Roberto's Taco Shop Lakeside — Restaurant in California

Edit June 16, 2024: I have returned to this taco shop. I still will not have their Carna Asada Fries. Breakfast burritos and rolled tacos have been solid when they actually listen to your customizations.

Edit as of Sunday January 14, 2024, around 7pm: This has been my go to taco shop for 3 years now and never had too many issues. Within the last 30 days I have gotten food poising TWICE from there Carna Asada Fries. Both times almost to the point of needed to go to the hospital with heavy vomiting and muscle cramps so bad I couldn’t get out of bed. Not sure what’s going on but as of the last month this place has become unbearable.

Overall this place is really good, but has been going downhill. The food is great. The customer service is good depending on who’s working (recently had the window slammed on me, I got there 10 minutes before they said they closed, waited 5 at the menu for someone to take my order, and when I pulled to the window the lady standing at the register yelled “WERE ALREADY CLOSED” and slammed the window and walked away before I asked why she couldn’t just tell me that instead of acting like I wasn’t waiting to have my order taken). One complaint about this taco shop is the wait is often RIDICULOUSLY long. And I’m talking 20 minutes on average. If you’re more than one car behind the speaker, expect an even longer wait. If there was a better taco shop with a drive through I’d go there, until then I’m going to continue to deal with the long wait...

Okay, it took me about seven years of trying to make excuses for this spot, as the nostalgia of growing up near this place and my intense love of Mexican food had me making excuses, but it must be done.

Hopefully something changes. For the last 10-ish trips I have taken to this establishment, the order has been wrong. That’s not an exaggeration. Every single order. Not to mention the countless (more infrequently bad) trips in the past. An entire meal was missing, or the wrong food was made, or the order was just wrong. I understand running a small business must be difficult and burnout is real. But if I’m spending almost $15 for a burrito, can you please make sure the order is right and everything is in there? There is an obligation to at least do the bare minimum. Other issues: Clean workspace, have you ever seen the interior of the kitchen? It’s scary. Wrong order? Get ready to wait just as long for the new one. Food takes forever. Sometimes the food is cold :( Expensive!

I’d like to add that I’ve been waiting to see if it got better for YEARS because I was a loyal customer. But after the nth wrong order, I’m done. Please, do better! This spot was easily a fan favorite, but it’s losing customers for...

This restaurant is an example of severe complacency and a lack of attention to basic sanitation. I used to frequent this restaurant years ago. It was nice to see that it was still open when I can back to Lakeside for a visit. Much to my horror the place has seen a severe decline in its sanitation standards and has fallen into disgusting condition. The bathrooms were never great but the strong and pervasive smell of feces should not linger on ones clothes after you leave a bathroom. Especially, if you only went in there to wash your hands!

Driving up to the window you'd probably never guess that the place is in such decline but if you were to go to the walk-up window and look inside you'd see that the place is dirty inside from years of sanitation negligence.

Food might be good but they need to pay better attention to their cleanliness and probably update their food prep equipment. Some of that stuff DATES BACK TO...