El Puerto Mexican & Seafood

Used to come here all the time but it has gone down hill significantly lately. Gave them a final chance today and safe to say I won’t be coming back. The staff is rude, the cook is rude, the entire store is dirty and the meat is chewy. The street tacos they do on the weekends are good. But it is an entirely different cook and staff that do the tacos rather than the restaurant. If you’re not getting the street tacos, do not come here.

The shredded beef tacos were ok. The crunchy taco shell was very good, not over cooked or greasy, unfortunately the shredded beef was very dry and tough. The salso they delivered to table was old, did not taste good and smelled sour.

Plentiful Mexican bites abound, including carne asada fries, menudo, and drinks like micheladas and horchata. There’s a small parking lot, credit cards are accepted, and they have indoor dining (not outdoor options) as well as takeout available during covid. Came here on a Sunday around 1pm and there was no wait. Some people did come in and out for takeout orders, but as a whole, the place was pretty relaxed. There’s a bathroom but it’s only available to wash your hands. There’s also a large screen TV that was playing soccer in the background. Food-wise, the carne asada fries were a bit smaller than I expected, but still good for two people to split. They put a lot of sour cream on it as an FYI. I’d recommend putting the green salsa provided for more flavor/spice. The burritos come with rice and beans, and I did like the adobada meat (the red salsa goes well with this one). Keep in mind the red salsa is also the spicier salsa, for those who are a bit more sensitive to eat. For the menudo, you have the option for corn or flour tortillas, and it’s a good serving size for the soup.

Great first time experience, shrimp had no flavor, ranchero plate was little watery. will try them again

Really bad shrimp cocktails!!!! Hardly has anything in the cocktail. I ordered a large, gave me a very small cup with very little of anything. Not any good either. Now I understand why the place was empty when I arrived.

Had lunch here over the weekend. The most mediocre tacos ever. I heard the shrimp was good though. They charged over $5 per taco and don't make there own tortilla. After a few bites it was dry and bland. the cashier was arguing with customers in front of me. This review is not to discourage but to motivation owners to do better.

Had carne asada tostada. The carne left for something to be desired,…. like Meat! Tiny, thin gristle. No bueno. Not a soul in the restaurant so they could’ve afforded to offer sweet portions that will otherwise be thrown out and customer service was not so great. at all.

I had lunch at the Windmill Food Hall location. I ordered the Carne Asada burrito, and it was really bad. I am not sure there was any meat in it. The carne asada burrito was all pico de gallo and BEANS. I took a few bites and tossed it. The watermelon agua fresca was really good though.

Awesome carne asada burrito that comes with bean and rice inside! Awesome service very clean and smells good from outside.

Rolled tacos hit the spot! Very reasonably priced too!!! Very friendly service. Offered 2 salsas, red and a creamy more spicy one. Both were tasty.

Definitely recommended! I had to return to El Puerto since we/family love the food. I ordered their breakfast burritos; which are so flavorful-fantastic. During my visits the people that work there are friendly, and today I received excellent friendly service from a wonderful woman (sadly forgot her name) and she was very helpful and super friendly for sure! I appreciate a warm welcome. Highly recommend.

The Al pastor tacos here are as close to the great Mexico City hole-in-the-wall spots as I've found in North County. All other tacos I've had (adobado, carnitas, and pollo) are great, and the Friday/Saturday street tacos are very good. I've also been to the Windmill location which is just as good

This place has become a new regular spot. Great food and service. California burrito is where it's at.

Great restaurant! Great prices, including Jarritos sodas! Kind, gracious service. Delicious breakfast burrito (w/Monterey cheese), Great Tuesday Tacos prepared out front. Simple dining area seating.

Plentiful Mexican bites abound, including carne asada fries, menudo, and drinks like micheladas and horchata. There's a small parking lot, credit cards are accepted, and they have indoor dining (not outdoor options) as well as takeout available during covid. Came here on a Sunday around 1pm and there was no wait. Some people did come in and out for takeout orders, but as a whole, the place was pretty relaxed. There's a bathroom but it's only available to wash your hands. There's also a large screen TV that was playing soccer in the background. Food-wise, the carne asada fries were a bit smaller than I expected, but still good for two people to split. They put a lot of sour cream on it as an FYI. I'd recommend putting the green salsa provided for more flavor/spice. The burritos come with rice and beans, and I did like the adobada meat (the red salsa goes well with this one). Keep in mind the red salsa is also the spicier salsa, for those who are a bit more sensitive to eat. For the menudo, you have the option for corn or flour tortillas, and it's a good serving size for the soup.

The food was distrusting. They boiled the shrimp and mixed with with fresh tomato and cucumber and called it ceviche de Cameron. It was awful and had ZERO flavor, one bit and I threw $8.99 in the trash. The limes were so dried out you couldn't even use them!

Steak Nachos is was okay. The chips was plain so having the toppings definitely helped with the flavor.

I just had these yesterday at Crackheads on Carlsbad village. I ended up having 6 Al pastor tacos!!! These are the best tacos I've ever had! I'll be coming back every Tuesday or I might even head to the windmill food hall or the restaurant! I've recommended them to all my friends and family in the past 24 hours! They have great customer service. The ingredients are fresh! And the home made tortillas are bomb! You won't regret it.

I paid for guacamole to be added to burrito and nothing added. Then the rolled tacos were so dry and seemed old I couldn't eat them. First and last time ordering here.

They were at the taste of Carlsbad and their Al pastor tacos and their Birria tacos are amazing! They are a hidden gem and I will go visit them more often

The reviews are right this is the best Taqueria in San Diego absolutely mind blowing food and the best street tacos on Friday and Saturday!!! it's in a cutty little shopping center but trust me when you get your food and taste it you're going to be sent straight to food heaven, all the flavors of Baja California!!

If you're actually Mexican, this won't taste authentic to you. They were very kind, but my taquitos were dry. The taste is weird too, like white. No offense.

Omg!!!!! Literally. Just no words. If you don't go here you are GRAVELY missing out!!

Our second night eating in hotel on vacay, and ordered Mexican. This close to that borderline the food can only be great right! I was WRONG! IT WAS SUPER FANTASTIC!!!!! (2) Huge Carnitas Burritos (4) Lengua Tacos (1) Wet Pollo Burrito (1) Carne Asada Burrito (1) Chicken Quesadilla (1) Carnitas Nachos and whewwwww Food was HUGE PORTIONS, and absolutely outstanding point for taste and preparation! Hats off to GrubStub for transporting timely and getting the food to us while still HOT! Speaking of HOT! The homemade chile' ( hot sauce) was kickin' I'd like of added the other photos, but didn't want to publicize my family Definitely a recommendation if your in the area, I'm sure their sit in restaurant would be just as or better fresh off da line.... Aloha! Happy Eatz

Now this is what I'm talking about!!! El Puerta is the real deal, Authentic Mexican food! I ordered a simple bean & cheese burrito. It was made with in a homemade tortilla.....lots of melted cheese and the best flavored pinto beans......what's not to love...... The way I see it is, If you can't swing a perfect bean & cheese burrito everything else must not be very good either. It's a small fast food restaurant, that offers catering, the young lady at the counter said they serve street tacos on Tuesday night at the local Crackhead establishment in Carlsbad Village. The inside is in need of updating, paint etc... but the food is excellent

The food is really good. They have a great taco night Friday and Saturday. Basically saved the golden tee from bankruptcy. Family owned and operated.

The prices here are very affordable and staff was friendly. Food unfortunately just average. Our tacos were OK but nothing special, they did have a few salsas to Spruce it up. Portions are fine and the place clean and well run, but nothing stood out as having to come back for.

Atmosphere/Ambiance - As you step into the restaurant, what is the feeling you get? * It is a very tiny taco shop. The tables may rock back and forth and the seats are not as comfy as is like them to be. There are only a handful of seating options. Cleanliness - Does the restaurant appear clean? * The tables are wiped down before the next customers are seated. Service - Were the servers pleasant, communicative, efficient, knowledgeable? * The lady at the front met my expectations. Food - Of course, this may arguably be the most important part of eating out. * How does it look? - It looks great with wonderful presentation. You get free chips and salsa. * How does it taste? - It tasted above average, but my expectations were higher than the outcome. Chips and salsa were below average. * And how much does it cost? - It was not cheap, but not expensive. Fair prices.

Looking at the reviews, I think it would be a good guess to say this place is can be really inconsistent. After we had lunch here today, I would say the same. So, what's good? The food. Solid fare with some decent flavors. Chili Relleno burrito was well made with good levels of cheese and heat. The tortilla had a nice lightly crispy press on it as a final touch. My wife enjoyed her enchilada and tostada plate as well. Prices are also good. Menu items average around 8-9 bucks for good size plates or entrees. What could use some work? Chips were super stale and tasted like they had been made last week (they did make us fresh ones when my wife requested them). Half the food came out steaming hot while the other half was room temperature. Soda fountain was not mixing right. Perhaps strangest of all, service was super distracted. Getting my order taken at the front counter felt like trying to get the attention a 14 year old girl with a new Snapchat account. Not sure I would go back. Not terrible by any means, but there are plenty of other places around that would probably be a better choice.

Horrible service, street tacos served cold and meat that taste funny, I didn't see even an attempt to follow health codes. Will never go there again as there are much better options across the street.

This is the second time coming here and for the second time I am really impressed. To be fair, I have only come on Fridays and have only gotten street tacos from the curb-side tent, but here's what's up. The tripe is fantastic. It's the best I have ever had. It's clean tasting (those of us that eat tripe know what I'm talking about :\ ) it has a fantastic tenderness, and a mouthfeel that is incomparable. The lengua is as tender as I have ever had and makes for a delectable street taco. Oddly, I usually love carne asada and al pastor, but these came in a DISTANT 3rd and 4th place, even though they were delicious in their own right. The shining star was the Serrano hot sauce. It was pretty toasty, but I couldn't stop eating it. I had to eat it on everything. Don't forget to add a dash of cilantro, chopped onion, and lime to every bite. If you forget that crucial step, you miss out on the experience. The customer service is wonderfully attentive and I'm not sure what experience other people have had but my case was nothing but pleasant. I'll go back to try their regular menu and give an update but in the meantime, you need to look up when they have their tent on the front curb and at the very, very least try everything that comes out of that little hut.

Rolled tacos were okay but i asked her if the rolled tacos had sour cream on them in english and spanish because if they didnt i wouldve got a side of sour cream and she said yes and there was none :/ She also had attitude for no reason, i was the only person in there so i don't understand.

I saw the low reviews but decided to give it a try, and in fact the ladies that work here, are your authentic Mexican "comadre", moms friend, or tia The salsas are spicy just like the recipe should be, both green and reds, I been ordering both bean-and-cheese and the California, for my lunch break and although the meat might be a little chewy it has always be prepared delicious (bomb), true authentic Mexican food with Mexican comadres working I will continue to come back

Love there carne asada nachos. They do taco Tuesday at Crackheads and necker disappoint.

No spices or seasoning on the food. Sofa is flat. Not a happy customer. Should have picked better.

To be honest, I never gave this place a second thought for my Friday night Fiestas (Fiesta Friday!! Haha I'm lame). But tonight I picked up some beer at Texas Liquor and said, what the hell and drove over to the other side of the parking lot (to allow another alcohol seeker a spot, ya know?). I judge taco shops by their CA burrito and this is the best in Carlsbad Village! It has all the needed ingredients (no Pico DE Gallo, and I like). Their salsas are super spicy, but good. Hint, the green is avocado, sour cream, and surely serrano-- SPICY! They set up an al pastor stand right in their parking lot, awesome. Fridays are Pozole days, awesome. Almost 2 years living here and finally gave this place a shot, too late! I'm visiting them again!

As far as hole-in-the-wall Mexican shops go, this one was pretty good. My boyfriend and I were en route from San Diego to Orange County and randomly decided to grab a bite for a late breakfast here because there was a BOGO offer in our Entertainment app. I chose the egg, potato and cheese breakfast burrito and he picked the veggie burrito. As a hot sauce fan, my boyfriend was very impressed by their homemade hot sauces. Both the red and green had a strong kick that must have been pretty intense for my boyfriend, who regularly orders between 8 and 10 on the spice scale at restaurants, to comment on it. My breakfast burrito was nicely seasoned and tasted great too!

I very rarely review, so when I do it's either on two ends of the spectrum. Either the entity really rubbed me the wrong way, OR I had such a great experience I feel the need to share! El Puerto is extremely good!! Being from LA, my expectations for street tacos is pretty high and they did NOT disappoint! My girlfriend and I were walking through the village and smelled the amazing tacos from across the street (at Crackheads). On Taco Tuesdays you can find them there for your fix. So glad to have this hidden gem so close to me!

If you like spicy Mexican food this is your spot. This little hole in the wall has to have the spiciest salsas I have ever had. Be careful with the green one, a few drops will have you on fire, too much will ruin your food. The red ones good too, but not as spicy. I wish they made the fresh tortilla and street tacos everyday but they only make them on the weekend for dinner time. Love this place, I have been coming here for years to get my spicey fix. Make sure to get plenty of napkins as you will need them for the sweat pouring our your face.

The food was okay. Service was mediocre. We ordered Caldo de res, I asked her if she can serve it without vegetables. She said it was pre-made. Then she said we can take them out but we can't add more meat. I didn't ask her to add more meat.

I found the El Puerto Mexican and Seafood to be a fairly typical San Diego taqueria with some additional mariscos menu options. They have some interesting looking seafood soups and tostadas, plus six shrimp plates, four fish preparations and some oysters. I went with a humble, simple shrimp taco. It was pleasantly more sour than most, which I think came from the sauce. The sour was unexpected but I liked it and it worked well in the taco. Lots of tomato too. Good little place. Its shopping center needs to be redone. What a great location at I-5 and Carlsbad Village Drive, but its value isn't being fully utilized. I'm amazed I found El Puerto and decided to give it a try in the first place.

Pretty sure the eggs on my Huevos Rancheros were a week old, you just can't get that type of dried out yellow crusty eggs without letting them sit around for days. The woman cooking the food didn't seem to care one bit when asked why she served old food, just smirked and steered at the wall. They really weren't surprised to get food taken back, must be a regular thing there. Disgusting place all around

I asked for carne asada fries and came out with a meal that tasted so deliciously fresh. The fries were very thick compared to normal fries but they tasted so fresh--I'm almost certain they cut them by hand. I'm very satisfied with my food and will definitely return again.

This review is for the weekend street tacos only. I have never been there during other business hours. The tacos are fantastic, especially for two dollars. It's a great late night snack if you're in the downtown Carlsbad area. Try their green salsa...its hotter than you'd expect, but delicious!.

First time here and it was great. Carne Asada Fries were fire! The green sauce had a good spice to it. Prices are very good for the amount of food you get.

Found this lil hole in the wall tucked in the back of a small shopping area off the freeway. They were closing so I got some takeout. They had the al pastor in front but I was craving carnitas so next time I'll have to get the street tacos. The carnitas was awesome as well as the rice and beans. The sausage breakfast burrito was another hit and they use real potatoes (not a fan of French fries in my burritos). The salsas were hot and flavorful, a big winner for me. Staff was friendly and the place looks like your old skool taco shop, which I like. Check them out, these folks know what they're doing here. Thumbs up!!

My friends and I love coming here for lunch, they have great food and there salsas are one of the best I have tried. The prices are reasonable as well. Cashier lady always seems angry tho.

Very casual in a strip mall. I had the surf and turf burrito. The steak was tender and the burrito also had shrimp. The burrito was large enough for 2 senior citizens to share. Very tasty!

Went to their stand they had out in the parking lot. My wife and I were passing through, but I saw them making tortillas with a hand-press, so I slammed the brakes and parked. 1 pastor and 1 asada. The al pastor was super salty, and they didn't even put a slice of pineapple! The carne asada was also very salty and a bit dry. Tortilla: above average. It's next to a cocktail lounge, perhaps you should go after a few drinks..?

First time and the serving portion of the campechana was terrible. It's all caldo and no seafood. Mine had 5 shrimps and 7 tiny pieces of octopus. Fish tacos had lettuce instead of kale. The fish tacos had the wrong sauce.

Found this hole in the wall spot while picking up a cooler at the nearby 7-11. We decided to check it out because the chilaquiles sign in the window caught our eye. The chilaquiles were bland and needed a good bit of salsa to taste decent. However, the crowning jewel was the unwelcome piece of metal that I found in my food! It looked like a 2 inch thread from a steel wool scouring brush. When my husband took the plate up to the lady at the counter, she seemed uninterested, didn't blink an eye and asked if I wanted them to make me another plate. She didn't offer a refund and she didn't apologize - terrible customer service. At that point, I was put off, but I was still hungry, so I got a vegetarian burrito. The burrito was pretty good. I'd care to write more praising it, but, at that point it was a means to an end and I couldn't enjoy it. If you're going to go here, make sure you check your plate. I'm just glad I didn't swallow the metal.

Authentic Mexican food! I had the enchilada and tostada plate. The beans were perfect and the enchilada sauce was a rich, dark red. If you want a HOT salsa...they have one!

#1 - Offers Delivery - $20 minimum + $2 delivery fee (be sure to order early!) #2 - Great Prices. #3 - Very Attentive Service. Eat in-house or order food (via Yelp!) delivered right to your house at this Carlsbad Mexican restaurant, located at the Carlsbad Village Drive exit off of I-5. Quaint and authentic, this place offers a tasty bite with great service. We've been ordering restaurant delivery from El Puerto for a month or so and are stoked on having another option in Carlsbad Village. Don't get me wrong, Knockout and Grubby's are good too, but it's nice to have options, and trust me - we're busy/lazy enough to know the best around! :) Our faves are the California burrito, and anything with shrimp/seafood. People love the Mexican Coca Cola here and legit authenticity of the food. Plus, if you want to get really down and dirty you can even get a Milanesa Torta -- Hope you enjoy!

The absolute BEST Lengua burrito I have ever tasted ! It's tender as it just melts in your mouth, GREAT taste, blended well with the beans and seasonings. In short mouth watering lengua burrito "The Best !" in North County, San Diego. One will not be enough

The food is just ok. The staff was very nice and the restaurant was fairly clean. I ordered a mixed tostada and the filet of fish with garlic. The tostada was flavorless and the fish was LOADED with garlic (which I LOVED) but it lacked flavor also. The beans and rice were blah. Adding some lime and salt helped A LOT. I don't think I'd return.

Hands down the BEST mexican food in North County! Ive been here more than handful of times and each time the service was friendly and quick and the prices are more than affordable. One of the highlight of this place is their homemade hot green sauce that the owner makes, and supposively she has interest from stores such as Traders Joe and Costco!?! Their menu is very wide in options and easy to understand they even do deliveries through Grubhub too! What I always order when I am here is 4 things: Breakfast burrito California burrito Rolled tacos & their street tacos (they normally start making this outside their store after 7pm) Not saying that those are the only good foods to get here, even their pozole is bomb according to my co worker who religiously ordered them every other day lol. Their street tacos are a favorite with the locals including the Carlsbad City Cops who you can frequently catch enjoying a late night dinner. Overall, this place is a hidden gem in the rough part of the village. You will not be dissapointed when dining here and you will see why I rated them 5 stars!

We love that you can call in and order for delivery! The food has always been good and we can't complain at work because we are over the options at the food court. The only reason I give them 3 stars is because the salsa isn't good and especially the green salsa. Found mold on it today. It's like baskin robins' blizzard when you turn it upside down, too. I've yet to taste it since I started ordering there. It's been several times. Also, the online prices don't add up so please fix!