City Tacos

Great place for small bites and cold beer. Prices are beyond reasonable and tastes outstanding. Their menu includes vegetarian and vegan options. Both indoor and outdoor seating with the potential for private parties on the lanai. The staff is helpful and friendly. I am new to the area and this is only a couple trolly stops away so, definitely someplace where I can become a regular.

This is not a fancy Mexican restaurant. That said, there is room to eat inside, and they have a patio in back. It’s casual, for sure. The food is amazing - seriously. These are chef crafted tacos. This is food you’d expect to see on “Beat Bobby Flay” or another Food Network show. The flavor profiles are excellent. The tortillas are freshly made. The portions are priced well - that said, I know guys who routinely eat 5-6 tacos when they come here… me, I can’t finish 2… but I sure want to! And the Elote corn is so fresh, crisp and tasty. Highly recommend the various steak tacos, but you can’t go wrong here, it’s all fantastic!

My experience is based on 2 visits. The first one being The very best, although probably some of the most expensive carnitas tacos. I've ever purchased but they were absolutely just completely phenomenal, delicious, moist hot. Everything about it was an exceptional experience that I've seldom ever had. Eating Mexican food. I couldn't wait to go back and purchase another carnitas taco. So another week goes by and I purchased 2 more, and they were the worst carnitas tacos. I've ever had, and I will never return dry. Extremely dry, very tough that corn Tortilla? Shell was like more than an eighth inch thick. Probably like Three sixteenths or more sick, and they were called and almost unbendable disgusting shame on them

Having been to this location over legitimately 30+ times in the last year, let's start with the good in this detailed review... I can confidently say that the food is honestly pretty solid most of the time (when the order comes out correct on the first try that is). Their rewards system gives me enough points to redeem a free $5-7 every few visits, from just buying 2-3 tacos each visit as well! I used to frequent this location regularly each week, but over time have had a multitude of such poor, unprofessional experiences with their customer service and vibe of the place - it's just not even worth swinging by anymore. I'll just go to the other City Tacos locations more near the coast when I'm really feeling a Surf N Turf, Mexicali, Pollo Asado, or Salmon taco. Each of the last 5 times I have been here, I've waited in line for a noticeable amount of time. Even when it's not Taco Tuesdays, and there's only one or two customers ahead of me. Also, 2 out of the 3 last times I have visited this place after 8pm (they close at 10pm) and I request specifically for corn tortillas due to food allergies on all the tacos rather than flour, they literally have all been flour even though some of them are supposed to be corn by default in the first place in their menu. My guess to this is the cooks just are too lazy to prepare/handpress and lightly cook their corn tortillas to shape once they run out of their regular stock they made for the day or something like that, so just make the flour ones because it's easier and faster then hope no one notices. Every single time the guy who works Front Of House that wears a backwards flex fit hat has taken my order, literally always get a flour tortilla on the tacos or the entire order is not packaged "to-go" from my order even though it was mentioned before paying. So I always have to take the extra time to wait for them to make actual corn tortillas from scratch, or get a box from them and I box it myself most of the time I've been here lately. This location lacks proper customer service and critical thinking skills, and I'm quite frankly just over it and don't crave it anymore even though the food is pretty bomb. Especially with their yellow mango salsa, but also about that; 3 out of the last 5 times I have visited they haven't even had the yellow mango salsa in stock and ran out for the night! Ahhh c'mon man, everyone only comes for tacos and salsa. Not even rice or anything special for sides is on the menu anyways. Just needs a bit more training and management in my opinion happening here, and honestly I would gladly come back more often if the backwards hat guy isn't playing BigXThaPlug's same song repeating on loop 5+ times over and over on the speakers lol. Whenever the filipino guy is working or any of the latina ladies take my order, usually you can expect professional and polite customer service. There's a couple guys who work there that if you pull up and are in line, you already know something about your order is going to get forgotten, or the salsas are out of stock or something generally not going very smoothly. From the first few months I was going there it was mostly a couple of polite ladies working there, since then there's been a few weird vibes/attitude with the backwards hat fella when I gently ask for the things that were forgotten (it's been a handful of times now unfortunately). He has offered to give me a refund a couple of times for getting the food wrong in my order when I receive it and I catch it before I leave, but just kind of rather go somewhere I can have a more consistent and enjoyable experience really. Cheers! Really hope this location can improve.

Best flavor for non meat taco - the zucchini one. Could eat 3 and be stuffed!!! Get it with the flour tortilla. Really wish they had more options for vegetarians and vegans

Props to the chefs here, everything I ordered knocked my socks off!! Fave tacos in SD i’ve had so far, the bean and cheese taco and cheesy shrimp one, and asada taco were all 10/10. The meat is seasoned and tenderized well. Great job guys ill be back soon!

Great place, gets quite busy, but they do their best to hussle and food still comes out quick. Their loyalty program is pretty cool, I have gotten free food and discounts pretty regularly. Their taco of the month is also cool, always something new and interesting. If you aren't sure what to get the cochinita pibil and shank you very much are both delicious. Savory and spicy.

Tacos are absolutely delicious. They're filling, 2 will do the job unless you're a big back. They had to roll me out of the place after I ate 3.

I have never once had anything bad here to eat and I've been coming here for years their tacos are better than any tacos in all of San Diego bar none. That includes all of the TJ places. I highly recommend this restaurant The staff are polite and friendly too.

Service is very kind, and efficient. The food is great and fast, price is very reasonable too! We had the Crispy potato (dorados) tacos- both of us loved it. Would 100% get again The crispy fish taco, delicious. And the quesabirria, this was not my favorite but still good. They offer great beers on draft as well as classics in the bottle, agua frescas, and lots of soda options bottled as well. The space could be a little cleaner, especially the salsa bar area. Overall would totally come back, it's quick, tasty, good service and the price is right.

We come here almost every time we visit SD. Quick easy satisfying, with plenty of unique flavors and good standbys. I'm losing track of what my favorite orders are but from this visit: Carnitas - already so good but with the chicharrones on top?? Girl. Shank - a lil wet but the corn tortilla can take it. Surf n turf - got an extra thick corn tortilla with this one I didn't like, and the shrimp was mushy. With the asadero cheese and aioli this is a really heavy taco. Salmon caribe - I liked this but my partner didn't. Maybe the flour tortilla? Cocito californiano - would not get again, it was really wet and too murky of flavors. I think the guac and pico and aioli was too much. May be good without aioli. Tbh I didn't even know arugula and black beans were in there - they kinda just got drowned the in sauce. I swear we got lettuce instead of arugula. Recall from prior visits: Scallop dreams too saucy Sonoran fish tacos solid Hearing family rave about the Cameron enchilado, crunch time shrimp, papa con rajas, and elote. If you order online $20+ you get free chips and guac or churros!

The Pollo Asado taco was good. However, I wouldn't get the Carme Asada taco again-it was greasy and lacked flavor...Thank God for salsa! Speaking of salsa, it grosses me out that so many hands (especially kids) grab the bottles. I wish that they prepared them in the back or put them in little cups for people. The service was pretty good and the ambiance was okay-there was one "All Gender" bathroom.

I love City tacos!!! Best part for me is stepping out of the box normal and see what else is amazing in their menu.... Today I chose off the vegetarian menu... and oh my did it out do the other tacos I got.. I order the city zucchini.... Soooo good!! So much flavor!! It's a must try!! Always live the vibe of the La Mesa outdoor patio also. Order something you've never tried!! It might become your favorite!

Good place for a taco Tuesday! When you first walk in, it looks small, but there's actually plenty of open seating toward the back. The place has a fun, hip vibe with good music and tasty tacos. Service is simple....you order at the counter, get a number, find a seat, and they bring your food out when it's ready. Fast and efficient!

Yum....yum...yum.....This place was so yummy! We ordered a few different tacos as I wasn't sure what to expect when it came to the taste, texture and overall flavor of the tacos. I was pleasantly surprised with how good the tacos are. Some of them needed some extra lime and salsa but overall they were really good. The place was clean and was really busy. I didn't realize from the front looking in how much space they actually had toward the back and outside. Definitely looking forward to the next time we try this place.

Wow! What a fantastic selection of tacos and all so fresh. Loved the crunchy shrimp and the salmon. Have tried so many different tacos and they are all great. Place was clean and many toppings and sauces available too

During my first try at city tacos, we experienced stand out flavor and friendly service. Our tacos were all very flavorful super fresh and not dry and they had a nice salsa bar, which had a variety of different salsa to choose from. One of the things that we loved the most was the ambience. They have a very cool patio outside and they have seating in the front if you want to hang out and be in the heart of the Downtown La Mesa vibe. Alternatively, you can hang out inside if you prefer. If you're in the area and want good tacos, why not try City Tacos?

Phenomenal taco Tuesday! 10% off food order and Mexican beers are $2.50!! The tacos aren't cheap but there are some winners to be found, for sure. Of the 3 tacos I tried, the Friars fish taco was my favorite. The tortillas were light and crispy home made flour, and the sals bar was fresh and exciting. Best salsas were the spiciest red and the avocado IMO... Definitely an all star experience for a new twist on old classics

Service was great! She helped me pick out the Maui taco and it was the absolute best! Moist, mixed with so many flavors that blended perfectly! I want to try everything else on their menu. They have a spacious interior and back patio. There is also a front area with a few bar stools. Music selection was superb.

Delicious and super affordable tacos with many vegetarian options, and fresh shrimp and fish. I got 3 tacos- the chili relleno tacos was amazing, shrimp taco delicious but a little spicy, and the zucchini taco. I was definitely too full to eat all of the chili relleno taco and wished I would have started with that. My husband got steak and chorizo tacos and ate 4 of them plus mine. Super affordable food and absolutely delicious! The guy who rang us up was really helpful as well. He made great suggestions on what to get and told me usually people eat 2-3 tacos and are satisfied. We got our food to go because they were super busy and they had high top tables which obviously would not do well with a high chair which we didn't even ask if they had one. Would definitely suggest this place! Delicious food and very reasonable

City tacos has become a staple for great tacos in the heart of downtown La Mesa. The staff is always welcoming and friendly as you walk in to a view the menu of unique offerings. I typically go with the surf and turf and the pescado tacos. They don't skimp out on the portions and the flavors are on point. The salsa bar is a must to mix and match the different varieties. I've ordered delivery a few times, but nothing beats the tacos coming out fresh out of the kitchen.

Came here with a couple of people and wanted to try their Birria. We got the California burrito, Al pastor burrito, and Birria quesadilla. The food here is so good, the service was great, and there were plenty of tables for a big group to come in. I loved the green salsa and they give you a lot of food. I liked how the burritos weren't filled with rice and beans. They give you a lot of meat in the burritos.

We've been to City Tacos in OB, IB, Downtown by Petco Park and now the La Mesa Village. The same great quality and creative tacos, best Frijoles Charros and excellent service. Mexicali grilled angus-steak, onions & poblano peppers over melted asadero cheese & mashed potatoes, finished with a crema fresca and cotija cheese sprinkle 5.25 The City Tacos original. A classic. Always a winner! Shank You Taco slow cooked beef shank with mushrooms and garlic topped with fresh onion & cilantro finished with our creamy serrano salsa over a crispy corn tortilla with asadero cheese 5.25 This was the first time I tried this one. It won't be the last. Delicious succulent beef. Juicy and tender. The taco was loaded with it. Great taco, shank you very much! Carnitas slow-cooked pork carnitas topped with cilantro, onion, guacamole & crunchy chicharron (pork rind) 4.25 Becky's all-time favorite. She loves the crunchy chicharron. Frijoles Charros pinto beans with pork trio (chorizo, bacon, carnitas) asadero and cotija cheeses, finished with tomato, onion, cilantro & a grilled chili pepper 6.25 Best. Pinto Beans. Ever. Regardless of location, City Tacos never fails to deliver high quality food at a reasonable price.

Best Tuesday taco date night. On Tuesdays, not only do they serve epic tacos, but they also have a DJ spinning cool songs. But let's not forget that tacos are still the show's star. They always feature a taco of the month, but I was in the mood for a simple battered fish original. That and a crispy chorizo con papas. Wow, both were great, but the crispy chorizo was delicious. Don't forget to order the pinto beans; they're life-changing Great beers are on tap, and the staff is always on point.

Great tacos at city tacos ! I like that it is a mix of traditional and fusion tacos! They are also a good portion! Good area to sit and eat and friendly staff! Would recommend a visit!

Wow!!! Absolutely the best tacos I've had! I hate it when a taco has tons of cabbage or the meat is not tender!! Not City Tacos!! Minimal cabbage!!! Meat was tender!! Omg so flavorful! Service was great and they server gave great recommendations. One downfall.. which I'm sure they are taking care of is the bathroom was out of order. I hope they fix it. Can't wait come back. Amazing

Ordered the portobello, Baja, chorizo, and Mexicali tacos. All super tasty and reasonably priced! You order at the counter and they bring your food out when it's ready. Waited kinda long but they were pretty busy. There's a sauce and add-ons (onions, etc.) station.

My daughter and I were in downtown La Mesa. She has been talking about City Tacos and their $10 appetizer platter for a while and we finally went. It is such a cute little place with seating inside and out. The staff are all friendly and efficient. We ordered the platter which had a generous amount and variety of chips, flats, empanadas, beans and guacamole. We also got the elote which was huge and generously covered with crema and cotija cheese. Everything was awesome. The fried goods still managed to be light and crispy. I highly recommend this place. Please check out my video on YouTube and like, subscribe, and tell all your friends! Thank you! https://youtu.be/iMykwEQhAXA

Extremely rude staff. Not one but 2 staff members. Stood in line for 10 minutes just to have them help a person who walked in after me. Then have the nerve to scold us about the salsa bottles that someone else left on the table. I really enjoy eating here in the past bc the tacos are good but I will not come back to this location

Tacos were great here! Same place as the location in North Park. Tasty tacos around the area of La Mesa. Tried their shrimp enchilado and carne asada, both were great! The staff is very friendly there, ready to help and serve. The vibe in there was nice. Loved the music they had playing and the volume was perfect! Would definitely recommend for quick taco stop.

Good tacos, when they are delivered with everything included and they don't forget the sauces or the elote asada. I've had more than 3 separate orders have issues. Most recently, delayed delivery with a missing elite asada. Frustration post. But only go in an pick up because grubhub is ass

The tacos are so good Nice size Came out on time Great customer service Great salsa options

City tacos has been one of my favorite places to eat the past few years. We have come here dozens of times. On father's days, my family asked me where I wanted to go.. I didn't hesitate, I wanted city tacos. We went there and unfortunately had a bad experience. My wife was about to bite into one of her tacos when she noticed something moving. It was a SLUG and it was very much alive! The staff was sorry and took care of our meal, but honestly we lost our appetite after that. The lady working took my info and said the manager would call me. It's been a few weeks and no recovery attempt has been made. Disappointed!!

I've been here a few times., In general the food is better than the average low budget taco shop but in all honesty it does not reach the level of honest real level Mexican food...

City tacos is the best! Love the portobello taco option for non-meat eaters and dairy free people. Just make sure to ask for no cheese. Always laid back and chill!

I wish I could give this place more than just 3 stars. It was clean and the gentleman helping us navigate the menu was friendly and helpful . Our food arrived within minutes of ordering but wasn't very hot i found the food a little lacking. In the flavor department, while all of the items on the menu sound great we thought the tacos were just okay. Where I am willing, maybe I have a later date to try this place again.

Lovely calming outside space. Very relaxing. Yum tacos. Had the cochinita pibil taco, with their sauce on the side. Lucky for me, as the sauce has a kick!

The variety and freshness of the tacos is exceptional. Service is great. Prices are outstanding. City Tacos is amazing.

I will first say that their food is always excellent. But in terms of our most recent experience a week or so ago, I have to say I'm extremely disappointed. I came here with five other people for taco Tuesday at around 6pm. We know that on Tuesdays that they have a live DJ, but this particular Tuesday it was abnormally loud and it had been getting louder each week. We were talking about the volume and literally as we were (trying to) discuss the volume in their outdoor area (which was less loud than indoors), the DJ looked at us, smirked, and turned up the volume. We talked to the workers up front who told us there was nothing they could do. Well, the DJ works for them, not the other way around, so I don't know if the DJ is some family member of the owner, but we left for surfrider pizza up the street which also had music playing, but it was at a pleasant level that didn't distract from either the eating or social experience. I would suggest to city tacos that the live music isn't the problem, but the decibel level is and when you have families bringing young children (we saw a family with an infant) the decibel level is downright dangerous. Turn it up after 7:30 pm when there's a younger crowd, but maybe keep it reasonable before then. Hate to break it to city tacos, but we were here for the food, not the DJ. Now I don't really want to go here at all. Kind of a shame because we go out with those 5 people fairly regularly and we will be taking our business elsewhere.

You know what these tacos no matter what location you go to do not disappoint. Mikess ( the brewery that they used to partner with) has never been the same after they let go of this partnership. Their tacos are just the perfect size with all the flavor that are tacos should give. It was my first time coming to this location and it happened to be on October fest. I would've thought that it would've been a lot more chaotic which don't get me wrong the line without the door and around, but it was 100% worth it. It's also nice that they have a restroom and it's actually a very pleasant visit because of all the Hispanic heritage art. I highly recommend this location and any other of City tacos. The vegan options are huge. I personally do not eat that much protein, and I love the Portobello taco and the Chile Relleno taco. I also recommend that you have to try their beans. They aren't spicy so to add some spice. I always add the red salsa into the beans and it is magical. The service that each location has so far been pretty great they're very

We like to visit city tacos on Tuesdays as they have a dj on site which creates a fun atmosphere for my little ones. I like that the tacos are consistent in taste and size. The salsa bar is clean and packed with condiments and various salsas. One of my favorite is the surf and turf along with the papas con rajas.... but don't overlook the taco of the month (some of them i wish were on the permanent menu). The staff is friendly and attentive, we feel comfortable whenever we visit.

City Tacos has some unique tacos that are delicious I really like the Pescado tacos. Love the favors! Service was good and quick. Atmosphere was nice. I've been here a few times and love it!

Brought by a good friend after going to a local brewery. I had the Chile relleno taco and surf & turf taco. We were greeted by Anthony and given great customer service. Even when it was 30 mins until close we experienced great service Thank you for your a great experience and food Anthony.

First time here and was helped by Anthony, super chill guy! He recommended the grilled shrimp and birria tacos which I got and loved! Forsure will be coming back to try the rest.

First off - I need to say, they aren't bad at all. They're pretty decent for a taco. However, I thought they were a lil overrated compared to a bona fide taco shop. They were good, albeit a lil pricey & not as authentic as I would like. But still good & decent tacos. Clean & cute lil shop in downtown La Mesa w good salsa!

Honestly the best local taco joint in town. The flavors packs and punch and they have wild and fun taco creation! The staff is amazing and quick. They get your orders correct and fast service. Plenty of seating and super dog friendly. The salsa bar is my absolute favorite. Such great tasting salsa!

Absolutely love the food and the value, however; I am extremely disappointed and dissatisfied about the cancelled door dash order that was placed. There was a special being held on Chile Relleno tacos, (if it were a computer glitch,then they should honor it) .. Puts a bad taste in their loyal customers mouths about their relationships and appreciation. Will not look at this place the same way again. Very disappointed.

Great food and service every time we visit !! It's casual dining atmosphere with fine dining flavor

Food was so good. The staff were straight to the point. No extra just bomb ass good tacos. The sauce was delicious and place felt like the San Diego I grew up in. It's was great. Did I mention the amazing tortillas.

El Pollo grill..Lemon Grove.. People from outside of cali...we apologize for thinking city tacos is what cali is about...Don't eat this crap.

Good tacos and friendly service. Atmosphere was nice but maybe the music was a bit too loud.

My niece and I grabbed a quick bite while doing a little shopping. Be sure to check in and get the free cheese quesadilla coupon. I ordered a couple of tacos and the free quesadillo. The tacos were fresh and tasty. And I loved the variety of sauces to choose from. There was indoor and outdoor seating available. Service was friendly and fast. If you are in the mood for tacos, stop in and give them a try.

Been to this location a few times. I like their simple approach with some twists on TJ style. If you're a purist, beware, they don't stick to the playbook but the results are solid. Today, I ordered Frijoles Veggie. Cool little dish but the bok choy was confusing. One of these things is not like the other... Try eating that big thing with only a spoon. :-) The rest was solid and yum. Shank You Taco - Great beefy flavor and mushrooms (yes, in a taco?) that was moist and flaky. This one will be on my "again" list. Camaron Enchilado - I ate is so damn fast that I forgot to take a picture. Seriously, that chipotle aioli would make a sweaty gym sock taste good. So, not your traditional taco stop but def a must try on a street full of good food.

Found on Yelp. Excellent location in the heart of La Mesa. Great vibes!!! Awesome food.

A bunch of east coasters came to San Diego wanting tacos, and City Tacos did not disappoint! We each had 3 tacos for lunch, which were quite filling but allowed us to try all of the various delicious flavors. The chile relleno taco was a treat!

Love their Quesibirria!!! The employees are fantastic and the ambiance is very comfortable!!! Food is tacos and salsa bar are delicious !!! Highly recommend!!!

Excellent service, staff always greet you with a smile, nothing but positive vibes. Anthony is the best, always recommending the best tacos. Food is amazing! Ambiance is comfortable and always clean.