Lilly’s Tacos

Excelente comida, todo muy limpio, le doy 4 estrellas y no 5 por que les falta una buena salsa mucho mas picosa para los para los de paladar exigente. Los mejores tacos en toda la área de SB.

Not bad tacos. I should have listened to everyone else when they said the asada didn’t have much flavor. It didn’t but the marinated pork was on point. Also they get people in and out quick. I placed my order and by time I got to the table I was going to sit at, my tacos were done. I would recommend this place if in the area.

A no frills taco joint where the food is the focus. Authentic and extremely inexpensive. My only tip is to order more than you think you’ll eat to avoid waiting in the long line for seconds.

The tacos are good compared to what you usually get in Santa Barbara but it does not compare at all to LA tacos. It is waaayyy to pricey for the size of the tacos. Would come here more if the prices were reasonable.

The asada and adobada (al pastor) tacos were delicious! The salsas were just spicy enough to bring out the flavor.
Also, Very friendly and speedy service.

Ordered extra crispy tripas, luenga & asada. Very good tacos. The place was very clean. Yes, I will definitely visit again.

Hands down the best tacos in the Isla Vista/​Goleta area! If I had to choose a place in the area to eat at everyday it would be Lilly’s Tacos.
The restaurant is spacious having two dining rooms and an open kitchen in which you can watch your tacos get prepared right in front of you. The menu is simple and straightforward making it easy for any visitor to get their taco fix.
The tacos are affordable at $ 1.70 each, which is mighty worth it for the quality of meat you get on each taco. I’ve paid Lilly many visits for her tacos and tried a majority of the many options of tacos on the menu. The tacos are simple yet delicious, they consist only of the topping of your choice on top of two small steamed corn tortillas. The restaurant has a salsa bar which offers three different types of salsa, onions, cilantro, limes and radishes all of which you may freely use to alter your tacos to your liking. My favorite toppings are the adobada (marinated pork) and cabeza (beef head), the adobada comes as savory crispy pork bits with a hint of sweetness, while the cabeza is on the other end of the texture spectrum being steamed to perfection while still tasting delicious. The carne asada (steak) comes as a hearty helping of lightly seasoned grilled beef, while eating the taco you can really taste the quality of the meat, which doesn’t even compare to any of the other taco meats offered in the area.
I wholeheartedly recommend anyone in the area to give Lilly’s Taco a try, especially if you want some afforadable authentic Mexican food!

Good tacos but werent fantastic. Asada was alright but not a lot of flavor, drowned it in chile. Adobada was pretty good. Chicken was terrible! Took 2 bites to give it a chance but it was BAD. Had a weird rotten sweet taste.
The salsa bar was pretty good. All the salsa was good especially the dark one which what i used to drench the tacos. Radishes, onion and cilantro was available too.
All in all not a terrible place but probably wouldn’t return. There’s so many other great taco spots.
Oh, order yourself some grilled onions. ($ 1)

As some of the reviews state I have to agree the Asada lacks flavor. Came in on a Saturday, my first time expecting a lot more, as my husband loves this spot. I had 1 tripas taco (crispy) & 1 Asada taco. My tripas taco, which I had first was very good, added the dark red chile, onions and cilantro along with lime and it was perfect reminded me when my Dad use to make them, then I moved onto my Asada taco, added the same fixings and it totally lacked flavor I added salt (lots) and I just picked at it with my fork.
I gave a 3 star rating as again I really enjoyed the tripas taco and if my husband and I were in the area again, I wouldn’t mind stopping in for more tripas.

Five star tacos! Great service, nice atmosphere, and unbeatable prices. Grilled onions is free with any order, but you have to ask for them.

Disappointing.
Taco meat was low on flavor, and tortillas were pre packed and steamed before serving rather than just placed on the grill — giving the tacos a doughy, mealy texture.
I’ve been to far better taquerias in Montgomery Alabama of all places. In short, not recommended — check out Los Agaves across the street instead.

Yum! Tried this out due to the great reviews and we were not disappointed. Got the marinated pork, beef tongue, and the crispy tripe, and they were all great! Also, if you have an extra dollar, be sure to get the grilled onion and jalapeño — I think it was worth it!
The only cons to this place was that I wish they had a more robust salsa bar. I know I shouldn’t compare to the ones we have in LA, but my expectations of a salad bar are tainted by what I usually get in Tacos el Gavilán (which had beans, lettuce, jalapeños on top of the salsas and radish).

OMG… fish tacos rock.
They have incredibly delicious sauces to add to tacos.
Lots of variety in tacos.
Need to stop here and try a burrito or two.
Whatever your craving, they have!
Closed on Tuesdays.

I stopped here for all the great reviews and I was in the neighborhood. The line was out the door at lunch time, but it also went pretty quick. Menu is simple — tacos. All kinds of tacos but only tacos. Want a burrito (like I did)? Go somewhere else. Want a chicken, pork, beef or veggie taco? Come here. Want a specialty beef taco like beef head, beef cheek, lips or eyes? This is the place. Employees are quick and professional. Kitchen is open so you can see your tacos being prepared. There is ample room to sit and eat.
I got a pork taco and a couple chicken tacos. I was not expecting them to be so different — the pork taco was only marinated pork (very good). The chicken tacos were marinated chicken with onions and bell peppers (not my thing, I only wanted meat). I ended up having to pick out all the onions and most of the bell peppers in order to eat the chicken tacos. Very disappointing. Flavor of the meat was good if you don’t mind what else comes mixed in.
*edit: after reading other reviews it looks like I got chicken fajita taco. I wonder if there is a plain chicken option? I just asked for chicken. Didn’t realize it would come with other stuff in it. Damn.

The Best Tacos and Salsa in Santa Barbara and Goleta!
Fresh, Fast, and very Friendly.
Enuf said!

Get the crispy tripa tacos! They are the best tripe tacos I have ever had.
At $ 1.70/taco you can not go wrong with this place. Easy to get to from 101 and highly recommended if you are on a budget.
Another great Unilocal find!

When want a great triple treat, just do one each pork, chicken snd beef. Great eight dollar dinner including good Coca-​Cola. Do adventure out to try their many exotic meats as well.

In my twenty-​three years of living, I have never had better tacos !!! One thing I’ll miss about moving out of Santa Barbara will be Lilly and her tacos !!!

Sweet baby Jesus, these tacos are heaven on Earth. Every single time I come visit my cousin we get Lilly’s because I live four hours away & ya girl needs her tacos because tacos before vatos.
My favorites to get are carne, lengua, and beef cheek. The meats are tender & juicy. Basically love in your mouth. I tried ojo (eye) once because my cousin got it to try it & oh my goodness, next time I go I’m ordering one of those. It’s so fatty yet so good.
Sometimes they yell numbers out in Spanish, so if you don’t understand, you have been warned. And sometimes the crowd is huge & the line is long. But don’t let that discourage you, go get them tacos & shove it in your mouth.

Lilly’s is good don’t get me wrong — the tacos get the job done. But the big reason why I would recommend getting a taco somewhere else is quite simple. It’s the tortilla!
The meat at Lilly’s is among the best in Goleta-​Santa Barbara, try the cachete it’s really good in particular. The lengua isn’t as good, you can get that somewhere else.

This is an update for all the vegetarians out there.
Lilly’s has a vegetarian option! I got the veggie tacos (sautéed zucchini, squash, green beans, corn, sliced carrots) and they were super tasty. Add the spicy red salsa and some lime and you have a delicious vegetarian meal. I had two tacos and a bottle of water for under $ 5, and you can’t complain about that.
I feel like now that they are more established at this location the line is more manageable and the food comes out way faster. The seating area is still clean with ample tables. Yay for can and bottle recycling at the exit.