Rubio’s

We ate here while visiting Pasadena and were pleasantly surprised. It looks like a fast food restaurant but the food is restaurant quality and is far better than any fast food. I wish they had one of these in Washington where I live, I would eat there all the time.

If for whatever reason you find yourself at this shopping center on Lake St in Pasadena, you may find that you have plenty of options for a quick burrito. In fact within this one block alone you have 3 options: Rubio’s, Wahoo and Chipotle. And just across Lake you’ll find Sharkys as well. So where to go? Does anything really set any of these spots apart? Probably not. I’ve been to all several times and find the differences subtle. Rubio’s and Wahoo likely have more seafood and fish options. But all four serve burritos and tacos of some variety for roughly the same price taste and quality.
So how did I end up here today? It was the closest to where I parked and also the one I hadn’t been to for the longest time lol.
I ordered the California bowl with grilled salmon. There was too much rice and too little salmon. The guacamole tasted fresh but was really just a filler. The chipotle salsa has pretty good kick and the pickled gardiniera carrots were really hot! I stuck with the green tomatillo which was subtle and nice flavor, not too distracting haha. Do I consider this place an amazing find? No but it’s food and it’s a burrito and it’s more likely about location than anything. Wahoos and Chipotle has brown rice which I prefer. So bottom line, just another corporate burrito joint. Nothing really special or standout here. Just eat your meal and move along with your day lol.
(I should mention that I had a super nice cashier who when the family in front of me was taking too long she did apologize and give me a free drink despite me not saying anything.)

I’ve gone to a few Rubios but personally this location is my favorite despite the crappy parking in the back. It’s super crowded but I’ve always lucked out to find one parking spot except once when I made my boyfriend park near a bank and wait there with the engine running, a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do for some nachos. Every time I come here, I’m always greeted, which is more than I can say for even a few sit down restaurants. Sometimes I have to approach the hostess and ask if I can be seated, sooo yeah, Rubios is already better in that regard. The people who work there are always pleasant and never get my order wrong. I went there late one night and the guy who took my order was super friendly and went above and beyond to accommodate my order. And I know this is like an americanized version of Mexican food but I will have to say, their nachos is the one thing I will say that is better than the nachos they offer at real Mexican restaurants. Don’t get their street tacos here, but then again, why would you come to Rubios for carne asade tacos, am I right? I love their chicken Especial burritos as well, super filling and delicious. My boyfriend never came here before, but once I brought him, he’s been converted and love their nachos as much as I do. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone who loves nachos, and who doesn’t love nachos?! So really, everyone should come here!

I ordered the 2 fish taco plate which comes with 2 fish tacos, chips and pinto beans. The food itself was actually pretty good — the fish was very crispy and fresh, there was a decent size of fish in each taco, and the sauce was a good compliment to the taco.
The three stars is for two things. One is the price. The two taco plate was 7.49 and I also ordered a small drink, which cost $ 2. So the meal all together was $ 10.49 with tax. Not thrilled about that. It is nicer than other fast casual places, but not sure I could justify $ 10+ for a meal like this. If it had 3 tacos, I’d probably feel better about the same price. The other thing was the wait. It took 10 minutes for the food to come out after I ordered, and considering it wasn’t even lunch time (4pm), I can’t imagine what it would be like if it was busier. So I wasn’t too pleased about that. I get that the food did taste fresh and it seemed like someone actually made it after I ordered, but still, it’s a couple of fish tacos. It should take no more than 5 – 7 minutes.
I’d come back for the food, but not sure about the price and wait.

This restaurant has good food, I have nothing to rate on that but there only problem is there staff. One of there managers by the name of Sharee gives one of the worst attitudes ever, and quite frankly in being a previous employee of this company being mocked when you order double protein items to the line cooks and other managers on the floor is very unprofessional. You never tell that to a customer who is PAYING FOR THE MEAL. Like I said before hand, I have no complaint over there food but if they want better customer services they better educated there managers on customer service or get new staff.

This location is very nice. It’s on a nice part of Lake Ave. The employees are all very friendly and welcoming. They strike up conversations with the customers which makes one feel welcomed. The food is standard Rubio’s fare which I think is awesome.
One star is deducted because parking isn’t the best. If you’re lucky, you can get one of the spots for Rubio’s, otherwise, you have to park in the lot with 90 minutes free which is inconvenient if your have several things to do in the area.

I had the two taco plate any two tacos. So I got the shrimp and a steak taco. Not bad had crunch with the grilled cheese on the tortilla. The sauces are on point. Not spicy not full but with flavor. (I love spicy habanero salsas) but that wasn’t needed. Since the food has its own flavor that is too good to mess up on. Then I got a tortilla soup with any taco plate so I got the chicken taco so I can try them all. Over all it really good food and u don’t feel like u just ate junk food. This is real Mexican food with flavor no need to hide the main ingredients with extreme amounts of salsa or spice. Well the only thing I had todo was ad some salt and pepper to the soup. Everyone seasons or likes their soups different right. I sure will return and I will check the rubies near my home in east bay to see if they are this good.

I got Rubios to cater an event at my job and it was delicious! Everyone was so satisfied and pleased with the food. We ordered two mixed burrito platters and their salsa bar. Staff is very friendly and helpful at this location. Will definitely have them cater for us again.

Excellent food great customer service. The ladies made me feel welcome. They called me by name and brought my food to my table.

My friend and I were in the area and craving tacos, so we decided to come here for dinner. I like the restaurants on this block because there is a large parking lot in the back with two hours free parking. It does tend to get crowded and it sometimes takes a while to find parking, but a parking spot always shows up eventually. Like most businesses in this block, Rubio’s has a front entrance from Lake and a back entrance from the parking lot. You order at the counter and they will call you when your order is ready.
I got the following:
– THE ORIGINAL FISH TACO: Sustainable wild Alaska Pollock, caught in Alaska’s ocean waters, hand-​dipped in our signature seasoned beer batter and cooked to crispy perfection. Topped with Rubio’s white sauce, mild salsa and fresh cabbage. Served on a warm stone-​ground corn tortilla and garnished with a slice of lime.
I usually prefer shrimp tacos to fish tacos, but I decided I should go with the house specialty. As long as you like fried fish, you really can’t go wrong with this taco.
– FISH TACO ESPECIAL: The Original Fish Taco topped with our handmade guacamole, a blend of cheeses and a cilantro/​onion mix. Served on a warm stone-​ground corn tortilla and garnished with a slice of lime.
Of course you can always improve on the original, right? I love guacamole so adding it to the taco is a no-​brainer! This one is delicious as well.
The place is clean and has a decent amount of seating. The food came out reasonably quickly and was good. Rubio’s is always a solid option for decent tacos. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

The best Mexican food! Customer service is the best!

Thank you Rubio’s for my birthday coupon for the 2 fish taco plate. This is my favorite place for fish tacos, great value and nice portion size! I forgot to tell them I wanted black beans with my meal and they were more than happy to give me a side of black beans. Thank you again look forward to coming back.

This is a great location. The people who work here are always pretty nice, but don’t necessarily go above and beyond or anything. But they get the job done which is all I care about. It is also never too crowded which is good. Rubio’s food is always on point!

I have been to this Rubio’s Baja Grill many many times over the years.
The staff has always been very friendly and accommodating. They are always happy and smiling. This is a huge plus in my book!
The people preparing the food always do an excellent job, the food is always fresh and tasty.
If you haven’t already done so, come by on a Tuesday afternoon after 2:30pm and pick up a fish taco for only $ 1.50!!! That’s a bargain! Not to mention it is the BEST FISH TACOs EVER!
Help yourself to all he tasty salsas at the salsa bar and you can’t go wrong.
Best food, best location and best staff I would give this Rubio’s 6 stars if I could.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Fish taco tuesdays have become a staple in my life. You can’t really beat $ 1.50 tacos that come with a huge piece of fish and fresh flour tortilla! With that said, I probably wouldn’t come here on any other day other than Tuesdays. Thus, this review is ONLY for FISH TACO TUESDAYS. lol. 4 fish tacos and unlimited salsa bar for less than $ 9, can you really beat that?
The pros about this location include the service and cleanliness. The con of this place is finding parking. You have two choices, either street parking or park in the back the plaza. If you decide to park in the back, the first two hours are free which should be enough for a place like Rubios.

This is not as much for the food… As it is for their Service… We were waited on by both Sharee & Gladys. They were just so nice & courteous… Me & my family truly appreciated their Customer Service!!!

I had a great food experience at Rubio’s. The food tastes great. I ordered the chicken street tacos and balsamic and veggie salad. They both tasted great. Even better was the service of the general manager Marc. He was one the nicest people I have ever encountered in a fast casual restaurant. From being our utensils to explaining the salsa to my son, he was extremely friendly and helpful. I was so enamored by his hospitality that I had to let him know! He even addresses me by name when I asked for a container to go. Thanks for the great service Marc. Will definitely be coming back.

Not Good!
I ordered the fish taco Especial, $ 3.29 Which is the original taco topped with guacamole cheese cilanto/​onion mix served on a stone-​ground tortilla with lime.
I also ordered the salsa Verde shrimp taco! $ 3.99 Sliced avocado, cheese, creamy chipotle sauce, cilantro/​onion and cabbage on a flour tortilla.
It took them forever to get my order out!!!
The only reason I went here, was it’s right next to my office and I was looking to get something fast to eat before my next meeting.
What can I say. It was just bad!!!
The fish on the Especial was all breading with just a little fish that tasted of old grease!!! Yuck! The flavor of rest the composition was just so so.
The Salsa Verde Shrimp taco had good flavor, but it had only 3 tiny shrimp that didn’t fill the taco. So it’s only value was to wash away the flavor of the first really bad taco.
Add $ 1.99 drink and your over $ 10.00 for a bad meal your still hungry after!!!
I won’t be going back!!!

One of my favorite relatively fast food places close to campus. The staff is always super nice and always says hello whenever people walk in. The salsa bar, as well as the floors and tables, are generally kept clean. The shrimp burrito is my favorite thing to get and a great change from the other food options around. Definitely recommend for someone looking for a quick meal that lives nearby.

I would give the 5 stars for the deal Taco tuesdays for $ 1.50 It is really close to work and it starts around 2:30 for the deal to go down. This place is mediocre at best and if you want a slick deal for food, this place is not too bad. 3 stars for the actual food quality that they serve. Food chain type of stuff, nothing surprising.