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Jilberto's Taco Shop
Rating Details »
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5 reviews for Jilberto's Taco Shop
Pro: Best Jil of the chain, no line no wait, bigger portions than other jil.
Con: Pulling out of parking lot could be dangerous.
I love this place, not just because this is only place to get something to eat around the Pauma casino. The crew here are a lot more relaxed than two Esco place, not to mention the food have more grease and more food like how things use to be.
The view at Palomar Mountain is also pretty amazing during the winter and spring time. I usually will have to go orders since I am on the run from clients to clients in the area, the option to call in ahead of time to order is grea. If you need to use the restroom, just ask for it.
The only thing missing is a drive thru like the Nordel Jil.
Most of you will likely never visit this Jilberto's Taco Shop, seeing as it's located in the relative middle of nowhere. Not much goes on out here besides gaming and growing. It really is nurseries and orange groves as far as the eye can see - a bucolic scene that's interrupted only by the occasional atrocious casino.
If you're out here to lose-money-I-mean-gamble then you probably won't have any lunch concerns, as finding a buffet to belly up to should be a breeze. If you're just passing through, however - not out of the question as this stretch of Highway 76 makes for beautiful backcountry driving - then Jilberto's could prove to be a lifesaver. It beckons hungry drivers much in the way those "Last Gas" places on the edge of a desert do.
For the most part, the food is the same taco shop fare you'd find at a thousand Mexican restaurants around the county. A brief glance at the menu (all my hunger pangs would allow) yielded no surprises. My pastor taco plate was plenty good and there was no skimping on the taco filling. You can wash it all down with a horchata or canned soda.
That the food is unexceptional isn't really a problem in the end. Food just tastes better when you think - for a terrifying 45 minutes or so - that finding a hot meal may prove impossible. Moments like that make you realize how spoiled we all are to live in a first world country where food is so plentiful. I recommend not thinking about such things though, as it could potentially bum you out and ruin your lunch. Better to just dig in while it's hot and lap it up like the pig that you are so fortunate to be.
Second best thing about this taco shop - second to its simply being there - is the setting. It's a roadside stand in the truest sense, with great in-your-face views of next door Palomar Mountain. When Palomar is snow-capped it would be extra pretty. There are eight or so outside tables for you to take in said view while scarfing down your comida. The outside patio is covered, providing welcome if not desperately needed shade on days when the temperature is pushing 100º - a common occurrence in these parts for much of the year.
The only negative I can think of is the insect factor. Every time I stop here there are lots of flies flying around. I fully realize flying around is what flies do best. But that doesn't mean I want them flying around my tacos. Fly somewhere else, flies. Making things worse, today there were also bees. Bees landing on my tacos and more bees landing in my soda. First flies, then bees. What's next, birds? I just want to sit un-bugged in this lovely spot, eat tacos and look at mountains.
Fans of mine already know how much I hate paying for food at the casino. It's like paying for food at Disneyland - you just don't get what you pay for.
Jilberto's is right down the street from Pauma Casino. Pauma's eateries are just way too expensive. When cheap bastards like me look at the bar's appetizer board and see onion rings for $6.50, they wonder if these onions came from the other side of the world. How could onion rings possibly cost more than a few dollars?
Rather than testing out the ridiculously priced rings, I drove down the street to Jilberto's. In fact, there is a bus at Pauma that will drive you down to the taco shop. I'm not sure why they do this except to potentially bring in more customers to the casino.
The shop has an outdoor area with concrete tables and chairs and the inside eating area is pretty small. Jilberto's is pretty much your typical taco joint where locals go to get their eats on. Everyone was speaking Spanish when I visited and I knew I should have studied harder during my Spanish classes.
Their big board has a large variety of combos and orders so you won't have any problem if you can't decide what you want. There will certainly be something that you'll want to try.
I ordered the two taquitos, tostada and taco combo for $5.50. That's not a bad price, but I just didn't get much excitement from the food. Their salsa bar was fresh, but the salsas were watery and didn't have much flavor.
Cheap bastards like me will always come to joints like this over the over-priced casino eatery, but I'll certainly keep exploring the area for that unpolished diamond that's worth finding.
We usually stop here when we are on our way to the local casinos. They absolutely have the best bean and cheese burritos. The tortillas are amazing and the beans are delicious. I'm not a big fan of just bean and cheese but these are the best. They also have great soft tacos. Usually at these little dives like this they have those small soft tacos with 2 corn tortillas but this place has a fairly large corn tortillas that is loaded with what ever meat you desire. You can tell by the people that are hopping in and out of cars and going inside to order are all from different backgrounds that like good Mexican food. Living in So Cal my whole life, I've sort of lost my flair for Mexican food but when it's good, it's good. I would recommend to try it and decide for yourself. We've stopped there a couple of times just taking a Sunday drive. If you are on your way up to Julian you will see this place. It's right by the Pauma Casino.
I know a place is good when I see a bunch of guys pulling up to the place too.
This taco shop is pretty much in the middle of nowhere nestled in the one of the most beautiful areas of San Diego. My fraternity was heading up to a cabin in Pauma Valley for a retreat and this little shop was our break stop. Since I didn't have much cash on me, I decided to just scrounge and scavenge from everyone's plates and the food was delicious! Downside is that the food is ridiculously greasy. Everyone's plates were covered with pools of oil dripping from their burritos. However, the tortillas here are pretty good. My friends say I'm too picky about tortillas but seriously, if the tortilla sucks, I'm just going to pick at the insides or I'm not going to eat it. The tortillas here were nice and soft with a stretchy pull to it, so good! Sometimes, I'll just order tortillas by themselves and eat it with butter.. cuz I'm weird. My friends liked the carne asada fries.. I didn't think they were that great but the california and chicken burritos were pretty awesome.
Good place to stop at if you're out here for a weekend. Seems like a popular taco place amongst the locals since a ton of high school kids showed up as well.