Don Carlos Taco Shop

Nice little taco shop. Fish tacos and rolled tacos tasted great. Love their green sauce. Nice and spicy. Definitely worth going back.

Ryan is an outstanding business owner being very connected to his local community. The entire menu is affordably priced with many burritos weighing in at over a pound! The Hungover burrito was flavorful and massive! The owner is what truly stands out most having quality relationships with many of his customers!

What i love most about this place is just how unapologetic it is. It’s just good food coupled with great service. You don’t need to be bludgeoned by the excessive and indulgent decorations that lesser taco and burrito shops employ. Instead Don Carlos opts for a pure taco shop aesthetic, giving it a whole in the wall vibe, and conjuring up the feeling of having stumbled onto a hidden gem.
Decisions can be difficult, so here are some pro-​tips: if you can’t decide which burrito you want, get the hungover burrito, you won’t be disappointed; the green sauces is spicier than the red sauce, so keep that in mind.

This is what south town is all about folks! Wait in line enjoy the freshness of this mexican food.

Super salad w chorizo. So so good. I crave this salad regularly after having it for the first time– it’s the perfect mix of oily and fresh to satisfy taco shop cravings from a health conscious vegetarian

It was very good. Small shop but big flavor. A note for the people not from California: they label that there is salsa in a lot of items. Their version of salsa is my version of pico de gallo. I would definitely go back to try one of those crunchy tacos. I got the Clairemont Burrito.

Soyrizo quesadilla, fish & potato burrito, cheese tamale & beer. Was pretty good. Not the best Mexican I have ever had but good, damn good but in San Diego competition is tough. People who work there are super nice, it was crowded & we didn’t have to wait too long for our food. Prime location. I’d say definitely worth a try, I want to go back & try something else so I can give them 5 stars:)

yummmm such a great easy spot to hit anytime of the day. They are conveniently located on Pearl Street in La Jolla and offer quick service. I order take out for lunch and breakfast quite often and am never disappointed. Recommend the Sunrise Burrito or the Carne Asada Burrito :)

Kosh: When the long night comes, return to the end of the beginning.
Neil Gaiman — Babylon 5: Day of the Dead
Driving through the cold night. Not knowing where I was going. She led me here. It was warm. Scent of fried tortilla was in the air. Golden taco dripping grease glinted under the bright florescent light. Hot crunchy tortilla. Perfectly seasoned mashed potato. Flavors tasted so good. My first potato taco. Potato rolled tacos have a bit less potato to tortilla ratio but still have that crunchy tortilla and creamy potato goodness. I have long forgotten the name of the cute college girl that brought me here but I have returned many times for the delicious tacos. Place may not be as charming under the harsh light of day but it really hit the spot that cold winter night when we were young and the night was long.
Sometimes I get the potato taco with beef. It’s an exotic treat as they stuff delicious shredded beef into the potato taco and you have extra flavors to send your taste buds into turbo mode. Sometimes I get the shredded beef taco. Hard crunchy shell and delicious tender shredded beef. I use to see the owner man the register and flirt with bikini girls in days past. He isn’t always here like he use to be. I like sitting outside and watching the world walk by. When I have a hot date I get tacos to go and watch the sun set along the seashore. Sometimes I wait for the long night as the bright light of day fades to a sliver of light in the dusk.

The food came out fast and fresh! Huge burrito and it was so good! One of the best burritos I’ve ever had! We bought another burrito to go for lunch! Next time we’re in La Jolla, we will be coming back!

Don Carlos serves very typical, run-​of-​the-​mill Mexican food. The carne asada burrito, fish tacos and wet burritos are all good but nothing spectacular like some of the reviews state. This place gets 3.5 stars in my book.
Reminds me of the hole-​in-​the-​wall Mexican joints I would go to in college after a late night of partying… Except this place closes at 8pm. I would rate this place 4 stars if they would extend their business hours to past midnight because La Jolla is seriously lacking in late night eateries.
I’ve talked to the owner before and he’s a super chill dude. The main downside here is that he likes to close shop early if it’s slow which kinda sucks because I’ve come here on a couple occasions during business hours and they were not open. Dude, you already close early, why would you do this?! I would probably call ahead if you’re planning on going after 6pm to make sure they’re indeed open (especially if it’s Sunday).
On the upside, I love the tamales here especially chicken and pork. They go great with their delicious red chipotle salsa. I’ll usually buy a dozen tamales to-​go during the holidays and heat them up whenever I’m too lazy to cook or go out.

This is a «hole in the wall» Mexican food joint. Their burritos are nothing short of amazing. I got the Chimichanga: it was a burrito filled with shrimp, salsa, and melted cheese, FRIED, and then smothered in guacamole and sour cream. What!
The sauces are better at the Taco Stand down the street, a larger and better-​funded production, but not much can match this chimichanga.
My friend got the «rolled tacos» (they were taquitos) and they were kind of dry, nothing memorable. I would stick to the burritos!

They are the best. If you come to San Diego and leave without visiting Don Carlos, do not ever come back to San Diego.
I’m addicted to their burritos, I wish they were open ²⁴⁄₇ bcoz at times the most craving for their burrito hits me at 2am. Anyways, Love you guys. keep up the good work. Thanks!

Probably my favorite taco shop in la Jolla/​PB
I am a mex lovvvvver & I would eat here every day of the week!
Def one of the bigger menus when it comes to taco shops
The fish & carnitas taco are perfection (my mouth is watering & im typing this). The guac is on point & make sure you try the salsas they offer!
Parking is hit or miss (street parking) & service is great.

Good fish tacos. Great proximity to the beach for a carry-​out dinner to watch a sunset. I’m not raving over the Super Nachos like some other reviewers, but they weren’t bad. Carne asada was on the overcooked/​tough side. Street parking only. Some of the décor may not be children appropriate, but good luck with that anywhere.

Don Carlos is perfect, unapologetic, San Diego-​style Mexican food. The food is creative and somewhat non-​traditional compared to your average ____berto’s style taco shop. It has an awesome Vegetarian menu with Soy Chorizo burritos and taco options for example. And the hot sauce? It’s probably unlike anything you’ve had at other shops – it’s dark red and has complex roasted quality that just hits a pleasure-​center somehow.
If you’re looking for TJ style tacos de adobada or something, this may not what you’re looking for. But if you want something that is truly San Diegan, Don Carlos is the peak of the game.

The Burritos are HUGE here – So heavy, that you will need to «work out» your arms in the gym to hold one in one hand and eat it at the same time – not for the weak!
It’s a real local shop, real local, 3 tables inside, and a few outside.
Bathroom is outside.
We were the only patrons that did not have flip flops and they are ok with no-​shoes too I saw.
Mom and pop type with some hired help.
Relatively inexpensive – large selection of meals all detailed on the wall when you come in. Nothing really more than $ 7.00.
I had the Pasado Burrito which was Chicken, Beans, Rice and Salsa.
They gave me TONS of chicken. I really don’t know how they keep the lights on giving 3x the amount of chicken that Chipotle does in a 6.50 Burrito. The rice and beans (pinto – Black beans on request only), salsa, and cheese are excellent. Not enough salsa – it was a dry Burrito – I had to douse it with hot sauce to keep it going. Almost no Salsa – it could have used some more. The Chicken did not have the great taste I like – it left that bad aftertaste that I don’t like. Not bad in an unhealthful way – just not the best taste.
I may stop in again and try something else – they definitely deliver Value with a Capital V! I was just not happy with the chicken taste.

Scripps burritos with that green salsa. Yum guys! We crave this particular burrito on those Sunday mornings when you need a kick start :)
Also good without cheese & sour cream — vegan style!

I had a BOGO free burrito coupon, so my husband and I decided to check out Don Carlos for some breakfast burritos. I got the Sunrise burrito (photo:
) and he got the chorizo burrito and they really don’t lie, the burritos marked over a pound do really weigh over a pound! I really did weigh the burritos when I got home and my Sunrise was 1lb 3 ¹⁄₈ oz and my husband’s chorizo (w/​o lettuce) was 1lb 1 oz. The burritos were really good and very filling. The Sunrise burrito had just the right portion of bacon, ham, cheese, sour cream and potato. The sour cream and cheese were pretty evenly distributed (I hate how some burritos just have a big glob of it at one end of the burrito!) and it was not greasy at all. The chorizo burrito also wasn’t greasy and my husband loved it.
Pricing was pretty reasonable, we got some Mexican cokes with our burritos and with tax and tip, we paid $ 14 with the BOGO free burrito coupon. Service was friendly and fast. We’ll definitely be back to try their fries and other burritos!
Note: Their menu is available on their website:

I got the scripps burrito, and oh my god was this a cheat meal worth it! It’s a giant burrito stuffed with soyrizo (soy chorizo) and fries (plus other stuff I don’t remember)! They have a giant menu and SO many vegetarian options! I love the use of soyrizo, because it’s a great way to get protein from not-​beans. Their sauces are especially good!
It’s a little hole in the wall place, with maybe 2 booths inside and a couple bench seating outside. It wasn’t crowded when I went on a Sunday after the farmer’s market, so there was available seating. Definitely a great place for good Mexican food!