California Tacos Taqueria

I live part-time in California and have spent a good portion of my life there, so California tacos are near and dear to my heart. I finally stopped by this spot for a quick bite, and it definitely scratched that West Coast itch. It’s a drive through — but a cool drive through — not your typical polished chain setup. It feels local, authentic, and full of personality. Vibe: Simple, no frills, and true to its roots. It’s the kind of place where you pull up, see a steady stream of cars, and just know you’re in for something good. Definitely not fancy, but that’s part of the charm. Service: Quick, friendly, and efficient. It’s nice to actually talk to a person instead of yelling into a speaker box. You order at one window, then swing around to the other side to pick up your food. The kid who handed me my order couldn’t have been more than ten — or maybe I’m just getting old, lol — but he was polite and had everything ready right on time. Food & Drinks: I ordered a Cheese Quesadilla, Shrimp Taco, and Fish Taco, and stuck with water to drink. The clear winner was the Cheese Quesadilla — the cheese inside was rich and creamy, the outside perfectly crisp, and there was this subtle salty kick on the tortilla that made it addictive. Maybe it was butter, maybe a sprinkle of salt, but it worked. The tacos were your classic street-style setup — onion, cilantro, and soft double corn tortillas. The Shrimp Taco was solid, nothing fancy but tasty. The Fish Taco, though, was a bit of a miss — light on the fish and kind of bland overall. The salsas made up for it; both the verde and rojo had great flavor and a nice punch. Overall: A good experience and worth checking out if you’re in the area. I always pay attention to who’s eating somewhere, and the fact that this place draws a strong Hispanic crowd says a lot about its authenticity. As a pescatarian, it’s probably not my personal go-to, but I’d absolutely recommend it to my meat-eating friends. Date of visit: 1 November 2025

The ignorant side of me never thought to believe that I would be able to have actual REAL California style Mexican food again now that I don’t live in CA anymore, but the fact that we found this place just from google maps was really quite shocking. We are currently in TX, and we don’t really are for Tex-Mex, and it’s so hard to find Cali style Mexican food. I happened to be scrolling for places for lunch near our Airbnb, and I stumbled upon this place and I was convinced that this place had to be good. We got the Carne Asada fries, and y’all these were an absolutely delicious! Every part of it was PERFECTION. The fries were crispy and fresh, there was a generous amount of meat, and the toppings & salsa were all fresh. I’m still talking about these fries. We also got the Carne Asada tacos, and these were also chef’s kiss! For the price, it was well worth it! And we will be back whenever we’re in the area!

I just now found out how good the food is at this little drive up. So the man and woman running it used to work at Rio Bravo! My husband and I went into Rio Bravo frequently and there was always a super nice server/ bartender and now he’s running the California tacos. They have a Mexican sandwich called a Torta or something like that, it was Outstanding! Highly recommend, new favorite

I've tried multiple burritos in the Nashville area but none even come close to the California burrito served here. Ask for the queso sauce to be added inside and prepare to be amazed!

Very friendly people and very delicious food! Definitely recommend and definitely will be back!

This is legitimate California taco shop food. This restaurant and one other are the only ones that I will go to for Hispanic food. There are other restaurants that you meet up with family and enjoy mediocre food, but if you really cared about them, you should take them to Cali taco. There food is really good and the portions for the price worth it. Being from California, the only the things that I miss are the beach and taco shop food, this place is like a slice of that here in Hendersonville. If you want a burrito, I'm not talking about a small burrito, but burrito burrito, like huge, get the Cali burrito. This burrito has tons of meat, cheese sauce, French fries, guac, and sour cream. This burrito is my favorite, I get it everytime I go to Cali taco. One of the other items I like to get are the Cali fries which are amazing as well and you can wash it all down with an authentic horchata or a Pina drink. You will not be disappointed if you go here. My family likes to get other things off the menu that are good as well. I have convinced a lot of my work buddies to go here and they ended loving it. I mean you cannot go wrong with Cali taco.

Since visiting Tennessee all my persons folk go here for quick lunch pickups so I started and I'm in love with the freshness of the salsa, rice and grains. The customer service is always "Thank you's" and "Appreciate your business 😀 ""

The street tacos and the California burrito were delicious. We couldn't even eat all of the burrito in one sitting. It was just as good when we warmed it up the next day. I will definitely be returning to this spot.

4.5 What's with all the tacos? I know. I don't know the why or how of it either. But, somehow, a few years ago, I was on a taco kick. If I still checked in on the app, I would probably have gotten some sort of badge.* So, here I sit: your humble taco expert. Come here. Worth the drive to Hendersonville. I am not exactly bored with Nashville offerings. There's always something popping up and, well-trod though I am, I have not hit every corner of the city.** Thing is, the surrounding suburbs, cities and counties have benefited from Nashville's growth and they are sustaining their own interesting food scenes. So, California Tacos. CT is one of those examples of Middle Tennessee's expanding food scene. Drive through East Nashville and Madison on Gallatin until you happen upon the large strip mall that houses the small drive-thru. While the menu is larger than you might expect, stay on brand. Get tacos. There will probably be a line when you arrive so use that time to study the menu. Order. Pay (very fair prices considering the product)***. Smile. Prepare to wait an appropriate amount of time for fresh, to-order, well-made food. Get food. Ascertain that there are copious containers of green sauce with said order. Drive home. As I am wont to do, I got an assortment of meats so as to glean the depth and breadth of the taco offerings. Legit. Fire. This is what you want. Not only were all the tacos very well portioned with meat***, all the meats are seasoned, distinct and delicious. You won't wonder what you're eating. I availed myself of the steak, chicken, chorizo, pastor, and carnitas. I probably could have stopped eating with three but I was greedy and it was a Monday in late summer so I needed something to power through my work day. By the end, I was pleasantly stuffed. I might have been painfully stuffed but the intoxicating aroma of what I'd just consumed stayed in the air and reminded me that my discomfort was worth it. This spot is crazy good. *Does Yelp still do badges? It's been a while. **Most. ***This review is a few years old. If inflation has affected the amount of meat, blame the government, not me.

Very nice folks that run this business. Food is awesome as well. One of my regular spots.

This is a tiny little drive through place with limited tables outside. The service was decently timed, didn't take too long to receive our food. The cali burrito is huge, I ate half and had half left over for the next day. The shrimp taco was pretty good too. Chips and salsa were good too and the salsa was not spicy

I've always gotten the best tacos here & now I discovered that they make exceptional guacamole too! Hopefully, I can limit myself to 1 trip a week.

I have been sleeping on this place for awhile now but I finally decided to swing through the drive up & grab one of the cali burritos ive seen in the reviews today while in the area. This burrito carries itself like a husky toddler. it STUFFED y'all. Inside are all the essentials, like french fries, chopped steak, lettuce (not much), guac, &delicious creamy chipotle sauce. I found a nice shaded spot in the courtyard near the bargain hunt & chowed down. It was difficult to handle the girthy burrito & i wound up scooping the contents out of the to go container with the good tortilla chips provided. Also the salsa here is quite good! Im looking forward to trying some more items from here as it was a lot of food for the price i dont think i need to eat for a few days now.

I'm from California and this is absolutely legit California/BCS Mexican fusion! It reminds me of an OG Cali Mexican joint we grew up on and that makes me so happy! First of all, the couple running this drive-thru are super nice. Second, the food is great! Lastly and most important, the salsas are FIREEEE! Tripas Tacos: Extra crispy? Yes please! Yummyyy! California Burrito: Legit Cali style and HUGE. I ate half and was full. Salsa Roja: Perfection, great flavor and heat Salsa Avocado?: There was a creamy avocado salsa that was heavenly All in all, one of my fave Mexican joints in middle TN! Also, their horchata is on point as well!

Small stand-alone mexican restaurant. It has a few seats and tables out front. I ordered the carne asada burrito, fries, and horchata. The food is good and authentic. Service is a bit slow.

Favorite place for Mexican in Hendersonville. Their creamy green salsa and California burrito was absolutely amazing!

California Tacos sales the BESTT and when I say BEST I mean best burrito you will ever try. I come all the way from Georgia just to eat their food. I recommend this restaurant if you are ever hungry! Thank you for serving the Hendersonville community.

I drive 40 minutes just to eat here! They live up to their name. We just moved here from Southern California and have been searching for Mexican food like they serve in San Diego. California Tacos is spot on and absolutely delicious with affordable pricing. Hoping they open more locations (a little south of Nashville...hint hint).

Their carne asada is flavorless. Their taquitos are horrible. I really wouldn't call them a taquitos. And the nachos are nothing but slop. Change your name. It's a disgrace to California Mexican food.

This is nothing like California Mexican food. Being a transplant from CA, I can attest. The California burrito was good but very large. Fries inside were kind of stale and there isn't usually chipotle sauce inside. I like guacamole and sour cream inside of mine. We also ordered a bean and cheese burrito for my son, it came covered in cheese sauce which CA doesn't do but also makes it difficult to eat without a fork. Lastly, we weren't given napkins or utensils. Might return for the street tacos.

As close to a real California taco as you can get on this side of the states!! It was delicious. We stopped here on a road trip, wish we lived closer!

As a former Californian (born and raised), I can assure you of the deception in the name "California Tacos." The food is not even close to the level of what you'd find in California.

Closest thing I found that reminded me of my L.A street tacos. Tacos de asada were decent. I like that they add the carrots and chile.

My go to spot for Mexican food. Extremely quick and delicious every single time. Highly recommend the Cali Burrito or the Cali Special. This family owned business is one of the best and worth a visit no matter the distance!

A great place to get Mexican food. It's big portions and enough for leftovers. We got the California burrito.

I've been here 4xs now. The food is ok. But let's be honest. This taste nothing like California Mexican food. There's only 2 taco shops in Hendersonville. El Grullense and this place. We need a Oscars Taco Shop out this way!

Hidden Gem. Once we've discovered, this is the only Mexican place we eat at. Typically order online for pickup. So far everything has been delicious. I love the chipotle sauce. Great prices too!

After continuously seeing posts about this place on Facebook we finally decided to give it a try and I'm so glad we did!! Being a native from Cali, I can't express how hard it is to find good Cali style food and this place 100% hit the spot. I had the steak fries and they were soon good! The portion sizes are huge, and that will keep me coming back every time. Definitely worth the money, great utilization of such a small space, AND they have a 100 on their health score. Win, win, win.

Amazing and the best food we've eaten anywhere! We've traveled and lived on the East Coast, West Coast, and in-between. Just love this place!

There was a long wait to get these tacos and I was so excited to try them but in all honesty they were not the best tacos I've had. The tacos here were alright. I don't think I would eat them again.

Food is really good. Nothing Mexican southern food. Yuk!!!! I'm from California born and raised in Los Angeles. So I know what Mexican American food is supposed to taste like. Telling all my friends and will be returning

This is our first time visiting and will not be the last. When we arrived the drive up line was around the building. So we parked and went up to the window to order. We were met by one of the owners and discovered they had opened 3 wks ago. We ordered the street tacos and the cali combo #2. One bite and we were transported back to the west coast. If you are looking for done fresh latin food with the west coast flair check out this place. Hope to see you there.

We saw this place open about a month ago and had not had the opportunity to stop by until now. We did a drive up order for dinner of 10 tacos & chips and queso. The menu is surprisingly large for space they have w/ everything for tacos to fried fish and fries. I almost wish they would shorten it and concentrate on doing fewer dishes but with those being top notch, bc nothing stuck out as a house special, so we went with what we know. We tried the Pastor, Lengua, Steak, and Cachete tacos; which were all good. I definitely suggest trying the Lengua and Cachete as those are not typical choices. The chips and queso were disappointing w/ the chips being stale and the portion just a small bag. The queso was fine. All in all, we will be back, and look forward to seeing this local joint succeed. Pros: Prices, Convenience, Service

My all time favorite spot in town! In TN really, the staff is so kind, and as an out of state individual looking for authentic comfort food. This is the place. Never get sick of it! Clean, professional and great food!

Lady at the gas station said this was the best place...she craved it and couldn't get enough of it, and wow I agree. The mixed Fajitas was enough for two, and the street tacos were fantastic. All the Firemen were here...always a good sign.

If you are looking for authentic tacos this is a must. They are some hardworking folks and always deliver fresh delicious mexican food. It it just a little hole in the wall in the middle of the parking lot in front of Ace Hardware. A drive-thru with a few small tables outside.

Ok... so I'm giving them 3 stars because the service was great! Place wasn't the cleanest looking on the outside but nothing but good reviews across the board. Long line so it had to be ok, right? Not gonna lie...Food was good. Chicken Chimichonga. Not the best I've ever had but good. BUT let me tell ya...about 20 minutes later I WAS SICK!!! Literally puking and running for the bathroom. I think I may have gotten some contaminated food. It's now the next day and I still feel queezy. I'm not bashing the place because everyone seems to love it and they were very friendly but I probably won't be back there. I can handle a lot of things....not food poisoning. A good cleaning of the place inside and out is probably a good idea....hope no one else got sick.

Me and my husband would have never known this place was here if it wasn't for Uber Eats! We found it in the Ace Hardware parking lot, and let me tell you, I am SO glad we came across it! I get the same thing every time, which is their Shrimp Chimichanga (my favorite Mexican dish) and my husband always gets their carnitas tacos! We never leave without getting the white queso to go along with the delicious chips and salsa they serve with your dinner. Add some salsa verde, then our order is complete!! We love this little drive-thru taco stand, and will continue to always go back!

The street taco are scrumptious! I love the shrimp or al pastor, the meat so very flavorful. The crispy supreme taco's are so good! I wouldn't recommend getting them to go, unless you're eating them right then. The shells are very delicious and delicate, they are not stingy with the meat and toppings so the bottom tends to fall out.

Suuuuuuper friendly and helpful since it was my first time. Great price for everything that you get. And food was delicious! I will definitely come back again. I ordered the Cali fries, street tacos, fajitas quesadillas, and came with rice & beans, and chips & salsa.

My wife and I just tried this place for the first time! All I can say is that we've definitely found our new go to Mexican food spot in Hendersonville! My wife got the Chicken Fajitas and they were great! The roasted tomatoes were a great addition to this dish! You don't really see that with other restaurants! I ordered 4 tacos. 1 chicken, 1 steak, 1 al pastor, and 1 chorizo. They were all so good and fresh tasting! (I also added cheese to all of mine) None of this food was mind blowing, but it was all really enjoyable and really well priced! They ended up making a mistake and they gave our drinks for free! Thats what I call good service! Be sure to check this place out if you're looking for some solid Mexican food in this area!

We don't often give 5 star reviews but this place deserves it. The staff was friendly, the portions generous and the food flavorful. We had the steak fajita dinner, al pastor and lengua tacos. It was miy wife's first time trying a cantaloupe drink and she enjoyed it very much. It was our first time here and we'll be back.

Being a California transplant in TN I was excited to see a new taco shop opening, with California in the name none the less. I was even more excited when I saw they had a California Burrito on the menu (most places outside of San Diego county in California don't even have them). The "Cali" burrito is spot on, the al pastor "gringa" quesadilla is great but the Carne Asada tacos could definitely use some seasoning (most Mexican places in TN do). My wife is a fan of bean, rice and cheese burritos which is a foreign concept to a lot of places here but we were able to get them to make one proper. All in all I definitely recommend this spot.

Really great burritos! A little confusing on driving up and ordering the first time. Definitely know why there's a line most of the time

Great food , served hot , fast friendly service . Looking forward to trying more dishes . Always busy , sign that people are enjoying the food . Take out for the most part , they have 2 outside tables . Hope they are successful .

Best street tacos in the world. Periodt. Always ask for extra creamy for sauce. Literally have never had anything better. Always a plus when they give the pickled carrots and cooked little onions. Soooo good

Yum, yum, yum!! I'm so happy this business is here!! Being from CA I have been mostly disappointed with the Mexican food in TN but this and one other spot in Hendersonville rock. I ordered 3 chicken tacos and they were delicious The hubby ordered a California burrito and said it was amazing. I wish this place had an actual sit down restaurant cause throw in some margaritas and It would be like being back in CA (which I only want to do for the Mexican food and nothing else...ever). This place is 100% worth trying. Also the line moves pretty quick so don't be put off by that, the food is 100% worth it!

Very good food and pretty quick. Just as good as any of the sit down Mexican dives around town. I mean heck, it's just Mexican food. Either u like it or you don't!

The fajitas were lacking seasoning this time. Every other time I have ate here it has been spectacular. Today they were really busy so that may be why they weren't as good. We tried the chicken enchiladas today and they were actually quite good for only 1.25 each.

I love coming here! The food is delicious and well priced. I lived in California for quite a while and it is authentic. My dog and I enjoy seeing the really sweet lady who works there. She is so sweet to my dog who enjoys the ride, smell of the food and trying a bite of meat when we bring it home. Try the enchiladas, beans, rice, tacos, enchiladas. Pretty much anything. Everything I tried was bomb.

This is hands down one of the best places we've been in Hendersonville since we moved here. The food was amazing and it was very quick. Also extremely affordable! We're about to become loyal customers. I highly recommend to everyone, especially their street tacos. We got an assortment of all of them and not a single on disappointed!

Best Mexican Food in Hendersonville. Authentic Cali style mexican food! Look at these tacos!!

Best steak street tacos I've had in a while. Flavor was lacking a little on the steak but I tasted my sister's a couple days ago and they were very flavorful. Hoping today was just a mishap in the seasoning area. All in all good food for a good price. Can't wait to try some other items from the menu.

Seriously the best Mexican food and friendly service in Hendersonville! Just like eating inside a restaurant BUT it's all drive thru/take out. You won't be disappointed! The CALI burrito is my absolute favorite! Unless your like the boys around my house-You prob either need share it with someone or it could be enough for a second helping later- ITS BIG! I've gotten several menu items from here and ALL were great, tasty, and fresh! Did I mention the employees- they are very friendly and I haven't had any issues with orders being wrong. Consistent quality and service each time!

When we don't feel like sitting in at a Mexican restaurant, this is our go to. Great food, great prices and very friendly staff. This is also one of the few places our children ask for specifically when we say Mexican food.

The Al Pastor is amazing. Very rich exotic spices and flavors and pieces of roasted pineapple. Actually everything I've ordered here has been good. My wife raves about the fajitas. One of my favorite places, even considering all the great taquerias in Nashville.

Good was hot and fresh. Made to order. The service was excellent. Will definitely be back soon!

Just adding a photo of my awesome tacos. Been here multiple times since my first review and this is still my favorite taco shop!