El Caribe Grill

Start your review… I have been coming here for the past 17 years or so and they never disappoint. The prices are good, the portions are good. The food is a healthier take on mexican food. This last outing here was fantastic. Had the grilled mahi mahi burrito. Loaded with fish, cabbage, spinach, onions and a light dressing. So so good! Service was exceptional. Always a good place to go when I’m in town.

Fantastic authentic Mexican food. We love, love their carne asada. Employees are quick and friendly. A gem :)

I realize this is Health-Mex…but it was a little too much bland-​mex for me.

Well, the bad reviews are true. Bad tasting food. It’s as if they have tried to make it healthier by leaving out the good tasting bad stuff. Healthy food should taste delicious. This did unfortunately not. I had the two different kinds of fish tacos. Also, the salsa made my tongue tingle. My wife’s too. Off?

We picked up a a fire roasted carne asada burrito ($ 7.25). The burrito was pretty good. It was tasty and pretty filling. The only thing I didn’t like was that it took awhile to get our food even though we were the only party in the restaurant. They ran out of the meat that we had ordered but didn’t tell us this until they were preparing our food about 20 minutes later. Also, one person in our party had an issue with the item they ordered and the people in the store were apologetic but they didn’t seem to understand the issue or try to do anything to resolve the problem. The shop is also hard to find since it is located in a shopping plaza with lots of stores in a strange layout.
Overall, the food is tasty but the spotty service would make me hesitant to come back.

What brought me to the restaurant was the great reviews on Unilocal.
However, I am disappointed with my first experience here. I ordered a carne asada burrito and what I got was a small burrito with beef and lettuce. I’m not an expert and could have ordered wrong but i’m sure a burrito comes with much more then just beef and lettuce. I was told there would be at least guacamole in it when I ordered. Due to my short lunch break and the large amount of people inside I didn’t say anything.
I like to support local stores instead of chain restaurants but sometimes its better to go to a place where you know what you will exactly get when you order.

My new favorite fish tacos. Everything tastes so fresh. They also have a great salsa bar.

This is not your run-​of-​the-​mill Mexican place. It’s the healthier version. Think seafood, grilled not fried, big salads, etc.
I crave grilled seafood taco options, so I was excited to try El Caribe’s offerings. But by the end, the meal was definitely a «meh.» I ordered the Caribe salad with greens, cabbage, bean sprouts, peanuts, carrots, and blackened salmon in a carrot-​peanut-​ginger dressing. Sounds good, right? There was definitely nothing wrong with it, but for what sounds like has a lot of flavor, I felt that it was missing something. The dressing got to be a little too watered down, and the salmon was on the too-​well-​done side. I shared a Carne Asada quesdilla, and that was also okay. The meat was tough, and the quesadilla just wasn’t very exciting.

3.5 stars is all I’m willing to give this place until I go back and try their burritos.
Their salsa bar has two great salsas. The avocado salsa is a smooth and creamy while the sweet salsa is sweet but a bit watery. On the other hand, the worst thing at the bar are the «spicy carrots». They didn’t brine them long enough so they were very hard when I bit into them. And they were not spicy at all, so they really should just label them carrots.
I tried out the asada fries (asada, sour cream, salsa fresca, guacamole, and cheese on fries for $ 7.99) and a cheese quesadilla on wheat tortilla (less than $ 5). When the fries were placed in front of me I was very disappointed. The fries literally had one tablespoon of guacamole and the portions were so small, certainly not worth eight bucks. I ate the fries with avocado salsa but it did not make up for the lack of guacamole. Don’t ever get the asada fries.
The quesadilla was good. It was essentially cheese with handmade tortilla with a side of iceberg lettuce and salsa fresca. Presentation is a thing here.
The service was good although it took a while for our food to come because the lunch crowd came in and delayed the cashier from giving us our food on time. I wouldn’t have noticed the wait if I had something good to snack on such as pickled carrots…
I’m not quite sold on El Caribe just yet but I will go at least one more time to try their infamous burritos.

It’s a mexican place that charges $ 2.75 for chips. nuff said.
It would be like an Italian restaurant charging $ 3 for a slice of bread before your meal.

Great fish tacos, they were very tasty. Cannot go wrong with them and it was a little hot in the place (hot day in SD) but very fresh fish and tasty salsa.

This isn’t your standard taco joint — it’s a Caribbean/​Mexican fusion place and it is delicious. Being a creature of habit, I always get the same thing here — the Caribbean fish tacos. Just thinking about these makes me want to go get one right now!
There is outdoor seating, which helps make this place a regular on my rotation.

El Caribe is that amazing eatery that all your friends have tried but you haven’t! I bet you have driven right by here on El Camino a hundred times as well! Jeeeesh!
This, however, is not your average taco shop… the best way I can describe El Caribe is Fresh Taco Shop Faire with a gourmet Island Twist!
Their menu covers the bases… from tacos, burritos, tortas and enchiladas to salads and plates. Keep a keen eye though on the descriptions or risk your taste buds being pleasantly surprised! Twists like the coconut shrimp tacos, and fire grilled burrito (with cajun sauce) abound. But you will not be disappointed.
Make sure you try the «sweet salsa» from their salsa bar… this sauce has a sweet to spicy kick that goes perfect with everything on the menu, at least that I have tried thus far.
Forgo that regular old burrito and get in here!

The best chicken soft tacos in the history of chicken soft tacos. They use white breast meat. Just about every other restaurant that serves a version of Mexican food uses dark thigh meat in their tacos/​burritos.
Most people don’t understand what this restaurant is all about. It is about healthy eating. That means not a lot of salt.
Salt has been linked to a lot of disorders including stomach cancer, heart disease, and stroke.
The healthiest Mexican version restaurant in town.

El Caribe is a diamond in the rough.
Our family has frequented this small restaurant for the past 14+ years, confident that each visit would bring excellent food along with personable service.
El Caribe offers beverages ranging from beer & wine, to fresh smoothies & juice.
Good people and great food with a kick, combined with a relaxed atmosphere.
*Note: They also package take-​out well, keeping your food nice and warm!

Ameri-​Mex.
A good place to grab a quick snack, lunch, dinner, meal.
The food is fresh and it taste pretty good.
We had a sampling of a bunch of the food here and it was a pleasant experience.
I’m not sure if this is an independent shop or not, but I appreciate stand alone places that compete against the chains.
Support your local business and visit El Caribe Grill.

El Caribe is just about as good as rice cakes.
I stayed away from mercury for two weeks so I could try out their mahi-​mahi taco without feeling like I was killing the brain cells in that growing baby belly. What a disappointment. One bite was enough to decide that El Caribe is BLAND mexican food.
And don’t blame it on those weird pregnancy taste buds, because Eddie took a bite and thought it was just as terrible.
Carnitas taco and carne asada torta weren’t any better. Everything was extremely bland. There was something funky about the tortillas… they had that once-​heated-​but-​left-​out-​for-​two-​hours hardened feel to them. The guac and the black beans were very blah. BORING and TASTELESS. The mahi taco seriously needed some sauce.
Three stars to the shrimp ceviche and the salsa.
El Caribe is the worst Mexican food I’ve ever ordered from a restaurant. The 30% of coupon in Clipper magazine is nice, but I wouldn’t even eat there again for free.

«Healthy» and «Mexican» are two words which don’t normally collide in the same sentence but that is probably an unfair rap. However, when most of what you can get at a typical taco shop consists of cheesy fried goodness, a certain reputation develops.
El Caribe is not your typical taco shop. If you are looking for grease, cheese and fat – and let’s face it, sometimes you are and sometimes nothing else will hit the spot – do not come here because they don’t have what you want.
I have only tried the carnitas burrito (not exactly a super healthy option but hey, I need to ease into this healthy Mexican food business). The meat was not deep fried but was also not made to order. I think they gave me my burrito two minutes after I ordered it. It was good but not spectacular.
The salsa bar was well-​stocked and good. Incidentally, the «sweet» salsa, which I thought I would hate, was surprisingly tasty. However, the «spicy» carrots were not spicy at all and too crisp for my liking. Service at the counter was extremely friendly.
Next time, I really need to go with their strengths and perhaps try one of their seafood dishes. I will give them another shot and update this review. It’s only fair.

Love El Caribe!
Caribe salad w/​salmon, SOS. Use they’re sweet salsa instead. So delicious!

Short review for a place that I love long time…
I love that I can order the Mahi burrito w/​o having to explain my allergies — no cheese on this one, and the fish isn’t cooked in butter!
Everything here is super fresh and made with love… including the amazing sauces! Tried the new avocado sauce today + spicy red sauce = YUM
Will return again and again, just wish the parking situation was better there. Sometimes I have to miss out of eating here because I can’t find parking and that lunch hour just gets shorter and shorter.
Thanks El Caribe, You Rule!

This place is hit or miss but more hit… the salads are huge and the best deal around. the taco meat can be overcooked at times but when it is done correctly (as it is most of the time) it is VERY GOOD.
I will go back here every time I’m in the area.