California Tacos

Simply the BEST Tacos!
This location is a taco stand with a picnic table loaded patio off Bearss and Skipper and next to the Army/​Navy store. Despite sitting just off the road, you do feel like you are removed — probably spirited away by the awesome food!
Go to the window and place your order and definitely get a drink (its hot!) Then find a picnic table and sip your Mexican cola while waiting. It does take a bit because they put your order together fresh, but it is worth the wait. You pick up your order from the window and then dive in. Fresh ingredients bursting with flavor will greet your mouth. Yum!
On the pricey side, the tacos are overstuffed and large so you will fill up on less. You may want to order a couple and then see if you can move to order more. ;-)
If you don’t feel like sitting on a picnic table beside Bearss or do not have time for the unique experience, call in and take out your order. We saw a lot of people doing just that to enjoy their tacos in the cold A/​C.
Fantastic!

Stopped here based on Unilocal reviews and happy I did. Great food and atmosphere, plenty of picnic tables to sit and enjoy some tacos. Highly recommend the fish tacos, will definitely be coming back.

Just great. This was my first time to visit, so I took the other reviewers’ advice and got the al pastor taco (loaded) and the fish taco (not loaded), both with medium salsa and a Mexican Coke to chase them down. All good calls.
Both staffers were very friendly, too!

The set up reminds me of a built in the wall food truck. Girlfriend and I have been craving Mexican food for awhile and this afternoon our schedule was open and decided to come here. Upon arrival our order was taken quick and easy, no hassle. We got the super nachos with added chicken meat and the Cali Fries with Carne Asada. I definitely recommend the Cali Fries! Overall, the service and food was amazing, delicious, and fun.

Cute little spot right off is Bearss Blvd with picnic tables, umbrellas, and good tacos. The outside is quaint, but don’t be discouraged. It’s a great place to sit in the sunshine and enjoy lunch on your day off.
I recommend the fish tacos (taco Tuesday special is 2 fully loaded tacos, chips, and a drink for around 9 bucks with tax). Fish was fried perfectly, not dry, and they give you plenty of it. Comes open-​faced with a fork because the tacos are stuffed.

So Cal/​Mex at its best! Nice courteous staff. Blows Taco Bus away. My burrito must weigh 5lbs

Over the years, dining at Cali Tacos has gone significantly downhill, but the food remains consistently amazing! I will forever stop by for Grouper Tacos, but I’ll never walk up and order again. Unrelated to the food and service… the place looked the worst I’ve ever seen. No outside lights working, all the wall hangings were down, garbage can was overflowing, and the sign was missing/​painted over.
2 orders of Grouper tacos and a kid’s quesadilla took over 45 minutes from order until we received our food. I don’t know if they were understaffed or just weren’t in any hurry since they were closing at 8, but I don’t know if 2 tacos and a warm can of soda is worth standing in the dark getting eaten by mosquitoes for that long.
Call ahead and order… if it’s during lunch hour or anytime after 5, expect to wait twice as long as they tell you.

Best tacos in town. No frills with picnic benches and Motown music Love it. I always order the fish taco loaded and have never been disappointed.

Man o man this was such a treat today. A middle of a beautiful day just cruising with the top down in the «lil red corvette» (a tribute going out to Prince) and my beautiful wife and I have passed this place numerous times even walking in the next door army navy store but never walked to the counter and ordered. This place claims to be San Diego style Mexican fare and I feel I can be a close judge of that after being stationed there in the Marine Corps in the mid 80’s. I was also lucky enough to sample food from the burro carts in the streets of tiajuana Mexico. So this place has grouper tacos in tempura batter and the Al Pastor pork has made a strong name for itself here. The gentleman at the counter is quite friendly and spends a lil extra time helping first timers. Now when I was in San Diego my favorites were burritos and it was carne asada burritos or my favorite was the machaca burrito that was marinated shredded beef and scrambled eggs. And to determine a real Mexican hacienda is to sit back and watch as an INS (border patrol) van pull up and watch the back door fly open and all the employees make the dash! Now THATS authentic Mexican food. So I tried the South Pacific style grouper stuffed burrito and man it was the best burrito of all time. Fresh fish, crispy batter, melted cheese, medium sauce and sour cream, amazing stuff here folks. Washed it down with a nice Horchata (rice milk and spices) and then a Mexican coke. My beautiful wife had a carne asada bowl with added grilled chicken with rice and pintos. She loved it! I stole a couple pieces of the steak that had some chat in the edge and it was excellent. So great eats, great combinations, excellent hospitality, and a quality visit worth trying. Pretty damn authentic if you ask me.

We loved our spicy California vegan tacosGreeted with a smile and received fast, friendly service that easily accommodated my vegan needs. You’d be surprised how many restaurants huff at you for vegan choice.
Restaurant orders are placed via walk up window. Wait in outside dining area for your to go order or outside dining at picnic tables. Nice

I had 1 Chicken Taco and 1 Carne Asada Taco — both all the way and medium spice level (mild, medium, hot and spiked). These things were definitely packed. All the veggies were very fresh. The guacamole was fresh and delicious. The chicken was actually like shredded but very good, I preferred it over the Carne Asada. I’ll definitely be going back but I’ll pick and chose toppings. Going all the way makes 2 tacos extremely filling and messy. Also, I’ll be going for Hot or Spiked next time — I didn’t taste any heat. The ambience was nice and relaxing, although they do have music playing — which I did not mind. They offer outdoor seating areas, but there’s not a lot of coverage if it’s raining.

Going all 5 stars for these guys… the Guy Fieri’s Special of two loaded Fish Tacos w /​hot sauce was my first endeavor into a Fish Taco was a winner! The Mrs added an order of the Cali-​Fries with pork and they were very tasty as well.
A beautiful day to be outside enjoying a great lunch… Thanks guys!

Based on Unilocal reviews, stopped in for a bite and so glad we did. Fish tacos are better than advertised, great crunch, full flavor and just head shaking good, wish I would’ve got 3. Enjoyed 1 along with a Chrozio & Shrimp, and a Caritas. Nothing special just how they come. I’ve grown up eating Mexican food and the flavor of the Caritas quickly brought back memories of home. Chorizo & Shrimp had an excellent blend of spices but sweet, no overkill on the flavors.
Son swallowed the Godzilla burrito and promptly gave it a round of applause. California fries buffalo stayed looked great and nephew enjoyed. A must have when in the area

When it’s nice and perhaps even cool outside and we’re famished, there is nothing like coming by here for lunch to get some awesome tacos, chicharrón, nachos, burritos, and anything else on the menu. We can relax outside in the warm sun at a picnic table and enjoy while hanging out in this low-​end strip mall complete with a large army navy store.
I do need to note that there is no place to sit inside and the outside accommodations are pretty limited. So, you might need to just get your food to go. There is a constant but not overwhelming stream of customers. This is no longer a hidden gem but that’s a good thing for all of us.
Their fried grouper tacos, loaded (with guacamole, sour cream & cheese), with hot sauce are made fresh when you order and worth a visit. We seem to order a set of three every time! I also like the carnitas (roast pork) because it’s flavorful and goes great in nachos or burritos. One burrito is generally huge and I don’t advise consuming it in one session if you want to stay awake the rest of the afternoon. All the items have a nice crunch of freshly shredded cabbage which is a pleasant addition.
We look forward to returning!

I am a fan! The Pacific Burrito and the fish tacos are my favorites. I have been going there for a number of years and haven’t had to many complaints. However, just because you serve tacos doesn’t mean you should call yourself Mexican. The food is about as Mexican as Taco Bell. WAY BETTER!!! but still not Mexican.

Quick in service, inexpensive, and close to USF, California Tacos is my new favorite spot. The menu offers the classic toppings and styles, but it also has other styles unique to California Tacos. I judge tacos mainly on the quality of the tortilla and the meat and this place has met my standards. The meat is so flavorful and tender. My favorite item so far are the cali fries with pork al pastor. Bring your USF ID for a discount. They also deliver with a minimum $ 15 purchase.

5 Stars all day. They still continue to put out high quality ingredients. The Fish Taco Original all the way is so amazing. Call ahead and you can shave some time off your wait. Everything is made fresh and will take a while. Since they are so busy sometimes it’s hard to get thru. Good luck either way. Get those 2 of those tacos and call it a day. Also, try the surfer snacks. Spicy little treat.
Headed to Tampa Bay Bucs game. Give me a W today boys!

A TRUE hole in the wall place! And a great one too.
First time here.
California tacos is designed that you order through the small window and the menu is found on the right hand side.
This is a place with a couple of mismatched seating and wood benches, outside seating only, food cooked by a couple of guys, they call out your name when your food is done and food delivered in a brown paper bag and you eat with both hands.
Great local spot and everything just completed the hole in the wall charm. I’m a fan!
Best part? The food. Omg it was GREAT!
I ordered the Grouper taco first with Mild sauce, no guacamole because I don’t like it like that. Forgot to say no vegetables but it was a happy accident.
First bite tasting that crispy … Juicy golden grouper and the light airiness of vegetables. It tasted so light and really FRESH. Not like other places where it tastes stale and came from a bag.
I couldn’t get enough so I ordered another taco. Tempted to get the grouper, I swayed myself to try something else. The shrimp and chorizo taco! Another winner!
You don’t understand, it was seasoned really well! Usually shrimp would taste bland but the seasoning of the chorizo shared it’s influence on the shrimp.
Definitely two of the best and freshest Tacos I’ve ever had!
It’s really a great hole in the wall. I don’t know why people judge it like it’s a restaurant coz it’s not. All the mishaps make it’s hole in the wall charm. Price affordable. 2 tacos did it for me.
Great food. Nice owner! Very casual environment!
Strongly recommend!

Three stars is not bad! It means A-​OK!
My friend got some spicy tacos so when I went to order the gentlemen behind the counter asked if I wanted mine spicy.
Now, spicy to me doesn’t mean so hot it’s not enjoyable.
This burned my face off. It was actually painful.
I threw the tacos away, paid for another one and he gave me water.
The taco without the o-​ring blasting sauce on it was actually delicious and big.
The fish tacos are great also
All in all. I like it here. I wish I could be like ‘this is the greatest place in the world’ but I can’t.
What I can say though is…
It’s so much better then Taco Bus.

First timer at Cali taco but you can bet it won’t be the last. Glad to see lots of veggie options.
I ordered the famous grouper taco and and amped veggie taco and would order both again. Flavorful and filling. They will do mild, medium or spicy to your liking.
Located off bears ave and skipper rd, the rustic ambiance is casual with only outdoor seating. Or you can just take it to go.
The grouper tasted fresh and reminded me of the Mexican food I used to get when I lived in San Diego.
The amped veggie tacos has pico de gallo and shredded cabbage and can add cheese, guac and sour cream. Yummy!
The grouper taco was delicious and I wouldn’t hesitate coming again.