La Super-Rica Taqueria — Restaurant in Santa Barbara

La Super Rica seems to be the most talked-about taqueria in Santa Barbara; whether that talk is positive is a different story. Some say it is worth the wait. Some say it's good but you can do better. Some say it's terrible. What cannot be disputed is that most people know about it, and that the reviews skew positively. It is a brighly colored white shack with teal trim, and a line that stretches out the door. Inside there is a fair amount of seating at basic wooden tables with white chairs. Service is relatively fast (for Cali at least) as well as friendly, so the line should move fast--except when someone makes a huge order. Everything--including the tortillas-is made fresh, and the prices are only a little north of what you typically see at taquerias. Controversy aside, I like the place a lot. La Super Rica was so good the first time I went, that I came back a second time before my flight back home. During those 2 visits, I tried the following with overlap: tacos con chorizo, rajas, tacos con bistec, alamore de pechuga, huarache and guacamole. First off, the homemade tortillas are heavenly; they almost make the restaurant alone. But there is no doubting the quality of the ingredients used here. The only issue lies in how they are used sometimes. The standouts were the rajas in particular. Maybe it was the seasoning they used, but this combo of cheese and peppers was addictive; combine it with a meat, and you're golden. The alamore de pechuga/chicken came with peppers and onions, and worked perfectly on the tacos. The chorizo was greasy and lightly fried in its own fat from its time on the grill, but not as spicy as I would've liked. Similarly, the tacos con bistec were good but the steak tasted a bit plain compared to other dishes. The guacamole was great the first time I had it, and just good the second time. Their salsa bar has 3 salsas: one red, one green and one that is just chopped onions, tomatoes and peppers with cilantro. Go with the latter, as it is fresh and tasty whereas the other 2 were very muted in their flavors. The huarache was the best I've...

One of our final stops was in Santa Barbara, in a restaurant called ‘La Superica’. It looked like an old Mexican barrack with its white walls and blue windows. It was not fancy at all and it was nothing like what I would have picked to conclude a mind-blowing trip. But as soon as I went inside I felt that the atmosphere was very welcoming. It was packed with joyful people enjoying lively dishes and for a minute I forgot that my journey was nearly over. I ordered tacos and as soon as the food was placed on the table I understood why my friends took me here.

The fresh handmade tortilla was beautiful with a golden shade of yellow contrasting with the different mouthwatering ingredients sitting on its heart. I could smell the fragrant odour of the corn flour with a zest of lime tickling my nose. The meat had a lovely brown caramelised tint and smelt heavenly. It was tender, smoky, juicy and cooked to perfection. The red salsa was thick, creamy and attractively opaque in colour. I could tell the tomatoes had been cooked slowly and mixed with toasted Mexican chilles and chipotle peppers. The topping was a symphony of colours where the chopped green vegetables were dancing with the fresh herbs under a moon of white creamy cheese. I could see the finely minced onions blending with the minced crisp cabbages promising a textural crunch.

No sooner had the fresh taco touched my palate that I felt shivers and stopped. It was absolutely divine! An exquisite pleasure invaded my senses filling me with all California. Each bite, each colour, each flavour had the taste of my trip on the mythical Highway One. I could see the sunny valleys, the Spanish missions, the rugged beach and the surf towns. I could smell the farmers’ stalls on the side of the road, I could hear the Pacific Ocean crashing down below the steep cliffs and I could feel the intoxicating warmth of the Californian sun and the presence of my friends...

Took my family to the famous La Super-Rica Taqueria in Santa Barbara 2 weeks ago and honestly, I'm scratching my head over all the hype. Here's what really went down:

The wait was brutal. Only 8 people ahead of us in line, but we stood there for almost 45 minutes just to place our order. Then another 20 minutes to actually get our food. That's over an hour total. With a hungry kid in tow, this was pretty rough.

Coming to the food, this was a tale of two experiences. The vegetarian dishes were actually really tasty. Fresh ingredients, good seasoning, and my wife and kid enjoyed them. Everything else was disappointing. The chicken tacos, chicken entree and the quesadilla were honestly some of the worst I have had. The tortillas were nice and soft, clearly made fresh. But the chicken dishes as a whole tasted bland and had zero flavor after adding all the condiments available. Just bland, boring and totally underwhelming.

CASH ONLY! Had to leave my family in line to hunt down an ATM. In 2025, this feels pretty outdated and inconvenient, especially when you're already dealing with long wait times.

I think this place probably built its reputation on their red meat dishes, which we didn't try. But based on what we ordered, I just don't get the buzz. Maybe we caught them on an off day but for the time investment and disappointment with most of our food, this won't be making our Santa Barbara recommendation or rotation again.

If you do go, maybe stick to the vegetarian and red meat options and bring cash. And maybe don't go when you're really hungry because you'll be waiting a while.

#LaSuperRica...