Senor Pedro’s Tacos

RIP, Señor Pedro’s. You always provided yummy cheap eats, with friendly service. Your fish tacos, potato hard shell tacos and veggie burritos beckoned us weekend after weekend, despite the crazy tourists. You were a SJC institution.
To the owner of the land on which Señor Pedro’s sat… YOU SUCK!!!

Long line because its busy. And maybe they were busy and needed extra help. Looong wait for just nachos and taquitos.
If you want good food, pay a little extra for one of the restaurants than for something that looked like it would have been quick. Eh taquitos or nachos nothing to rave about.

If there’s one thing I expect when I get Mexican food, it’s that it is going to be flavorful. When the staple ingredients of good Mexican include things like cilantro, chiles, peppers, onions, cumin and oregano I’d think it would be hard to make bland Mexican food. Yet, Pedro’s seems to have done exactly that.
Tried the chicken and carne adada tacos here and I have to say that they were some of the least flavorful, uninspired and under-​seasoned tacos I’ve ever had. If the meat was spiced with anything more than salt and pepper, I couldn’t taste it. The rest of the tortilla is essentially filled with unseasoned grilled onions. Really guys? No spices? No cilantro? No pico de gallo?
On the plus side, the food is dirt cheap and the service is as fast and friendly as any fast food place.
My unsolicited advice to Señor Pedro? Throw out your recipe book and start over. Quit running such a cheap kitchen, invest in some spices and fresh produce, whip up some fresh pico de gallo. It’ll cost you more, but there’s plenty of room to raise prices to offset the cost and then some.

We got in line before we realized it was cash-only…but by then had our heart set on what we wanted. So we dug around every possible pocket and came up with $ 12 in mixed bills and change. And somehow we managed to feed our family of 4. Not bad at all. I ordered a tamale and a chicken taco. The tamale was freaking awesome. Like, I’m craving one now and cursing the fact that Señor Pedro’s is 2 states away.
I think this is definitely a cool spot, at a great picturesque intersection with the beautiful San Juan Capistrano Mission right across the street.
Just be aware, there is a good wait between ordering and having your number called. So, plan on a nice long lazy lunch.

This is my second stop today for some Mexican food, the first one didn’t go over that good, so let’s try some tacos for late lunch.
What keeps this place in business, is the tourist that get dropped off by the bus, 1 round-​trip ticket from the senior citizens home to San Juan Capistrano, hey look out the window it’s a Mexican fast food joint.
This place is always packed with customers, mostly a older crowd which is great, I like talking to senior citizens while waiting in line at places, always very nice.
Waiting in line was pretty comically, there is 2 windows, 1 to order, 1 to pickup, some of the older folks would wonder up to the pickup window and try to order, along with water, napkin, spoons, forks if they have change, where is the restroom whatever you could think of.
This was before they even ordered, it’s cool no big deal.
My order 2 tacos, 1 Asada, 1 grilled fish, small soda.
The Asada, no flavor in the meat, it was just cooked steak, no seasoning that I could tell of, with onions, cilantro and a guacamole sauce. I couldn’t finish it, it was that bad,
On top of that, a bum came and sat at the table next to me, the Oder was so bad that you almost couldn’t breath, there was an older lady seating on a table across from him, we both looked at each other and smiled, I’m sure we were both thinking, please leave I’m going to get sick, thank god he did.
The Grilled Fish, it was much better then the asada taco, not by much but it was with cabbage, cheese, tomato and a sauce.
It’s not worth the money, even when it’s cheap in this area.
2 tacos and soda $ 6.27, keep the $.73 it’s your tip.
I’m sure there is better tacos in the area.

Directly across the street from the Mission San Juan Capistrano. If you get your hand stamped, you can walk over for lunch and very easily continue your visit to the mission. Food was not fancy, but solidly good and very inexpensive. Even though the patio is adjacent to the road, traffic is not so bad that it makes dining there unpleasant. Seating is limited, and it is completely outdoors.
Good food plus good value does equal agood number of patrons that they move through at a pretty brisk pace. PLEASE know what you want before you get up to the window. That is why the menu is posted where you can see it while you are in line! Staff was patient, but other folks in line, eh, not so much. Be ready. Churros were good, and made to order, so super fresh. They made them while we ate our lunch order, and called us back to the pick up window when they were ready.
There is also a starbucks catty cornered from here, but why not give the small, independent guy a chance?

Cheap and yummy eats. Wait was a long one though but probably worth it. Stopped here after a long bike ride; seating was roadside under a patio so it was pleasant. Got here right before the lunch crowd from the mission. Definitely would recommend but plan on getting there before or after the crowd, or you may not get a seat.
Shrimp Taco had a bunch of tiny fresh shrimps. Fish Taco was made with a battered fish stick, but not from the frozen section. It’s actually fresh. The Carne Asada Taco was delish! It’s what you would expect. Definitely would recommend this one!

A friend invited me to lunch for the «must have» fish tacos. The place is 3 minutes from work so I figured I could swing it in a half hour. My time estimation was off because we waited 15 minutes just to order.
Our food came out quick and the tacos were pretty good. Two soft corn tortillas stuffed with grilled fish (by grilled they mean lots of oil and salt, beware if you are trying to opt for a healthy option), shredded cheese, cabbage, pico and a white sauce. Two tacos was enough to satisfy my hunger.
While the tacos were good, I kept daydreaming about Rubio’s fish tacos in between bites.

Right across the street from Mission San Juan Capistrano. And I do mean RIGHT across the street.
They serve breakfast all day and it sure is yummy! My husband had the chorizo/​egg/​bean burrito. Yumm-​o!
I had the carnitas combo burrito– oh!

Er perhaps I’ve been spoiled by the taco trucks in LA, but this was just not that good. I had the carne asada and pastor tacos. The pastor had no flavor– it could’ve been chicken I have no idea. The carne asada was better, but the tacos were so blah. Standard taco, meat and salsa.
The wait wasn’t that bad, but I think I’ll wait til I get back to LA to get some tacos.

Tried this place out on a whim with my parents when we were on our way back from San Diego.
Their food is surprisingly authentic, which was refreshing since I’ve had my share of bad Mexican food. It was pretty crowded when we walked up to the restaurant, but luckily there were still a few tables left.
I ordered two carne asada tacos which came with pico de gallo and guacamole inside. My mom ordered 3 taquitos, which here they refer to as ‘rolled tacos’ (just FYI). My dad ordered a chile verde wet burrito.
The carne asada tacos are wrapped in two tortillas and they put a pretty generous amount of meat and pico de gallo, which I appreciated because I can’t stand it when restaurants rip you off by skimping on the meat! The carne asada was very flavorful and juicy. The pico de gallo was good, but I personally like a little more heat in mine. I didn’t try my parents’ dishes, but they both seemed to enjoy them.
The only reason I gave this place 4 stars is because the wait was pretty long. The line just to order took about 20 minutes and then it took probably another 20 – 30 minutes for them to call our number. It was also a little annoying because they called out our number (17) and when we went up to claim our food, the guy claimed he never called #17. I (along with my parents) am absolutely positive he called #17 because he also said it in Spanish and thanks to my 3 years of Spanish in high school, I remembered the Spanish word for ‘seventeen’. Anyway, right after I sat back down, he called #17. –_​_​– Not really that big of a deal, but I was hungry and easily annoyed, haha.
Overall, this place is affordable and has good, quality Mexican food. I will definitely keep this place in mind if I’m hungry and on my way back from San Diego again.
Tips/FYI’s:
— They have a few parking spots on each side of their restaurant, but it is limited. There is additional parking a few restaurants down that is good for two hours.
— Cash only!

I am completely shocked at how high the ratings are for this place. I was already skeptical of this place since it seems like such a tourist trap right in the middle of downtown san juan capistrano. But I was hungry and Unilocal told me it was ok so I listened.
I have never had just bad tasting mexican food… ever! I should’ve gone to del taco down the street. We ordered a fish taco, an enchilada and a tamale.
The fish taco was gross. It completely smelled like the ocean and even their hot sauce, which wasn’t very spicy, couldn’t mask the taste or smell. The tamale was decent enough but still just bland, dry and not good. Costco has much better tasting tamales. Lastly, was the enchilada which sadly was as bad as the other two things I ate.
Please don’t go here and make this place money. Their food stinks.

Great food at a great price. The Fish Tacos are a classic. Growing up my church youth group would always stop at Pedro’s on the way home from volunteering in Mexico. Definitely worth a drive down PCH on an afternoon.
If you go to the San Juan Capistrano one, enjoy the mission and old town.

Rather speedy service, delicious food for the cost, and accessibility from the San Juan Capistrano mission/​church. There were lots of families dining around me and I received a very positive vibe from this joint.
The chorizo breakfast burrito tasted homemade and was sizeable. Large enough to save for later. The fish burrito was offered to me fried or broiled — which I appreciate. Not too greasy and very filling.
The downsides are a rather small parking lot and cash only, and depending on the time of day — lots of flies buzzing around overhead. There’s an ATM, but it’s a non-​branded ATM that charges a $ 2.50 transaction fee.

The fambam and i always go to San Juan Capistrano (for church and to visit the mission) … we’ve been going for years and we finally tried Señor Pedros Tacos.
it is by far the best mexican food i’ve ever tried. From their tacos, posole, menudo, burritos, and nachos … you can’t go wrong.

Mmm, cheap and tasty!
I walked up to the window, and chuckled at the little Unilocal sticker on the upper left hand side.
I ordered the fiesta nachos and a carne asada taco. Holy nachos! The plate was loaded with stuff!
Needless to say, I chowed down on the nachos first and found myself giving the taco away. I was more than full.
Oh yes, and the prices are cheap… and if you’ve read my previous reviews, I kinda like cheap yummy stuff — especially, when I’m paying. :)

In the past I would visit Pedro’s Tacos in San Juan Capistrano or San Clemente if I was in the mood for fairly decent fast mexican food. All of that changed after a trip to Pedro’s in San Juan Capistrano in late September 2009.
It was a beautiful Wednesday afternoon so I decided to walk from my office down the street to grab some carne asada nachos for lunch. When the nachos came out it looked delicious. I started to dig in, but shortly after I began to smell what smelled like a soured dish rag. I was convinced it was the tray so I moved it to the side of the table and continued to eat. «Wow… I can still smell that tray on the other side of the table», I thought as I took another bite of the nachos. After moving the tray to the trash area I suddenly realized it wasn’t the tray that smelt like soured funk, but it was the nachos. By that time I had a decent amount and decided to give up on the meal and trash it.
Later that day I felt a bit queazy, but I was convinced it was in my head after the experience. The next day I was proven wrong… it was full blown food poisoning with insanely intense cramps and 20 trips to the restroom a day. By the weekend things were going on that started to concern me which lead me to being checked into the hospital. I had to deal with the food poisoning effects for four weeks, including kidney damage as a result of the toxins attacking my red blood cells.
In all my carne asada nachos left me with four horribly miserable weeks, a trip to the hospital, three visits to my doctor, and $ 2,000 in medical bills insurance isn’t covering.
If you have read all this and still find yourself at Pedro’s grab the fish taco, it’s delicious. Although I’ll never dare going there again.
By the way… my trip to Pedro’s was after they were closed and reopened by the Orange County Food Protection Program for a «Cockroach Infestation/​Activity in Critical Area »

We were in the area for a photo shoot and decided to stop in SJC-​we were famished and needed food! We found this place on Unilocal and found it to be really tasty, and reasonably-​priced. I was pleased by the decent-​sized menu, including vegetarian options as well. In addition, the sunny, colorful patio was a great place for photos!
My thoughts about the food:
I got a fish taco, a carne asada taco, some chips with guacamole, and a large horchata.
The carne asada was wonderful. Really delicious. The meat was chopped into small, tender pieces and had pico de gallo and guacamole inside. Such a good combination. It was perfectly filled, with enough to make a nice fat taco but not too much that I had to dump filling out.
The fish taco was fairly tasty but kind of fat, sloppy, and mayonnaisey. I prefer my creamy fish taco sauce to have a bit more tang and spiciness. It was still pretty darn good though.
Really loved the corn tortillas they use-​they come from a local tortilla maker. They tasted delicious and fresh and didn’t fall apart.
Chips were unremarkable-​not really warm or fresh tasting (but not too salty and not stale, always a plus). The guacamole had a good flavor but I prefer to have some avocado chunks in there. The salsa was great. Very fresh and well-​balanced flavor.
The horchata was, well, horchata. Sweet and refreshing and lots of cinnamon flavor. I was really glad they sell it there, because I haven’t had any in a long time. No refills on horchata, though.
My partner also got a bean burrito (and gobbled it right down) and a large Coke, and we spent about $ 14 for all that food. Pretty good deal, and tasty fuel for an afternoon touring the Mission.

It is fast. Technically it is food.
That is really about it.
I am a big fan of potatoes in my burritos or tacos. However, at Señor Pedros, potatoes = tater tots.
Yes. TATER TOTS. Like, the ones you used to eat when you were 5 dipped in kethcup because back then you had no idea what real food was. If you are stuck in downtown San Juan, and just need something to eat that is fast, this is your best bet. Other than that, there is really not much redeemable about it.

This place has THE WORST carne asada burrito (with beans and cheese only — # 11) I think I’ve ever had in my life. My burritos consist of meat, beans and cheese — that’s it. Everything in this burrito tasted so horrible that I couldn’t even finish it. I was starving and even under that circumstance, I was unable to find ANYTHING redeeming about it. The beans were a watery slush, the meat was like a mystery meat and the cheese refused to melt. Add it all up and you have something just BEGGING to be tossed in the trash. Well, in the trash it went!
To show photos of this atrocity would definitely violate obscenity laws in your area so consider yourself fortunate.
I wouldn’t give their carne asada burrito to my worst enemy.