Rubio's Baja Grill
Santa Clara, CA 95050 (408) 557-8028
- Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Garage
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: No
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Good for: Lunch
- Alcohol: None
16 reviews
San Jose, CA
"The best "mercado" ever. It's a party in here. It's always jumpin' with good ranchera and banda music playing on the loudspeakers. Oh…" read more »
22 Reviews for Rubio's Baja Grill
If you're a) into fish tacos and b) not wanting to go to wahoos on santana row, then this place is perfect. I can't think of a better place to find fish tacos in santa clara...anybody? :)
People thought this was:
Cool (1)
The closest I'll ever get to eating a fish taco if I'm craving for it at the mall without having to go to Wahoo's. The way they cook it could be a bit dry sometimes, but still good.
This review is also for the Rubio's at THE PLANT (Monterey Hwy and Tully). Dude, this place is AWESOME! We came here on a Sunday for lunch and loved every bit of it!
The food is fresh and you can taste the difference. Items can be ordered a la carte (individual tacos and whatnot) - nice to be able to order whatever combination you wanted to make.
I ordered the Carnitas Taco and the Famous Fish Taco - the BOMB! The items are prepared fresh with fresh tortillas and dark leafty lettuce (as opposed to the Iceberg crap filler most places give you). The Famous Fish Taco was also awesome, very fresh and very delicious. I almost went back and ordered more food because it was so damn good, but realized I was already full.
Guacamole is good, but comes in a small ass portion a top of some good tortilla chips that are no doubt made fresh. The decor is nice, gives you a history of the place and it's origination. Salsa bar is good, shee, even the soda bar is better than average.
Hit this place up, you'll be glad you did and be back soon!
This review is for the Rubio's in THE PLANT (Monterey Hwy & Tully Road in San Jose)
I always thought Rubios was a play off of Baja Fresh which I really don't care for....but .....
OHMG I think I'm a food critic or at least have been eating like one in the past few days. I came here on a Tuesday because I figured I could cheat in some sodium since I don't have practice until Thursday. Any sodium in my body and I grow like the Hulk.
I've had the Wrapsaladas (Chipotle & the Tropical). Both are really good but I think I love the shrimp one the best! The Chipotle is good but a little too much sauce.
The Grilled shrimp taco is good but I ask for 1/2 sauce because I forget to bring a bib to lunch to capture all the sauce dripping from the taco. The shrimp is grilled pretty good.
I like how I can make my own salsa here at the salsa bar. Basically I put a scoop of the onion/cilantro into the little bowl and then top it off with the salsas. I DONT like that smoky thick red one...taste like I'm lickin a chile arbol straight from the comale.
The chips and guacamole are good, I like how they top it off with some fresh Cotija cheese.
I had the Nachos. Now I think Mark's Hot Dogs has the best Nachos but Ive laid off the processed cheese. I got the carne asada Nachos here and they were cool....it's just when you order Nachos....you kinda hope for that gooey rubberized process cow milk......
They offer Mexican beer....No Tecate =( But they did have my second favs: Pacifico and Modelos.
I'm scared to try the fish tacos because I had them once in T.J and they were th bomb. I never want to ruin that memory. lol
DISCLAIMER: I've been here multiple times so I didn't eat all these items in one sitting.
If you've read my Rubios Fremont review, you'd know that I LOVE Rubios beer-battered fish tacos. I eat these things at least once a week and can't seem to get enough. The texture of the flour tortilla, crunchy cabbage and crunchy beer batter encapsulating my fillet of Alaska Pollock...the white sauce that goes so well with the lime juice and chipotle salsa concoction I put together.... damn...getting hungry just thinking about it...
Unfortunately, this location doesn't satisfy my rubios fish taco craving. The service is beyond crap (it's in a mall food court, so I guess this should be expected), the salsa bar isn't maintained very well, sometimes they don't ask you if you want a corn or flour tortilla (so if your forget to mention it, you'll get the default corn one), they don't give you a lime wedge with your taco (you have to get it yourself from the bar), and well I guess that's it really. The flavor seems a bit off at this location too, but maybe that's because I usually take my tacos to-go from here and they're pretty soggy by the time I make it home.
I probably won't be coming back to this location unless I'm already in the mall and starving my ass off...
Some of the best chicken taco's I've ever had came from here. They definitely aren't authentic but they are good. And it beats eating McDonalds or the pizza place at the mall. I wish they had more locations that aren't inside a mall.
If you're shopping and your hungry stop by Rubio's its delicious.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Funny (1)
Cool (1)
I LOVE RUBIOS and I'm sure those tasty little fish tacos love me too. I am the fish and shrimp taco's #1 fan and proud of it. I think I first feel in love wiht rubios the end of last year. These tasty tacos definitely deserve 5 stars.
People thought this was:
Funny (1)
When I used to work at Valley Fair as a teen (yes, I am THAT old), Rubios was my all time fave lunch/dins spot for that 30min break from folding T-shirts with an acrylic board. Occasionally I sneak back to VF's food court just to grab a Rubio's fish taco with a combo (pinto beans, chips, and drink) all for under $5! I don't order anything else cause I stick to what I know and I know that Rubio's fish taco is damn good. Don't even bother meandering through VF's food court. Skip Great Khan's, California Crisp, and get your ass to Rubio's after working up an appetite from shopping.
I love the grande bowl! They also have really good street vendor tacos. I was surprised at how good the food was since they're in the food court. I would like them better if they were outside of the mall, but I'm glad they's a good option when I'm there!
Fish taco is like a fish stick in a tortilla. And I'm not saying that as if it's a bad thing. It's a good fish stick: not too greasy and you can taste the fish.
One of the better choices in the mall food court if you don't want a full on big meal like Panda Express, a cheese steak, or corn dog (the others I like). I can get a taco as a snack to tide me over (like I did this Monday on a super duper shopping spree). For $1.99 it's not a bad deal.
I love their roasted salsa. :-)
I personally like Wahoos better for fish that isn't fried but this is good as well in a pinch.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
this is the FIRST time ordering at this location and the FIRST time eating anything from Rubio's. I've heard their fish tacos are very good so that's exactly what I had.
I am not a fan of mexican, not a fan of tacos, not a fan of fish... but I LIKE IT!!! The fish has so much flavor and the sauce goes with it sooo well. I also added salsa and chipotle in it also. VERY GOOD!!
I haven't tried the other Rubio's yet but I am liking it so far!!!
This is the third Rubio's that I have been to and I have not been disappointed at each of the locations. I ordered one of their combos, the enchilada and fish taco for lunch today. It was excellent. This place is excellent for their quick service. And the prices are very reasonable as compared with Sbarro or Ivar's, which are much too expensive. Sure it is not Wahoo's, but it is pretty good for Mexican fast food.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
well this being the third time i've gone there i finally found something i consider decent. The baja/beer battered fish tacos are the way to go. Are they the best i've had? no i know of a better place. what i found insulting is the fish would come out soggy. it was just fried, was the oil not hot enough why is it soggy? the other thing is salsa that isn't even spicy. I know you want to cater to the general public but come on have something with a little kick in it.
would i eat here again? yes only if i'm in the area but i wouldn't go out of my way to eat here.
Love it! I have started ordering the Kid's meal Bean and Cheese Burrito w/ Chips. It's only $3.99 and you get a churro (not great) and a kid's drink. Before? I was ordering the regular Bean and Cheese Burrito (comes with chips, but no drink) and spending too much money on WAY too much food! This is a good alternative!
The only bad thing about this joint? Because it is prepared fresh (a good thing) it takes a little while to get your food. So, not a good idea if you are in a hurry and it's crowded (say, the weekends...)
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Funny (1)
Sorry.. .3 stars is the max I go for fast food joints..... that being said... this is where I go for fish tacos. Show me a better place, and I'll try it.
While parking at foo-Valley Fair-foo is often a pain, the scenery is amusing(people dress up to go shopping?) and for like $8 I can feed a couple people modestly(don't overeat!!!).
I LOVE the baja fish tacos!! I have eaten them at 3 different places and they don't compare. Now, because of Rubio's, I am in love with those greasy, fattening bundles of joy =D
Well, I have given this place three fair chances to come through.
I think the food is somewhat bland. The beans don't have much flavor. The rice is also not as tasty as it should be.
On my last two visits, I ordered the nachos. On my first visit, the chips were SO SALTY that I honestly couldn't even finish my food. I had to throw it away.
My second visit (aprox. 2 months later) I again ordered the nachos. This time I seemed to luck out... I actually got to eat some of my nachos this time, but then I hit the Salt Lick again. I don't understand how they can repeatedly over salt the chips.
Oh well, I guess that's expected from mall food.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
Yah, this place is good for when you are shopping or working at the mall. Get the "World's Famous Fish Taco's" and don't forget to grab some free salsa to put in it.
Yum...
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
I am from So.Cal, where there are tons of Rubios. I was very disappointed to find there are only two in San Jose and they are both in malls. What a drag. I only get two things here: The fish taco and fish burritos. You MUST try both of these when they have the spicy promotion. A few months out of the year they give you an option of ordering the tacos and burritos with a DELICIOUS spicy sauce. WARNING: Four stars given because once you eat the spicy version the original won't do it for you anymore.
If you go to Rubio's for the first time and don't order their Fish Taco Especial you're missing the whole point of the place.
Fish Taco Especial consists of:
- Corn tortilla (yeah I normally prefer flour, but not in this case)
- Shredded Cabbage (yeah I normally prefer lettuce)
- Battered and deep fried fish
- Shredded cheese
- Guacomole
- Secret white sauce
- Lime Wedge you squeeze on the fish
PURE YUMMINESS!!
If you want cheap eats - order their street tacos. They are chunks of fresh meat (chicken or beef) in a corn tortilla. Small, but DeLICous.
SoCal Tip: San Diego fast food places all offer free soda water at the soda machine. I'm glad to see this trend make its way north. If you throw in a lime and lemon wedge you get the ultimatte free drink with your meal (see photos).
Bit of history for those still reading...
Rubio's is a San Diego based chain that made it big by bringing the Baja Fish Taco you can find in Ensenada to this side of the border. Their early store near San Diego state is where they got their big start.
Fast forward two decades, and you have Rubio's now in Silicon Valley at the Mall food court, with live Muzak from the 80s. It's kind of funny how the place sits directly opposite of another famous food place making the same expansion (in this case Ivar's Seafood from Seattle's Elliot Bay waterfront finally arrives this far South).
You would think for a food court restaurant they would suck, but actually I think they're pretty decent. Try the fish tacos...mmm...and the non-fish burritos...yumyum! These make a great quick snack when you're in your power-shopping mood.
Tip: they're also one of the few (if only) shops in that food court that have their soda machine on the *outside*, hence free refills. (Last time I checked.)
Times visited: 5+
this place is okay. i came here for the fish tacos and ended up being dissapointed because it didnt live up to the ones i had at santana row. if your looking for fish tacos go to wahoo's.
People thought this was:
Cool (1)
People Who Viewed This Also Viewed...
Related Lists
-
Fuel for the Badonkadonk
Ways to expand your waistline and add shape to…
Hot and New
- Sushi O Sushi Japanese Cuisine
267 reviews
Santa Clara, CA
- Uncle Frank's BBQ and Catering
185 reviews
Mountain View, CA
- Bill's Cafe
177 reviews
San Jose, CA
- Dittmer's Gourmet Meats &…
156 reviews
Mountain View, CA
- Lucy's Tamale Factory
30 reviews
San Jose, CA