Fins Mexican Eatery

10/3/2017

Fins is worth a try, even if you are a Rubio's fan. It's family owned, I like to support a local business every once in a while.
Food: Really good fish tacos --fresh and not oily.  I pass by Rubio's more frequently so I often get fish tacos there. I think Rubio's batter tastes more flavorful, but recently it is very oily and often over-fried.

Salsa: Fins has one hot and two medium salsas, at a self serve bar. (They don't have a mild one, but Rubio's does.) If your tongue can't tolerate spicy well like me, you may want to skip the salsa. The medium salsa taste good (both the red and the green) but l need a cold drink in my other hand while I eat.

Restaurant:  very basic style tables and chairs, but they keep the dinning area clean. Large trash cans by the door so they usually don't fill up. Today the bathroom is also clean, (not as clean at my last visit) probably depends on the crowdedness/ time of the day.  

It's not a place you take your date to, but you could if you just want a casual meal before or after a movie (there is a theater, AMC, few doors down). Service is friendly, cashiers are usually nice and each time I order my food to-go they offered me a cup for water while I wait.

I may try their nachos next time.

8/21/2017

Fins is in the same price range as Rubio's, and since I'm a fan of Rubio's, I'm going to compare and contrast the two.  With Rubio's, you have to know what they excel in, i.e. seafood as opposed to terrestrial meat.  So I was pleasantly surprised to find Fins's beer-battered fish taco and shrimp bowl better tasting than that of Rubio's.  The batter and shrimp were much more flavorful!

While the beer-battered fish tacos were thoroughly better than Rubio's, the bowl had its shortcomings:

* Smaller portion
* Less complex flavors and textures (due to using basic ingredients instead)

I also ordered their cinnamon chips, which were their layman's term for benuelo's, deep-fried tortilla chips finished with sugar and cinnamon.  They were made fresh to order, and while they were good, I've had better tasting even if they weren't as fresh.

Service was also apathetic.

In summary, Fins has better tasting shrimp and beer-battered fish tacos than Rubio's.  But a good restaurant needs to more well-rounded.  Fins has the potential to surpass Rubio's, but the uninspired service and decor suggests that this potential isn't something we can hope for.  Maybe the owners have given up; I hope not.

7.5/10 stars

6/26/2017

Had my first-ever fish taco here 20 yrs ago. The food is still pretty good.
Sadly there is zero pride of ownership. Looks like the nasty men's room hasn't been renovated in over 20 years.
Probably won't return. :/

6/9/2017

• 1 check-in

Tried the grilled shrimp burrito and my husband had the grilled shrimp bowl. The shrimp could use a little seasoning but the salsa helped. Overall, both tasted good.
People behind the counter were very nice and helpful with ordering.

2/17/2017

• 1 check-in

• Listed in 2017 List

I know it sounds strange, but they have the best Quesadilla.  I was craving their quesadilla which I hadn't had in over 5 years or so... but when I got it, I was like... oh yeah! THIS is by I had a weird desire for it... It's SO good!

Seriously, go and try their quesadilla and let me know if I'm crazy or not...
The quesadilla is not cheap so you do get wha you pay for. If it weren't so expensive, I'd probably go for it more often!

PS Really nice service. I think the cashier must have been a UCSD student. He was so nice! Reminded me of myself when I was working my way through college. One of the places I worked was like this place.

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  Their quesadilla is $6, but there is just something about it

  Their quesadilla is $6, but there is just something about it

2/18/2017

• 1 check-in

Came for taco tuesday. Ordered the fish battered tacos.

They were good tacos, nothing exceptional but still solid tacos. Good quality fish which was cooked well and had good toppings and what not. The decor was nice. There was a cool fish tank inside and the place felt very  clean. Servers were nice too.

Overall it was a good place. Nothing exceptional but still a solid place.

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  Fish battered tacos

  Fish battered tacos

7/18/2017

I was absolutely starving so I came in here for a quick bite. The food came out quick and the employees were super friendly. I ordered the veggie burrito which was really tasty but also very wet. After two bites the entire burrito slipped out the bottom so I had to finish it with my fork which was a bummer. The salsa bar is good though and your meal comes with chips. The ingredients in the burrito also seemed very fresh and good quality so I'll probably be back to try something else!

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  Veggie burrito

  Veggie burrito

1/27/2017

• 1 check-in

• Listed in La Jolla

Fin's is inside the Village Square near Jamba Juice in the area of La Jolla. This restaurant has an Americanized Mexican feel to it similar to Rubio's. The service was okay and the inside has a decent sized seating area and a salsa bar. I tried the Steak Burrito here and it was alright nothing special.. although delicious it left me hungry. The pricing is more, but yet the size of my burrito was smaller in comparison to taco shops where it is more huge. They do seem to be like a popular spot especially for a Taco Tuesday, but that's probably because this is one of the few options in this area/shopping center for Mexican food.

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  Seasoned steak with guacamole, tomato, cilantro, onion and salsa.. (and rice and beans)

  Seasoned steak with guacamole, tomato, cilantro, onion and salsa.. (and rice and beans)
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  Grilled Steak Burrito

  Grilled Steak Burrito

8/3/2016

• 1 check-in

This place was pretty good.  It's located next to Jamba Juice and parking can get a bit crazy if you come during prime lunch times.  It's super casual and has a small fish tank inside.  The staff was nice.

I ordered a grilled chicken taco and a side of rice.  I was surprised how tiny the taco was when I got it.. For about $3.50 I expected it to be much bigger.  It was the size of a small street taco that I usually get at other places for $2.  But it was pretty good, so I was happy with the food even.  If I come back I'll try a fish or shrimp taco because their specialty is sea food.

11/3/2017

Moved to the area about 6 months ago. I love rubios, but I've had issues at all the local rubios. I tried Fins for the first time a couple weeks ago. Tonight I went for the second time and I love this place. Good prices and good food.

6/15/2016

• 2 check-ins

I'm torn between a worse rating due to lame carnitas tacos and a great one because the fish tacos are swimmingly tasty.

Definitely go on Tuesday for taco Tuesday because the fish tacos are only $1.50. Unsure how much I would enjoy them, I only got two, and also ordered a shrimp taco and a carnitas taco.

Just get the fish. The guy I went with said he isn't actually a huge fan of fish tacos, but these he loved. And I often like fish tacos, but these were especially good... People. Beer battering fish is where it's at. And it's what fin's is good at.

The shrimp was almost $4, and, while it was good, it was still the fish that was the showstopper. Plus $4 for a mediocre taco isn't worth it to me. Which brings me to the carnitas.

'soggy' is the word I never thought I'd use about carnitas. They're supposed to be succulent and crispy... These... They felt like a stew. Skip it.

Salsa was good. Fish tacos good! Just make sure it's taco Tuesday so you can eat four for $6.

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  Shrimp, fish, fish, carnitas.

  Shrimp, fish, fish, carnitas.

7/28/2016

Wow, great place for taco tuesday!
We were greeted right away and taken care of with smiles. I rarely find myself in this kind of situation these days. They were just super nice and we got 8 tacos for $12. $1.50/taco!
Coming here again!

10/2/2017

So far,this is the best fish taco I have had,in San Diego! Small spots tend to have better food,my opinion anyway.

10/6/2017

Don't waste your money. Way too many Mexican taco joints here that are much much better and costs less.The food is maybe a 4 verses all the 10s in town.

9/28/2017

My 1st visit and OMG!  Had the special which was around $3 bucks in La Jolla!  For real!! Lol. Chicken and spinach burrito w/black beans. All ingredients are fresh and natural. And the chips with a spice twist , ooooohhh la la. Every bite had chunks of well seasoned grilled chicken. There was NO "hunting" for the chicken in the wrap. Fins is family owned and not a franchise.  My new fav Mex food place. Can't wait to try the lobster taco!

9/4/2017

My first time at Fins and the experience was excellent.  I suspect, like with other such places, some menu items are sensational and others so-so.  Upon my daughter's recommendation (she a regular, me out-of-towner) had the Surf & Turf Burrito and it was one of the best burritos I have ever had anywhere.  The shrimp were large, plentiful, and done to perfection while the steak was very flavorful and grilled with great care.  I would come here again often if I lived here but recommend it highly.....at least for the Surf & Turf Burrito.

10/17/2015

• 1 check-in

You want CHEAP MEXICAN FOOD closest to UCSD? You go to Fins. This place has a simple Mexican food for a cheap price: especially on Taco Tuesday ($1.50), and Steak Burrito Wednesday (this is new, it will be around $3).

I got the Spinach and Roasted Veg salad for about $9, which you would think is pretty pricey, but oh wow- when this came to the table, there was a whole plethora of different veg: my favorite element on the plate being those DANG BLACK BEANS! (So delicious).  

I also got to try my friend's shrimp burrito, and though it was quite a good price and generally had good flavor, I didn't like how it felt a little empty (so different from the other typical Mexican fast food places around San Diego). I guess its the trade off? Perhaps I'm complaining a bit since I'm used to giant Mexican food? I dunno. I also wasn't that fond of the fact that the mild salsa was essentially pureed pico de gaillo. THAT IS A SIN!! I'm sorry, but I just CAN'T!!!

TLDR, I love their beans a lot: both the refried and the black beans. Good deals for decent food.

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  Spinach and veg salad- hold the chicken!

  Spinach and veg salad- hold the chicken!

10/25/2016

Came here for Taco Tuesday after seeing that the Rubio's in the plaza across the street was closed. We ordered 10 fish tacos before going over to the tiny salsa stand and found that they didn't have any onions/cilantro which severely disappointed me. After a short ride home (I'm talking less than five minutes!), we hungrily opened up the bag of tacos to be disappointed again. The fish was SO under seasoned and extremely soggy. If I'm splurging on something fried, I want the crunch!!! The red and white sauce did not provide much flavor either, so we doused our tacos in the spicy salsa.

The only pros for this place are that the tacos are $0.25 cheaper than Rubio's and the staff are friendly.

But other than that, sorry Fins, I'm fins-ished with you!

11/10/2016

• 2 check-ins

Best Taco place ever in La Jolla. My usually order is Fish Taco because it taste very very good. I should have come here on Tuesday in order to get special order. This place is clean, spacious and has a quick service. Highly recommend!!!

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  Tuesday speciallllll

  Tuesday speciallllll
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9/10/2017

• 1 check-in

I've just have the worst burrito in my life here. I ordered the carnitas burrito and the meat inside is raw and half-frozen. There is no taste at all, and some kind of water leaking out from the sides. I hope these kind of places close soon.