Want The Best Tacos In San Diego? Hit These 10 Places For Sure! 

Apr 10, 2023

Last Updated on: Sep 19, 2025

Travel Blog

Do you love traveling? Do you love traveling for food? If you are nodding your head to both questions, then San Diego must be on your wishlist, especially if you are a fan of epic tacos – you will find the best tacos in San Diego. Your taste buds will explode with delight. 

San Diego is quite popular for mouthwatering Mexican delicacies. There are several places to check out in this part of Southern California.

After all, a trip to San Diego would never be complete without trying at least a few tacos. And trust me, they are filled with juicy, tender meat. Guys!!!

Additionally, you will also get to try the tasty salsas and homemade tortillas, along with these amazing tacos.

Stay tuned to find out more about the best places to hit in San Diego for all taco lovers!

10 Places To Go For Best Tacos In San Diego Recommended List

Are you looking for ‘best tacos San Diego’ on Google? Then stop, because we have got you covered.

We have managed to find all the places you need to visit while trying out the best tacos in San Diego.

So, without wasting any time, let’s get started. Oh, wait, Dont forget to get a hold of your taste buds, and scroll down! 

1. Miramar Fish Tacos & Beer (Oceanside): 

Service Options Delivery, Dine-In, Takeout 
Address 41 Douglas Dr, Oceanside, CA 92058 
Phone (760) 721-2147 
Hours Monday – Saturday: 11 am – 9 pm | Sunday – closed 

If you are looking for the best fish tacos in San Diego, then you have to visit Miramar Fish Tacos & Beer. Additionally, this place specializes in Mexican seafood, fish tacos, and craft brews. 

Review By Christian Garcia: 

Came in as we were on our way to Carlsbad and saw the number of great reviews, so we had to stop in! Great service, I stopped by during happy hour, and the food did not disappoint. The garlic shrimp taco was DELICIOUS, paired with a cold Modelo made it even better! Can’t wait to come back next time I’m in town! 

2. Valerie’s Taco Shop (Vista):

Service Options Delivery, Dine-In, Takeout 
Address 170 Emerald Dr, Vista, CA 92083 
Phone (760) 941-8381 
Hours Monday – Sunday: 6:45 am – 10 pm 

The best tacos in San Diego are mostly found in hidden gems like Valerie’s Taco Shop. There’s more than one Valerie’s Taco Shop in San Diego, but this one is truly the one you need to go – it’s located near Highway 78!

Review By Mike Carrillo:

Love this place! The food is full of flavor, and the different hot sauces are delicious. It also has a Mexican ice cream shop and Starbucks, all in the same building. Located next to hwy 78 and a shopping center with a grocery store, liquor store, and bakery.

3. Harbor Fish Café (Carlsbad):

Service Options No-contact delivery, Dine-In, Curbside pickup 
Address 3179 Carlsbad Blvd, Carlsbad, CA 92008 
Phone (760) 729-4161 

If we did have to rate the best San Diego tacos, then Harbor Fish Cafe would totally win, especially if we were judging on the basis of fish tacos. You get the best fish tacos and even fish & chips here – period!

Review By Dave Keys:

Harbor Fish Cafe never fails to maintain its status as. one of our local favorites for any occasion. Today’s meal was an anniversary lunch celebration and a walk along the beach. Service is always friendly, and they even offer to bring water for your dog if you bring one. Food is delicious and even tastier in this ideal California coastal resort town.

4. The Taco Stand (Encinitas):

Service Options Delivery, Dine-In, Takeout 
Address 642 S Coast Hwy 101, Encinitas, CA 92024 
Phone (760) 230-2061 
Hours Monday – Sunday: 10 am – 10 pm 

If you are looking for epic tacos in San Diego, then you definitely cannot miss out on The Taco Stand! If you enjoy quesadillas or burritos, then look no further because The Taco Stand makes killer burritos and even better quesadillas.

Review By Ryan:

Some of the better tacos I’ve had. Couldn’t make up my mind, so I ordered 4 different tacos, and each one was better than the other. Great place to grab a bite. Didn’t realize this was a chain restaurant when I was in there, but they’ve got something going on, and it’s going to take off. Friendly staff and worth the wait! If you’re in the area, stop by and leave happy.

5. TJ Tacos (Escondido):

Service Options Delivery, Dine-In, Drive-through 
Address 802 E Valley Pkwy, Escondido, CA 92025 
Phone (760) 294-7511 
Hours Sunday – Thursday: 10 am – 11 pm | Friday – Saturday: 10 am – 12 am 

It might be a bit of a drive to reach TJ Tacos if you are in the center of San Diego. However, if you are anywhere in North County, you must visit TJ Tacos. You might experience the longest line for drive-through, but it’s worth the wait. 

Review By Chris Davis:

Some of the best tacos we’ve had in San Diego County. We ordered almost one of every kind on the menu, and they were all excellent. The California burritos were also excellent. Their salsas were tasty and had some good spice levels to them. It a drive for us, but totally worth it.

6. Salud! (Downtown San Diego):

Service Options Takeout, Dine-In 
Address 2196 Logan Ave # A, San Diego, CA 92113 
Phone (619) 255-3856 
Hours Tuesday – Friday: 11 am – 8 pm | Saturday: 10 am – 8 pm | Sunday: 10 am – 6 pm | Monday – Closed 

You don’t need to type ‘tacos San Diego’ if you are looking for the best tacos in San Diego to taste – just hit a place like Salud! Salud is located in the ‘oldest Mexican-American neighborhood’ in San Diego – that’s all we need to say, really.

Review By Donny Pusawong:

This is the place to go for some quality tacos inside a really ultra cool spot to enjoy them inside or outside. No, these are not your 1 dollar street tacos. You can taste the flavors and quality of ingredients used in each bite! Also, a great place to come in the afternoon for a drink and some tacos as snacks!

7. Old Town Mexican Café (Old Town):

Service Options Takeout, Dine-In 
Address 2489 San Diego Ave, San Diego, CA 92110 
Phone (619) 297-4330 
Hours Monday – Friday: 8 am – 9 pm | Saturday – Sunday: 7 am – 9:30 pm 

Old Town Mexican Café serves the best tacos in old town San Diego, and trust us, we are absolute fans! There’s nothing better than fresh handmade tortillas – and Old Town Mexican Café agrees!

Review By Yu-Hung Chen:

I love the food here. The shrimp taco is ridiculously delicious. I had never had that taste before and have not had comparable taste elsewhere. I wish I could give this restaurant more than 5 stars. Highly recommended!

8. Tocaya Organica

The restaurant is well known for its beautiful atmosphere with a modern twist to traditional Mexican food! The delicious street tacos are a fan favorite while the atmosphere of the restaurant is located in a charming outdoor dining and shopping area.

The location was situated quite close to Del Mar beach. The tacos of the restaurant is quite organic with all the ingredients quite organic while the order are customized based on the requirements of the customers.

Service Options Lunch, Dinner 
Address 3725 PASEO PL #1070, San Diego, CA 92130 
Phone (858) 386-1030 
Hours 10:30 AM to 9:00 PM 

Review By Gretapar:

Ok, I want to preface this with the fact that I am not a patient wait in line kind of person. I am not a huge fan of ordering my food after waiting in line and then looking for a table. Besides, the standing in line, the food was really good. I ordered the Tocaya salad; my husband did the taco combo (fish) & 2 sides, all the food was beautifully prepared and delicious…”

9. Las Cuatro Milpas

The restaurant is a locals favorite with its Latin and Mexican spread! The restaurant has been there from 1933 and the expertise of the food grabs all the attention. It is located very close to Petco Park! 

So before you want to go visit a Padres baseball game, you can stop at Las Cuatro Milpas and gorge for delicious food. The crunchy rolled tacos are one of the favorites of the locals along with their homemake tortilla!

Service Options Lunch, Takeout, Seating and Wheelchair  
Address 1857 LOGAN AVE, San Diego, CA 92113 
Phone (619) 234-4460 
Hours 8:30 AM to 3:00 PM 

Review By rmagac:

Worth It!

Best bean burrito I’ve ever had and the hot sauce was amazing!! Homemade everything- line out the door but worth the wait!!

10. Tacos El Gordo 

You can get Latin, Mexican and Fast Food in the restaurant and is rated 4.5 out of 5 based on 1162 reviews! Wow! Guys, you gotta go check it out because of the amazing service along with delicious food! You can get takeout, dining in, wheelchair accessible along with parking available!

If you are craving for some traditional flavors of Mexico, try the Tijuana-style tacos here! You can select the meat based on your choice so it is a perfect lunch location, especially with the delectable options of asada, lengua or al pastor.

Service Options Lunch, After Hours, Dinner 
Address 556 Broadway, Chula Vista, CA 91910 
Phone (619) 271-7222 
Hours 10:00 AM to 3 AM 

Review By Scott S:

Hidden gem that has been there for decades

Great pork tacos. Everything is clean. Cheapest good food on the strip.waking distance from Resorts world.

Bon Appétit!

And that’s a wrap on the best tacos in San Diego – what are your thoughts on the places we have mentioned above? If you have already been to San Diego and been to some of the best places for tacos, then feel free to share your experiences, and also, don’t forget to mention the locations – we are always on the go!

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Meet Sibashree Bhattacharya, a travel enthusiast who has a decade-long experience in transcending virtual barriers with her words! Her deep love for travel is apparent from her travel escapades to the mountain, often taking her readers on a journey, her words acting as Portkey! Fun fact: Sibashree loves to dive deep into the history of the places she is about to visit, making her travels even more wholesome. If you were wondering how her articles are not short of time travel, this answers it!

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