Lilly's Taqueria

Best tacos I’ve had in a long time! Their salsas are so good and the meat is well seasoned. The place is also super clean. You can tell they take pride in their food and keeping their business! staff is friendly too which makes the experience even better!

I love authentic places, and this is one of them! No need for extra things, plain tacos that are just so good that don’t need anything else. I had the asado, beef cheek, and beef tongue! They were all delicious !

Value for money is very good. The staff is friendly and smiling. They don’t even put the machine offering to tip into your face. The tacos are pretty basic and simple yet delicious and the portion of meat is very large. Chicken and beef tacos were a bit on the simpler side. The pork tacos were more delicious to me. The tripes tacos with the fried option were nice to try but had a very specific taste so I only recommend it if you are into trying different parts of animals. It’s a nice place for a quick bite and authentic simple meal, I can recommend

I visited Lilly’s Tacos and had an amazing experience. The tacos were fresh, flavorful, and generously filled. The staff was friendly and attentive, making the meal even more enjoyable. Highly recommended for anyone craving delicious, authentic tacos!

Love that they keep it simple with really great meats, fresh tortillas, and flavorful salsas. By far, the best cabeza taco I’ve ever had and the pastor was really good too!

The tacos are bomb. Really good quality meat and not over priced. Salsas are are very good and lots came to eat here. The service was fast.

There’s a reason why this place has 2,000+ reviews and is so highly rated!! The tacos are authentic, double tortilla, and stuffed pack with meat. I tried one of each: adobada, asada, and pollo. They were all super tasty, and you can put as much salsa and cilantro and cebolla on it as you want.

Love this place. Stop anytime we drive down south. The tripas are my favorite, crispy and good portions. Brought my dad, who is very critical of his Mexican food- he got up after eating his tacos and ordered more. He loved them, I knew I had found a gem when he approved. Authentic and delicious.

If you're looking for some quick tasty tacos, this is the place to be! When looking up for some taco options, this place came up on the search list, and boy did it deliver. A small counter to take orders, a limited selection but very selection delivered. One section had the order station and the kitchen, and two more sections were for seating. They had a kind of sauce station, which was nice as each customer can customize per their preference. This place was buzzing with people even on a Thursday afternoon, can't imagine on weekends. We got 3 tacos, each being $3.49, very affordable, but extremely tasty. I personally preferred adobada which was delicious. Chicken fajitas were great too. Definitely recommend this place for a quick bite or a full fledged meal.

Great tacos. A real taco spot. I suggest you come hungry and gorge. I've been a since they opened in a narrow shopfront and there was such limited seating and people sat on the sidewalk kerb to enjoy a juicy taco.

It's fast and convenient and you can sit down and eat. There's free street parking by it. They have hand sanitizer near the cashier. There's a salsa bar where you can add your condiments. The spicy salsa was nice and spicy and very flavorful. be careful not to add too much. I like my meat to be slightly crispy and they do that right. But the tacos are not hot but still good.

Sooo yummy, delicious, quick and fun. Ate here after my elopement. I recommend to everyone visiting SB for some good and safe gluten free tacos.

Theres a reason why the locals love this place so much. Super quick, no frills super authentic taco spot. Great adobado!!

This place is a nostalgia staple. It's probably been twenty years since my first visit and not a whole lot has changed. Simple grilled and vapor style tacos. Even though it's only tacos they have a good variety of meat options (one veggie too). What sets this taqueria apart is its al vapor style tacos. If you have never tried cabeza or lengua tacos this may be your place to try. One of the few places I order lengua or my favorite, Cachete, tacos. Cachete is beef cheek. They also have labio (lips) and ojos (eyes) if you're more adventurous than me. I find them slightly chewier to my liking. What completes this no frills, straight up taco spot is its salsa bar. Salsas are tasty and I'm always throwing a lot of toppings on top. Quick and successful lunch!

Update: if I am hungry and in the area...this is the best place for a quick, affordable taco meal. I just wish the tacos weren't so bland.

I love this taqueria a lot, especially when I have friends in town and they are craving tacos. I arguably think 4 tacos is the perfect serving sizes for someone who has been walking around state street all day. There is no AC inside so it's not ideal to eat during the summer heat, so we took ours to the wharf to eat with the ocean views. The cashier spoke English and Spanish and switch back between each with me and my friends. Very tasty, would absolutely come again!

We went to Lilly's for lunch, and even though they had a line out the door, they were taking orders fast and moving people through. They have a small menu of different types of authentic tacos. I really liked the pork and grilled beef tacos. My husband tried some of the more adventurous tacos, like the lengua (tongue) and cabeza (head). The tacos were simple and delicious. We were happy with the meal! We really enjoyed the salsas and hot sauces, too.

The meat was so incredibly dry, it made these hard to enjoy. Will definitely choose another taco spot next time I'm visiting Santa Barbara.

First stop after landing in Santa Barbara? Has to be Lilly's Tacos. Rolled in here about an hour before closing and there were still plenty of locals ordering up some plates of deliciousness. Line was about 5 deep when I arrived but service was prompt and friendly. Plenty of indoor seating with two different salsa stations to choose your level of spice. The shop wasn't too noisy and was welcoming. If you're in the area for some authentic tacos run, don't walk, to Lilly's.

Absolutely hidden gem. Simple menu of Absolutely delicious tacos! Affordable! 3 pastor and 4 asada, filled to the rim of doubled fresh tortillas. Salsas on the bar were homemade and a great kick, spicy! Fresh chopped cilantro and onions. The place was packed and the line never ended.

We stopped by to see what all the commotion was about and they were good tacos. The salsa were very good. Nothing mind blowing. The place was clean. The service was fast. The food was good.

Fantastic experience at Lilly's Tacos! We came closer to 6 pm and didn't have to wait a minute to order. We ordered 5 asada tacos and one Jarritos which came out to $21! The tacos came out within minutes, they were piping hot and overflowing with meat. The salsa bar is self serve, along with toppings if you like cilantro and onions, as well as radish and limes. I believe the tortillas were homemade, they were soft and flavorful. The tacos were very good. Two is more than enough if you're a light eater which I am not, but they were plentiful for me. Some of the best tacos in Santa Barbara. I highly recommend it for a quick lunch or dinner!

Loved this place so much I wanted to come back the next day! The service is fast, vibe casual, and the tacos hit the spot. We tried the cachete and tripas, which were both very flavorful, excellent texture. I also love that you add your own onion, cilantro, and hot sauce! Perfect for onion lovers like me. We didn't have time to stop by again during our visit, but looking forward to next time I'm in SB!

Decided to stop for a quick bite at Lilly's Tacos on my way back to SoCal and I'm glad I did. Walking up to the restaurant itself it's nothing fancy, just the order counter, indoor seating, and a few small tables on the sidewalk. It's a very casual taco shop perfect for a quick meal. Lilly's menu is also super simple, they have street tacos, street tacos, and more street tacos. From what I saw on the menu, that is all they serve, so if you're looking for hard tacos, burritos, or other dishes, this isn't a good fit. Ordering is simple, You choose your meat and the number of tacos you want and they'll put it together before you can even put away your wallet, it was that fast. I ordered some Asada and Tripa (intestine) tacos and I have to say their tacos are great. They're nothing fancy, no crazy toppings, just meat and corn tortillas. There is a self-serve bar however that offers a range of Salsas, chopped cilantro, onion, and limes. The carne asada was flavorful and they weren't skimping on the meat. I ordered the tripa crunchy and they were really great. All in all, this place has all the makings of a great taco shop without all the fluff. It's relatively affordable and you can be in and out within 30-minutes. Would come here often if I lived in the area. All in all, would recommend giving it a try.

For sure, here's a super casual, short review. It's the kind of thing you'd text a friend. OMG, Lily's Tacos is the real deal. No frills, just amazing tacos that taste like the best thing you've ever had. I got 2 carne asada, 2 Cachete, 2 lengua, and 3 cabeza it's ridiculous so delicious. The line is worth it, I swear. It's seriously a must-try.

Always a must when in Santa Barbara! My favorite is the way they prepare the tripas but all the meat selections are good!

Lily's still has the best tacos de ojos in the world!!! Literally, I have only found good tacos de ojos in San Miguel de Allende, and here. I have lots of good tacos around me in West LA, but I gladly drive all the way here for the ojos. The BEST!!

So I had my second dinner of the night here last night. I'd eaten something lighter in the evening but was feeling a bit peckish and needed a little more to eat, as I'd had a really active and adventurous day. I knew you Yelpers didn't lead me wrong, 'cos there was a small queue outside the door when I arrived (8pmish on a Friday). Very straightforward - order at a register, and your food will be up a few moments later from a counter (just a few inches away). It was super speedy and the tacos were delicious. I added some of the medium salsa to mine - it had a good little kick. I'm not adventurous when it comes to my food, so I had one chicken fajita taco and one asada. But, as some other reviewers have noted, you can eat any part of a cow here -- or you could also get a veggie taco. 2025: 25/100

Read about this place on Reddit Santa Barbara FAQ, saying that it was $1 a taco, delicious and cheap. That's definitely not the case right now, as it's $3.49 a taco, though you won't see that price listed anywhere on the menu. Was very much underwhelmed with the tacos here as I've had much more flavorful and tender tacos back in San Diego for cheaper too. We ordered the asada, adobada, and tripes (crispy). They were all pretty dry and lacking in flavor. Service is fast though and the employees are nice, but the food is very mediocre.

Food came out very fast, the menu was easy to follow and order from. The place was very clean with lots of seating area. The portions were very generous as well as the price. They had their own bar to add onions, cilantros, and radish separately. They also had three sauce options varing in spice levels. Overall, very good place to grab a quick taco bite. The el pollo taco was the best for me personally and the tripe had a bit of a stronger bitter flavor but my girlfriend enjoyed it a lot because she liked tripe.

I'm from the Bay Area, and lived in LA for 10 years, so I'm super strict when it comes to Mexican food. I ordered the lengua, cabeza, and cachete tacos. They came out quick and the food was hot. The people were really nice. The meat itself was tender, but lacked flavor. Like not in a "salt" kind of way (it needed salt too though) but like actual seasoning. Same for the salsas, they weren't really spicy. And the one "spicy" salsa they had didn't have the best flavor. I've been to multiple Mexican restaurants out here and none of them wow me. It's clear they tailored their food to fit the SB demographic. If you want good Mexican food, go back to LA or Oakland.

Authentic and quick experience. You order and the tacos come out very quickly! We tried the pork and Asada tacos. We liked the pork taco more -- the meat was tender and fatty. Salsa bar was also fun! The carne asada meat was a bit tough. Good for take out inside an authentic taco shop.

Very matter-of-fact person at register not that friendly but it's fine. Tacos are good, generous portions of meat and good salsas with a nice kick. Like being able to put the salsa, onion, and cilantro on yourself so you get it how you want it. It's no LA street taco but good for this area. Bottled and canned drinks available. Clean interior, not cozy at all but it's alright. Okay price for what you get. Santa Barbara is full of bougie restaurants that are overpriced so this was actually one of our better meals.

No frills, quick service taco spot. I love this place for a quick affordable lunch and have been often, but if you're looking for a more in depth culinary experience this might not be your place. Tacos come with your choice of meat or veggies with a salsa bar that offers lime, cilantro, onions and 3 salsas.

Below average tacos. Maybe it's cause I'm from LA, spoiled with good tacos. Sauces are mediocre. The tortillas don't even taste like it has been on the grill, barely touched. - Steamed tacos (ALL) 2.1/5 All of them were tender except for one, it was light brown in color. They all kind of tasted similar in terms of beefiness, and differed in tenderness (gelatinous). - Tripas crispy taco 2.7/5 Deep fried tripas, they're very crispy. Free street parking

My husband and I rode bikes to try this spot and the food was delicious but the service was meh. It's set up like a typical taco shop you order up front, pay, and they hand you your tacos. Nothing extra or fancy about it. You dress them yourself. We tried adobada, carne asada, and cabeza and enjoyed them all and they give you plenty of meat. The salsa has a great spice level as well. The service was kind of odd, we ordered and paid, and were handed the plates. And as I walked away and was about to place onions on top the lady in front snatched the plate out of my hand and walked away with the plate. Just super odd encounter that made it feel like I did something wrong and she was kind of rude about it.

Love the tacos. Ordered cabeza and cachete to try something different. The meat was tender.

My eyes were bigger than my stomach. This is one of those places where the tacos are pretty big. I ordered 5 and should have only ordered 3. You order at the register in the front, and they call your order. Self seating on the side, super casual, eat and then leave vibes.

Came here while driving thru town. Standard tacos- nothing special but affordably priced.

I spent the weekend in Santa Barbara, first time ever actually. I usually am just passing by but gaaaahhh daaammmm was I missing out! I had no friggin idea SB got down like this!! These tacos were probably some of the best I've had in my life and I've had A LOT of tacos. Everything I ordered was so flavorful and not too greasy but juicyyyy. They hit my tastebuds with a quickness and did not turn back LOL Oh yes and they had a really unique meat choice "beef eye", lemme tell you this was super tender no seeing the actual eyeballs just had that tender lovin flavor we all need in our lives haha. Will definitely be back to SB and you bet your MF azz im coming back to Lilly's. PEACE!!

Superb. My friends and I have come three times and loved everything. My personal favorite is Cachete (cheek). The steamed meats are juicy My friend A got both the soft and crispy tripe and three of the steamed ones (head, cheek, tongue) and loved them all. In short, you can't go wrong Tacos come out super fast and they take card. Staff is very nice

Delicious tacos - don't be fooled, they may look "small" but are PACKED with meat. All of them were delicious in flavor. This is cafeteria style where you order and pay upfront then wait for them to call your name - afterward you find a place to sit. These tacos are not overpriced. They have a salsa bar too. Loved it and can't wait to stop by Lilly's when I'm back in SB.

You'll find more than just the regular carne asada at Lilly's. On the menu: beef head, cheek, tongue, tripe, lips, and eyes! I don't do organs, but my bf was intrigued with the eyes on the menu. One ojo taco for him, and one carne asada taco for me. I made sure which was which, as I definitely wouldn't want to mix them up! Verdict: he wouldn't know it was eyes, other than that he knowingly ordered it. A few gelatinous strips were in there, but it might have been mixed with some carne asada as well. Overall, ok but wouldn't order again. I thought my carne asada taco was pretty standard, a bit on the chewy/tough side. The salsa bar had all the fixings including a variety of salsas, onions and cilantro, lime wedges and spicy radishes! Fast casual joint.

Food is fresh. Employees always are nice and friendly. Always busy because people know where the best tacos are

I give it a 5 on food 7/5 if I could. service 3.5/5 sometimes kinda mean but I mean that's a small price to pay for tacos Ambiance I mean pretty good. everyone seems to be enjoying there delicious tacos! I love how they put fried veggies on the tacos just so CHeF'S KIsSsSssS

Fire!!!! Literally everything here is delicious. Tacos only! Best you'll have in the area! Very flavorful meat and soft fresh tortillas. There's 2 salsa bars so you can dress up your tacos just how you like. They put a lot of meat in the tacos too. Perfection!!! Staff is friendly and service is fast. Plenty of seating inside.

While this restaurant was cranking out both freaky fresh and freaky fast tacos, it also just got my team of distance runners acting... freaky. Order cautiously at Lilly's Tacos, or you might be overwhelmed with an unexpected elation that causes you to streak from State St and dive into the freezing ocean. The level of late-night energy corresponded directly with the amount of tacos consumed. For example, on one end of the spectrum, my friends and I were just there to sample, and we appropriately stayed on shore around the bonfire. This contrasts with Andrew (or maybe it was Gabe), who downed 5 tacos in the afternoon and proceeded to commence the polar plunge.

Taco is $3.39 each. I tried asada, pork, chicken and beef tongue - they were all good but my favorite was asada. The condiment bar was very nice (with sliced radish, chopped onion and different salsa) and the workers kept it very neat and clean.

A local fave, def would've never found this place otherwise. Cheap and gets the job done. Lots of meat and you can customize it to your liking. If you Wanta get away for the touristy hustle and bustle , this place is a find.

Tacos got pricier since we last visited 2 years ago. Staff are very dry, serious and not very friendly. And worst of all, my husband has been battling food poisoning since eating here a few days ago last Friday 8/29/25. I think the cause were the chicken tacos or the tacos adobados since those were the only different taco meats we got. Wouldn't recommend and never going back.

I had the lengue. It was pretty good. Didn't blow my socks off. The service was very fast.

Authentic tacos with 3 choices of sauces. Lots of sodas, including Mexican coke and Sprite. Family owned with friendly and fast service. Be ready to speak spanish as some employees do not understand English. A bit of a cafeteria ambiance but so is the price! If you want solid tacos with no thrills, this is it! PS, the mild sauce was only mild for people who eat fire for a living -- sample before you commit!!

I love Lilly's tacos though I will say I think I prefer the Goleta location. They have parking out front and there's plenty of seating room. The tacos are cheap and filled to the brim with chicken and grilled veggies. The tortillas weren't cooked as well so they were a little chewy but still tasty. Also love the salsa options, the hot is actually hot and flavorful. You can also put onions and cilantro on top.

Roach crawling on the walls and even after I reported it and requested a refund for about $30 (we just couldn't stomach eating our tacos anymore after that sighting right behind and above our table), we were asked to "hold on" because they needed to telephone a manager first to see if we could get the refund! ‍ We waited a few minutes and then decided to leave and go eat elsewhere. Terrible customer service, poor leadership/management skills, uninviting ambiance and decor of a Mexican restaurant, staff seemed untrained. On previous occasions I've found a hair in my food so this was definitely it for me and my family...never going back!!! Also...the tongue was undercooked and the asada was overcooked.

Lilly's Tacos was my absolute go-to spot during college and it never let me down. The quality is consistent no matter how many times you go, and it's the best bang for your buck at its price point. What sets Lilly's apart is the variety of meat options you don't often find at other Mexican establishments in the U.S. My personal favorite has always been the soft tripe tacos while my friends prefer the crispy tripe for the crunch. The menu is straightforward, the cashiers are always friendly and efficient, and orders are delivered very quickly. The self-serve salsa bar offers a range of spice levels, onions, limes, etc. Seating is also self-serve, keeping everything casual and convenient. Lilly's Tacos is everything you want in a taco spot: affordable, convenient, consistent, and, most importantly, delicious.

Went here for a quick bite at night and was pretty happy with the the asada and lengua, I feel like it's a solid place to get tacos at. The service was very quick and nice and the area was clean, I would come back again if in the area.

Tacos were not that great. Basic at most. Service was slow. I wouldn't recommend eating here.