Vaqueros Carne Asada

Go to Taco Shop without a doubt that place is always popping always has a line highly recommend calling ahead and then picking up your order, you can never go wrong with a breakfast burrito, this place has yet to disappoint.

This is my favorite local taco shop, when you need authentic San Diego Mexican come here! they cook their food using lard which makes it delicious and the perfect level of greasy
Have you been out drinking and now you need a burrito or chili relleno? This place has what you crave!

Food is great but be prepared to expirience a horrible customer service so i go to the drive tru and asked for an horchata the girl didnt close the lid so my drink spilled all over me and in my car im pissed and more because the employee didnt even apolegize like damnnn have respect! the owner should inforce better customer service makes me not want to go here anymore:(!!NOT THE FIRST TIME!

The barrel used to be our go to place for carne asada fries. We used to go for their generous portions of carne asada but now I have to literally pick through the globs of sour cream and guac to even find a piece of meat. Not worth the prices.

I have 3 tacos shops in my neighborhood that I could go to but I choose to drive to Encanto. Not worth it anymore I’m disappointed. Food quality dropped, food portion dropped, service was a disappointment but prices went up 8.50 for fries. Too top it off, they messed up my order. I always finish my burrito, but not this time.

Um, I think they either changed management or just replaced all their staff. Everyone there is a stranger, and they’re messing up orders and changing how they’re done.
We ordered two cheese enchiladas and a chicken chimichanga with no guacamole. The enchiladas were chicken, and the chimichanga, which used to come with rice and beans on the side, was covered in guacamole, no rice, and for some reason, they put the beans inside?
Really confused, what happened, guys? :/

I go to this taco shop regularly, and never would have expected this. Arrived and waited in line for about 10 minutes and finally one of the employees came out to take my order. She was very nice in the beginning, but little did I know she has a dark side. I placed a order for a carne asada chimichanga and 2 tacos. Before confirming I asked what was the difference in price between the rolled tacos and beef tacos. She explained the prices and I went with the regular tacos. After paying for my order she gives me my order and there are rolled tacos instead of the regular tacos I ordered.
I informed her that my order was wrong and she completely lost it and went off on me. (The video is posted) I asked to speak to a manager or whoever was charge and was told that there wasnt any.
The actions of this employee was completely unprofessional. Speaking to your customers this way would call for immediate termination. Employees like this open your business up for lawsuit, putting your customers and employees at risk. Unbelievable!!!

Moved to the area & found this great little shop. Literally LITTLE. I’m guessing they have magical Mexican elves working in there because the food is great. Come to find out its nicknamed «The barrel» due to the unique shape. Anyways line gets pretty long so be patience it’s worth the wait.
I recommend the order of taquitos al pastor. Bomb
With a big old Horchata.

You know I remember coming here maybe like 6 – 7 years ago when I use to love in paradise hills because everyone was telling me «this the spot» for all your Mexican food needs! I guess at the time… it was spectacular, big now as the years gone by I guess maybe I’ve acquired better tasting Mexican food or their quality has gone down hill.
Came here today and one thing that hasn’t changed is the constant gruesome line for the drive thru, so I figured hey I’m rarely in the area why not get the full on experience at «the barrel».
I had the Cali burrito minus the pico and add crema. I must say they definitely are on the larger size compared to almost every taco shop out there now due to cost of meat I guess, but like I lie filmed earlier it wasn’t anything special. Hot sauce was weak and had a weird taste. I’ll end it by saying this, I’m in in the area I’ll be back but I’ll never find mind self craving Mexican food and have the urge to get up and make the 15 – 20 min trip!

My favorite taco shop!!! I don’t know why, I think it’s just so much better than any other! Kind of pricey but worth it! Carne asada and California burritos are both HUGE and delicious! Quesadillas are simple but to die for! Carne asada fries delicious as well. Bean and cheese burritos also super yummy! They take care of one customer at a time, so you order and wait for your food to be made before they take another order. Time consuming but it’s worth it! And you know it’s good because there is always a line and no complaints about it!

My own stop shop for some of the best Mexican food south east San Diego has to offer. Definitely my top 5. Lines can get long but definitely well worth the wait. I’ve been coming here for years now, and I’ve never had one bad experience. Best place to go after a long night of drinking, something about their California burrito just soothes drunken soul!

Sometimes don’t put my sour cream and Guac in my Cali burritos fries are good but prices went up and their smaller
Happy their near by and open 24hrs tho

I’ve had a lot of California burritos, and this one doesn’t really distinguish itself from the others. I’ve heard a lot of hype, and all I found was average carne asada that was a little too dry for my taste. It was a lot of food for a very cheap price ($ 6) but as I said, I’ve found better in Utah. The red sauce tastes like tomato paste as well. It was a bummer because I normally would smoother my burrito in it. I probably would only be back to this place if I’m drunk.

THE BARREL is a southeast treasure. You’ll notice its red/​yellow exterior right away. Love that they’re fairly priced and give the BIGGEST portions. I’ve had their carne asada fries and they’re bomb… but my faves are the FISH TACOS and FISH BURRITOS. The fish filets are HUGE. And their hot sauce is fire.

This place never disappoints me. No matter the wait there food is always good. There never greedy with there food either 9 $ for carne asada fries or anything they make in my opinion is worth it. The location could be better yes, there parking & the long lines suck at times yes. But come on it wouldn’t be the «barrel »

1^st timer — reasons why I gave 3 stars. I came Here for the hype and because I was starving at 11pm. First view was the line out in the street. It is in a small street corner area with not much drive way; therefore understandable. Theres no indoor eating just out door benches. Ordering was literally a hole in the door. Surprisingly, when we ordered it was quite fast. I ordered the carne asada fries and 12 rolled tacos.
Pros: Big portions, Big burritos, fast service.
Cons: Order area was a door where the enter and exit and too close to my car when they exit and enter. Too much guacamole and sour cream made my food soggy. I requested no pico de gallo and found it on both orders. The guac did not taste fresh.
I would go back its not a bad tasting place.

SoOo the hubby brought home food from here.
Their portions are HUGE. The burritos are the size of a large forearm.
I got a pollo asada burrito… I swear there’s like a pound of chopped chicken in that thing… Nicely tender and juicy.
carne asada fries. The fries were crispy and thin crust. Tons of toppings and meat.
The rolled tacos were crispy and were buried in a generous amount of guacamole and cheese.
While I was pretty satisfied with my dinner, i have to agree with some of the other reviews that the meat (both pollo and carne) could use just a bit more seasoning/​flavor.

This place is «the bomb!!!»
There is always a line, but we come at weird hours of the night so we never catch a line or a long wait. The food here is great. The portions are huge, a lot larger than most taco shops. The wait isn’t bad, and the prices are comparable.
**There are certain times where there is a big line on the street, so be prepared for some type of wait although it isn’t too long.

VERY DISAPPOINTED.
Everyone said awesome things about this place, so we decided to try it out.
There was a long line @ 1 am, so we thought, «WOW! it rly must be great! Kinda excited!» We waited about 15 minutes & finally got to order. Their menu was so old & written in yellow. And other colors.
We ordered carne asada fries with extra meat, about $ 13 – 14. Asked for 2 extra hot sauce & only gave us one. Which was not enough for us. I was kind of mad about that.
As for the taste. Its wasn’t great as we expected. Got sick of it in the middle of it, so we stopped eating. It was flavorless & the hot sauce wasn’t even hot… More like tomato paste.
I gotta say, I’m very disappointed with this place. El Nuevo has way better service & food.

Got late night food cravings? Vaqueros Carne Asada is open 24 hours!
Though the neighborhood around Vaqueros isn’t brightly lit, the shop itself is. If you’re coming from Imperial Ave, be sure to make that weird left turn where it says, «KEEP CLEAR». I missed it and decided to make an illegal 3 point turn over some double yellows, immediately after the yellow barrier poles. Of course, a cop comes driving up behind me. Thankfully, he must have sensed my hangry need for carne asada chips and kept on driving. I guess it’s also a plus that it was closer to midnight, on a Monday. There was no other traffic on the streets.
I ordered a carne asada burrito, carne asada chips and carne asada fries. For a shop with the words «carne asada» in the name, the carne asada was surprisingly mediocre. It tasted like plain, grilled beef with no seasoning. Oh, Lolita’s…how you’ve spoiled me!
Another thing I was disappointed over was the lack of sour cream in my super nachos, even after I asked the cashier to verify that it was included. Thankfully, I just happen to have crema in the fridge. My life wasn’t entirely over.
Oh, and why does the salsa not look like salsa? It looked more like chamoy than salsa… Weird.
But, hey… it was midnight and I was hungry. I guess beggars can’t be choosers. I may give it another go, on another day. If it doesn’t work out, I may need to rethink my dislike for Super Sergio, when it comes to these midnight feedings.

California Burrito Battle Contender: Yo no soy Marinero, Yo no soy Marinero… Soy Vaquero, Vaqueeeerrro. Bamba. comba…Bamba.comba.
Wow, This ghetto fabulous taco shop has me singing the Burrito Blues. Blue, because I wish I could eat here everyday, and chase my blues away. Am I giving it 5 stars for being in a master-​planned, blight and hobo-​free neighborhood? No. Am I giving it 5 stars for spacious, and generous parking? No. Am I giving it 5 stars for the safest place to be walking around after dark? No. Am I giving it 5 stars for one of the best California Burritos in town? Si, Si, Señor!
First, this burrito is massive and only $ 5 bucks. The meat is tasty, tender and cut small. The fries inside are hot, fresh and crispy and cut small, and in perfect proportion to the whole enchilada, err, Burrito. The tortilla is thin, hot, crispy and fresh, and brings all the flavors together on the same tasty team.
Finally, the house salsa is excellent: A blood red sauce that’s full of picante flavor, so boss! Yes, this barrel-​shaped eating place is smack in the heart of funky town. Just plan to drive on thru, and go during off hours and miss the crowds and criminals, and keep the hassles to a minimal.
Hey, sometimes ya gotta take a risk being a crime victim to get the best that Unilocal has to offer! 5 jumping beans up!