Jorge’s Mexicatessen

I love this Mexican family restaurant. I used to come here over 10 years ago, since I worked around here. Every where I go, I am always looking for the same children soups but I couldn’t find one, today I have a chance to come back, the chicken soup tastes delicious like it’s used to. Thank you for making a great soup.

During my meal here, I only had the chicken soup– which managed to be light yet flavorful at the same time. Excellent on its own, or paired with a panoply of other food. Could serve as a (very good) palate cleanser if paired with richer food with lots of cheese.

Amazing Mexican food from a family owned establishment. Their fish tacos are sublime and when you’re not feeling well or just want some soup, the soup is wonderful. I want to try other things but its hard not to get the aforementioned items. One last thing… People will say that this place or that place has great salsa but i will say this place has some of the best that is spicy and tasty (if not oniony).

Skip the pharmacy, get some Jorge’s Chicken Soup. This stuff is insanely addicting and has been the only thing I will eat whenever I’m sick. Every time I come home from college I make sure to make a few trips to Jorge’s before I go back. Jorge’s is a small little hole in the wall run by the nicest people behind the counter. If you’re visiting Encinitas or haven’t found this gem, make sure you stop by and get my favorite soup!

The salsa was great! The service was polite. I was even given a sample of the soup!
I tried the shrimp burrito, which was the special for that day. They have different specials each day. The burrito had plenty of grilled onions which were very flavorful. I can’t wait to try something else!

When I crave something, I CRAVE it. Like, bad. It’s more important than work, my friends, my mental health. Someone taught me how to make chicken soup some many years ago and I still think that recipe is awesome. But I haven’t found a place in San Diego that makes memorable chicken soup. So cue Jorge’s Mexicatessen in Encinitas who’s known for their Mexican style chicken soup. What is a Mexicatessen by the way. Is a Mexican delicatessen? Regardless, I was excited to finally try Jorge’s Mexicatessen for breakfast one morning with a friend.
It’s a hole in a wall location that has only a few tables inside. You order from the cashier and they call your order number when ready.
We ordered:
Large Chicken Soup:
— The owner was nice and he let me have the rice on the side (versus in soup). He also suggested ordering the chicken soup spicy. The chicken soup was well worth the 10+ minutes for us to get this dish. There were chunks of freshly scooped avocado in the soup. I didn’t grow up having avocado in soup so this always throws me off. But the avocado tasted even creamier once it warmed up in the chicken broth. I think they add fresh raw onions to the broth before serving as there was a nice onion crunch and bite to the soup. The order also comes with two flour tortillas that are served warm wrapped in aluminum.
Carne Asada Burrito:
— We were disappointed that the burrito wasn’t very big. The carne asada had tomatoes, onions, and I think a guacamole sauce. The carne asada tasted nicely beefy and wasn’t too tough. We enjoyed this burrito quite a bit.
It’s a no frills kind of place so there’s not much service or banter with staff here. I’ve tried calling a few times but no one picks up. We visited for dinner some time ago and enjoyed the meal (plus the carne asada burrito was much bigger the second time around). I’d return if I was in the area but I think I’d make a trip here to Jorge’s Mexicatessen just for their chicken soup.

This place has the best chicken soup! Get the spicy one if you are looking for a kick! The people are very nice here and always make me want to come back! I got a California burrito here and it was pretty tasty too! You can’t go wrong with this place.

Jorge’s. YUM!
I have been coming here for years and years! We moved out of the area and when I am near, I ‘have to’ stop in!
His Texcoco Chicken soup doesn’t get any better, unless… you add one of their beef tacos along side!
Seriously… great food, family-​friendly staff… I wish they had a location in either Vista or near Menifee! (I work in Vista and live in Menifee)
Thank you for another happy tummy, Jorge’s crew!

THUMBS DOWN. Go to Mexico Viejo they actually serve hot fresh burritos. Or hit up El Pueblo in Cardiff or Lordes down by Seaside Market.
I grew up in Encinitas in the 70s, used to ride my skateboard down Tzena and shoot out onto Mountain Vista and coast to Quickie, post up my skate and dominate Star Castle, Asteroids and Scramble. (The first games they had were Berserk («Intruder Alert») and Rally Car. I consider myself a local.
Since I bank with Union on the corner across the parking lot from Jorges, I started eating here when they first opened. As a long time fan of Rauls Shack on the coast, I was stoked to have another location with the same attention to care and detail as Rauls (the wife of Jorge’s owner still owns Rauls, and the husband opened up Jorge’s).
The food WAS good initially and I would have given them 4 stars (I only give 5 Stars when they earn them) for the first years of business. I imagine the soup is still really good…
I was in the old hood recently and it had been awhile since I had eaten there, and I obviously forgot why. I wanted to show off a new mexican eatery to my friend who was new to the area, and we both consider ourselves MEXPERTS …
It started out great… Customer service was friendly, but thats where it stopped. We ordered the California burritos and when we went to pick it up he asked if we wanted 1 or 2 salsas (I always use 5 – 7 salsas at other delis, but only use 3 cups and refill them)
My friend went to pick it up as my wife had called, and when he asked for 3 each the dude shook his head and instead grabbed a soup bowl and dumped some salsa into it for us to share. If I was alone I would be ecstatic but sharing salsa (which to me feels almost like swapping spit) is only something I do with my wife!!!
After all, we aren’t dipping chips into this, we are dumping it onto our burrito.
Willing to give them a pass as they have always been LAME about their salsa delegation, I took one bite into the burrito and it was COLD. Potatoes were crunchy and not tasty crunchy but undercooked crunchy. Cheese was straight out of the fridge, not melted, and they obviously didn’t even throw the carne onto the grill.
Really Jorge?
Then I remembered why I haven’t been here is a couple years.

The food is really good. Would be five star but They use a little too much salt on some items and the employees are really rude when it comes to the salsa. They are really stingy with it. Ordered two burritos and the guy asks me if I want «one or two salsas?» I can use 3 on one burrito easy. Don’t mind paying more just quit being salsa nazis.

Hmmm. Stopped here due to reviews. Soup was good, but really, just chicken soup with instant rice. I also had a chicken mole taco. That’s it… just meat and mole (not flavorful) on a corn tortilla. Husband had Carne Asada plate. Meat was pretty boring and flavorless. Rice and beans both tasted like canned product. Nothing special. Disappointing.

This is my favorite taco shop in Encinitas, and we’ve tried them all. They are usually popular/​busy, and sometimes there is quite a wait. My advice is to call in your order.
We have eaten here several times, and the food is freshly made to order every time. Their basic ingredients just taste better than a lot other places. The tortillas are great, beans are flavorful, guacamole is great, etc. I highly recommend the chicken soup on a cold day. The rolled tacos with guacamole are great too.

I think they do a good job for the price. Lots of white breast meat used. The chicken soup is good. HOWEVER, there is about quadruple the salt you need in that container. If they would lower the salt content & add a couple vegetables I would come back for more way more often.

Like everyone has already told you their soup is to die for, they offer a great variety of other foods (tacos, enchiladas, burritos, etc)
Everything is always made fresh, and their salsa is the best! If you happen to be here on a Wednesday you picked the best day ever for their Wednesday special
They would be a five star if they actually answered their phones and were more efficient at taking orders– the wait can be a bit too much for a taco shop.

Was (key word), really excited to finally try Jorge’s!
For years now several of my surfer bros have been raving about the exquisite and highly coveted chicken soup here, how crowded it gets during lunch time, and the scores of people waiting to get their share of this place.
When an appointment ran late last Friday I finally had my chance. I walked into Jorge’s after the lunch time rush dissipated at 2:16 pm (2÷5÷2016, receipt #0152, register 1, cashier– E. B.) and was surprised to see the place empty. «Score!» I thought, since I was always warned how busy this place can be and ordered the following for me and my assistant «to go” —
1 Large Mex (chicken) soup w/​flour tortillas
3 Fish Tacos
1 California Burrito
1 Carnitas Taco Salad Deluxe
The service was efficient, not overly friendly/​welcoming, and I was stoked that our order was ready for take-​out in less than 8 minutes!
So, whatchathink Richard?
1. Chicken Soup– Jorge’s forgot to include the flour tortillas that were supposed to come with the order. OK, so it’s not a biggie but annoying nonetheless. I was surprised to see that ALL of the condiments (onions, cilantro, avocado, rice, pepper, etc) were already thrown into the take-​out container with the soup, not placed in a separate side containers, so you can adjust the seasonings yourself, like many other restaurants will do. The soup itself was good, very salty, yet flavorful. That said, Rudy’s, Pollos Maria, La Especial, and Nacho’s also make a brilliant, if not better homemade Mexican Chicken Soup. 3 Unilocal Stars.
2. Fish Tacos– I liked the fresh cabbage and greens (another key word) that topped the tacos. The fish was perfectly cut, almost too perfect, probably frozen, and the oil it was cooked with made the batter taste slightly bitter and a dark, caramelized brown color. My assistant stopped me after I ate the first taco and pointed out that the other 2 tortillas that wrapped the remaining tacos had fuzzy green growths on them, aka, MOLD! (see my pics) Really Jorge’s!!! I mean, it’s not like corn tortillas are expensive and there’s NO WAY that a fresh corn tortilla would spoil in under a day!!!
ZERO Unilocal Stars.
3. California Burrito– YUM! The carne asada was tender, chunky, and had a delicious texture. The potatoes had a tasty firmness to them and the sauce was delicately seasoned. This is a much better C.B. than El Cotixan down the street or Rudy’s up the road. As a matter of fact, it’s one of the BEST California Burritos I’ve tasted in the area! 5 Unilocal Stars.
4. Carnitas Taco Salad Deluxe– I loved the super tasty Carnitas. In all fairness, Taco Salads are a difficult «to-​go» item since the shell doesn’t travel well. That said, there was also about a quarter inch of liquid in the bottom of the «to-​go» container. I’m not sure if it was from the carnitas or the condensation, but it seriously left a puddle in my car. 1 Unilocal Star.
What can I say? I had super high hopes for Jorge’s. The MOLDY corn tortillas on the fish tacos was inexcusable but they do have an amazing California Burrito. The soup is good, but not the best I’ve tasted. I can take or leave the rest. The idea of having been served rotten food is the true deal breaker and I sincerely hope this was an isolated incident.
An overall 2 Unilocal Stars for Jorge’s Encinitas.

Feeling under the weather or just craving a delicious bowl of Mexican chicken soup? Head on down to Jorge’s!
This tiny Mexican restaurant certainly has a following, and often has a line out the door, and standing room only.
Highly recommend the spicy chicken soup + red salsa. One needs the other, these flavors are made for each other. Plus, there really is nothing like a hot bowl of soup on a chilly day :)
Will return to try their burritos!

Cold day? Got the sniffles? Craving soup? You’ve come to the right place! Jorge’s has my favorite chicken soup hands down. It comes spicy or regular, and option for chips, corn, or flour tortilla on the side. I prefer the flour tortillas! I love that it comes with avocado and it always tastes fresh whether it’s raining out or not. I usually take my soup to go because it gets pretty crowded, especially during the colder days since Jorge’s serves everyone’s favorite chicken soup, obviously. The spicy isn’t too spicy, and if you need an xxxxtra kick, they offer a container of spicy goodness on the side. I also enjoy their california burritos, and their rolled tacos which stay crispy even on the ride home! Tip: Ask for condiments (i.e. avocado, guac, sour cream) on the side so everything stays fresh! Definitely a hidden gem in Encinitas.

This is the kind of place that is for locals. If you know it then you know how it works, how it has its own way of doing things, how the food is, etc. If you walk in once and expect them to start kissing your butt and being how you want them to be then it doesn’t work.
True though, the phone is always busy. So you have to go in person. An amazing solution.
Soup is great though the spicy is not that spicy. Their to-​go salsas are fantastic and actually spicy. Nachos are some of the best takeout gloopy everything nachos I’ve had. California burrito is pretty good.
Yes they are a taco shop in a mini-​mall, but they are one of the best taco shops in a mini-​mall. Don’t expect them to be anything other than what they are. You been schooled.

Great food at a great price.
I stopped in for a quick lunch after getting a haircut next door. Based on Unilocal reviews, I ordered a large chicken soup and since I like a little spice in life, I got it Texcoco style. It was the best soup I’ve had in a long time. The broth was rich and delicious. The addition of the chili sauce had me wishing it was a few degrees cooler outside. It was the perfect amount of kick to make me sweat a little. The soup had lots of tender white meat chicken, avocado and rice. The large bowl made for a satisfying meal.
The restaurant itself is pretty basic. It’s small and pretty typical of a taco shack. It’s in a nice shopping center with plenty of parking. The few outside tables were inviting. The service was good and the man behind the counter was friendly and cheerful. It being my first time, he was helpful and guided me to getting the spicy version of the soup which was an excellent choice.
I’ll be back for the soup which was definitely good for the soul.

I did not have the chicken soup.
My quest for a tasty fish burrito led me to another local dive, this one with a close to 5-​Star rating. Always amazing to find that in any place, let alone a greasy dive in the style I grew up loving. Still, that doesn’t mean everything they serve will be on top, and such was the case of our meal. It was alright, not horrible in any way, just not the consistent flavors I was looking for. Simple stuff first…
The guacamole was very thin, salted well, but processed to the point where it was kind of soupy. Anytime you can pick up the dish and readily swirl the guac inside around, it’s not all that appetizing. They salsa they gave us was their hottest option, something I didn’t realize until my girlfriend upended one of the small tubs into her burrito. I don’t mind the heat, but she has trouble taking it, and even this had me huffing and puffing every once in a while. This is partially my fault for not asking, but mild really should be the standard given unless specified otherwise.
Finally comes my fish burrito. The cream sauce was alright, a good sweet to it that should be there when cooling the hot and salt fish. And that fish was fried well, beer battered and clean. But the slaw that came alongside it? Watery, vinegary, overwhelming in every bite that came after the first two and it made the whole of it just … average, if not sometimes below it. My search continues.
The love of my life partook of the California burrito, her usual choice. I do commend Jorge’s for using chopped potatoes and not french fries, though they were a bit overcooked, and the burn on the skin made them unable to absorb any salt or juice while wrapped up in the tortilla. And the meat was a bit dry, a little under seasoned, a bit disappointing all around.
Two things I want to note, however, are that the horchata they serve here is delicious, lightly sweet and a great amount of cinnamon in it, and second, that the service here is amazing. The guy behind the counter is as nice as you’ll ever see and fun to talk to. If I ever come back to try that soup, it will mainly because I’d like to talk to him again.