Rubio's Coastal Grill — Restaurant in San Diego

Rubio’s is known for their widely popular fish tacos and I have to agree they are super consistent and fresh, they may not be the best or the most authentic, but they also certainly aren’t greasy the way many fall victim to. That’s the biggest fault fish tacos have is the battering.

I’m glad they got this semi corner spot because compared to the other food on this block it doesn’t get washed out. Lunches get busy and Tuesday lunches get crazy. If you are going to go on a Tuesday at all come late (after 7) or early before 10:30.

Their usual enclosed kitchen and salsa bar on the side doesn’t work very well here, it’s not wide enough to really allow people to move to and from the bar, it’s always some log jam. Standard décor for any rubios always telling us how far cities in mexico are.

The staff here is pretty meh, nothing stands out except that it’s forgettable. Prices are what you would pay anywhere, which is to say rising, my beloved Cabo plate is $10+ now, smh. Ok so maybe I’m paying for dishes and silverware.

Speaking of Cabo Plate (no longer on the menu), they still do it though. It’s just a shrimp burrito, fish taco especial (need that sauce), rice, beans, chips. I always remind them to not over toast the burrito as I drench it in salsa and an overcharred tortilla can’t hang. Like I mentioned the fish taco especial is legit and paired with the juicy plump shrimp, sauces, yayuh. It’s filling. Salsa bar is legit, a solid tomatillo, medium is great for the chips and the roasted also great for contrast. Nothing has a ton of heat, but good flavor. Ask for the to go containers for when you are ordering a ton of tacos because they are basically the side dish size. Stay away from their tilapia and salmon tacos, they aren’t fried and tend to be dry. Do get the ancho citrus shrimp burrito or beer battered fish burrito(ditch the black beans inside) or the cabo plate. I’m not a fan of the Shrimp and bacon burrito, they wash out from the rice and salsa. They have a whole bunch of menu items I’m sure are always ok with some being good, but that’s Rubio’s for you, good, but not great. Also somewhere “Caucasians” are not...

My kids love to eat here but this place is grungy. Every time I go in I’m repulsed by how filthy it is. The quality of food at this location is also not fantastic. I once got a salad here with slimy lettuce and sparse toppings. Tonight we went and I usually don’t order anything for myself because I am very gluten and dairy sensitive and I don’t trust them to make the food correctly - I reiterated several times that there must be no dairy of any kind and that I would appreciate them changing their gloves etc so I don’t get sick. Of course they brought my food out with cheese on it (this is not a first which is why I normally order nothing for myself) - this is after being reassured by the cashier she would “let the cooks know” which I am sure never happened. They need way better training about food allergies and they need to put some elbow grease into cleaning...

I ordered online to pick up on my 30 minute lunch break. When I went in today, I was not greeted. I was waiting for my food to be ready as it was scheduled to be ready at 12:30 PM. I waited to the side for them to call out my order available for pick up, and that did not happen. There were no signs directing me to a pick up counter, so I continue to wait to the side of the counter. nobody asked me if I needed any help. I had to ask somebody to help me with my order and it was ready the whole time. This is very poor customer service and I will not be back. I understand there’s our young kids working, but they are not a good representation for your business. I spent 20 minutes of my break waiting...