Rubio's Coastal Grill - Vista

I've been to this restaurant a few times, and I've generally had positive experiences. However, I have a couple of suggestions. If you mention that someone will bring my takeout order to the terrace when it's ready, please remember to do so. I ended up sitting outside, thinking my order wasn't ready, so I went back to check. Unfortunately, the food had been sitting there and was no longer warm. With the number of staff working behind the counter and so few customers inside, I'm not sure why my order wasn't prepared a few minutes earlier, especially since I was the only one who had ordered in the last short while. We'll definitely return, but we appreciated this location more for its efficiency compared to the extremely slow one in San Marcos.

This restaurant can be a bit hit or miss for me. Unfortunately, the seaside location has burned down. However, I really appreciate Rubio's commitment to quality. Their food is generally fantastic. I tend to stick to fish or shrimp, as I've never tried their steak or chicken. The vegetables are always fresh, and most of the food is pretty much perfect. That said, the wait for your order can be longer than at typical fast food places, which is something I used to appreciate. I docked a star because sometimes the food isn’t quite right—there have been times when something seems to be missing, or I get just a tiny piece of cabbage instead of the usual portion.

It is your quintessential go-to-spot for a fast-food healthy meal. In this case, it was just some delicious tacos. The place is clean and spacious. You also have a beautiful shaded terrace overlooking Sycamore Street and the shopping center. I appreciate the cleanliness of their gender-neutral bathrooms and their service was friendly and efficient. Rubios is reliable and their foods are consistently good, with a price class that will not break your bank.

So in general I actually do like Rubio’s, however I do think they’re slightly overpriced (considering you can go to chipotle and get the same/more food for less) but they do have a great sauce they put on their California bowls here so that’s why I keep coming back. The problem for me is that they’re NEVER consistent at this location. One of the first times I came I ordered 2 bowls and they were literally pretty much empty. I’m not kidding when I say it was like 4 bites of food. I looked at them and asked them to actually fill them and they added probably 4 pieces of lettuce. Honestly I’m just still so bitter about this experience that it’s kind of ruined it for me. But overall the food is tasty if you can get over the fact that your bowl might be empty and the price is a little steep for what it is.

We ordered the trio tacos. 3 different kinds of tacos. The fish on one of the tacos was a little dry and the tortilla was a little cold. It took about 15 minutes for the order to come out and it wasn't very busy. I'm not sure if people were on break but it took a while. Cashier was friendly though.