Señor Grubby’s

What Mexican food establishment does not have enchiladas??? I can currently only have soft foods and that was on my list, talk about disappointing! :(

The perfect find in Carlsbad! I’m so glad Sr. Grubby’s is located far from my home because I would turn into Sr. Tubby if it was made available daily. From the outside it looks like an old house converted into a restaurant. The inside reminded me of hanging at duke’s in Waikiki and a mixture of Bubba gumps meets a surf shop. Lots of cool stuff to look at. TVs everywhere and lots of seating.
It was about 75°F on a Monday evening. No AC in the place. Just open windows and cool ocean breezes. It’s located just a few blocks from the beautiful Pacific Ocean.
There are plenty of beers to choose from. That’s the great thing about hanging out in San Diego County is there are so many craft brew places around that the local places carry their products. They even had house margaritas available. The bartender hooked it up too. She salted the glass after shaking it up.
When you enter just watch your step. Little bit of construction going on (6÷20÷16). Place your order at the bar, take a number, and have a seat. Ordered 2 kid’s cheese quesadillas for $ 7.75. Comes with side and soft drink. They have gluten free fountain drinks. New to me but if you want a traditional soda you need to get a can or bottle from the bar. Not sure if they are free but our bartender just gave them to us. Back to the kid’s meal. The quesadillas are huge! You could easily split one meal between 2 kids. I had to sneak in a bite and it was so good. I had the dos amores burrito which had a mixture of shrimp and carne asada mixed with some chile and guacamole. It was one of the best burritos I have had. Perfect blend of flavors. I went with one duck chicharrones taco. I was highly impressed with the flavor. Wife and I shared some shrimp ceviche. It was tasty as well. It’s served on a bed of lettuce which was new to us. Wife had a chicken bowl. She enjoyed it.
They do have happy hour but it doesn’t start until 8pm. I saw some people walk in and out bc they thought happy hour was on. To me is always happy hour as long as their is cold beer. Pints or 22oz beers available on draft.
I highly recommend stopping by if you’re in the area. We have been staying in oceanside and rode the coaster train down. Just one stop, jump off train and walk over the tracks past the village faire shops. Great staff. Everyone was friendly and the food is amazing. Happy eating!

In Carlsbad? Then you must stop here. Great thing about SD county is that you find many different burrito places at different price points. If you like tacos/​burritos and appreciate quality ingredients with interesting twists on classics then get your grub on (oh yeah, great happy hours and tvs for sports!).
Our favs include:
Cali burrito — guac no cheese
Carne asada burrito (I have never gotten chewy parts at Grubby’s)
Chorizo tacos — not a fan of chorizo, but love these tacos
Shrimp diabla (tacos/​burrito) — try it and see
Dos amores burrito — carnitas + carne asada = awesome
Carne asada fries add jalapenos
My current fav: pollo asado burrito is absolutely a great balanced burrito

The food tasted good and it wasn’t too greasy which is hard to do when you are a Mexican food shop. However, if you are going to charge $ 10 for a burrito in Southern California you better be hooking me up. There was so little food in it that there were large soggy wrinkles in the tortilla. I don’t know about you but there is very few things more off putting than a high tortilla to food ratio. I won’t be eating there again. And if I do, I won’t be ordering a burrito.

Called to order take out and found out they deliver, and the girl on the phone was very nice. They get one star for that.
It took 45 minutes to get our food, but I’m pretty sure it was made right after we ordered because everything was cold. I ordered nachos and the cheese was completely hard and cold. The chips were stale, and half of them were bare. My husband had the carne asada fries and they were mushy and bland. Absolutely no taste to the meat. A complete rip off. I’m very disappointed in our meal. We will go elsewhere from now on. Its not worth it. I suggest you skip this place.

There is amazing art on the side of the building that you can see way before you approach it. Apparently the artist keep it up for two weeks, then completely covers it and paints something else over it. It makes the place have a different feel each time you visit.
They are dedicated to supporting local teams, organizations, or groups by helping raise funds. A big section of them menu reads about the fundraising opportunities.
I got the breakfast burrito– it was pretty fantastic. And FYI this Mexican restaurant has syrup. One point for me bc I asked, minus three points for my friends who said they didn’t.

I ordered the plate of 3 tacos and a peanut butter stout beer. The 3 tacos were chicken, shredded beef and carnitas they also came with a side of home made chips.
The tacos were a bit disappointing. They were a bit larger than a half dollar, the chicken was dry, the carnitas were rubbery, they only gave you a pinch of meat with a handful of tomatoes/​onions on top to fill the taco. The shredded beef was pretty good.
The chips were home made and were pretty good and their home made salsa was great as well.
A large saving grace was their peanut butter stout! Its a must try!
Service: B+
Food quality: C
Food Quantity: D–
Atmosphere: A
Beer quality: A+

Drove from the South Bay and headed to San Diego for a quick turnaround/​drop-​off-​a-​few-​people trip. The drive was gonna be less than two hours, so I didn’t bother looking up places to eat. However, I didn’t anticipate the peeps I was with would get hungry during.
Didn’t matter. I didn’t mind. Unilocal came in pretty handy during a quick stop at a rest area.
I decided to take them to this spot since it seemed wildly popular with a pretty good rating.
A couple of people ordered their regular breakfast. Someone also ordered the torta. I ordered the Californian burrito (sans beans), a shrimp taco and a fish taco.
Everything about those tacos were FRESH. Veggies were nice and crispy, just the right amount to go with the shrimp and the fish. The burrito was HUGE (it’s a good thing I split it with someone else!) Flavor wise, there was nothing too bangin’ about it. It was good, but that’s all there is to it.
They have a salsa bar so you get to choose what you wanna douse your meal with. If that’s not your thing, they have bottled hot sauce on the table. I love their non-​big name sodas. Rolls of paper towels are available for easy clean up.
They only have a few parking spots in the back, but there’s plenty of parking in the streets around the corner.
I would come back here if I were ever in the area again. They had too many other things on their menu interesting enough for me to want to try.

Boring!!! Street Taco… Booooooo
Baja taco, was simply not impressed. So glad I only purchased two. Good location, boring taco. Can’t say anything else.

I love the outdoor patio space here! The sodas are unique and they have a really good variety of food. I love buying a half pound of shrimp and getting a side of black beans. The parking is tight but if you don’t mind walking it’s not a big deal. I frequent this place for lunch. They also have some gluten free options which has been a good option for me.

It was ok. I tried some different tacos. I liked that they put pineapple on top of some of them. The meat was kind of fatty.
My aunt had the Two Shea salad and they didn’t put any sauce or dressing on it. She said it was alright.
Overall, it was ok, nothing special, but filled our tummies.

Holy Toledo Batman!!!
This place was good many years ago but I couldn’t quite remember how good. I decided to come back and give them a try and bring my son this time as a teenager. The Decour is cool. Typical beach vibe surfboards and skateboards and a good amount of sports on TVs.
They really updated this place and gave it quite the makeover. They are even expanding out back and making an outdoor bar area.
The salsa is good some are holy shit burn your mouth off.
But I don’t mind a crazy spicy salsa once in a while.
We ordered the Carlsbad burrito and California burrito which were both absolutely hands-​down the best burritos we’ve ever had and we are locals down south in San Diego and nothing compares to this place. Simply amazing and bomb!!!
If you’re looking for tasty grub come here and you will not be disappointed!

I’ve stopped in Grubby’s a few times over the years, but no longer.
The food’s simply OK, it’s not very clean, it’s a tourist trap, and the owner sold himself out to his mayor/​landlord and a LA developer and personally insulted many locals in the process. Not the kind of place we like to spend money locally, and with many more authentic sources for our Mexican fix within a few blocks (Pollos Maria for example), we avoid Grubby’s.
Food involves shoving whatever’s available into a medium-​pizza-​sized tortilla (burritos) or into a 4-​inch tortilla (tacos). It’s OK and will fill you up, and at $ 12 a buritto, it better. However, fill up with care: Grubby’s has been implicated with more cases of exploding bowel syndrome than any other of our local restaurants — check out the other reviews here for vivid examples.
And Grubby it is. The tables and floors are often sticky, the salsa bar is usually a spackled mess, and a glance over the counter shows the kitchen and prep area are none too clean (I never observed the «ball scratching» reported by another reviewer, however). And my god, that men’s room. It’s like there are a couple gallons of urine hiding in the cracks somewhere. Hold your breath; you can do that for a minute or two, riiiight?
The place is lit up outside with 365 days of Christmas lights and comes complete with a sign encouraging you to take your Best Vacation Picture Here. Can you hear the screams of Tourist Trap? We can.
You may recall seeing the owner Justin on TV ²⁴⁄₇ this last January and February in those annoying, incessant ads that a LA developer bought promoting Measure A, which would have authorized the construction of a massive mall on the lagoon by the Carlsbad strawberry fields. Justin used to be against that development, but with the pro-​mall Mayor as Grubby’s landlord and, according to public campaign disclosures, the developer paying Grubby’s over $ 4,000, Justin did a 180 and became a megamall fanatic. The voters defeated the project, but Justin had already called the majority of Carlsbad residents «zombies» and «sheep» and leveled personal attacks via social media.
Grubby’s would have been better off if Justin spent at least a fraction of the past few months with a mop in that vile men’s room rather than out stumping for an out-​of-​town developer.
Redeeming qualities: they serve beer and many varieties of it. Also the front counter and bartending girls are always very pleasant. Otherwise, there are many other local businesses better deserving your business.

This restaurant was not what I was expecting. I think I might have ordered the wrong items because I came here based on the good reviews. I had the ½ lb of shrimp and a shrimp taco. It was hard for me to enjoy the shrimp because for some reason it tasted like cinnamon? I was excepting a very salty, peppery, savory flavor but it was sort of bland and had a sweet aftertaste. The salsa was very delicious. The carrots/​onions/​jalapeño lacked flavor. I think I would come back here again to try other items and drink some of their awesome beer selection.

Grubby indeed.
The chicken nachos were pretty darn good although they skimped on the guacamole and pico de gallo. The chicken and chips were good, though.
The draft/​craft beer menu is very strong and the prices for the beer aren’t bad.
The salsa bar was a grubby, messy sight and the floor of the kitchen was extremely grubby. That’s just never a good sign. I’m also not a big fan of gnats but if you are, Grubby’s got ‘em.
The food and drinks are good but Grubby’s could use a Scrubby’s.

Finding this place for lunch was perfect! Great location, a great place to stop before or after going to the beach in Carlsbad. They have my options for their tress taco plate! It is soo good! I got the grilled fish, chicken, and diablo shrimp. They also have a great salsa bar, beware if you can’t take the heat. some of the salsas might be hot:) I also love their horchata! I can’t wait to come back! They also have a taco tuesday deal on tacos and drinks! Lots of seating and friendly staff!

I only went here because I was visiting relatives who were staying at a beach resort a block away from here. They insisted that we try this place.
The whole ordering process is rather confusing. You get a menu, but you have to order at the bar. Then, they give you a number and bring your food out to your table.
At first, I was really excited because I wanted to try the al pastor burrito. However, when I tried to order it, they said that they didn’t have any pastor ready. It was after noon on a Saturday, so I’m not sure why they didn’t have it ready. I was super disappointed.
Instead, I settled and ordered three tacos: carnitas, pork belly, and carne asada. The pork belly was supposed to come with pineapple and it only had one tiny piece (enough for one bite). The meat in the tacos was underwhelming. It was chewy and flavorless. The sauce from the salsa bar was unusually hot without much taste either. Typically, I love really spicy food.
They have horchata and orange bang, but they don’t offer refills. I thought that this was weird because other places have it out with their other fountain soda.
Note to the tourists reading this review: go find some good tacos in San Diego.

I went to Señor Grubby’s for the first time yesterday after hearing from so many people that I had to try it. I met a co-​worker there for lunch and we weren’t disappointed. Very friendly staff, fun atmosphere, ample seating and a parking lot in the back.
I had the pollo asado burrito with guacamole added in and it was AWESOME. Great prices too. The chipotle cream sauce on the burrito is nothing short of addicting — I could eat that on anything. Will definitely be back anytime I’m back in Carlsbad.
Also, great to see how involved they are in the local community, a business like that will always have my support.

No thank you! This place should not get any credit for a local dive. I am a Mexican-​American and a local surfer– the food quality is poor and overpriced.
Do not waste your time here. The owner is from Detroit– No wonder why the Mexican food is bad.
Maybe he should have opened up a hotdog stand instead.
p. s. You have a fly problem– not the best experience to be eating inside and swatting flies.

good food, served in a casual, friendly manner. The addition of the outside patio gives a fresh outdoor space to enjoy food, beer and sports. Large, tasty plates keep us returning, week after week!

Eh I wasn’t impressed. Took forever to get my order through and even sit down. The soda machine had no ice and half the sodas didn’t work, and couldn’t get ice, they never refilled it even after I mentioned the problem. Service was sub par, and the food wasn’t great. Carlsbad is full of places like this, and next time I’ll be going elsewhere.

Grubby is right. From the owner to the food quality.
The food is not that great to begin with and the cheese dip was cold.
Then to top it off after eating a lame meal you walk out and see the scum ball owner supports measure A.
Nail in the coffin. Will never support a local business supporting a horrible prop for this city. Take your business elsewhere. There’s plenty of other Mexican places close by.
Señor Scummy.

Don’t wanna make dinner or you want a late night meal with your movie? Call Señor Grubby’s. They deliver and they deliver late. Plus, they can grab your favorite beer or soda from the liquor store next door. That’s just awesone! It’s not the cheapest burrito in town though.

Great Food, Great Atmosphere, Great New patio! Justin and his crew really know how to make people feel welcome! I wish they had a full liquor license, but that’s about the only negative thing I could say. Always a great experience.

Great food for a reasonable price. That’s about all you can ask for these days, and Grubbys definitely delivers! Speaking of deliver… I love the fact they deliver too! On those crowded Summer nights, its nice to have a fresh burrito delivered right to your door! The owners consistent support of the area schools and sports teams is to be commended!

I know that this place is listed as a Mexican place with breakfast and brunch, but it just may be miscategorized! It should also be under ambulance services because they have saved my life on several occasions!
They are opened super late and serve good food that will help soak up the evening’s drinks. All while being fresh tasting and super delicious! If you are there before the end of the night, Señor Grubby’s, in addition to great food, also has an awesome beer selection.
I like the grilled fish burrito, and the california burrito is amazing. My favorite though, is the breakfast burrito! Eggs, hashbrowns, bacon, avocado, cheese, onions, etc. etc. The burritos are big and relatively inexpensive creating a great value. Especially when the burrito saves your life!
So delicious, reasonable prices, great salsas, and easy friendly atmosphere! I will definitely be back and highly recommend it to anyone in the carlsbad area!

The food was so/​so, the salsa’s were bomb, good beer selection, but aside from that this place was a total dud. Good beer selection, as I mentioned, but not the best beer prices ($ 5 – 7 for a 14 oz pour) I had the unfortunate luxury of sitting in the perfect seat that has a wonderful view of their kitchen and also noticed a gentleman not prepping food properly, serving to his coworkers and eating food meanwhile he’s preparing my food. Had heard a lot of great things about this place but was very disappointed in the service, quality, and mostly in how damn expensive everything was. I’ve had MUCH better burritos for half the price (just down the street)

Great selection of Burritos. Isn’t the cleanest place to eat and the staff is not real inviting so I usually order out. Pretty consistent food and it’s ready fast!

Went for a bite at Señor Grubby’s…Won’t be back for a couple of reasons:
1. I noticed several posters endorsing a local political proposition. I personally don’t think you should openly display stuff like this especially if you don’t agree. I’m on the fence about it but I definitely do not respect them for doing so.
2. Our ‘Gringo Queso’ came to the table cold.
3. While I was eating, I had a clear view of the prep guy in the back (the one with the mohawk) frequently scratching his balls, picking his nose and then blowing his nose in to his apron. All while handling and slicing veggies.

I love Señor Grubby’s! I’ve been coming here for the past few years! I feel like it’s a local favorite. It’s also good for a late night grub after bar hopping!
I got:
— The Carlsbad Burrito (like a California but with pork instead of carne)
I love their hot carrots here! Just a great place to go to grab a quick meal.

I pass this place up every time im in the Carlsbad area, so I decided to give it a go when I found out my buddy was working here.
Walking in it seems pretty small but well kept and designed so that was a plus. Service here was lagging pretty bad and it wasnt even busy. They had 2 girls ready to take orders (bartender and one standing at the main register). I walked up to the bar to order a drink and I literally stood there for 12 minuets over hearing the bartender talk to some locals about how wasted she got the other night. Honestly, I was not even bothered by what she was saying but I was more bother of the time waiting to be acknowledge and have my order taken.
I literally had to wave her down as she was walking over to my side of the bar, and thats when everything clicked for her that I needed my order taken haha. wow.
I asked her what was one of the popular drinks of the menu and she recommended this spicy horchata drink that is pretty killer in the area. So, I ordered just that since I like being risky! :)
Got my drink and it tasted good the first 5 sips… as soon as I got halfway through the glass it became very strong and just too much for me… I ended up suffering through it, but now I know not to get that so called «popular» drink lol.
I took a look at their food menu and oh boyyyy, everything was over priced! Especially for a simple California burrito which is always around the $ 4-​$ 7 range, theres was $ 10!
I didnt order any food because the burritos that were coming out the kitchen were either the same size or smaller than the corner mexican restaurant off carlsbad village/​coast hwy.
Overall, this review was truly based on my drink ordering experience and attentiveness of their employees and it definitely tanked. I wont be coming back in, and I for sure wont recommend anyone coming into this establishment to burn a hole in their pockets for the same burritos they can get right around the corner at a much cheaper price.

This place is the
. No really though, it is. It’s tucked in downtown Carlsbad right before you hit the main strip of Cbad Village. There’s outdoor and indoor seating and bar style seating as well inside. They do offer beer and wine to be purchased separately at the bar from where the food is ordered.
Today we went for lunch and I got the surf and turf burrito and my man got the California with added sour cream and an al pastor street taco. When it says the surf and turf is spicy, I mean hello, my nose was running and I’m no baby when it comes to spice. Thai spicy number 6 – 7 usually. But damn, this was a hot one but so good! They don’t skimp on the steak and shrimp inside and that chipotle cream sauce is amaze balls. The Cali was fresh and flavorful and the fries inside were nice and crispy– not limp like some other place make their Cali burritos. The Al Pastor was pretty great too! The guy working there was rad so shout out to him! Saw me struggling through the heat and last bites of my surf and turf and brought me out some horchata. Super rad! Will be back!

I had the opportunity to taste a nibble of this deliciousness at a Unilocal event, and it was insanely good. Super good. Divinely good. Pork Belly is hit or miss. It can be fatty & chewy if not cooked properly. These tacos were amazing. The pineapple was a glorious little highlight and I loved the green salsa!
I’ve gotta get my booty up to carlsbad!

I had breakfast here after a night of heavy drinking (lol). The pros: food was pretty good! Lots of different options, really good flour tortillas and quality ingredients. We had breakfast and man-​Mosas which were great for curing that hangover.
The cons: service is sllloooowwwwwww. You order at the counter (which to me was weird since they had tons of tables to sit at and its set up as a regular restaurant). From ordering to food on our table, took about 20 minutes. Also, I wish their mild salsa was a bit more mild… I’m not sensitive to hot stuff, but this salsa was wayyyy to spicy for me.
Overall not a bad place,… Decent food and decent prices, but the service is ho-​hum

This might not be authentic Mexican food but… Who cares!
I love eating here. The chicken rolled tacos are my favorite. The street tacos are in a class on their own as well. The specials are different way to try some new flavors and having a beer while watching a quick game is never bad here.
Food wise: street tacos and the seafood/​carne asada burrito. You’ll love
Service: they are friendly and nice
Ambiance: bar and grill experience
Price wise: fair and expected.
Happy eating!

The food and service was Excellent!
I wish they had AC.
All the food was great. The salsa bar has everything you could aak for. Love the mural outside. It’s funny… so you gotta take a picture!
I will come here again to try their breakfast!
HORCHATA was so cool and refreshing… perfect for 90 °F weather.

This isn’t the typical beach-​side, grunge, fish taco joint.
Maybe a little more clean cut, pub style.
The tacos definitely hit the spot.
$ 2 Mimosas at the side bar, TV’s, a den for a large party– this place is fully loaded. Heck, they even have coffee.
Only good times here. Great vibe.
Cheers