El Pueblo Authentic Mexican Food

This is our go to mid week spot for some delicious fast Mexican food. Everything is fresh and it’s super authentic. There are plenty of options around town but it’s hard not to hit up el pueblo. The best part about this place is that they are open 24 hours. So when you have a craving for some late nite food this is the place to go! Another bonus is that it’s next door to the Valero gas station. So… you can check out their amazing beer selection or get your car washed while you wait for your order.
Favs…
The free salsa bar and hot carrots. Yum!
The verde chilaquiles
Carne asada nachos
99 cent fish tacos
All of the burritos are delicious and massive!

24 hours, delicious! It’s usually always busy no matter the day or time, for good reason.

Reward for lost purse. I was there last night at 6:30 and left my purse hanging on the chair.

It may not be the best fish taco you’ve ever had, but it’s the best fish taco for a dollar you’ll ever eat.
This is the funkiest set-​up — Valero gas station, car wash, convenience store with all the attendant items, as well as some premium wine selections, and then El Pueblo, home of the 99¢ fish taco. Whatever — it works!

Delicious make a stop here whenever I am around. Fish tacos are excellent and the breakfast burritos are huge and don’t skimp on the good stuff.

This is a great little hole-​in-​the-​wall right off the freeway. Try the shredded chicken burrito or the fish tacos! Only 99 cents!

7 stars! Give them all the stars! I’m never* going to Chipotle again!
Ok, so yes, it’s adjacent to a Valero, and it’s 24 hours, but it’s amazing. They have… all the burritos, and tacos and take-​out Mexican options you can dream of AND they are all at a totally affordable price. Their burritos are giant and delicious. Sure, there are tons of Mexican options in this area, and almost all of them are locally owned, but El Pueblo is my favorite, and I’ve probably had all of them.
*This is a lie.

The food here is prepared inconsistently. I usually get the fish tacos, which are good half of the time. Some times the batter is too soggy.
Tonight was different. I ordered 5 fish tacos, and 1 of the fish pieces was raw on the inside. Disgusting. I won’t be back for a while.

Tasty Mexican food is truly lacking in North County but luckily this place is around to feed us quality food that’s comparable in both taste and price to places down south.
Conveniently located right off the 5 freeway, this place is open 24 hours for commuters or party-​goers alike. They also offer $ 0.99 fish taco Tuesdays (which most seem to enjoy but I’ve honestly had better fish tacos elsewhere…).
What keeps me coming back though are the mini tacos. This is the only place I’ve been to in the area that serves DELICIOUS lengua tacos. Other places either don’t offer lengua at all or they can’t cook it properly. This place cooks and seasons their lengua to provide the right amount of soft and chewy texture and the right amount of flavor. Plus they stack on the meat! For 4 mini tacos piled high with your choice of meat, it’s under $ 7!
Other goodies to try are the carne asada fries. I havemthad a burrito here but wouldn’t be averse to stepping out of my comfort zone.
The only downside is the parking (or lack there of) during lunch/​dinner hour. The patioseatingbis usually ample except for when customers from the car wash occupy the seating and don’t order anything… rude!

El Pueblo is a great place for quick, Mexican food. I especially enjoy the 99 cent fish tacos. They fish tacos are very simple but delicious at the same time, it’s like being in Mexico. I truly enjoy going there knowing that the food seems very fresh.

So happy for finding this place! OK so my Mom and I had our hearts set for Raul’s soup last Sunday but we get there and they’re closed! So I get on my trusty Unilocal and see this place and it’s open 24hrs! We got 2 chicken tostadas and two 99 cent fish tacos! All very good! Well today my brother and I are heading to San Diego to go wine tasting and stopped here to get fish tacos! Can’t go on a empty stomach! They were even better today, and they are huge! Thank you El Pueblo for your generosity and honoring the good people of San Diego with affordable price food! Blessings of abundance to your establishment!

Amazing tacos. Don’t let the gas station scare you. Best tacos I have had in Encinitas

Best late night Mexican joint in town. Yes it’s attached to a gas station, but it’s good. Great salsa bar and one with a kick! It’s our new go to place in the area.

I’m visiting from Hawaii where you would think Baja style fish tacos could be plentiful. Well it’s not, and it’s expensive (as well as not being particularly good). I ordered 4 Baja style fish tacos for $ 3.96. It was the best, freshest and cheapest fish tacos I’ve ever tasted. The red snapper is super fresh under the batter. They don’t skimp out either– you get double corn tortillas, full jalapeños fixings and salsa bar. Go load up on fish tacos right now! It won’t break the bank either at $.99 a pop with no limit!

Carne Asada was pretty good & tasty but I wish I was the meat was more chewy and fall into your mouth quality. Carne Asada Fries, it was okay, without the carne asada, i dont think it would be enjoyable, I had to make aure there was meat in every bite and then I enjoyed it way more. The fries were a little soggy and not crispy in which I wish they were. Prices are good, not expensive and very affordable. Horchata was great for the price as well!
Pretty good place to stop by while on the road in SD!

7/11:The ONLY reason I came here was for their .99 cents tacos. When I first heard about it I was like no way this could be good. It’s off the freeway when you exit and you just can’t miss it since the first thing you will see is the gas station. We parked in which we were lucky to have found a parking. The restaurant seemed to look super busy, but it actually wasn’t. People were in the restaurant outside seating but they were actually waiting for their car wash. It was super busy at the car wash that day. About ten people sitting and standing around.
Anyhow there was a least some tables open. We ordered only two tacos. LOL The fiancé and I weren’t hungry but we wanted to try it. The cashier was extremely friendly. The taco came out quick. The batter wasn’t super crispy but has a bit of crunch. The white sauce that came with it was nice and light. It wasn’t bad at all for .99 cents.
Overall when I’m driving to LA or somewhere up north and passing by, this is a great stop for a snack or a full meal. Four starts includes great value and great customer service.
YAY!

Let me start by saying…99 cent fish tacos allllll the time? I mean you’d have to be crazy to come here and not get fish tacos .
Came on a Saturday afternoon and this place was packed to the brim. For a good reason. Fish tacos were great! Yes not the best in the world but hey for 99 cents you can’t complain! Only thing is that they didn’t put enough sauce but I’ll just ask for more next time. Also, took 20 min to get my food. Pretty long wait. Anyway, food was hot and fresh and great portion sizes. I’ll be back !

The best claim to fame for this place seems to be the 99 cent fish tacos. They are pretty large and in charge… and good value…
I ordered a bean and cheese burrito… and well… the damn cheese wasn’t even melted… so go figure… its next to a gas station…
Nice salsa selection, and fountain drink station…
You can eat outside on the large patio… which was pretty cool…
busy taco shop… food just meh… but it seems to be the «spot» here for passerby’s on the Highway 5 and locals…
better than McDonald’s… so this would be my choice for fast food if in a pinch…

OMG. This place is amazing. We were driving back up from a show in SD and was feeling famished. Since it was late, we knew options would be limited. But then a Unilocal search brought us here while driving back to OC. The whole «gas station» location is really blown out of proportion. It really looks just like a restaurant next to any typical gas station with a restaurant attached to it. the location is easy to find. if you have the address and google, and who doesnt nowadays, it’ll direct you straight to it. the place is clean and there is seating outdoor and about 4 small tables inside.
we arrived around 11:30PM on a Sunday night and was surprised to see how busy it was! not that there was a wait or anything, just a good crowd for this time of night. yes, its true, baja styled fish tacos are only 99 cents! there is a BIG poster indicating that so ignore the price listed on their menu.
they have everything you could imagine of a typical mexican food joint. breakfast items, burritos, tacos, enchiladas, combo plates, tortas… etc etc.
i only ordered 1 fish taco and a side of chips and salsa. he ordered two baja fish tacos and adobada torta (they made a mistake and thought he wanted the El Pueblo which is the sandwich with all the fixings plus fries), so our bill was approx $ 15.
When the food came, we were shocked at the portions! His sandwich was ginormous! And the fish tacos are seriously a grown man’s size (not those little street tacos you get at some other places). And i didnt realize my $ 1.99 side of chips and salsa atcually came in an entire to-​go box! I thought it would just be a little tiny paper tray! I dont know why i didnt just read through Unilocal or look at the pictures before ordering. so needless to say, we had waaay too much left over because we couldnt finish everything!
The food was truly amazing and for the price we paid, I seriously wish we had one of these in OC! Definitely not a place you’d find this north of San Diego but I love finding little gems like these (especially on Unilocal!)

This place is great! I work right next to it so at one point, I’d come here everyday and not get tired of it. The fish tacos are popular here and they are only 99 cents. The price is very cheap but the taco itself is not cheap tasting at all! It’s actually really good and I usually get full off of two fish tacos. They give you battered fish with lettuce and pico with their special sauce and corn tortillas (you can request for flour too).
Customer service is a hit or miss with the workers. but they are usually nice. The owners are great and very friendly. They are busy all the time in the day but the good thing is that they are open 24 hours now.

Que rico! Las salsas rojas son los mejores!