Taqueria El Bajio

We got the the pork quesadilla it was very big could feed 2, very meaty and spicy, good but expected more cheese with it. The place is very clean and the service is good.

Hands down the best tacos I’ve ever had. We come here every time we are in Santa Barbara.

Great place with great food. Kitchen staff is wonderful and the owner is a delight. Thank you for all your many great dishes and flavorful salsas.

It was great. The meat had a good seasoning. Everyone loved their dish. I liked the taco asada.

Went there with co-​workers for lunch.
Delicious! We all more or less agree on the asada taco to be the best one out of all the tacos. The taco with marinated pork was a bit hevy on the salt but still good taste. Salsa are fresh and spicy as they should be and the free water taste really fresh too thanks to the orange infusion.
Service was friendly but food took a little long to come out. Will definitely go back again for the asada tacos!

Breakfast burritos with chorizo and eggs are awesome. Great salsa friendly wait staff. Took phone orders. Place is über clean.

Amazing food. Family run. Great salsa, great rice, great chips. It’s rare you find all three.

Best tortas ever!!! Carne asada or get the adoba/​carnitas mix! So delicious! Kinda pricey but worth the flavor and portions!

I love this place. Went for breakfast and had chilaquiles and was very good. The salsa bar has some interesting options that make the place even more enjoyable. This is a must stop for me when in Santa Barbara.

So glad I popped in for some tacos here today on my brief trip to Santa Barbara. Some of the best carnitas I’ve ever had. The menu here is extensive and the flavor is authentic. They got pretty busy by the time we left so the locals seem to agree!

4^th time coming here. always so fresh and delicious.
This time we had a caldo de Camaron, caldo de pollo and costillas de Puerto. Homemade authentic and recently made. I must say that I bring my parents here Everytime they come to SB at their request. They love it also.
Prices are a bit steep but it’s SB and its worth it.

Beyond terrible service! And from the owner Santos himself! I went with my buddy and he and I ordered at the same time. They brought his food out first. Then mine over 20 minutes later. His enchilada was covered in habanero sauce and was inedible so he complained and they remade it with tomato sauce. Close enough I guess! But my torta (20 minutes later) had a long, thick, course black hair right in the middle. Similar to the hair of the lady cooking. So I complained to Santos and his response was: «Well I helped your friend already so if you don’t like it, don’t eat here!» And he struggled his shoulders and stared at me. I threw the food on the floor and walked out. I steer everyone I know away from this «eatery» any chance I get. But seeing how the owner doesn’t care why should anyone else?!

I was looking for a good Mexican restaurant in the area and this one was the first one I could find. I found out that this restaurant is family business which was nice but the problem with that is that the food is expensive for what you get. The benefit is that the food tastes good. I ordered the horchata and the tacos dorados (3 fried tacos). I enjoyed my meal but I didn’t really enjoy the amount I was spending for it so that’s why i can only give this place 3 stars. I don’t know if I would chose to come again just out of the fact that there are other cheaper Mexican places in the vicinity.

This place is the real deal. Great, hand-​made tortillas, an extensive array of meats and everything is well seasoned. The salsa bar has a good mix of salsas and each are amazing. I had three tacos (adobada, carnitas and chile relleno). The staff is attentive and food is served fresh from the grill. Absolutely amazing.

I’ve spent 3 full days over the past year-​ish exploring Santa Barbara’s tacos, and this is one of my favorites (probably my #1 favorite with El Sitio being a close second). The meats are so flavorful, and their tacos are put together with the perfect filling-​to-​tortilla ratio. Their tacos are so simple & so perfect as the essence of what tacos are supposed to be. They have the usual self-​serve toppings available — chopped onions, a variety of delicious salsas, etc.
I also appreciate that they have a few outdoor tables, so I can bring my dog with me. It’s surprising how few places in Santa Barbara have outside seating.
And last but certainly not least, my idol Mario Batali just visited!

Beautifully fresh everything! After a long drive from the Bay Area, we were rewarded with an excellent dinner here. Fish tacos with grilled veggies (fresh corn tortillas) were incredible. Carne Asada and Carnitas were also outstanding. We also tried the papaya Agua Fresca– refreshing and not too sweet. Wish we lived down the road from this gem!

It’s a quality fast food restaurant, rated 3.5 (4÷5÷3015). We ordered fish tacos, beef and spicy pork tacos. Don’t forget to take jalapeño sauce, chili sauce and salsa sauce. They will make your food even more tasty!

Found this place doing a search for something quick before we headed back to the Bay Area. I waited at one of the outdoor tables while the other girls ran inside to order, so it gave me plenty of time to review the menu. Everything sounded SO yummy and it was hard to make a decision.
I went with the carne asada gordita, a tamale de queso and an agua de sandia. The gordita was off the hook! It’s huge, the size of the entire plate. ⁵⁄₅ stars, I could have tried eating another one! The agua de sandia was tasty and cold and hit the spot perfectly. I saved the tamale for when I got home, and it was just ok for me. There was no spicyness to the chiles inside so I gave it a ⁴⁄₅. One of my friends got the chilaquiles and they not only looked great but tasted great. I wanted more!
Small place, quick service and overall very delicious food. Definitely will come back when in the area!

A quick stop off the 101 freeway, free street parking. Tacos are $ 3.50 but you get more meat than at other taco shops. The salsas are all pretty spicy — not even a milder tangier one for the wimps! I had the carnitas taco which was good but the lengua taco was outstanding! Well — the lengua was amazing but my tortilla fell apart from the weight of the meat. I’m all for the generous portion of meat though so I just grabbed a spoon and kept on eating.
The bathroom was clean and there was a little station before the bathroom where you can wash your hands before /​after eating.
My friend had the Rez (beef soup) — it came with lots of veggies in it and big hunks of meat.
The whole place seemed clean, they had fresh paint on the walls.
There are tables and chairs inside and a couple outside.

Incredible place.
Taqueria El Bajio is the beginning of a string of taquerias as you make your way up Milpas. I would strongly recommend this place for a few reasons: excellence (fast) service, amazing tacos and a wide variety of drinks.
The asada is perfect, by far the best part of the asada taco I had. The tortilla is fresh but it’s not the best. It tastes way too similar to something you can find at a grocery store. Thankfully, the tacos do not suffer from this.
The salsa bar is solid, plenty of options. The red salsa is very smoky but not very hot. It complements tacos very well.

When I’m not feeling good I head to El Bajio for their caldo de pollo. Their chicken soup is loaded with white meat and chunky veggies and comes with corn tortillas hecho a mano. I get a side of rice and dump it in my sopa, squeeze in a few limones, and have at it. It always makes me feel better when I’m under the weather. I’m going there tonight!