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Don't Just Wish Someone A Good Holiday, Give Them One With Chili's.
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Yummy tacos! The meat and veggie selections are both delicious and perfectly complimented by the more than apt salsa bar. I think my husband and I ate through several little containers of salsa with our side of chips---but all the salsas were sooo good.
Maybe this place isn't as cool as a bar with equally delicious fish tacos, but the laid back feel on the side porch sure beats the crap out of fighting for seating at a bar.
$1.25 Fish Taco Tuesdays... cant beat it!!!! quick, simple, and sufficient
BY NO MEANS THE BEST FISH TACO AROUND!!! But as far as "fast food" fish tacos are concerned, this place is the way to go for sure. The chain is conveniently scattered all over SD so finding one is no problem. Lots of menu selections are bound to appeal to everyone.
My suggestions:
World Famous Fish Taco (Stock up during the Tues Special)
Grilled Portobello and Poblano Taco (Amazing Vegetarian Choice)
Black Beans (Large Side is a sweet soup bowl size)
*** Remember ***
Pick either Corn or Flour Tort (I go flour, corn gets hard)
Hit up allllll the salsas at the bar
The birthplace of Rubios. ;0)
$1.25 fish tacos on Tuesdays.
Cheeseburger taco is unusual but delicious.
Salads are the bomb!
The food here rocks. Period. Portions are a little small for the price, but the quality is superb.
Fast food service and prices, with taco's more delicious than any sit down place I have had fish taco's.
The fish is crispy and delicious, the veggies fresh and the tortilla perfect. Great salsa bar too.
They killed Pesky! :-(
Five stars for the Fish Taco Especial, one star for killing both Pesky and the Pesky's combo. Have you slimy corporate types no shame? No sense of tradition? It looks like the insane are running the asylum!
I have a picture, taken in 1983, where I'm sitting out in front of this particular restaurant (when it was the only one), enjoying a Pesky's combo. It was a revelation - how on earth could a fish taco possibly be so good? Well, I made the 20 mile drive south, just for the fish tacos regularly, until Rubio's opened up more restaurants closer to me. When I moved out of the area, Rubio's was in the OC! When I relocated to Seattle, I discovered there was (formerly) a Rubio's in Portland, and went there when I was in the area.
But, as Bob Dylan sings, the times, they are a-changing. First, Rubio's closed the Portland restaurant. Then, they killed Pesky. What's next - hamburgers?
Get with the program and bring Pesky back. It's good, healthy, and the customers like it. You can fire the marketing monkey who dreamt up this stunt, and get back to basics.
I think this is the original Rubios. I like fish tacos best after surfing or swimming. The street tacos are not bad either. Rubios is kinda of a San Diego trademark.
It was the late '80's and I was going to UCSD. A friend of mine, who lived in San Diego, introduced me to Rubio's Fish Tacos and my life was forever changed. Back then it was the best thing since Tommy's hamburgers for me. Beer-battered fish, deep fried served with mild sauce and shredded cabbage on corn tortillas.. it was love at first bite.
Back home in Los Angeles, I longed for the taste of Rubio's. I tried local fish taco places, but none satisfied my cravings. Then all of the sudden, Rubios started popping up all over the place. Could this be the SAME Rubio's I had in San Diego? Yes! It was! The little gem of San Diego had become a chain. Is that good or bad? It's good because now I can just do down the street and get my fish taco fix. It's bad because now it's not a destination for me to go to anymore in San Diego.
Besides their Fish Tacos, I've tried their shrimp tacos, lobster tacos, lobster burritos, and HealthMex burritos. The lobster burritos are awesome (yes I know about the lobster debate, but who cares, it tastes good), but I gotta have my fish taco.
This location is the one I used to go to in San Diego, and I beileve it is the Original Rubio's. Ahhh...memories.
Rubios rocks. Sets the bar for El Taco and Taco Bell.. those indignant wannabees.
Gotta get the Fish Tacos, the best here. Great bargain and food for the price.
Excellent. Fresh, plenty of food, tasty. I had the healthy chicken soft taco platter. A chain...but a good one . By the way, cheap and great black beans.
Being from Washington, where you are hard pressed to find fish tacos, let alone good ones.....these were great! I love fish and I love tacos!
While visiting friend in La Mesa, I think we ate hear 3 or 4 times in a week! I tried all sorts of different options. Blackend, fried, whatever....they were all delicious. I am sure there are even better options than Rubio's, which I will be seeking out on my upcoming visit in a few weeks! Bring on the fish tacos folks!
Rubios is a San Diego landmark restaurant that has outgrown to a chain expanding outside the Southern California region. Now those of you outside the coastal California region can enjoy it too...when and if they open a restaurant near you.
I call Rubios "Old Reliable" because it serves original style, cream sauced, cabbage filled fish taco on the cheap. Add a little zest to those bites by dipping the various salsas Rubios offers.
A tip for the uninitiated, fish tacos are only a buck if you wait for Tuesdays.
Damn. I hope prices don't rise.
"Best Fish Tacos in San Diego", says the Out-of-Towner.
This is the only Rubio's I've been to, but their fish tacos were damn good. The quality of the first wasn't the best out of the places I'd been to, but the combination of the tortilla and tangy sauce made it numero uno for me.
Prior to this Rubio's, I've tried the fish tacos at El Indio, Roberto's (near Torrey Pines), and Wahoo (Pearl St in La Jolla). The next best was El Indio's fish tacos.
My advice, stick to the flour tortilla (not the corn) and no need to get the special that comes with guac. The original tastes better.
Maybe my fish tacos were especially good tasting b/c I arrived before the place was open and was the first customer there, LOL.
I'm not going to say that this eatery is a solid representation of good ole San Diego. Not a chance. Thats like saying if I eat at Unos, I'm going to start dreaming about the Chicago, the windy city. No.
I will admit to the fact that I enjoy Rubio's fish tacos. Even in a town saturated with Mexican eateries, Ralph Rubio, a white guy mind you, managed to carve his own niche and basically made a killing.
Hate the guy if you want but you have to respect what he has done.
Sure, they're corporate...but at least they're San Diego based. AND, this location was the first one ever opened in 1983. Pretty cool.
You gotta give Ralph Rubio props. He pretty much single-handedly made fish tacos famous in San Diego. Plenty of cities have their well-known, signature items:
Philly--cheese steaks.
New York/Chicago--pizza.
Kansas City--BBQ.
San Diego is one of the only cities around that dabble in fish tacos, and the nation has taken note. Outside of SoCal, that's what people associate with SD. Fish tacos...and California burritos too.
I'd probably never choose to come here over El Zarape or other bomb-ass fish taco joints, but on Tuesdays, I'm all about Rubio's! $.99 fish tacos boyeeeeeeeee!! I just ate dinner for $3.27. Can't beat that, biatch. Now, I have plenty of cizzash for Jaeger-bombs at U-31.
Good as always. The new Grilled Grande Bowls are pretty good.
Still the best...but...
So I am pissed. They took their Healthmex choices (salads especially) off of the menu. The cabbage in the salads was amazing. I think you can still get the burritto or taco version. But, I am still pissed.
Their fish tacos are incredible; much better than most restaurants and Wahoo's. My rents are seafood snobs BUT they always want to go to Rubios whenever they fly into town.
The fresh salsa bar is great; i usually take about 10 cups and bring some home for later. They usually have a light lemonade which is nice and refreshing.
Their bathroom is usually scary though; SCARY!!!!!!!!! Be aware!
Could you imagine if they delivered?
This is the OG...finally dropped in to compare it to the other franchises and I didn't detect any difference in quality.
Menu is the same, everything tastes the same, staff is the same....didn't see Ralph in the back perfecting a new taco...however the outside neon sign is an old school original which rocks. It does have some older beach pictures, and also a map of Baja California with a gold star next to San Felipe indicating this is where Ralph envisioned the idea of reproducing fish tacos in SD under the Rubio's name.
The mahi mahi taco is my go to item. I always love when they tell me its gonna be at least 10 min because they have to cook the mahi (its just that much fresher...fine by me). You have an option of corn or flour tortilla. It comes with large strips of mahi mahi, salsa fresca, guacamole, lots of special sauce, nice shredded green cabbage...my only criticism is that is may be too saucy. It tends to drip all over the place.
The carnitas street taco is consistently moist and flavorful as well.
This is RUBIOS Restaurant NUMERO UNO! Always the best!
Where is Pesky Pescado and the Pesky Combo? The original should never change! Bring back Pesky!
These are some mean fish tacos!! I agree with the rest of the reviews, Rubios has made San Diego and Fish tacos synonymous.
The mission Bay location is cozy, and by cozy, I mean tiny. The parking lot is good for only 8 cars, so try not to hit any on your way out.
The tacos are great, the flavors have nothing to do with fast food.
If you come here eat the tacos. Forget about all the other items on the menu. I haven't tried anything else, because I come here for the tacos.
Great fast food mexican food. I like the chicken burrito.
Gawd, I love fish tacos! I actually think I might be able to completely live off of fish tacos. I'm willing to try it. Rubio's are right up there with the best I've had. And cheap! I love the meal deals they have, and the salsa bar.
Please open 1 or many in Seattle at your earliest convenience.
I hate seafood.
Hate it.
However, I have been known to munch on a Rubio's Fresh Mexican Grill fish taco on occasion.
*gasp*
Try it with a Corona and lime and you will discover heaven itself.
I gosh darn love Rubios. Ever since my brother dragged me to that one near SDSU in 1990. He told me, "you gotta try a fish taco." I was like, "dude, no friggin' way, that sounds disgusting!" But when he said he was buying, I figured what the heck. Good lord those fish tacos were good, with that white sauce. I am certain when I die of a heart attack it will be because of Rubios fish tacos, and of course too much chocolate. I am certain that since those first fish tacos, I have eaten hundreds if not thousands of them since.
Update:
Went to the Grossmont Shopping Center location prior to seeing Martian Child. 10 minutes before the movie was to start, can I finish a Pesky combo, two beautiful fish taco especials with chips and beans? Long story short, I order, they make it fast, I wolf that tasty goodness down, and pow, I am sitting and watching Martian Child. I am like a food time machine.
I gave this review 5 stars because Yelp wouldn't let me give 6...
For those unfamiliar with Rubio's, this chain has a complete menu of healthy and tasty Mexican entrees, but the Baja style fish tacos rule supreme over everything else. For those of you from flyover country who instinctively say, "ooh, fish" while sticking out your tongue and making funny faces: erase from your mind all traumatizing memories of freezer-burned fish sticks, Aunt Lena's lutefisk hot dish, and the wild rumors that your cousin's sudden illness had nothing to do with that 12-pack of Pabst Blue Ribbon but a suspect tuna melt from lunch. Fish tacos from Rubios are enlightenment in themselves, and the original Mission Bay location is the Mecca, the foundation stone, a veritable pilgrimage site for the seeker of the truth...
As for the mundane details, the standard breaded fish taco on a corn tortilla is a staple of the diets of San Diegans in the know, with the grilled mahi fish taco a prerequisite for High Holy Days. Shark Tacos, when available, are as they used to say in the day "like totally awesome", especially when enjoyed with a cold Tecate (the REAL beer of intrepid Baja veterans and fish taco lovers everywhere).
Make the pilgrimage to the home of Pesky Pescado - you will not be disappointed.
Home of the original fish taco. Unfortunately, I wasn't impressed with the overly soaked fish, bland pico de gallo, and special sauce. The salsa bar was nice, though.
i don't know if i am making this up, but i swear the original restaurant is so much better than the other locations, especially the ones in la. so much for cloning...
the salsa bar is just okay, i mix the beans with the salsa as a dip for my chips. i used to wish they would make the fried shrimp tacos permanent on their menu, but those gourmet grilled shrimp tacos are actually very good. they have bacon, which makes everything better and a tad on the spicy side. i was surprised at the amount of avocado that came with the taco (and all fresh and pretty too, not a brown spot in sight). anyway, i hope these tacos stay on the menu because they are the reason for 4 stars instead of 3.
service is always fast and efficient here which is good for a quick lunch before errands.
so for lunch yesterday, my company's trucking company brought some rubio's over. we had a choice between three burritos: mahi mahi, shrimp, and battered fish. i chose mahi mahi. i've had the other two before and they were good, not the greatest burritos around, but they do the job: fill my stomach.
once i unwrapped the buritto, i could've sworn there was something missing because the thing looked as thick as my pinky finger!!! do they not fill these burritos up as much as they used to?! or did i just get that much bigger that everything seems small to me now, hmm. and about half way through the "burrito" if you will, i bite on a fish bone. well, i'm not one for fish bones. when there's whole fish on the dinner table, and there's something else to eat, i will go for that something else b.c i'm too damn lazy to work for my food. you'd think that being filipino, i wouldn't mind it. but no, i was born here, and therefore americanized, and therefore lazy as hell. when i'm hungry, i want my food right then and there!! well, i guess i wouldn't mind the bones when i'm expecting it. alright, let's get back on track, fish bone in my burrito when i'm not expecting it, not cool!
but i did give the place three stars because it did fill me up, along with some chips and salsa, and this is the first time it's happened. every other meal i've had from here wasn't a disappointment. and i can't seem to stop eating their chips with a mix of their salsas. but let's face it, you put any kind of food in front of me and i won't stop chomping until it's gone or gets put away.
I've eaten a lot of fish tacos, on a quest to find my favorite. I've eaten a lot of good ones, too. I didn't really want to admit that Rubio's fish tacos are my favorite ones, since Rubio's is a chain restaurant, but gosh darnit, they really are the best. I happen to like to frequent the Rubio's on Mission Bay drive, because it has that dive-y, non fast-food chain kind of feeling, but at any Rubio's I've ever frequented, the fish tacos have been equally as delicious. I have to admit, I haven't tried anything else off their menu, and I don't think I will, because I like the fish tacos far too much.
love this place. i was weary, given that it was a chain... but hot damn its good stuff.
one question: someone put that it delivers... is that true???
Seeing as how i go here at least once a week I figured it would be great for my first review! Now I'm not a fan of fish but my roommate kept bugging me to try the fish tacos here and I fell in love. I get them at least once a week. The have good prices, a nice salsa bar however the cups to get the salsa are a little small. The churros are also really good and only a buck. So even if you think a fish taco sounds gross like I did, I strongly recommend you give it a try. They get minus one star cause I always ask for no beans and they always give me beans!
Here is a shock-- Americanized food in the US suburbs. Grab a fish taco or burrito and mellow and listen to loud cars of interstate 5 drive by.
This location is where the Rubio's family tree begins. Fish tacos are now synonymous with San Diego, and we have Ralph Rubio to thank. Thank you! I love the fish taco especial: battered fish, cabbage, white sauce, cheese, salsa and guacamole. Perfect. Don't eat a fish taco with lettuce or in a flour tortilla, it's blasphemy! The fish burrito is also great, it includes beans. They recently added sour cream to the burrito, and it's not just redundant because of the white sauce, it's also icky, so ask them to skip it, and they will usually offer you extra guac.
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