Rubio’s Baja Grill

Noooo!!!
No more $ 1.25 fish tacos!
First the nearby Baja Fresh went under last month, and now this SF Centre mall location has CLOSED!
But don’t despair FiDi fish taco lovers. The Rubio’s location in the Embarcadero Center is still open. Another fish taco place is Del Taco on Market street.

My favorite fast food and a great place to stop after shopping. They have the best salsa bar and I love the thin, crispy chips. My favorites are the crispy shrimp taco, carnitas street taco and famous fish taco. Always fresh and delicious.

This place was the first time I’ve ever tried Rubio’s.
I remember I came here a while back because my boyfriend wanted to try their nachos. He always craves nachos by the way which is probably why he wanted to get some here. I got the fish taco plate which I thought was pretty good. Ever since then, I’ve been going to their Fish Taco Tuesdays but not here though. I go to the one in Daly City since that’s closer to me. Plus, the workers here were very friendly and the place is usually clean.

Had wanted to try their Tuesday fish tacos, but every time I come here I feel like I am at Taco Bell with a premium price.

(See pic)
I saw this Rubio’s and immediately associated it with the one in Fidi and quickly formed a great impression. As it turned out it was like an evil sibling.
It looks exactly like any other food court places with much brighter florescent lights and lacked the more warm colour setting as the other one. The setting was not as charming but I guess it just serves the feeding purpose and is less expecting or impressing frequent customers.
I had 1 steak and 1 shrimp tacos and they were only so so. Even the chips were not that great. I was a bit disappointed.
The service was good, though. One of the servers even took a lid and a straw for me as I was pouring my drink as the self serve area. That definitely put a smile on my face.

This is a chain restaurant on the bottom floor of the shopping center in San Francisco. Unlike most chains, this place tries to make all of the food more memorable than others, though not by much. The concept behind Rubio’s overall is nice, though it’s extremely difficult for me to get excited about fish tacos or especial burritos when it’s a little better than okay.
I’ll patron this fast-​food joint every now and then, as they’re always deals of some sort (i.e. $ 1.25 fish taco Tuesdays), plus their e-​mail list always has deals. One of these stores haven’t warranted a 3^rd star or above from me yet, as there’s nothing unique nor memorable about chains in general.

Ok i know this is a chain… but i have to review their $ 1.25 taco tuesdays! I saw my friends posting of the tacos on facebook and so I headed over to westfield mall to get me some of this grub!
These tacos are so yummie for being an american chained establishment! and the fact that they are only $ 1.25 helps mucho!!! I will come back every tuesday! Yum! like my friend says… nom nom nom nom!!!

To satisfy my curiosity, I finally made my way here to try their world famous fish taco. If you know the reason behind this, good for you! If you don’t, you can refer to my Jan 20^th review =)
The crispy beer-​battered fish was wrapped in a flour tortilla, topped with shredded cabbage, salsa and a white sauce. Its appearance was simple. First bite, surprisingly delicious! The fish was fried enough to give a crunchy texture to the taco, but was not overly crispy. The salsa and sauce added a nice tang to it. I can see why people rave about this. Its taste was quite addicting.
$ 2.80 for a taco is a bit pricey considering its size. But I’ll definitely be back for Taco Tuesdays! $ 1.25 tacos every Tuesday after 2pm! =D

A free drink for workin’ in the mall and a 1.25 fish taco.
Chips on the side with the to-​die-​for chipotle white sauce.
YOU NEED THE CHIPTOLE WHITE SAUCE IN YOUR LIFE.
If you have yet to experience this, you have yet to live.
Rubio’s isn’t anything abnormally special. It just never fails to satisfy me.
Thank you Rubio’s for your consistency, it is very much appreciated.

When I eat a Rubios’s Baja Grill fish taco, I think I’ve died and gone to food heaven. They are out of this world! Try to forget that this is a chain and embrace the fabulosity.
A couple fish tacos, a meal combo, a soda= one happy little jerk!
Even picky James I. liked it and as he would say, «nuff said.»

Ok, so Rubio’s is a Mexican fast food franchise. Claro. Period. Big deal… welcome to America, snobby foodies! ;)
I can understand there are some people who avoid fast food &/​or franchises. I can also understand (& even agree with) some of the reasoning behind this choice. But this place isn’t claiming to be anything other than what it is; so to go here & then diss it for just being what it is: plain ol’ silly. It’s in a *food court*, people. Duh.
I ordered the «Fish Burrito & Fish Taco Plate» (combo of 1 burrito & 1 taco, came w pinto beans & tortilla chips). Was full after eating the taco & ½ of the burrito. Both were tasty, but I preferred the taco; it was simpler & the corn tortilla compliments the other flavors nicely. The fish was a single piece, fried, with lovely crisp texture (even after 10 mins of walking home & getting situated). I’m not usually a fan of «white sauce», but the taste was not mayonnaisey; it was light & not drenching the taco, so it totally worked.
The corn tortilla tasted pretty fresh to me; I have no idea what some people are griping about. I was impressed at the freshness, especially considering it’s a fast food chain. Light years better (especially the tortillas) than Taco Bell.
The red salsa was not very spicy, which I’m ok with, especially given my allergy (for real) to fresh jalapeño. The green salsa tasted fresh &, well, green.
I’ll be back! 2 tacos seems like the perfect serving size for my appetite. I sense a new Tuesday tradition! :)

I don’t really feel the need to review a chain, especially since I already reviewed their other one at Serramonte but this location was substantially better. The wait was a bit long but they brought my food out to me as opposed to picking it up at the counter. My loverman and I came to eat here before watching The S.F. Symphony as part as our anniversary. Don’t worry, we went out to a legit dinner at Absinthe on the day of our actual anniversary. Haha.
I ordered the HealthMex MahiMahi Burrito without Rice. It also came with rice on the side which I didn’t touch. I got crazy full before I even reached the bottom and decided to just eat the innards instead. This location had a ton of people in it so that is probably why the wait was longer. I thought it was pretty expensive for some reason but I guess its the same price as other taquerias. I think I am just thinking in terms of Taco Bell. Haha, silly me.

I LOVE RUBIO’s. Need I say more? Seriously people
tasty
cheap
tacos

Want to grab fast food that’s slightly gourmet?
Rubio’s.
A fast food stopover for mahi-​mahi, steak, shrimp, chicken choices for tacos, burritos, salads, wraps or bowls. I recommend the chopped chicken salad… mix of chunks of warm chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, tortilla chips and shredded jack, cheddar cheese… it’s darn tootin’ good! (Don’t forget their corner salsa bar for deciding if you would like your meals hot or mild)
Plus, they mix it for you already… no need to bother with mixing it yourself & watch part of the tiny scraps of salad fall off the sides of your plate during the process… gawd!
shhh…don’t tell anybody I was here (I live by the mission)…yikes (wink-​wink)

You know what? For a chain Mexican restaurant Rubio’s is not half bad. Definitely a solid option when you are at ze mall and would like a cheaper option than the highfalutin’ new food court.
The fish tacos have always tasted fresh and delicious, and the service prompt and friendly. Still, I can’t bring myself to give the 4^th star simply for the fact that it’s really freakin’ stingy to not give a drink with a value meal.

Ruuuubio,
You sexy beast! How did you fly under my radar for so long? Your grilled veggie burrito really hits the spot after a long day of shopping at Westfield. I hope you’re not being neglected now that the new food court is the main attraction. I wish there were a few more of you around — I barely see you when I’m out! Until next time…
Jules
P. S. Even though you’re a chain, I still love you.

So after spending 30 minutes with my friend harassing the gaysian at Cocoa Bella, we decided this was the only place in the freakin’ building we were willing to eat at.
BAD CHOICE.
He got the quesadilla, which tasted like caca, the cheese inside was horrible and overprocessed.
I got the tacos and they were pretty yucky. The steak had no flavor and was suspiciously chewy. I paid extra for guacamole and they gave me a tablespoon of it. It was like an extra dollar fifty too, what gives? The guacamole was good, and stayed suspiciously green for the entire, way too long, meal.
Afterwards, we went to harass the gaysian at Cocoa Bella some more. It was an awesome day.

While I usually don’t Unilocal about fast-​food (or in this case, semi-​fast food) chains, I really do like Rubio’s — they use fresh, all-​natural ingredients. It’s nice that when you have a craving for Mexican food you can get healthier pseudo-​Mexican food, which even though may not be as great, will satisfy your craving. I will say that the best thing there are the fish tacos — absolutely amazing — flavorful and fresh. The burritos can be ordered with whole wheat tortillas, which is a nice luxury that you can’t find at other places.
My only complaint is that it seems to take a long time for the food to arrive, but I guess since it’s fresh food and not something that’s sitting under a heating lamp, it makes sense.

Okay, the fish tacos were alright for food court fare, but here’s the bottom line.
Escucho cabron, no me gusta la comida aqui, ME GUSTA LA PINGA!
p. s., soy una puta.

I’m not gonna lie. I love Rubio’s. Quick, and non-​fast food tasting food. Even though its practically fast food, it doesn’t taste like fast food.
The fish tacos are TO DIE FOR. The chips are perfect and the beans are amazing.