Rubio’s

What happened to this place? A month ago it was our go-​to restaurant for weekend lunches, at least once, sometimes twice a weekend. Then the manager changed. The first week our food was cold — not «not hot», but ice cold. The second week they got one of our orders wrong. By the third week, the ice machine didn’t work, the tea tap was giving out flat Dr. Pepper, my wipe turned grey when I cleaned the table (we were the first to sit at it) and there were ants in the dining area. Another wrong order, too (although hot this time.) The entire staff has changed over — we’ve been going there for almost 10 years and suddenly no one we recognize is there. They used to greet you as you came and left, some even called us by name. Now nobody is friendly and the food quality is iffy at best. 3 strikes and you’re out — we’re finding another weekend lunch restaurant.

I have eaten here many times, as it is only a few blocks from where I work. Usually the service is great and so is the food. Today, though, I don’t think they were prepared for the lunch hour rush. Service was still good, as the staff were smiling and friendly, but they were v e r y slow. When I got my fish burrito it was cold. Very cold. The one thing I can say is that the store manager caught it when someone else tried to pick up my order because he was tired of waiting. The guy got mad because he got caught. Manager played it well… if I could give a 4 ½ star rating I would. I’ll try not to go during peak lunch time again.

I always enjoy the food at rubios but today was extra special! It wasn’t the food that was amazing but the manager, Andrea. She was so helpful, energetic and a cheerful. Would love to experience this kind of professionalism more often.

Never thought I’d leave a 1-​star for my favorite restaurant :(I eat at Rubios 2x a week at the Vista or Oceanside locations. This was my first time at this RB location. My small to-​go order was placed at the counter at 3:23pm but 25 minutes later I was still waiting. The restaurant wasnt busy and I was sitting on the to-​go bench alone, directly in front of the counter, with salsa cups and receipt in hand so visually it was obvious I was waiting. Maybe they thought I was sitting on the to-​go bench for 25 minutes for fun :(I went to the counter to see what was going on and found that my order somehow got lost in the mix. Stuff happens, I get it, but I expected some type customer service like an apology for losing the order, or a we’re sorry for the long wait, or something free — but nope. Nothing. And as an added bonus I got home and realized the sides I ordered were missing. I absolutely love Rubios and their normally excellent level of service but sadly I wont be returning to this location again.

Please add baby changing tables in the restrooms! Today was the second time that I was here and had to leave to change the baby in the car. Other than that, I love Rubios.

I love Rubios, I usually get their California bowls and feel extremely full after. One thing I don’t get is their service. Ok so I went this one Tuesday because Taco Tuesday right? Ok so anyways the wait was EXTREMELY long literally the three people who ordered after me got their food before me and I was like whatt??? probably because this one kid ordered 20 tacos, but I went again on a Tuesday and it was super fast so I don’t know how I like really feel about service but whatever I guess, it’s pretty good tho so I’d still eat here. (THEIR GUAC IS FREE UNLIKE CHIPOTLES JUST SAYING)

Corn tortillas were super cold! And, thus the tacos were not as good! Tortillas should be well heated so they taste batter and not break when you pick up taco!

Food is good– tables are sticky– they do a basic wipe and it is gross– we moved 4 times, asked them to wipe– that annoyed them and they gave it a cursory wipe
Go to the Fish place next door

We go to this location at least 3x/​week and absolutely love it. The food is always delicious and the staff is friendly! The minute we walk in the door, we are welcomed by at least one staff member. The chipotle ranch salad with chicken is the best salad — I hope they keep it on their menu! Keep up the great job, Rubios! We will (of course) return — most likely tonight!

This site has recently been remodeled with brighter order area and more spacious feeling. The manager on duty was very customer-​focused. He personally filled our order and made sure we were completely satisfied. We had the regular taco bar catered meal. It has fish tacos, carne asada, guac, chips, pico de gallo and salsa. It fed 6 with plenty of leftovers. The meal was ready at the exact time we requested. They provided serving utensils. This was perfect nosh for a holiday get-​together. If you like Rubios, check out this location.

Normally I’d give this location 5 stars, but they overcharged for 2 two taco plates. Looking at our receipt it looks like we paid for an additional two tacos, which would have been fine (even though we didn’t order them), but we never received them. This was on Taco Tuesday so fish tacos are half off, including as part of the plate.
Even checked with another employee working behind the counter and he said «that’s just how the receipt looks. That’s correct for 2 two taco plates».
Somehow paid $ 4 more than what we should have. The food was great as usual but I’m left with a bitter taste in my mouth at the wherewithal of the employees’ knowledge.

Walked in and saw the Surf and Turf special. Decided to give it a try and I am glad did. Special came with a drink, chips, beans and 2 tacos for under $ 10. Had a shrimp taco that was full of flavor and the steak was not dry but moist and juicy. Place was busy since it prime time for lunch but I was able to find seating and the food was fresh and hot by the time I started eating.

Just stopped in for my Tuesday craving. Lizzie was great. Even when i was indecisive she kept a smile with great customer service. As usual my food was great. Two fish tacos and a shrimp and bacon burrito.

Typical Rubio’s experience. Fast and friendly service. Fish burrito was delicious! Four stars due to the fact that seating is very limited. Other than that it was a great experience.

I rarely give run of the mill fast food places more than 3 stars, but this Rubios is extremely nice. It is in Carmel Plaza center of Carmel Mountain Ranch and totally fits into the upscale vibe. Like its surrounding businesses, the building has a wood finish throughout the exterior and very clean and up-​kept outdoor seating area. The inside is very ‘fancy’ as far as Rubios standards go. My boyfriend and I were going to get our food to go and showed up wearing basketball shorts and yoga pants. We honestly felt a bit out of place. Hah.
I ordered my usual bean and cheese burrito with substituted black beans and added chicken. It came out warm, fresh and was good as I expected it to be. My boyfriend decided to try something different and ordered the sea bass taco plate. He said the fish was very tasty and he would order them again.
It was not overly crowded, the staff was friendly enough, the salsa bar was very clean and we received our food in a timely fashion.

I don’t normally eat fast food, but it was really convenient. I wouldn’t even write a review of a fast food place, since you pretty much know what you are getting. I had to rave about the amazing experience I had at Rubio’s. First, they took my order and was given a number and I sat at a table, that much was ordinary and predictable. I didn’t hide behind my phone, or a book, I was just there to grab a quick lunch. A lovely gentleman brought my food and I didn’t have to wait long at all. He was polite and smiled, and asked if I had been given my brownie when I ordered. I told him that I had not, and he immediately got the brownie and brought it back with another smile. I was thinking to myself how refreshing it was to have someone look you in the eye and smile. I was starting to feel fabulous. I noticed that this nice man also swept every crumb off the tables that he passed and straightened all the chairs as he made his way back to the counter. I enjoyed my lunch (original fish taco plate) and was ready for my dessert. I opened the paper on my brownie and took a bite. It wasn’t very good, and I tried another bite. I was disappointed so I just ate the moist bottom half and left the rest of the brownie. The nice gentleman that brought me my food was efficiently working almost every part of the restaurant, taking orders, delivering food, cleaning tables etc. When he passed by my table he mentioned that next time I should try the cookie. At this point I was amazed since I never told him I didn’t like the brownie, but he was paying enough attention to notice everything that was going on in the restaurant. I heard him ask people around me how they liked their salads, how was their lunch, and he was asking all these customers and waiting for an answer. This guy really cared that you had a good lunch. All he needed was a tuxedo and he could work in the finest restaurant in Paris. I left thinking this nice guy was either the CEO pretending to be a «regular» employee or he invested all his retirement money in Rubio’s.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Redesigned interior is much more open + inviting. Classic menu items still taste great. New items sound appealing. Decent selection of vegetarian options.
THE EATS
The Fish Taco has been a San Diego staple for as long as I can remember. Before I went vegetarian, the two taco plate here was a regular during my meal break. Its a pleasure to see the menu reworked so I can sub in veggie options.
Grilled Veggie Taco — First thing you’ll notice are three generous slices of avocado on top of a saucy helping of veggies. Flavor is pleasantly spicy with a chipotle crema + salsa covering the veggies. Only down side is that the sauce (+ subsequently the goodies in the taco) slip out the back every bite you take. Make sure you keep some cutlery handy.
Mix & Match plate — Maybe I don’t remember it being here before, or maybe it’s been that long since my last visit to the taco list at Rubio’s, but this plate is perfect. Comes with chips + beans (the latter are a necessary protein for strict vegetarians). Unfortunately, the drink is extra. So unless you only drink water, expect to pay a couple $‘s extra for something to wash your meal down with.
THE VERDICT
With a much needed facelift inside + out, Rubio’s gets a well deserved thumbs up from this vegetarian. Go check them out!

Highly recommend coastal trio. Good portion, and you have all the seafood flavours you love.
I tried surf and turf as well. It’s good if you don’t mind chewing the steak a bit

I always stop at this location while going to Costco in Carmel Mountain or running errands in that shopping mall. I particularly like this Rubios because of the palapas in the interior patio. They make the restaurant look like a summer vacation place instead of just your regular fast-​food joint.
Also, inside is much bigger or at least the disposition looks like bigger than my other usual Rubios, the one in Rancho Bernardo. It is very nice to see that they are people working there for some years and that every time I go they still remember my name or where I work and say more than ‘how can I help you today’. I really like that personal approach. Also, you should try now the lobster tacos, they are back and are awesome!

The new Coastal Trio is pretty good– and made me feel happy that it is all sustainable protein:
1 Original fish taco,
1 Salsa Verde Shrimp Taco — Shrimp, pan-​seared and topped with salsa verde.
1 Regal Springs® Tilapia Taco — Grilled or Blackened Regal Springs Tilapia topped with creamy chipotle sauce and Serrano slaw.
The two new ones tasted super fresh, had nice seasoning, and I’d order them again. The slaws on all of them are completely different, so it offered the rainbow variety. Plus the two healthy tacos offset my guilt of loving the fried fish taco.
TIP: check in to get the free guacamole and chips (small size)
The restaurant was clean and our cashier delivered our food and actually checked on us. Pretty great service for a fast food joint.