50 Best Mexican Restaurants near Soquel

“the Salmon Tacos are to die for!!! I've been enjoying them for 18 years.“

“Excellent customer service today from server Heather. She totally accommodated the fact that I am gluten free and took her time to go over the entire menu with me, and she also made me up a fresh batch of gluten free chips. Heather is so knowledgeable and really kind and patient. i felt really cared for us.A customer and the food was very good too.“

“Hi everyone I highly recommend this place this the best Mexican food I have ever had in Santa Cruz honestly the best I've had ever anywhere! and the best part is that everything is so fresh they make your food fresh nothing is frozen there . This is the only place that I go for Mexican food and me and my family go there quite often it tastes amazing every time ! And even better the employees are awesome super nice . In the outside sitting area is so nice they have an apple tree and their own orange tree and limes !! It's beautiful.“

“Great food , Great Margaritas! , Great service, 😊“

“New cantina menu is pretty bomb, I love the avocado salsa, especially the packaging. Great example of corporate marketing/new ideas and having a store capable of executing! Only thing is I wish the cantina chicken quesadilla was a little bigger but that's my stomach talking“

“great service! delicious, authentic Oaxacan food. We will go back!“

“Great service! Delicious food!“

“EVERYTHING was amazing. can't get enough of this place . the warm bean dip and salsa is wonderful. the micheladas were super yummy. EVERYTHING WAS so yum.y and flavorful. best food ever“

“The best Taqueria in town! Definitely overall service and the food 20/10 ! The team is beyond the amazing. The ambiance is chill and good for family too! This is one of my fav. Un taco crispy al pastor con aguacate y no habichuelas ! Enjoy! Thanks Guys“

“so delicious! everything we got was amazing especially the Quesabirria Tacos with consome!“

“their meats are out of this world good. some of the best I've been going to tons of taquerias for years. tacos are legit. burritos are huge and balanced perfectly. my new spot! ORALÉ !!!!“

“I ordered two crispy carne asada tacos rice and beans. It was really good and put together well. The crane asada was tender and of course it was all delicious. I go often and I do recommend Salsas to fam and friends. Five Star every time I go.“

“I was coming down from San Francisco back to LA and stopped by to this place. Very colorful with art painted on the walls inside. Food was fantastic 10/10. After ordering I didn't have much interaction with staff but at the time of ordering my food the cashier/waitress seems pretty nice. They have a huge menu, so I'm sure there is plenty to try.
1.ordered fish taco 🌮...it's a very big tacowith double tortilla. If you're not a big rate this one taco should be enough (Forgot to take picture 😞).
2. I also ordered, a plate that came with 🐔 🥩 🍤🍚🫘. Huge plate enough to feed 2 people. I'm a fat ass so I ate it all 😆.
3. They have free unlimited self serve tortilla chips with a salsa bar you can have while you wait for your food.
4. They do have a wet bar. I had a beer 🍺 (it was a hot day 🥵)
5. Restroom was clean. Only one toilet 🚻.
6. Free agua Fresca refills. You refill it yourself.
If I'm ever up there again I'm Santa Cruz again I'm coming to this place again. Not sure why I didn't pictures.🤷🏽‍♂️“

“Delicious food, kind servers, true authentic Mexican food. No hassle, no frills - so far, I've had the Siete Mares and Pescado Fritos and both were the best I've tasted in all of Santa Cruz County. I got my order as To Go so the atmosphere I didn't really get into but there were people there enjoying their food and sports on TV. A nice surprise.“

“Delicious food Love eating here …“

“I was on a lunch break from work today, my route was in Santa Cruz and asked google for the nearest Taco Spot. It recommended me this place. Very nice corner spot and great seating area. I ordered 1 Al Pastor taco and 1 asada quesadilla just to try out the food quality. Honestly the meat was absolutely delicious!!!! Their meat is very well seasoned and the tortilla for my taco is made by hand or how we say in Spanish “Tortillas hechas a mano.” Absolutely fire 🔥 Told the owner “Memo” that his food was absolutely delicious 🤤 and definitely coming back for more when I’m in the area next time! Definitely worth the money if you want quality tacos & burritos, and no more
Taco Bell for me 🙅‍♂️ hahahaha“

“Been enjoying Manuels since 1966. Love the red snapper, the salad, flautas with guacamole...great food always! Hopefully coming to dinner tonight! ♥️“

“The Service is great !!! Beef taco is wonderful :) Also they do an American breakfast if you desire.Everything iv had is really good !!!“

“Great service, food and atmosphere“

“Really great to get really nice people nice atmosphere“

“The best taqueria in Santa Cruz!!! My family and I highly recommend this place❤“

“This was honestly the best food truck food I have ever had. I eat healthy all week, but I know when I go to a brewery on a weekend, I’m gonna have to make some compromises! No compromises had to be made for this food, as they had tons of healthy options! But healthy doesn’t always mean delicious, but this place was truly some of the most delicious food I had ever had at a brewery! (Humble Sea beer garden on the Santa Cruz wharf) I'll search out this food truck anytime I'm back in the Santa Cruz area.

Vegetarian options: Absolutely delicious!“

“I was just in the area and this was the top rated fast food place. I got a super burrito which was good for the most part but there were super salty bites, not sure maybe the beef was over seasoned. I would give them a 3.5 but rounded up to 4.“

“I ordered a smaller catering order for my husbands birthday and Taquizas Gabriel did not disappoint! He was happy to help and cater even for a smaller party (I ordered 2, 15 taco trays: 1 shrimp 1 pastor with chips/salsa/peppers/onions) which I was super grateful! The tacos were so fresh and so flavorful and the customer service was wonderful! Made it so easy for me for that day and I’m so grateful! If you need tacos for dinner tonight or for a party, I’d highly recommend getting them from here! My favorite tacos on this side of Santa Cruz/Capitola!“

“This is a good Taco place. Very Mom and Pop. Local customers love this place. Cash only but it has an ATM on site.\n\nIt used to be inexpensive but nowadays a burrito will set you back $12 or more. \n\nThe last few times that I drove by it was closed.“

“Great chicken tacos 🌮 chips & salsa - the whole family enjoyed 👍🏼 Friendly service as well.“

“I mean if you haven't tried this place where have you been hiding? This is like one of the two best Mexican restaurants well maybe three maybe four actually in town so if you don't want to break your wallet go down here and they give you your money's worth guaranteed there's one at the other end of town too.“

“Little gem of a find... fish tacos were great. So was the super taco. Guacamole was fresh. Our server was the best! She was prompt, friendly and accommodating. We found a table tucked outside which was nice, but you're crowded with Zelda folks coming and going. Inside seating is fine, but you're on the beach - would be nice to have more outside seating.

Definitely coming back.“

“This was our first time there and the food was great and the atmosphere was great.. also had great service. We will be back again..“

“First time trying this place and was pleasantly surprised. Veggies were fresh and made to order, the chile relleno was cooked beautifully. The server was very friendly and helpful and very flexible with plate combos. I could have even had a breakfast burrito in the afternoon on a weekday! Super happy. Only negative was the tables/booths hadn’t been wiped down despite the restaurant being completely empty. Planning to return here ?

Vegetarian options: Chile relleno, sides, veggie burritos, breakfast burritos, quesadillas, plates, etc. also was willing to substitute and got a big plate of fresh grilled veggies on the side (asparagus, Brussel sprouts, bell peppers, mushrooms, onions)

Dietary restrictions: Refried beans not made with pork/lard for a change so and no chicken stock/stock in the Spanish rice so was able to get for once. Server was accommodating when checking that everything was vegetarian for me. ❤️“

“Great place to meet up with friends, for breakfast or anytime! Great beach and lighthouse view, and casual, comfortable atmosphere! I highly recommend!!“

“The best very Good food Costomer sercice and atmosphiere the resturant is exelente this is betted than any resturant in santa cruz ca i recomend its like if my grandmother is making the food delisouse come you will miss out if you dont have a amazing day !!!“

“Really great spot to get burritos. Other than Taqueria Santa Cruz on Soquel and the Pericos downtown, both this spot and the new one in Aptos are pretty good.
I gave it a 4 star because the last 3 times I've gone, I've asked for my tortilla grilled and they haven't done it once yet after confirming they would.
Other than that, great quality since it seems Michoacan across the street has gone down in quality.“

“Los tacos de lengua mis favoritos con aguacate. Y mi coca cola mexicana,“

“This was a great find! I loved the courtyard in the back. I had the veggie burrito without dairy (vegan). The fajita style veggies, black beans, ride and guacamole wrapped up in a grilled spinach tortilla was super fresh and tasty. I’ll be back!“

“⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ We stopped by Taqueria Los Pericos in Aptos for lunch on Sunday, and it was fantastic! I had a burrito, and my partner got the fresh tostada, and both were absolutely delicious. You could tell the ingredients were super fresh.
The service was great, too—everyone was very helpful and friendly. On top of the delicious food, the prices were just right. We left full, happy, and already planning our next visit. Highly recommend this spot!“

“Delicious jackfruit tacos. Great for vegetarian, vegan. And one of the only places to get gluten free. We asked and the chips are gluten free although I'm not sure about cross contamination but no reaction. Chips and guacamole make a meal though in a pinch“

“I love The Boardwalk. It's always a good time over there. Everything about a beach town is always fun. Such an amazing vibe everytime I go.“

“The Al Pastor was dry, I like it aged and dry, not sweet. The tacos were large and with thinly sliced fresh cabbage, tomatoes and beans. The waitstaff was excellent and the chair was comfortable. I am disappointed they didn’t have taquitos and I did not see sides of rice and beans offered on the menu. ?“

“When In Santa Cruz you got to hit up Tacos El Chuy. The food is delicious, people are great and friendly. Nothing like a hot meal and a cold beer. Tacos 🌮 are great and the Nachos are awesome.“

“Staff was super friendly and they truly cared about the customers. I had the fish taco and it was amazing“

“Been going there since the early 2020's and it's always has been good...
Good quality food, enough to fill your belly, and even with the plates, sometimes enough to even bring home, love it being close to walking distance, nice restaurant...“

“How can we not be friends ✊. thank you for your kind Grindz and awesome hospitality 💯. Love your food and family 💚“

“I’ve been eating at Gordos for 22 plus years now. Favorite taqueria of all time. Always recommend it to friends, only leaving this review because the burrito I had last night was literally the most perfect burrito they’ve ever made for me. It blew my mind. I’ve literally ordered the same thing for 22 years almost weekly 😂 love this place. Thank you Gordos!“

“It sad to say the taqueria in my Town Tracy cannot even come close to the superior food .“

“Great local spot for authentic Mexican food. The flavors are great and they offer a lot of different meat options that are all cooked, and seasoned nicely.

The place was populated with locals which made us feel like we chose the right spot.

Initially we were nervous about ordering, but the lady running the counter was so incredibly nice, offered suggestions, and walked us through the whole process with patience and a friendly demeanor.“

“Loved this place when I lived in SC. After retiring I traveled the country for a few years and moved to SC from Tempe to be a surf bum for a year. The dude who runs this joint was always super cool and he always had 2 tacos and a beer ready. If, like me, you have your stuff stolen by the shrubbery living under the wharf (IYKYK), you can always get a hot, free side of beans and rice before they open at the walk-up window by saying ‘beans and rice for Jesus Christ’. 11/10 need to go back and hit the Lane.“

“This is a cozy cute place with delicious café de olla, and Mexican dishes, live music and kind owners, convenient location to have food before walking to the beach.“

“Best chicken enchilada EVER! Here I go to try something new!“