TRES Taqueria Mariscos Cantina

El pastor street tacos are the best! And their Pineapple Cider is so delicious! The Carnitas fries are fabulous! 5 star food and bev!

One of the best and hidden taco shops in san diego county. the sauces and beers really make this place great! i like the tvs too.

TRES is not even near my house, but I will go out of my way just for their delicious al pastor street tacos. They are SO good. The meat is so flavorful and juicy, I can eat them forever. The chicken street tacos are pretty average, still good but not as good as the pastor Last time I was here I also tried the fried fish taco, which was huge. I’m a much bigger fan of fresh fish tacos as opposed to fried, but these ones were really good. We only got them because they were all out of the mahi mahi for the day, so I’ll have to come back and try the fresh fish. I also love their pickled carrots and onions.

We are not from the area. Looked here…4 ½ stars??? ok. This place belongs on the beach!!!
From outside its just ok… walk inside. Excellent service. And the food created fireworks in my mouth. Best Pastor Tacos sin Playa Del Carmen.
Too bad they are so so far… I would go constantly.
Quality and service

A real gem of a place in an otherwise undesirable area for food. I tried the carnitas, asada, and al pastor tacos. All three were really good, the carnitas and al pastor were excellent. Seems like they have a pretty good beer list, and a wide variety of menu options. Nice to see the quality tacos and beer scene expanding eastward, not a bad thing! Not a bad thing at all.

Honestly, the food here was not great. It wasn’t terrible, but I won’t be back. We ordered the Al Pastor and Carne Asada tacos. The Al Pastor was ok, but nothing special. The Carne Asada was not good. The meat was dry and flavorless and the pieces were small and hard. The green cream sauce they put on the tacos was good, but rather bland and could have used some more flavor. I had to ask for cups for the salsa bar, which they keep behind the counter instead of by the bar itself. No free chips, either.
Five stars to the people working here. Super friendly and helpful. I really wanted to give this place a better review.
They have a great beer selection.

As a gringo, I enjoy coffee with a brkfst burrito. Rather weak coffee story here. Lousy coffee and worse powdered cream to mask the lousy coffee. Burrito was ok.
Cool décor though!

When I wrote my first review I was extremely «hangry» and I have to say through my bad attitude and bad review the people at Tres have been nothing but nice. Tonight I finally got to try the chile relIeno burrito, and it was everything I had wanted and more. Most of all I am impressed by their customer service and I apologize for acting so childish.
Also the apparently have more vegetarian options than listed on their menu so I would just ask them if you are vegetarian.

Went here on a Tuesday night and it was busy!
Found out they no longer do AYCE taco wednesdays but they replaced the deal with $ 1.50 tacos on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
I had tried the al pastor, pollo asada, carne asada, and carnitas street tacos and shared an order of carne asada fries.
All of tacos were very tasty. I preferred the al pastor and carne asada tacos.
The carne asada fries were the highlight of the meal, probably one of the best carne asada fries I’ve ever had!
Fries were very crisp, they used nacho cheese and shredded Mexican cheese, and they piled on a lot of carne asada, guac, and sour cream on top.
I would definitely come back just for the carne asada fries but I would stick to Tacos El Gordo for tacos.
***TIP: If you check in on Unilocal,they offer 10% off your bill. They also offer 25% off if it is your birthday.

Well I am torn… Not sure what my opinion is! Stopped in with a coupon to try. Really cute inside, love the garage doors and the décor. Do not like the menu, cute but confusing and too many «coming soon «signs.
Lots of beers on tap and margaritas sound good!
Had to buy the chips, didn’t like that, salsa was ok, not great! We had street tacos, beef taco and a Chile rellano. Food was pretty good!
Don’t come here in a hurry it took some time! It felt like it just opened, like they lack organization. I will try it again though, definitely when I can have a drink too!

Terrible Service.
Came in on Cinco DE Mayo. Really busy. I understood that. After over an hour wait. I had to Check on my order. I found out that they didn’t even make my order. Rushed to get it together. Took the order home and was missing items and the items I did receive were wrong. Called the next day and spoke with someone named Tess, who seemed nice enough. Told them what happened and they said to bring the receipt and the entire meal value would be credited.
Came in today. ⁵⁄₁₈ and they said Tess didn’t have the authority to authorize that kind of compensation. Went as far as to call her to which she stated that she didn’t not authorize such a request. Blatant lie. So they offered me a percentage of the order I had now placed off. Last time I come to thinks place.

Ordered 3 street carne asada tacos and shrimp ceviche
Meat was moist and tender. Loved the green quacamole sauce. Shrimp ceviche was flavorful as well. Asked for a side of chips which was thin and crispy. Checked in at the drive thru and received free hot carrots!
It was delicious. I like how it’s a restaurant but also has a convenient drive thru.

Always good. Always fresh!!!
My family loves the place and food. A great place to eat and relax

After visiting 4 Mexican restaurants this past week trying various breakfast burritos in East County/​San Diego, I finally can give an honest review based on comparison. We will keep visiting more places in the future, since there are so many spots to choose from in and around SD so updates and edits seem inevitable.
Breakfast burritos are rated by their taste, quality, and authenticity.
So, Tres gets 4 stars tied for second place this week. It was the first restaurant we visited. The lady at the register was very friendly, and helped us choose our burritos. I choose the potato, egg, cheese, sausage burrito and hubby got the supreme.
Complimentary chips and salsa are included as well as lime infused water (yum!) They have 4 different homemade salsa sauces to choose from. It took about 10 – 15 minutes for the burritos to be brought out to us and they did not disappoint. Oh man did they never!
The burritos had a sweet equilibrium with the ingredients to enjoy everything in each bite, which every restaurant that serves burritos should be doing. Even the tortilla was amazing! They toasted them just enough to taste crispy and it was the only shop that did this. It really made this burrito unique. The ingredients tasted wonderful, bursting with flavor. We devoured every bite.
I highly recommend their breakfast burritos… It is a definite morning stop to try if you are in El Cajon.

«No Air Conditioning and Few Tables & The Food was OK»
My wife and I went to the Tres Taqueria Mariscos Cantina in El Cajon, CA. the other day and was a little surprised. First of all the restaurant had no air conditioning and it was very hot inside. Second the restaurant has very few tables inside, And third the Tacos we had were just OK. I thought it would be a lot better !

You are better off going to Roberto’s! I was a huge fan when they were at the old location next door. Now that they have expanded they are over priced and the quality is not there. Not to mention it’s far from authentic. The chips were nasty BTW. Won’t be back.

Incredible tacos and burritos. The burritos are large and in charge. They have the best fresh salsas, the 3 street tacos for $ 5.99 are on point and filling. Great bar also with wine and beers on tap. This is a hidden gem in the valley and a must try! Delicious!!!

This is one of my favorite Mexican food places in El Cajon. Breakfast burritos are excellent!

Nice ambiance for a taco shop with great selection of beer while you wait for your food! Tacos are filling! Will be back again

Absolutely unsatisfactory! I’m here now. First off, the lights are turned off inside (trying to save money?)
Secondly, the guacamole was BROWN! Salsa missing from the bar, stale chips and rice. Please save yourself the tummy ache. Anyone rating this place with more than 3 stars has got to be a friend or family of the owner.

Disappointed. This used to be my wife and I favorite place to stop after surfing. We always recommended this place to friends when they came into town. After they moved to the new building it all went down hill. I came in today to grab 2 carne Asada burritos. After waiting 10 min. I was told they were out of carne Asada. Out of carne Asada!!! That just baffles me. Sorry to have to do this but won’t be coming back.

Fun, fresh Mexican food with great choice of craft beer. «Not your average taco shop!» Specialties are the whole fried fish, delicious spicy salsas, and huge board of good choices. They also have drive through.

Yummy! This was our first time here but it didn’t disappoint. The tacos al pastor was delicious and so filling. The only thing that was a bummer was I had to order 3 tacos and I couldn’t order different types of meat. Since I’be never been here, I’d like to not put all my eggs in one basket in case I don’t like it. The gamble worked out though.
The carne asada burrito my husband got, he loved (though he added a few things to it). I also got a potato taco to try and it was pretty good but not my favorite. My margarita was delicious and the beer selection was great. We’ll be back.

Good food and super friendly staff. Had two of the Al Pastor California burritos and a huge plate of Carne Asada chips, and a bunch of food to go for my family.
Checked in on Unilocal and got the free Carnitas Street Taco which was on-​point. Girl at the front counter nicely tipped me off that (Taco) Tuesdays are definitely the day to get the street tacos, and that’s when they have the best deals and best cuts of meat.
Loved that they had nacho cheese in addition to regular cheese for the Carne Asada chips, and everything seemed pretty tasty if not a touch on the conservative side. I’m definitely looking forward to exploring more of their menu and trying some of the more unique dishes like the Cubana Torta and some of the seafood. This time around though we kept it pretty tame.
This place is likely to fit the ticket if you’re looking for some good mexican of the Santana’s style variety. Biggest thing for me was the the hot sauces were just alright, and I feel like they could definitely step up their game on that end. Maybe it was just an off-​night or bad batches, but compared to Estradas or Fresh MXN salsa, didn’t seem like very tough competition. Seemed like the containers were really small too, so we had to make several trips back and forth stacking salsa containers for all the food we got, plus the food to-​go.
I dig the overall vibe of the place, and it’s certainly a nice step above the average El Cajon joint. Only gave 4 stars for this review, because I feel there’s a couple areas they could improve on; mainly everyone that ate the to-​go food remarked that it was extremely salty, and the hot sauce was all very boring. I also ordered a Shrimp Diablo burrito for $ 9 – 10 dollars and asked for no rice… and it came out literally about ¼ the size of the Chicken Fajita burrito I ordered. Was definitely a bit bummed on that.

Tried this place for the first time and was extremely impressed for our first Taco Tuesday in El Cajón! Their Al Pastor Tacos were delicious and paired greatly with their pineapple cider! A real treat We will definitely be visiting again!!!

Horrible service. I had to ask if my food was ready after seeing it sit there for at least 10 min and they forgot part of my food. The three girls there seems scattered around not knowing what is going in. Will not be returning.

Second time here. Food is great. They messed up my order last time but they apologized for it. Their carnitas taco is very good. Great atmosphere and great service. Also local to my house. I will definitely come back.

So EEEVVVV-​erything Ive tried here is aaaah-​mazing! Full of flavor & phenomenal portions for your buck! :) Without a doubt you WILL enjoy & be satisfied with whatever you order!

This place is hip and the food is very fresh!!! We had a chicken fajita style burrito and it was delicious! Also the Chile Rellenos are amazing! Best spot in El Cajon!!!

Whyy is everything burned and/​or dry? And how do you f**k up a California burrito in California??? Literally just got some food and am sadly disappointed in a 4.5 star restaurant. Still eating it though. I’m fungry.

The street tacos & soup are excellent. My peeps at home stop in at least once a week if not twice. I like good food but the fact that drive thru takes an average of 10 minutes minimum with only one car ahead of you seems a bit much.
I believe the drive thru competes with the I dining room & drive thru suffers. My last experience was this week. It took 12 minutes w/​one car ahead of me. The drive thru menu said $ 7.99 and was charged $ 8.99. I asked the cashier about it and she asked me how much she owed me. It’s all good. I just wish their good food did not always take so long. The owners are awesome & family oriented so I go back!

Ray (founder) catered an event I attended and WOW. I was blown away by the single item he was serving, the al pastor tacos.
Flavorful meat and an amazing sauce, well executed by a dude who definitely took pride in his shop.
I grabbed a business card and will most definitely make the trip down to El Cajon.
If you’re a fan of Tacos El Gordo, give this place a try as well!
I will update this review after trying the rest of the menu. I hear that he does a vertical roast (the spinning thing with the flamethrower cooking the meat) for not only al pastor but carne asada and pollo as well!

The best Taco shop in El Cajon! Great food and customer service! Thanks Alondra for the food recommendation! We are definitely gonna be regulars here! Fresh ingredients and great quality

This for their food. Their service was great, friendly, etc.
I have tried this place twice now, and both times it has been a huge disappointment.
First time I ordered the California burrito with al pastor meat. The meat was dry, no flavor. Their house guacamole or house dressing whatever they call it is bland and has no personality to it. I like to eat, and I like visiting places with high reviews cause most of the time they are on point.
Unfortunately this burrito was really bad. I figured it was a bad day and decided to go back.
Second time around I brought my fam with me. We ordered the nachos, 6 roll tacos, al pastor tacos, carne asada tacos, and it was all again a huge disappointment. Tacos were dry, very little guacamole /​dressing. No flavor on the meats. The rolled tacos were burnt (over fried) and the Mexican guacamole was really bad.
I really wanted to give this new place a chance, but it seems that their restaurant (building) has personality but their food lacks identity. These tacos, burritos, and rolled tacos weren’t your typical taco shop experience, but they weren’t a gourmet taco experience either. They weren’t TJ style, and they weren’t San Diego style either. They wee just bland, dry, and bad.

This place looked pretty awesome considering all the reviews I had read. I was surprised to find out they had a drive-​thru. Usually (not always) when a Mexican restaurant has a drive-​thru it means either one of two things: 1. Reasonably priced, decent food that hits the spot OR
2. Chronic diarrhea awaits. I am sad to announce that I found myself being shell-​shocked by the second of the two choices.
I order Pollo Asado fries since it was their special that day, and I thought it wouldn’t be as lethal as a burrito filled with strangely colored beans, for example. Well– I was wrong. So freakin wrong.
After a plethora amount of pepto bismol, I am happy to report that I am alive and well.
This place serves average drive-​thru Mexican food, but it’s in no way authentic– but then again, I shouldv’e realized that when I saw they had a drive-​thru lol.

This place has so many things on the menu I feel like it’ll be years before I can try everything –but I will try! I’m big on tortas and this place has one of the best I’ve had so far in SD. Plenty of TV’s, plenty of beers on tap (26 reads the sign), and they even have a respectable taco Tuesday special. Parking can be a little scarce but I typically park next door at the 7 – 11. Food comes out fast and from the small sampling of the menu that I’ve had its great. Seriously though, pretend like you’re not blown away by the in-​house menu when you see it. Pictures to follow!

I easily have to give this place 5 stars! I actually don’t like Mexican food too much as it’s an easy hit or miss. We just moved to Rancho and with the craziness of unpacking and cleaning, I couldn’t cook for a few days.
I checked Unilocal pretty late and was so worried I couldn’t find anything good close by. This placed popped up with good reviews so I thought I’d give it a try.
OH. MY. GOODNESS. My first bite was amazing and so was my last since their burritos were huge and I had leftovers. My husband loved his carne asada burrito and finished his. Their nachos are the size of three full servings and can easily be shared with 2 – 3 people.
I ordered from them twice in a row and each time, everyone was so friendly. I met Ray, the owner, as he was wiping down the tables and thought to myself…‘how refreshing it is to see a manager do the work that no one likes’. Truly shows his dedication to run a clean, upbeat restaurant.
Loved this place and am so happy we found something close to order on nights we are having take out. Try them!

I was first able to try TRES at the Unilocal Halloween party ~ loved the Al pastor taco!!!
I came in with my son for a late lunch. I’m always happy to see places with specials on the weekend. We shared the Al Pastor nachos and 3 pollo asada tacos. Angry Orchard to wash it all down. My son doesn’t like guac, they were okay putting those on the side for me. We came in at the end of a rush, but it didn’t take long for our food to come out. My son watched soccer while we waited.
Tacos were good, I really liked the guac sauce that came with. I put it on my nachos too. I LOVE melty cheese so I was thrilled to have that and shredded cheese. The chips were perfect ~ light and crispy. I would have preferred a bit more meat, not a lot to be found.
I’ll be back on another day to try something else. Probably on a Monday for a $ 3 Michelada ;)

I saw the Unilocal post on Instagram today and thought darnit I made dinner. That didn’t stop us. Parking lot had a few spots left so we skipped the drive thru and dined in tonight. The nice girl on the iPad by the bar took our order. Meanwhile my hub grabbed a highchair and a table. Good thing because after us a line formed. As I was ordering I noticed all the employees were very busy hustling no slackers whatsoever it was go go go. Awesome! Good because I like my food out fast, hot, and we gotta rush to eat since it’s almost bedtime for our son. I literally just ordered and went to get salsa came back and food was ready. That was fast.
I checked in so I got a free carnitas wahooo small but tasty. Also, a order of their taco Tuesday special: 3 street tacos: chose carne asada for the meat in all 3. The chips were handed immediately and I got tiny 4 cups for the salsas. They were very spicy for my liking but hub loved them. Skipped the beer this time and went for a horchata. I asked the girl if there were anything for kids like a hat or piñata? The guy with the piñata hat on came out with a ranchero hat for an adult and said «it’s all I have… he’ll grow into it someday» hahaha we all had a good laugh! See photo. Thank you that was very sweet of you! Can’t wait to come back when we are really starving and order a big plate beers michalada’s and try the drive thru.

This is kinda a fancy shmancy taco shop in the heart of El Cajon.
We don’t get many nice places out here, so when I find one, I’m in love. Tres has come a long way from its simple beginnings as a tiny taco shop in a strip mall, to a beautifully designed Taqueria with an extensive menu, beer, and even a drive-​thru!
I really enjoyed the atmosphere and the politeness of the staff while I was in here for a taco Tuesday gathering I set up. I sat up at the bar area and ordered several Micheladas… mmmmmm so good. Salud! The vertical broilers are displayed behind the bar and it’s awesome seeing the tacos be freshly prepared before your eyes. From the slicing, to the fillings, to the delivery to my smiling face.
I tried all their vertical broiler tacos and they were fabulous. I also shared some Carne Asada chips with my girlfriends, and tried the shrimp diablo burrito, and they all hit the spot!
I loved that they had purse hangers and phone chargers beneath the bar area. Wake up People! Every business needs to get up on this! .
It is so awesome to see a local spot in El Cajon, revolutionize the taco shop experience. Can’t wait to come back with my family to try more amazing dishes.

Awesome food, awesome owner.
So we actually went to the burger place next door, and used Tres’ patio to eat… We were taking our time eating and hanging out when the owner approached us, introduced himself, and offered us a complimentary street taco to try. Apparently he is the uncle of the owners of Funky Fries next door, which is why he shares the patio with them… Really nice guy. Totally hands on in the business.
So husband and I tasted the taco, I can’t even remember what meat it was, we went there last week… But there was a ton of flavor, while not being too salty. Fresh ingredients as well. It was really good…
A clean, smaller size restaurant with tables, patio, and bar seating. A cool, laid back, chill vibe. Big tvs… Large open windows that make you feel like you’re outside. While we were there, there was a steady flow of people taking food to go and eating in… This place also has a drive thru! Crazy!
We will definitely be back to sample more food in the future!
Small Parking lot shared with several businesses.
We did end up returning and ordered 3 types of street tacos. All flavorful, fresh, and tasty. Same friendly service…

I’ve been hearing about this place for a while now, but it took Sabrina K to get me out to El Cajon to try it. Who else would have a taco Tuesday UYE and get us Unilocalers food and drink specials?
It’s obviously popular, it was busy the entire time we were there. I liked that they have so many different beers available. I didn’t try any because I was driving the little guy, but maybe next time. Parking was somewhat limited, we took the last spot in the lot, but I’m sure there was street parking available. They also have a drive thru. I’m not too fond of drive thrus myself, but many people are.
There was outside seating available. We sat inside. There were tables as well as seating at the bar. After you order they bring your food to your table. This didn’t work out quite so well for us as my son’s kids meal came out first and he finished all of his food about 10 minutes before my taco came. I guess they were backed up in the kitchen. It was kind of weird not to be able to eat together. Still, the food was good. The sauces were tasty. I loved the meat, it was great to be able to watch him carve it off for each order, even my son was entranced.
The menu here is pretty extensive and rather simple all at the same time. At least their Mexican offerings. They do sell burgers, not sure that I’d ever order one, but then my kid came here and had a corn dog so I should probably just shut up now.

I’ve been waiting for the expansion of the Tres Hermanos Taco Shop, which is now a small Mexican Cantina with all the bells and whistle, but most importantly they are still making that great food from the original place, and I may wager even better.
I stopped in on the onset of opening on Sunday morning, which was 8 am, and I was going to order a large plate of Machaca with rice and beans, but I had a yearning for a simple ham n’ egg breakfast burrito. I ordered it with no potatoes, and it came with scrambled eggs, chopped ham, cheddar cheese, and a bit of salsa fresca for I believe $ 4.99.
The burrito was one of the best simple ham cheese I have had. It may of not been the largest, being average in size, but its flavor and textures were on the money. Everything in the burrito was well prepared: the eggs were fluffy and light with just the right amount of seasoning, the ham was savory, and the cheese well melted throughout the burrito. I was impressed with the quality of the buttery moist flour tortilla. Not only was the tortilla well wrapped and held up well to the ingredients, but it tasted great, and I can only imagine how well this flour tortilla would go with a simple quesadilla.
The burrito came with a small amount of chopped tomatoes, which were just perfect. Just enough to notice them and not enough to allow the acidity of the tomatoes to overwhelm the burrito. Well done.
I tried both, the green and the red hot sauce. The red hot sauce was hands down the winner because it provided a much more robust chili flavor and I could taste the several layers of ingredients. Its heat level was medium, but it was just right to be able to enjoy the burrito. The green hot sauce was good, but it flavor was one dimensional. It was overwhelmed with sourness, a trait this hot sauce is suppose to offer.
Service was Pretty good. The young lady at the counter was a little green, but understandable given they just opened up this location. I asked if they offered tortilla chips with the meals when you eat in, and she did not know, nor were there any on the menu. The place is very clean and modern inside, so I would say it’s no doubt a step up from a regular taco shop. They also offer outside seating now.
Eat breakfast burritos here…