Lupe’s Cafe

Quick service, parking out front, close to work and a great value for the price. Got the Carnitas plate and an horchata… they were both outstanding! Large portions and very flavorful beans/​rice. The salsa bar was extremely good as well, with many good choices, from smoky to spicy and mild.
I will be back!

The most authentic Mexican food north of the border. Seriously delicious food. Period. Right next to Kaminskis in Poway. Check it out people!!!

Authentic Mexican food. Horchata is awesome. Had enchiladas del sol and tacos, Our kids chowed down. I’ll want to come back to try their Menudo!

As we all know there are many many Mexican restaurants and taco shops in the Poway area. Lupe’s stands above the group with excellent service and fantastic food. Many choices of salsa, excellent guacamole, many traditional Mexican items and high-​quality seafood dishes.
The chips are fresh, thin and crispy. There are many choices of salsa, maybe the best marinated carrots in town (free like the salsa), and all the food is freshly prepared.
If you have not yet tried Lupe’s you owe it to yourself to give it a try. You will not be disappointed.

Of all the Mexican food places in Poway, this is the one my company has chosen for «Burrito Wednesday». Their food is always delicious, large portions and very consistent quality.

My new go-​to for local mexican food. This place is off the beaten path, but the quality and prices are the best!!! It is family owned and operated which is always great, plus they have bomb salsa and ridiculously tasty homemade spicy carrots.
What I usually get is the chicken burrito with bell pepper and grilled onions (blanking on the name right now, sorry). I ask them to add sour cream and I get it cut in half (yep! I’m that girl). I post up at a table and pretend like I’m watching t.v. (I hope you like soccer…). They bring you fresh tortilla chips that they make there in the store. Actually, the last time I came here I came straight from the gym and I still ate the chips (damnit).
When I first came here, I wasn’t super impressed with the service. Some of the people who work here seem a little disengaged so that’s an area that could use some improvement. The first time I came here, I would have rated them 3 stars, but I have returned and they definitely have won me over. I am a fan. Thank you for hooking it up fat with some solid mexican food. I love that I don’t have to pick out any big pieces of fat from my chicken burrito or carne asada tacos. I just put the food to my mouth, chew, and swallow. MMM… Highly recommend. Just don’t take my parking spot!

Decent food. I’ll get it in a pinch because of how close it is to my house. Not the greatest salsa which is what i base my choice of restaurant off of. I am still trying to find a place nearby that has good salsa. If anyone knows of a place tell me, Especially if its a spicy avocado salsa!

Lupe’s is a great little hole-​in-​the-​wall with decent prices. Been coming here, primarily for lunch, for about a year. Their service is very good and there is a pretty quick turn around. Whether you call in your order (and it’s ready within about 10 min from calling it in) or drop in, you’ll be in and out pretty quickly (if needed). The biggest complaint I’ve had is that they do not have their menu online (no restaurant website and no menu photos on Unilocal — thus far) or have a takeaway menu to provide. So, with this last trip to Lupe’s I opted to take a couple photos to put up here for others so they can have a reference point :).

MMMmmmm this place is so tasty! I’ve tried a few things on the menu including both pollo asado and carne asada. Usually either one or the other is good, but at Lupe’s BOTH are good. It’s hard to decide what to get! I brought my boyfriend here for lunch a few times. He can’t get enough either!
My personal favorite is the taco salad. You get this giant salad (though probably not too healthy) with pollo asado, lettuce, pico, beans, guacamole, and sour cream and cheese in a tortilla bowl. So yummy!
If you’re in the area, definitely try it! You won’t be disappointed :)

I’ve eaten here approx. 5 times and all 5 times I thought the carne was lacking in flavor. Not sure why my coworkers love this place, actually I do… it’s because of their inexpensive fish tacos. Lol.

Lupe’s is wonderful. Yes it’s small, but who cares if the food is great and authentic Mexican! Lupe’s daughter is always awesome at the front counter! She will even remember you and your normal order. She is very attentive to your needs, and will take excellent care of you! And the salsa bar is excellent along with the free fresh chips! I have lived in Poway since 1991, and I can’t believe I have not stopped here before. This is now my go to place for authentic Mexican Food in Poway from now on!

From walking in you could tell the restaurant was good since all the tables were filled. Ordered fish tacos, huevos rancheros and a cheese quesadilla. The huevos rancheros were a huge serving coming with rice and beans but perfectly cooked and the tortillas were delicious. The quesadilla left a bad after taste and was too greasy. The fish tacos were tasty as well. Great service and caring hostess who brought out chips and made sure all was well.

In my opinion, this is the best Mexican food in Poway and I’ve tried a lot of them. Since moving back to poway a few years ago, I’ve Been looking for a place to become MY Mexican place and I think I finally found it. The food is fresh, well portioned and flavorful and the service is excellent. I don’t understand how they are so fast and still manage to make the food taste so fresh. I think the location makes a lot of people overlook it. It’s in a tiny strip center and you could miss it if your not looking but I’m sure glad I started coming in. It’s the kind of place I want to support with my business.

Get the fish.
That’s the purpose of my review. Plenty of great comments about the Lupe family, passion, commitment to freshness, blah, blah.
But I don’t see too many reviews for the fish, and that’s where I come in.
I’ve had every fish and seafood option on the menu. But I keep going back to the filet with the ranchero sauce. The fish is good, and the ranchero sauce (onions, peppers, tomatoes) is super fresh and lively. But Mr. Lupe (?) cooks the whole she-​bang perfectly, with a crispy outer coating on the fish, but moist and delicious within.
The shrimp dishes are good as well, with the diavlo particularly satisfying. (Lupe asked me if I could handle the spiciness. Such a challenge…)
I’ve had a bunch of the ‘traditional’ offerings from the menu, including the carnitas, the carne asada, and a few chicken dishes. They’re OK, nothing special. But the fish. That’s worth the trip!

Still coming here after all these years. Still awesome people and awesome food. Since it has been super cold and raining the past week, I was craving soup so Posole soup and Carne soup it was. I didn’t see it on the menu but I asked for it and said they’ll make it for me right now. What?!? How cool is that. Also ordered 2 burritos, rice, and a Mexican Coca Cola. Yummm :)

Poway isn’t exactly a bastion of quality Mexican food, but I was craving tacos, and Lupe’s got the job done.
We tried some simple beef and fish tacos, and both were pretty good. It’s what you would expect from a taco shop, really.

The best mexican food in Poway. Tried em all. Keep coming back here for a reason. Great food. Fair pricing. Authentic awesome mexican food. You will leave full and happy.
Only drawback is minimal parking. But don’t let that discourage you.
Update:
In response to those who gave bad reviews after ordering a bean and cheese burrito. Wah. Cry me a river. If you come to an awesome place like this and order a bean and cheese burrito. You’re not worthy. Order some real mexican food and leave a review.

This is my go to spot for Mexican in Poway! It’s not a chain, it’s not fancy, it’s not where you’d take someone on a first date, but it’s where to go if you want authentic Mexican! Matter of fact, it’s where Mexican’s go for Mexican in Poway. Haven’t really seen too many gringos up in there!
Mexican family, Mexican love, Mexican pride! It really shines through their food!
Lupe’s is family owned and run — I love that. It’s nice to see the whole family working together. Lupe runs the front of the house and husband works the kitchen, and their children are also hard at work after school. Their food is 100% homemade using fresh ingredients!
My girl is a vegetarian and they always accommodate. Here at Lupe’s if she asks for nachos, they grill fresh vegetables, then load the chips with beans, guacamole, cheese, and pico (sans crema– she doesn’t like sour cream). They always hook it up.
During my last trip to Lupe’s I was craving a fish torta (not on the menu). I asked if they could make a torta with the same ingredients they would put into the fish taco. NO PROBLEM! They made me the best fish torta I ever had!
The salsa bar is perfectly simple with 3 – 4 homemade salsas like chipotle, hot, and mild. You’ll also find fresh limes, onions, and cilantro at the salsa bar. Don’t expect to find 10 different options like Rubio’s or other gringo’fied places.
Hot tip: Their chicken soup and menudo is perfect for a hangover! Seriously, they have the best hangover remedies… chicken soup, caldo, or menudo!

My first visit here was terrible. Thankfully my friend who owns a salon next door had me try them again. I was very impressed with Lupe and how much she loves her customers. The salsa has changed since I was last there and it’s very good.
The food is really good and seriously the burritos are MASSIVE!
Don’t think that bean and cheese burrito is gonna be dinky it’s so flipping huge I couldn’t even eat the whole thing I had to save half and I was beyond full.
The prices are cheap too.
The breakfast burritos are heavy and huge also.
Great service, great taste only wish it was a drive thru

I want to thank fellow Unilocaler, Jim for recommending this place to me. He mentioned the fish burritos here were better than Cotixan accross the street. So, I stopped by one day after getting my car serviced in Poway.
Though this place is smaller, harder to find and has no drive-​thru, it makes up for all that by creating Mexican favorites which are higher quality than the majority of the Taco shops on the same street. You can taste the quality in the food. The place is clean, quaint, well laid out with a TV playing. There’s a typical salsa bar available but I recommend the house special green salsa served in a large stone bowl with «Mexico» on it.
Family run for the past six years. I recommend you try the house specials as well as the fish burritos and shrimp fajita burritos.
After my first visit, Lupes has become the número uno go-​to Mexican for me.