sidewalk. I will be back!! read more

I guess they just close when they want to. Walked in at 8:25 when they close at 9 and was told by the hostess that the cooks "would be mad" if they sat us. Bummer. Maybe adjust your hours if you're not going to be open during the notated times. read more

great food and great service from Coya. food was well priced and good quality. big portions you definitely get more than what you pay for. the experience from the taste to the inside of the restaurant was fantastic. read more

Great food! Salsa was fresh and they great tacos and burritos! Loved my Ranch water! Also the blanco queso was good! read more

Verdes El Ranchero - Mexican Near Me - La Jolla, California

We love this place! So friendly and welcoming. Happy hour margaritas are fantastic, not watered down. The food is AMAZING! My husband got the chicken enchiladas with the green cilantro sauce and it is delicious. I got the chicken enchilada with the red sauce and also very delicious. For a tiny restaurant tucked in off of La Jolla bkvd it is awesome. If you live here you are lucky to have a place like this. read more

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Came across this restaurant when visiting UCSD. Original destination was down the block from here but the line was around the block. Looking around we selected to eat here. Happy with our choice the food was good and served fresh. The service was great. The guacamole appetizer did lack some flavor but you could tell it was fresh. Will definitely eat here again if in the area. read more

My boyfriend and I had an early dinner here today, and we thought it was amazing! The chips, salsa and guacamole were delicious to start! We both got the chicken fajitas for our entree and really enjoyed it! The portions were large with reasonable prices! Also, our server Kay was the best!!! So so sweet and attentive! We will definitely be back because Kay provided such great service, and the food was delicious! read more

A group of 4 of us came here for dinner last Saturday. It was very busy but thankfully we were able to call ahead to get our name on the list so we waited less than 5 minutes. The service was very friendly and quicker than we expected it to be, considering how busy they were. The chips and salsa were okay. The chips were definitely of the bagged, store-bought variety and didn't seem fresh. The salsa was tasty and had a nice kick to it, though I prefer salsas that aren't quite so watery. But still, it was good. We got a pitcher of margarita, which was a very good deal. However, the margarita itself was just okay. It tasted good but weak. I'd be curious to try a more "premium" margarita, like a single-order Cadillac, and see if it's better and worth paying a little extra for. I had the enchiladas suizas. They were absolutely huge and stuffed with tons of shredded chicken- the chicken was actually pretty tender and juicy. The sauce on top I found a little bland, although the flavor that was there was good. The beans and rice were both okay- not bad by any means but nothing special. My husband had the carnitas plate- he said they were really good, but not his favorite. The people we were with had carne asada fajitas and the carne asada plate- they both loved their dishes. The prices were on the high side. They weren't bad considering the portion sizes but I'm not sure the price was worth it since the food wasn't amazing. It was good, and we all liked it, but it wasn't a "WOW, we need to remember this place!" experience. All in all, I wouldn't go out of my way to come here but I definitely wouldn't mind coming back and just trying something different- maybe something with carne asada, and a different type of margarita. read more

What has happened here? It's not what it was a few months ago. I have been coming here for more than 20 years. I live a block away. I endured the big price increase 7-8 years ago. But now! Significant decrease in portions. Erroneous order taking. Too many personal relationships going on. Damn. This was a gem. read more

Got the enchiladas suizas, 10/10. Will be back. Warmed up great as leftovers too. Plus, our server was great.