Rubio’s Fresh Mexican Grill

I’ll keep this really simple: my meal straight up sucked. Ordered the Original Fish Taco plate for lunch. The fish tasted inordinately fishy, which surprised me since it was fried, and the corn tortillas were cold and stale. The rice was also starchy and very dry. After forcing a few bites, I wanted to return my food and ask for my $ 7 back — it was that awful. To be sure, there are some decent locations of this chain, but this unfortunately is not one of them.

I did it.
I gave Rubio’s another shot today after I thought I swore them off for good.
Well, let me tell you, today was really it.
I ordered what I’ve traditionally ordered — steak and chicken tacos. It’s been a while since I’ve come, so it slipped my mind what was on the tacos. I asked for clarificationon both. Not once was it mentioned that guacamole was on my tacos. Sure, most people would find this lovely — but let me tell you — I despise avocados.
Sure enough, after paying nearly $ 7 for two tacos… they come smacked full of guacamole. Well, wait? Did I order a guacamole taco instead? The darn thing was 75% FULL of guac. My chicken taco had TWO pieces of grilled chicken on it. I know there are corporate standards to adhere to… but really? There was about half a teaspoon of cheese, too.
The steak taco was slightly better in that there was maybe a tablespoon of steak. It lacked any flavor.
After scraping the guacamole off, I basically ate two flour tortillas and ketchup-​tasting salsa. Not sure what was up with the mild, but maybe a tub of ketchup with a dash of cilantro?
I’ve repeatedly filled out Rubio’s comment cards online after dining and wow — they must be trying to close this location down or something because each time I come here, it just gets even more and more awful.

This is a little restaurant in a food court!
You can get some good satisfying grub here. What other place in the food court offers a salsa bar with lime/​lemons with descriptions and which sauces go w/​what type of food?
The cashier was super nice and friendly. You get one of those waiting buzzers like you do at restaurants, lol. Food came out quick, piping hot.
I got a carnitas street taco which was really moist and flavorful. Juices were running as I bit into it. Too bad I wasn’t that hungry, I would’ve gotten more things.

It is what it is. Isn’t everyone sick of people using this phrase? What does it mean? Why do we say it? It’s the ultimate cop out and conversation killer — «it is what it is.» How do you respond to that?
That’s why it’s perfect to use in this situation. Rubio’s Fish Tacos — it is what it is. A place to get fish tacos. Fried fish tacos. Fish tacos that are quite good and preferable to the pricier versions served at a Wahoo’s, for instance. Don’t get anything else unless you like doing things you regret. Stick to what they do and what they are — a fish taco joint. Well, the seasonal shrimp tacos are pretty darn good too I guess so outside of those two items, don’t say you haven’t been warned.
Some highlights of this particular Rubio’s over other Rubio locations: lots of seating available because it’s in the food court. They recently renovated the indoor seating. The food seems to come out quicker than other locations. The quality of the food after the lunch rush is noticeably better than peak hours. The downside is the soda machine — it’s kept behind the counter so you have to ask for a refill whenever you want one.
Bottom line
If you like fish tacos and are craving such, Rubio’s is the place to go for some cheap, solid fish tacos. The probability of getting the runs is lower than other Mexican restaurants and the tacos are consistently good.

I never thought I’d see the day where Rubio’s just straight up sucked. Worst burrito ever. It was mush and didn’t taste fresh. Fish tacos tasted like they were sitting out all day. Avoid eating here and and check out the other restaurants in the tiny food court.

This plaza is so dead! The restaurants in the food court look like they are dying during weeknights. They probably survive during the lunch rush and the weekends.
Anyways, the employees are bored, but they get the job done. You normally can’t go wrong with pseudo-​Mex food (unless you go to Del Crapo… oh wait… Del Taco). I usually order a steak burrito with beans and chips, which over the years seems smaller and smaller. If you have a friend with you, order the chips and guac b/​c it’s too much food otherwise.
I don’t like this location b/​c the food prep area is not totally visible like some locations I go to. Rubio’s is like the only place that serves Vanilla Coke, so enjoy.

I used to eat a lot of their bean and cheese burritos with rice in them. I like their chipotle salsa.

Rubio’s is a place I go to a lot because I work close to it. The service is great and my food always comes out fast. I’ve been going to this location for over 2 years and they have not messed up on my order once. I love their fish tacos and today I tried one of their wrapsaladas which is their salada wrapped in a serrano cilantro tortilla. My fiesta wrapsalada came with chicken, gaucamole, salsa, cheese and lettuce. I liked it because it was lighter than a burrito. Now that they have these wrapsaladas, I think I will be eating at Rubio’s more often.

Come here all the time because my boyfriend works at the Spectrum. During the weekend, they give out buzzers so you know when your food is ready. Considering it’s in a mall food court, the prices aren’t really jacked up, which is a breath of fresh air. Me and my boyfriend always split the Fish Burrito plate (no onions/​cilantro, no pico de gallo), and it fills us up good until we’re both off work and ready for dinner. Their employees are friendly, and also knowledgeable about the ingredients that are in the food, which is really nice when I have a question about the food. Free refills on drinks. I love Rubio’s. :]