Kotija Taco Shop

Pretty amazing tasting food! Have not been here in a while but im sure it still is amazing

The cashier was very rude give us attitude and give us wrong order and they wouldn’t give us our money back or our order right

Been going here forever! Its nothing fancy, but its always tasty. Totally check them out. Carne asada quesadilla supreme is super yummy and big enough for two. Unless a am eating it lol

Love their California Burrito. I always call in my order because I know that they are always super busy. Everything I show up my order is ready to go and it is always warm! Their green hot sauce is also very very delicious one of the best hot sauces for a restaurant!

Bomb ass food best taco shop a must try is the quesadilla supreme ! I been buying from this tasty restaurant since 2004 I have never have had any complaints whatsoever

This place has been around for a very long time. My ancestors use to get their meals from this place. I have to say that I have only ever had the carne asada fries here. I mean why try anything else when uou are hapoy with what you got, right?
These carne asada fries are not like you have at albertos or places of that kind. They use crinkle cut fries which I like alot. I feel like the other skinny fries just become very dry because they cook alot faster. Sometimes they become hard, but these crinkle cut fries stay nice and moist for you.
They put beans in the whole shabang. Some people dont like this but I do, so they keep making them like that. The portions were not that big but last time I came here (2days ago) the thing was humongous! Definitely for sharing.
Ok so I did not expect the salsas they give to be any good but man, they were good! They were flavorful and spicy, like a real mexican salsa should be.

I don’t understand why my bro wants to make me pick up food here. Definitely had better carne asada fries, trust me I’d sieve up to Mira Mesa to get some bomb Vallartas Christian fries, meat is way better there. And here the fries is crinkle cut which isn’t crispy when I specifically ask to make it crispier and they add beans to the carne asada fries, no thanks, makes it too soggy and heavy.

It’s okay. So I used to be blown away by the lengua burrito with American guacamole, maybe im desensitized now, but I wasn’t feeling it this time. Don’t get me wrong this place is the best spot in esco for a good ol tongue burrito, but today it seemed bland and lacking salt. Hopefully I’ll be blown away by them once again…

One word: gross!!!
This place is disgusting! Unless you like hair in your food or old rotten food! I would give this place zero stars if i could beginning with their customer service. Oh wait they have none!!! Its so gross in there how can people even eat? My bf and i got take out and everything we ordered was disgusting and to top it off i ended up with a really bad stomach ache! Try at your own risk!

One of my favorite Mexican joints to eat at. Here are the pros and cons.
Pros–
–Very good burritos and rolled tacos.
–Prices are reasonable.
–Staff is very friendly.
–They take phone orders.
–They hook it up with lots of salsas when you ask them.
–Quesadilla supreme is the best item on their menu.
–Cons
–Service can be a bit slow.
–Interior of restaurant is dated and looks ugly.
–Location of restaurant is in the bad part of Escondido, in a ghetto shopping center.
–Dirty restrooms.

Pretty, pretty tasty with reasonable prices. We had bean burritos, supreme quesadillas, and rolled tacos. I will be back. It’s not my favorite place but it’s definitely good. The salsas are delicious.
Bonus tips: there is a sit down portion to the restaurant with plenty of seating. We got ours to go.

I’m standing here outside everything is closed its 9am and the cashier who is very sweet and new rushes to set up and take my order. She does so. And I asked her to ask the cook to mark my burrito do I know which is which out of the 5 I purchased and he looks at me then at the cashier and says no!!! I was like is it really that hard to put a c and an h or j for ham b for bacon. Place may be good and here for a long ass time but the cooks need to get their SHIT! Together

Even though the food here is hit or miss, my husband and I used to eat here frequently just because it tasted pretty good and was so convenient for us to get to. But we recently made the decision to stop going after we had a bottom of the barrel meal here and I became sick after. We’ve noticed that things have changed here in the last few months. The quality of the cheaper food they serve here especially has really gone downhill. Also, our friend who ate with us the day I became ill was so offended by the snippy and short customer service she received that she’s asked if we could eat at another restaurant from now on. It disheartens us that we feel we have to stop patronizing this place, because on good days, the food here really isn’t that bad for a convenient cheaper meal.

Kotija has been around for over 20 years in Escondido. It doesn’t get any more authentic when it comes to Mexican food than here. Inside are pictures and memories presumably of the owner’s home town. This is not the Kotija Mexican chain that you see in every city; this is the real deal.
My friend’s family has been coming here ever since he was young and the quality of the food according to them hasn’t changed. They recommended the chicken rolled tacos which they always get at this place. In addition, I ordered beef rolled tacos, carne asada burrito and torta to complete my Mexican feast.
First off the rolled tacos here are delicious. Simple and crunchy tacos with the right amount of meat deep fried to perfection. The torta here fills you right up. Carne is seasoned nicely with a nice crunch from the lettuce and melting cheese. But the star of my feast is the old California favorite; the simple and classic carne asada burrito. Juicy carne along with guacamole are all it takes to make this carne asada burrito the best I’ve had yet.
Maybe it’s the 20+ years old grease on the grill that enhanced the flavor of the carne; maybe it’s the dedication to quality that hasn’t faltered over the years. One thing for sure, it’s the best Mexican restaurant I’ve been to.

Fast, neat and perfect portion. Taste great and they don’t charge for jalapeño and carrots like other places. Menudo on the weekends is outstanding! Definitely would recommend!

After the beloved landmark taco shop «El Mexicano» shut down due to Lowe’s encroachment, I had to hunt for a viable local option for good carnitas, beans and rice. With a lot of misses, I finally hit it with the discovery of Kotija.
First, the beans and rice are delicious; in fact, I could eat that combo in itself for a satisfying meal. However, their carnitas burritos are meaty, tasty and full of fresh guacamole and pico de gallo. The flour tortillas are served hot and superb. Although Kotija chooses to serve their carnitas chunky style, versus the shredded style of El Mexicano, they do their burrito right. It’s sizable, so be hungry.
I haven’t tried other items yet, but I’m sure they are good as well. So if you’re in east Escondido, try Kotija.

My friends and I went here because we thought in was the same as «Kotija Jr.» in Encinitas. IT’S NOT.
I was confused because I couldn’t find the potatoe rolled tacos I usually get from the other Kotija. I asked the girl at the register and she kinda snorted, looked me up and down, and huffed a «no,» they don’t make those. A simple «no» would have sufficed, without the attitude. I continued to ask her about the menu, but stopped because she was literally no help and every word out of her mouth was soaked in teenage sass. After my boyfriend and I ordered, she said our total was $ 11. I gave her a $ 20 and only got $ 7 back, then busied herself in the back for a few minutes. When she reappeared, I asked her for my receipt, and after a dramatic eye roll, she shoved the piece of paper over to me. Our total was $ 13, not $ 11. But $ 13 for a cheese quesadilla and a chile relleno is pretty steep for a taco shop.
One friend ordered fish tacos which looked appealing, but according to her «they looked better than they tasted,» and tasted like «frozen fish sticks wrapped in a tortilla.»
One friend was satisfied with his veggie burrito.
My boyfriend got the weirdest looking chile relleno any of us had ever seen. Smooshed flat like a pancake, fried, and topped with a single melted slice of Kraft American cheese. He didn’t have many good things to say about that.
And I settled for a cheese quesadilla. It’s hard to mess that up.
There was no salsa bar. No soda fountain.

Good grub and friendly service.
— Rolled Tacos
— The green guac sauce (Avocado powder + Sour Cream) is not something I generally like, but this stuff is actually tasty.
— The bacon slices are thick and meaty in their breakfast burritos.
— This is located in a very shady parking lot. Lock the car and use a steering wheel lock.

Damn good place, with consistent food. Highlights might be the quesadillas, carne asada and pollo asada burritos. This place does have some of the best beans I’ve had. Just the right amount of lard! Things to avoid however are chili rellenos and/​or enchiladas.
The two selections of hot sauce are red and green, both of which are very very good. There is no salsa bar.
Solid place, in Escondido’s top ten of taco shops. Two locations
Stacky Best Of Award™: Refried Beans

In my «quest» to discover and experience the plethora of taco shops that North County has to offer I have several times come across Kotija locations in Escondido. I am torn between a 3 and a 4 for this great little chain of shops (I think they have 3 – 4 locations in total?). They get slightly higher marks from me due to the more friendly perhaps family nature of the business… And the food is pretty darn good to. I have twice had the «sopa’s» as well as the carne asada burrito (the bar for any self respecting taco shop) and the rolled tacos. All have been at least as good, or better than the majority of other shops out there. The chicken in the sopas was shredded but not dry… And the toppings were bountiful (I have been wanting to use that word all day!). This was my first experience with a s-​o-​p-​a and they were a nice change. Both the rolled tacos and the burrito were tasty and very reasonably prices ($ 3.50 I think for 5 rolled tacos overflowing with guac, lettuce and cheese.
Taco Shop? Yes! Then get it done!