The Taco Stand

Have been coming here since they opened. We have been to the Encinitas location before, and always recognized it as the place with the long line. The Oceanside location can get busy, but still seems to move quickly. The food is solid. Fresh tortillas and always consistent. They're surf and turf tacos, which I get with corn tortillas, are exceptional for $6. The other tacos are great and $1-2 cheaper, making them a great deal. These paired with the fresh corn tortillas chips (which I think are $3 for a 1lb bag) is 🤌🏿 Lots of options at the salsa bar. They seen to frequently run out of cups, which can cause a bottleneck. Occasionally the music is so loud inside. I can't even talk to my girlfriend across the table without talking in a much much louder speaking voice.

amazing Mexican joint with really authentic food. tried various tacos, as well as some of their rich offerings of various complementary sauces and spices. food tasted awesome, juicy, fresh and well prepared. kudos to all workers and cooks who made it happen!

Food was so good! Great prices, really fast service. Churros came with a side of sweetened condensed milk for dipping which was awesome. We got a California burrito, quesadilla and shrimp tacos. We couldn’t decide which one we loved most!! Definitely worth a try.

Mayra always is so friendly as well as the rest of the staff. It’s a ritual now to come eat out here. Super casual with serious food. And the churros are the best!

I really wanted to love this place. You walk in and thr decor looks like a legit taco stand somewhere in Mexico. Prices are a bit steep. $4.59 for one Carne Asada Taco however they are the traditional size tortillas amd not the street taco tortilla. I received my order and the tortillas on 3 tacos were cold, not even lukewarm . I took them back they were really nice and pleasant. They re-made them and the tortillas were a bit warmer but not what you'd expect for tacos made to order on the spot. The Carne Asada was very tender but not your traditional carne Asada made from thin ranchera it was mor of a brisket chunk . The Al Pator was better but not enough to come back here . The best part were the Salsas. The habanero was my favorite.

Exceptional burritos. The best CA burrito we’ve had, and decent prices too. Delicious churros too. Nice Mexican music. Our kids enjoy dancing to it. Tables & salsa bar can get a little messy; I know it’s hard to keep up, but sometimes I need to wipe them first. Overall we keep coming back. Delicious food and doesn’t disappoint a hungry stomach!

I ordered the Mahi Mahi grilled taco and a carne asada taco, they were freshly made with homemade corn tortillas. The tacos and salas were delicious. They have a variety of fresh made salsas. They have outdoor seating as well inside seating.The staff are pleasant. I will be returning.

Great food! Great service! I did get my churros first… but I’m okay with that. It can get a bit busy at times, I went on Saturday did wait about 10min for the food. When we found a table outside it was dirty, but a staff member was happy to clean it for us. Not sure how they are during the week. Roll of the dice with parking. But worth the effort in my opinion. Outside and inside seating. The fish tacos were fresh and lightly battered, nice and crispy. Will be coming back.

Adrian was the man!!! Some great customer service!! Tacos are always great, but having that extra bit of customer service made my day even better!! Shout out, Adrian!! Give him some love if you go to The Taco Stand in Oceanside!!

Delicious tacos vegetarian options mushrooms and nopales ( cactus) the salsas are delicious the habanero salsa my favorite the churros my super favorite since cotsco doesn't have then anymore excellent prices

The food and service here were amazing! Brought my friend from out of state to try the California burrito and fish tacos. "The best I've ever had" Sat on the patio, my new favorite local spot!

Love me some taco stand! Our family lives in central San Diego but we were staying with some friends in the Oceanside area... originally had planned on going to a sit down restaurant dinner but when it was an hour wait, we realized that Taco Stand was just down the street.... we were eating in 10 minutes and finished our meal before our names were called at the restaurant! It's great food, delicious tortillas, and reasonable prices. Also, I never knew that you could order cheese (for an additional buck) for each taco, on a whim I saw it and then requested it and was like, oh I will never order it any other way! The only bummer is that the cheese on each taco isn't an option for delivery... but for eating in, it's worth the extra buck! Just writing this is making me want to go get some tacos... LOL

I unassumingly ordered the best Cali burrito I've had in SD here on Tuesday night. The steak was clearly slow cooked and was very tender and incredibly flavorful. Seriously, it puts other taco shops basic, gray flavorless flat top cooked asada to shame. Continuing with the Cali burrito- the fries were crispy crispy and not too abundant so it gave a perfect crunch. Additionally, the bright green fresh avocado mashed was again much better than other taco shops in SD. Tried the Al pastor taco and they did it right too, with the fresh bits of pineapple like I've come to expect but don't often see. A Baja taco too just for kicks and it was crispy, and tasty. Definitely fresh. I had been told the place was good but I was genuinely surprised at just how good their recipes are. I think this location is new

Ok... this place is amazing! Went we waited so long to come here, I'll never know. We walk here and it's just great. Service is wonderful.

THE TACO STAND was busy late Saturday afternoon when we stopped by. that's (almost) always a good sign. place is open, clean, well organized, and the staff is friendly and engaging. the wife unit raved about her tacos (sautéed mushrooms and carne asada) but my BAJA BURRITO (fried fish, cabbage, chipotle crema, and salsa fresca) was no bueno. there was only one texture (mushy) and zero flavor even with the chipotle crema and a squeeze of lime. being our first visit, I checked out what everybody else was eating (we ate outside on the patio) and everything looked amazing so I'm gonna fall and the sword here and blame my ordering. should have leaned into the old standbys and gone a little less risky. should have skimmed the reviews more carefully. an awful lot of the recent five-star reviews are from Yelpers with only one review and no profile photo. will know better next time. ps: they have beer and make churros to order !!!

I love me some Taco Stand! This delicious taco spots has lots of options, my favorite being the Camaron taco. I also love their churros, they're so addicting! The staff are so sweet and quick! This place is a must visit whenever you're in town.

Service is not good (They lost my order). I had already tipped and now I won't tip for food that hasn't already been served. They should not have a tip option before you get your food. I had read reviews of them losing orders thinking that wouldn't happened to me but they did. We waited in a small line, got to the front and had to wait more then placed our order After 30 minutes of waiting for our food (a day it was not crowded) and seeing many people who arrived after get there i asked and sure enough they had lost our order. Food was fine, service ruined the experience, next time I hope it's better

Probably one of the Top 5 Taco places in San Diego... and that says a lot since we have thousands! Who cares about ambience when it comes to tacos! I ordered the el pastor tacos- they were flavorful, fresh, (the tortillas are hand made there) and not too oily, I specifically travel around looking for the best el pastor tacos I got like a thing for them right now.. anyways these were damn good tacos! Also let me add the kid at the front and the rest of the staff they were all kind, helpful and friendly! So thank you for that Come check them out if you're in the area! pretty fantastic!

Great food and great prices. My go to here is the al pastor burrito. It is as good as a burrito gets. The decor is pretty minimal, but it's still a nice place to enjoy a meal. They have a variety of salsas and keep it pretty well stocked. Service is fast and friendly and they do a great job keep the dining area clean.

A place you definitely need to try! The tacos are so good. From Carne Asada, Al Pastor, Shrimp, Fish to Nopal cactus leaf tacos. Very professional, friendly and courteous service.

Tasty tacos. The flavors were great, albeit a bit on the saltier side. The paper thin fresh corn tortillas and creamy cilantro salsa were fantastic. Skimpy tacos. While it tasted good, the portions were small like mini 2-3" tacos. They flatten the tortilla and it looks like a 4-5" taco, but they pinch the ends flat and don't fill it, so the amount of protein in the pic is literally all the protein, nothing stacked behind that. The Baja fish taco was also mostly batter. I usually eat two tacos per meal, but would need four here. Long wait times. We thought we got lucky and only had one order before us. But turns out there was a huge backlog, and it took 40 minutes to get our order. They were up front that there was a 20-25 minute wait, so we browsed Mark Wahlberg's Municipal store next door. Indoor air conditioned and outdoor seating was plentiful with quick turnover. Overall, good tacos, but not really worth the wait and the value is not quite there.

The taco stand serves fresh favorites. I always get the fish burrito, which has a nice large piece of grilled fresh fish and lots of fresh vegetables inside. If you haven't tried their Mexican street corn it's a really delicious and a treat you can't get very many places. But the best thing on their menu in my opinion are their churros! These warm, crunchy cinnamon-ey treats never make it home when we get take out, because they're irresistible hot from the fryer. Seriously the best treat I've ever tasted! But you gotta eat them hot! The staff are warm and friendly, with eye-contact and smiles. Plus, I love the clean, modern take on traditional taco shop decor. Nice paintings, fun art on the napkin holders. Oh--and the prices are fair for this fresh delicious food.

Service was great! They were all kind. 10/10 on customer service. The food was also really good. I think the only thing that I would say on all my families orders that could be worked on, is that the tortillas (on both burritos and tacos) need to be warmed up. They were all cold. Maybe it was sitting out too long before serving it to us? Flavor was good on everything, and the sauces were good! I also liked the taste of the Al Pastor. It tasted sweet from the pineapple! 8/10 Location, I mean, it's on coast hwy so it's pretty! The space is clean. High chairs available for kids. Did not see if they had a public restroom and therefore couldn't check if they had a changing area for kids. And the prices are super good compared to other places that overcharge. 10/10 Overall, we are definitely going again!

Great portions and location, good outdoor seating and quick service. Good presentation and overall great value. The actual flavor and taste wasn't my all-time favorite, but I'm more of a snob about California burritos and my California food. The California burrito tasted better to me than the carne asada fries (didn't love the cheese on the fries). Still a good experience! 3.5-4 stars

Great prices, awesome food, great staff. Oscar was exceptional! Thank you! The ambiance was like being in Mexico itself!

If you're cruising down S Coast Hwy and like me, looking for a delicious spot to eat, look no further than The Taco Stand. A very popular restaurant with casual atmosphere and delicious food. First let's talk location. It's walking distance from the beach, making it a perfect spot to get lunch, linner (lunchdinner) or just dinner. They are located on a fairly busy road and get busy and stay busy all the time. Parking is very limited, so plan accordingly. Now the food. They have a very good selection of food. From tacos to burritos to quesadillas to special menu items not listed, they are sure to satisfy all of your craving for a good Mexican dish. I had three of their tacos on this trip. Al pastor, pollo asado and camaron (spicy shrimp). The tacos had really good flavor, the meats were seasoned well and the garnishes inside provided a good taste profile. To my taste the al pastor taco was a little dry, but the cilantro and pineapple helped to bring it home. Overall the place is a great spot for delicious Mexican food. Just be ready to wait a long time for your food. They do tend to get busy and stay busy and it's not uncommon for the food to take 20-30 minutes to get to you.

So happy to see the taco stand open in Oceanside! I'm a repeat visitor from the Gaslamp location, and this spot definitely lived up to my expectations. The large glass window is super aesthetically pleasing, and the heated patio was a huge plus on a cold day. Service was fast, and the burrito was amazing as always. We ordered a beer, an al pastor burrito, and beans and chips -- everything was delicious.

THE LEAST BUSY OF THE TACO STANDS (3.75 stars) Taco Friday, Happy Cinco de Tres. Normally there is a line out each The Taco Stand in San Diego and this was the least busy one I've ever walked by and into. - FOOD: good - PRICE: uhm ok - SERVICE: quick - AMBIANCE: in and out eatery with very dirty tables :: ORDER :: AL PASTOR TACO ($3.95) - I do enjoy carved meat with some pineapple but I think I prefer carne asada over this. They aren't shy filling your normal size (not street size) tacos with a bit of everything. RECOMMEND CARNE ASADA ($4.95) - the preferred and the best one on the menu. Is it my favorite taco ever? Absolutely NOT. But it's good. I like their tortilla - it's. Freshly made and tastes good with good texture. Again, they are not shy filling the foods and my taco felt like it was about to erupt before I could even take a bite. HIGHLY RECOMMEND (with alot of fresh squeezed lime) CHURROS - 3 pieces and freshly fries. First time ordering this. Let's say the churros are couple inches long snd dense. Crispy on the outside and dense on the inside. Very nicely coated with sugar and cinnamon and came with a white vanilla glaze for dipping. I could go either way, dunked or not. Until the next review...

I give the Taco Stand a 4.5/5 (rounded up to 5 stars) Seating is limited, food is not quick.....(but they forewarned us about that), and the menu is a bit hard to read. lol But the positives massively outweigh the negative!! The shrimp taco was FAB - but the al pastor was meh...the asada was delish, and the chips and quac were yummy! But man, the star really was the elotes...I could've eaten 3 of them!! So good. Will be back for sure!

Best tacos and burritos you'll ever have ! The pollo asado burrito is my go to and their churros are the best in town! Adrian is always super helpful! Go here whenever I can after a surf

This place is a must! I've tried many of these locations and this one is by far the best one! It's very clean more parking and line goes by faster! The food is incredible!! Ambient is incredible here and people are always nice and of course right next to ocean and great food! Definitely stop here and try the fish tacos, pastor, Del Burritos, corn of the cob and churros are the BOMB!

My husband was craving tacos. And this place opened up on coast highway. So we tried it. It was a big hit with the family. The quality of the meat is very good! You get what you pay for and these tacos and burritos are good. We loved most of everything. The salsa bar was really good. I think the only miss for us was the Carne Asada Fries. My family and I are not really big on nacho cheese on things. And the cheese on these fries is nacho cheese. I think next time we will ask for a different cheese if they have it. This place is kinda pricey, but I feel it's worth it for the quality of meat you're getting. But overall, this place will be a go to if you're craving tacos and burritos. Everything we got. Tacos Sonora Taco $5.79 Flour tortilla, angus steak (100% certified angus beef), melted cheese, beans, guacamole, onions, cilantro & salsa Al Pastor $3.99 Rotisserie marinated pork, cilantro, onions, cilantro sauce + pineapple Carne Asada $4.69 Flame grilled angus steak (100% certified angus beef), cilantro, onions, guacamole & salsa Burritos Mar y Tierra $11.89 Grilled shrimp with angus steak, melted cheese, cabbage, avocado, tomato & chipotle sauce Carne Asada $10.39 Flame grilled angus steak (100% certified angus beef), guacamole, beans, tomato & salsa Extras Carne Asada Fries $10.59 Flamed grilled angus steak (100% certified angus beef), fries, guacamole, sour cream & cheese Corn On The Cob $4.00 Grilled corn served with mayonnaise, parmesan cheese and chili powder Chips and guacamole $6.59 Churro $4.00 Salsa I liked Mild Salsa Salsa Cilantro Salsa Verde

Great service, atmosphere was on point and you cant beat the location right on the strand!

The Taco Stand is now open in South Oceanside, just off of S. Coast Highway and these are my first thoughts for my first experience here. The Taco Stand is a well-known Mexican taco chain that is very popular in Southern California and even has branches as far as Miami Florida. They have a very simplistic menu that primarily consists of tacos, burritos, and a few options of fries. They also have churros for dessert. The Taco Stand is known for their housemade tortillas and chips. They also have a variety of 6 different salsas available at their toppings bar. They have a small array of seating outside and some additional seating inside. Interior seating feels a little bit cramped. But it's good that the small tables can seat 4 and each table has cupholders that hang off the side of the table-legs (saving you space for food). Seeing as they just opened, I will try to be lenient with the service category. But even so, there was a point in time where there was a table that had been abandoned with a food tray on it. and I watched this table remain empty for an hour; the whole time there were other customers looking for seating. I ended up throwing the food tray away and clearing it so that others could use it. That observation being made, please note that there is no table service here. You go up to the counter and place your order and they will call your name over the speakers when your food is ready. Their bathrooms were spotless clean and that's a great thing. Another thing to note is that they DO NOT have an alcohol license, and thus, there only serve mineral water, bottled sodas, and have a drink fountain. I ordered a grilled mahi-mahi fish and a spicy shrimp taco. Both came with their soft-shells that are made in-house and both were delicious. I'm glad that they didn't smother the proteins with a lot of toppings & the flavors were on-point. I also asked another patron who is eating and they were enjoying their al Pastor taco as well. Now comes the part that many may have a problem with and that is the pricing. For those people who are looking for a taco Tuesday deal, please know that there are no specials here. The average taco will run you $4 and a fish taco gets to be around $5 with tax and tip. These are not discount tacos !! Between my two seafood tacos and a bottled soda, my order came up to $13 and then I added a tip, making my total around $15. The size of the taco is reasonable, but the true testament will be the size of their burritos. For what it is worth, this is a higher-quality Mexican taco chain. I have had comparable tacos at nearby smaller, local establishments. But this is a good spot if you're not in a rush and still don't really need to sit down & dine-in for tacos.

We finally had the opportunity to try the new Taco Stand in Oceanside. It's next-door to Municipal. There were about five people working behind the counter. The restaurant smelled great. We saw them prepping homemade tortillas. Despite so many people working, it took quite a while to get our food. You would think it would have been quick since nobody else was there when we arrived. Maybe it's because everything was homemade or maybe they had just opened? Not sure. The restaurant is new to town and opened about a week ago, so I'm sure they're still trying to get their rhythm. They offer some indoor and outdoor seating. The menu is limited, offering mainly tacos and burritos. You could order Carne Asada fries too. They don't do rolled tacos/taquitos or enchiladas. You won't see a quesadilla on the menu, but we were told they will make that for you. We were there at breakfast time. I didn't see that they had breakfast burritos on the main menu. But they had a separate menu on the counter, showing options for breakfast burritos. We heard they don't offer the breakfast menu every day. They have an excellent homemade salsa bar! I really loved the mild very dark salsa. My absolute favorite thing about this place was the homemade tortilla. The tortilla for my bean burrito was amazing. Other people in my party tried the California burrito and the burrito El Pastor. Both were good I wonder if I could order a flour tortilla à la carte. The prices were pretty good.

Flor was awesome at the front. We got Pacificos, tacos, burritos and corn on the cob. Soooo bomb. This place is worth the stop.

Chef welcomed me right when I walked in the door! 5 Star Hospitality. Great location near the ocean as well

This place never disappoints The bosses & staff were awesome great service and all fresh ingredients Can't wait to visit again all the way from Los Angeles

Best taco place ever. I love getting the protein style tacos here. And their fries are the best!

Tried this new location a month or so ago. It was hopping and I must admit it seemed like they skimped on the burrito filling. I was reluctant to go back but was looking for a new breakfast burrito to try so decided to give them another chance. I opted for the bacon and egg which topped with their variety of salsas was definitely delish. I still feel like the burrito lacked some filling compared to other spots but for $8.50 it can't be beat. I'll probably add another filling or ask for extra something or other next time to fill it out. In summary I've had a hit and a miss but maybe im just figuring out how to order?!?! Needless to say I'm looking forward to seeing how my next visit goes.

Everyone is super friendly and the food is really yummy! Great music is always playing and the ambience is friendly. There's indoor and outdoor seating; very comfortable!

The taco stand is a great spot. The food is excellent and reminds us so much of the taco bike tour we did in Mexico City. It is so authentic and fresh. The service is also great. Flor helped us choose the best tacos and was kind and patient. We will definitely be back!

Love this place. Very casual style with an equally casual outdoor patio. Sometimes a bit of a wait, but the tacos are very good. Their classic Baja taco was on point. Also like their carne asada taco, which is good but needs more seasoning IMHO. I visited twice in a week, and would happily go back again.

Came to The Taco Stand in Oceanside for lunch with a few coworkers and had an amazing experience! They greeted us, and made sure that we had everything we needed and went above and beyond! Would definitely recommend this location and food to anyone who enjoys good fresh food, nice music and good service! Come check it out :)

This is the fourth taco stand location I've been to in SD, and it's the first one with a parking lot!!! Huge win for taco stand!! They also had the shortest line (6pm on a sat) with a decent amount of seating. Taco stand always has consistent food across all locations, I seriously love everything on the menu. One note is their online ordering system wasn't working so I had to go in person to order, but I couldn't tell if it was an issue on my end or theirs lol

Came in for a quick bite. Prices felt steep but then I got my food and oh man, well worth it. Quality meat, handmade tortillas & guac. For a taco stand, this is authentic! Service was also great

Great tacos, carne asada fries are amazing and churros are out of this world. Love this spot! So glad they are in South-O!

Welcome addition to Oceanside. This place is consistent, delicious and a bit less crowded than most the other Taco Stand Locations. Not bad if you're looking for good tacos with handmade tortillas...

I can into taco stand was heading to a Friendsgiving and I just want to bring something that someone would be like.... I've wanted to go to that spot but just haven't had time or yada yada. Let me tell you this was the hit of the night but the real hit people couldn't stop talking about the churro!!!! Holy moly please get your butts down there to grab some freakin amazing taco. Great service, and really great management they hooked me up and I will always have their thanks for berthing taco stand! back!!!!!

Food was a 10/10 Service was amazing and music was fire and we danced a bit while waiting in line to order Great vibe

Love their carne asada and pescado tacos. Shout out to Juan and Oscar, they are amazing people that greet me at the counter. The five stars are for Juan and Oscar, and thank them for their friendliness and hospitality. Great experience

Shoutout to Adrian! Hey hooked me up with a fire Baja fish burrito and excellent service! Definitely will come back again :)

Best carne asada fries in SD. They have been being cheap with Carne asada, though. I've been having to order extra. Be sure to get sauces! Al Pastor volcan is my go-to. Affordable. Horrible, limited parking. Recommend ordering via Toast for pickup as the lines can get pretty insane.

I have been to San Diego, Encinitas and O-side Stands multiple times, and this is the 1st time I've ever been disappointed. I ordered a "Carne Asada burrito". Easy right? Everyone sells them. ....and they all have 1 thing in common, they have meat as the main ingredient, hence the name "Carne Asada Burrito" .....well, recently I went to O-side Stand and got a burrito. So disappointed. This burrito had more beans, cheese and whatever else than meat by far. More than 50% beans. I didn't order a Cali burrito or a bean and cheese burrito. My wife got 2 tacos and they literally had more meat than my burrito! Crazy! I get it if you're running out or have run out of meat, but don't be skimping out to your customers! Just put a sign out and say sorry but we ran out of carne aside. I would've just ordered something else! Also, their salsa bar was unattended too long. There was no flavor in any of the sauces and they were way too creamy and dangerously warm!... blehhhh!! Bummer.

Happy to see The Taco Stand has a new location. Perhaps this will ease the burden from the Encinitas spot? Everything here is tasty but not overly substantial, hence the reason for the rating. Biting into the al pastor burrito was nice but when I get too much tortilla, I can tell they're trying to cut costs by shorting on ingredients. This plus an unbearable wait time makes me start thinking that there are other options out there. I'll give them another shot once they get settled but I'm really hoping that they're not getting lazy because of their popularity...

Came here and it was super busy, we ordered and then tried to get a table outside as we had our dog, but all of them were full of dirty plates. So a man walks out with a rag, and I asked him if he could clean our table, he was hesitant at first were holding all our little cups of salsas and our drinks along with our dog leash. He comes to the table and asked us to pick up our items and we're still holding all our items, only previous people's plates were on the tables.. so I said we just ordered we're still waiting on our food, after explaining that we sat at a dirty table he just picks up everything and walks away, meanwhile there are several people just cleaning their own tables outside. Moments later our name was called to pick up from the counter. The Al pastor tacos were the best, mushroom tacos were okay, but not great, they had so much black gristle from the grill and were cold. Overall this is a great taco place and it's decently cheap for the tacos! The line to order also never went down, nice vibes sitting outside!

A friend recommended this place to me and it didn't disappoint. Had a shrimp and carne asada taco and they were both amazing. Fresh ingredients and the tortillas were soft and fluffy. Compliments to the cooks Elsa Elmar and Alberto. Even got a churro on the house.