Valerie's Taco Stand mar y tierra burrito — Restaurant in Oceanside

Valerie’s Taco Stand in Oceanside is a great “hidden gem” that many locals enjoy without the huge crowds of tourists. It’s location is just off of El Camino Real , in the parking lot adjacent to Target and across from WinCo. It’s easily accessed from the 78 Hwy and has plenty of parking in the lot they share with other businesses.

The interior has very simplistic decor that is inspired by Mexicali views and Oceanside and there’s some seating for small groups of 4 max; but admittedly it’s a little “crammed” inside and there’s not much in the way of ambiance. I observed that most people took their order To Go.

The service is excellent and their menu is huge and offers a large variety to choose from. They have tacos, nachos, burritos, asada fries and plenty of combo - bowl options. There’s also Agua frescas or bottled beverages to drink.

I ordered their papas tacos and they were actually pretty good for their pricing.

But the magic truly happened when I got their El Jefé Taco which contained their fantastic Al Pastor & Bacon with all the fixings. Although it stood just under $5, the size was humongous and the flavor was phenomenal! I hear their carne asada fries are also a great deal too.

Overall, this is a great place for those who value the flavor of their food, don’t mind paying a medium price for it, do not require Gi-normous portion sizes and like to support small businesses who value traditional recipes.

I recommend Valerie’s Taco Stand when...

Valerie’s is fantastic! I grew up in San Diego and have moved away in recent years, and every time I come back I’m starved for good Mexican food. My family told me about this spot, so I gave it a try and was pleasantly surprised. I figured it would be good, but not as good as it actually was!

The tortillas were made fresh to order which makes the tacos so much better - soft, a bit thicker, with a nice crunch. The carnitas was nicely flavored and finished on the grill which have a good crisp texture. Great fresh fish on my grilled fish taco.

The price point was a bit higher that your basic taco, but this is definitely not your basic taco spot - and well worth the price.

And their salsa bar...Their salsa bar helped remind me that I’m no local anymore...great heat which made me want more and more. A great verde (with avocado?), and that orange habanero one were my favorite! Slightly painful, but so worth it!

Lastly...this place is not in the most bustling area yet...good for me because it wasn’t crowded at all, but I hope they get the attraction from people they deserve. I visited THREE times in the week I was there. Everyone was super nice. Definitely wish they had a location on...

I cannot say anything about the food because I didn’t even tried it, the person attending was so rude when we drove by the drive trough, we ask for some carne Azada fries, we were about to order way more food but because of this man attitude we decided not to buy at this place.. hopefully manager of this places sees this, and talks to this guy, don’t know his name but I’ll post a pic.. He need to work on his customer service. By the way I asked for his manager and he said he was alone and that’s why he was giving us that attitude.. To me that’s not a reason to treat customer, if he didn’t has people that’s not customers issue, plus the issue was not the time taking but the way he spoke to us… I know and understand that it takes time to make food and more if he was alone but the way he was taking our order in a really bad way, made us not want to buy here and will not be coming back…

Muy mal servicio al cliente en el señor del drive through, por la manera en la que nos ablo decidimos mejor no comprar y...