Tabe BBQ Grill

Fusion foods are a favorite of mine. I have gone to plenty of places and visited taco trucks in LA so I knkow what’s good and what’s not. Tabe BBQ Grill? Pretty good.
I am assuming that this is just a small family operated busines because i have no idea why they wouldn’t expand or at least move locations! I feel as if their location is really hurting them from going to a higher level. It’s always a little off when the food you eat, doesn’t compliment your surroundings. It’s about the total experience.
Pork tacos were quite good surprisingly. When I say surprisingly, it is because I feel as if most people come to this taco truck not expecting much; It is located next to a gas station with no lines so its kind of a «what have I got to lose» experience. So what I did, was I came back a second time and ordered the asado fries. Once again, delicious. So I guess this place really does have genuine good food! Definitely will be making another trip over soon!

I can’t believe this place hasn’t franchised itself and opened a couple of locations. Image is everything, and this place only takes a hit because its at a gas station and people will judge it based on that weak fact alone.
Do not get it twisted, this place is amazing and will have you questioning why you haven’t discovered this twist on Mexican food, I had the pork tacos which just ooze with flavor by themselves versus their Mexican counterpart. Their asado fries will make your week because its not just good toppings on crappy fries, which are amazing.
I don’t know if its a blessing or a curse that this place is a food truck and a tiny corner restaurant stuck in a gas station. A blessing because usually there are no lines for this place because its remote location or a curse because there’s no other locations, and when you think gas station food, you don’t think quality.
In the end, if you’ve taken the risk of trying this place, you’re kicking yourself for not hitting it up earlier. This is a unique dining experience with a nice twist on the cali staple of Mexican food. It is but it isn’t.

When a good friend of mine from high school decided that he was catering his reception with the Tabe Truck, I was a little concerned about not only what I was about to eat but the future of his relationship with Mrs. Friend from high school. Little did I know she was a Unilocal Elite, oh la la.
Those OMG burritos are named correctly. My mouth is watering just thinking about the spices, the fries, the tender succulent meat… Oh man. I am warning you: This review is about to get XXX rated. The best way to explain it is a foogasm. And a very satisfying one that that, that left me feeling warm and whole, not shameful and dirty. Delicious.
The only problem with my foodgasm was that I left that night not knowing if I would ever see the Tabe BBQ Truck again. Was it a one night stand? Was this something that would never happen again for me, leaving me to taste the sweet memories in my mind?
Luckily, I needed to go to Wal-​Mart. On my way there, I saw a vision, an oasis mixed in the Taco Bell/​McDonalds/​Subway/​Chevron parking lot. There it was, the Tabe BBQ Grill. I knew a love like this was made to last.
We see each other on a bi-​monthly basis. Long enough absences to keep the lust alive and short enough to not forget that tangy kimche on my taste buds. I’m getting all wet thinking about it. I think I need a napkin.

Meh

I had high hopes for this place. Have had great fusion tacos from food trucks in San Diego and LA. Our very good friend who has a food blog told us a while back that we «had to go.» Maybe it has changed?
Setting:
First off, the location is hard to find — but I won’t take off points for that. I do take off points for the outdoor seating area (the only seating area I could see) that is down right nasty. Granted, it is shared with the gas station/​those waiting for their car to finish in the car wash, but cigarette butts and dirty food wrappers everywhere, an overflowing trash can, and a large rodent trap in plain view does not whet my appetite.
Food/​Service:
Ordered the BBQ pork taco for me and the rainbow salad with chicken for DH. Asked to have a corn tortilla in place of flour as I cannot eat wheat. Was told it was no problem. Food arrived. My taco came in a flour tortilla. Why? There was no line and, as far as I could tell, nobody ordered after we did. No excuse. DH switched with me. I took a bite of just the pork meat and it was good, but nothing remotely close to get my tongue wagging. The rainbow salad had tasty thigh meat chicken, iceberg lettuce, some tropical slaw/​salsa that was tasty and topped with hideous canned mandarin orange pieces (we are in So Cal for goodness sakes — put fresh mandarins on top!). This was on top of a pile of plain steamed white rice (of lower quality).
Bottom line: Not worth the ten bucks for a smallish taco and a smallish «salad» (with no drinks).

This review is for the ‘restaurant’, not the food truck.
I write this with deep regret! I wanted to like this place. It had all the potential in the world to taste delicious and be great. But after reviewing several other reviewers’ comments, it appears my complaints are in line with theirs.
Unfortunately, the restaurant is never open. I’ve made many a trip (at least 4 trips now) specifically for the purpose of going to this place to get food. I’ve gone around lunch time, dinner time, and others. Of all the times I’ve wanted to eat here, I always leave disappointed. Why, you ask? It’s NEVER open. I showed up today and saw the hours of operation sign on their whiteboard, but noticed what I’ve come to find truthful it my many visits. Smeared out. The most frustrating thing about this business and why it will ultimately fail as a restaurant is because they either don’t abide by regular schedules or don’t have them. I’ve eaten their food from their food truck before, and it is good, but if given the opportunity to go to their restaurant to eat or go elsewhere, I’ll always choose to eat somewhere else. I’ve just wasted too many times on this place only to be let down.
The second star on this review is ONLY for the quality and taste of the food. Otherwise this is a definite one star review.

Think… Hawaiian Kailua Pork meets Korean Spicy BBQ meets boarder style taco. This fusion is as delicious as it gets! Every bite is a reenactment of a Carl’s Jr commercial, except what stains your shirt is spicy meat juice instead of mayonnaise and ketchup. Need I say more?

This is not your ordinary SoCal taco spot with the name ending in –ERTOS. This is Tabe, infamous for their Korean BBQ tacos. Different, yes. Not your norm in San Diego where the further south you go, the more taco spots come up. It’s a hole in the wall joint inside the Chevron gas station manned by a powerful team ready and waiting to fufill your order. In addition to their one centralized kitchen, they have trucks that go out to different parts of the city helping you get your Tabe fix.
My order always consists of a Korean BBQ and a fish taco. Both are very delicious to the point I have at times pushed my limits and added a third resulting in a good hurt. The Korean BBQ taco is very tasty with a good soaked in flavor which has been very consistent. It has that sweet salty flavor leaning more towards the sweet and garnished with the shredded lettuce, tomatoes and topped with a mandarin orange. As for the fish taco, it’s lighter on the stomach compared to the BBQ. It’s breaded and crunchy with tartar sauce, lettuce and tomatoes. Both tacos come with 2 optional sauces, an Asian mayo and a very mild salsa. Both are good but I love the salsa and portion it to one container per taco.
Eating area is outside on the patio. Not the greatest seating since it’s shared with the carwash folks. However, when it rains, they move the nicer furniture inside the convenient store where it’s a big snug but at least you can enjoy your food. Parking and getting out of the area is a pain, especially during lunch time. But if you come after the lunch rush it’s not as bad.
Customer service is wonderful and the guy with the English accent has always been very personable. Heck, all of the times I’ve been here the staff has been great. Just went to lunch today and one of his cooks gave me and a coworker some spicy fries to try out. Now isn’t that our luck, right? Awesome!
My only request is that they need to extend their hours. I’ll deal with the pain of the area and parking if they extend their hours so I can enjoy their tacos. With a full belly and on the verge of food coma, two thumbs up!

Stop by because I was in the area, wanted Korean fusion because I kinda missed the one in LA-​Koji Truck, so decided to drop by. Didn’t really know what to order, was gonna get tacos but been having tacos all week, so the nice guy suggested the rice bowl with 2 different meat. i liked the chicken, but the spicy pork was a little to mashed up for me. the kimchi and grilled onions were good.
weird location to be, but hey if you have a successful truck, you don’t need a good location. would come back and try other things since I can’t keep up with the truck.

Tabe is pretty cool! What is Tabe? «A unique blend of Asian inspired recipes combined with Mexican flair creates a unique San Diego experience.» Tabe is tucked away in a gas station but who cares? Their food is GOOD!
The food is super cheap! 2 bucks for tacos and 5.86 for a burrito. There are different meats that you can order in your tacos or burrito. They have BBQ Beef, Spicy Pork, Beer Battered Fish and you can get sides such as their 5 spice fries. The carne asada fries look pretty good and I think I’m going to have to try them next time I head to down to SD. Inside the burrito you find the infusion of Mexican and Korean food, with rice, beans, tortilla, kimchi, and your meat. Combine it with their famous sauce and their salsa! You are set! For about 8 bucks, you can get a full on meal.
There was no wait when I went. Ordering is easy and the two workers (I’m presuming the owners) know how to make some mean, good food!
They do have outdoor seating and you can dine in or take it to go.
Get their famous sauce or their salsa. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can get the hot sauce mixed with the salsa. Visit Tabe and I’m hoping they expand up to the LA area.

Tabe represents some of my absolute favorite things in life; the OMG Burrito is basically a california burrito filled with korean bbq. It is simply delicious. The meat was very flavorful, kinda sweet and spicy. I also had their fish tacos which were really fresh and tasty.
Places like this are really popular in LA (kogi, etc.) so I’m glad San Diego has something comparable.

This place is great. 5 spice fries for the win! They also have 3 sauces that make your food even better.
They have a world famouse sauce (some kind of mayo mix) a really hot sauce (rooster sauce) and a mild sauce. Makes your food taste much better.
I have had the burrito (has kimchi in it). Very good meat with asian rice (kind of like sushi rice). Really good.
I’ve also tried their beef taco (best) pork taco (second best) fish taco (i would skip it, just like any other fish taco).
I want to try the asada fries.
Add extra meat 50 cents, extra cheese 50 cents. Can’t really go wrong here. Definately try it if you can.

After eating at the Kogi truck, I’ve been looking for a local KBBQ/​Mexican fusion place.
Reading the reviews of this place I was sold. True, Tabe’s offerings are not the same as Kogi but they’re not trying to be. I’m fine with that, all the reviews made them sound awesome.
Unfortunately, my experience was not in line with the reviews. I ordered the chicken taco and the Tabe asada fries with extra meat and extra cheese (this was suggested when I asked the cashier what he recommended).
The chicken taco was topped with lettuce, pineapple, and their salsa. It was OK, kind of reminded me of a Taco Bell soft taco. The fries on the other hand were wayyyyyy too sweet. It was like eating a dessert… a dessert with sour cream on top. It was so bad that I couldn’t finish more than a few bites. And I love meat and potatoes. I think the problem is that they’re made with their five spice fries… it’s just not a good combination of flavors and made me feel sick. It might be better with plain fries.
Pro-​tip: They have a taco tuesday on tuesday nights if you want to give them a try on the cheap.

Inside a Chevron? seriously? At least I can grab a slurpee to go with the meal. Also, a lotto ticket so I can potentially afford to eat at better places.
The beef taco was decent. The meat was well marinated. Nothing spectacular though.
The Tabe Asada fries were a let down. The description sounds so good. It has melted cheese, sour cream, fries, spices, and meats. However, it’s way too sweet! It looks similar to normal carne asada fries, but when you bite into it you’ll taste sugar and cinnamon. Weird. We tried to eat more, but gave up and had to throw the rest away.

*** Heads Up: if you’re heading out to this location, it’ll definitely give you the definition of hole in the wall if you don’t slow your automobile down. That said, it is located inside the Chevron convenience store on the corner of Murphy Canyon and Aero. If you still can’t find it, look for folks to be eagerly waiting outside to place their orders.
Ok, found time to review!
I’ve hit up this location several times and just recently, for Tabe Tuesdays (6 – 9 PM). I’ve never really stuck around to see the commotion of Tuesdays since I usually go in, spear someone with a plastic fork, and bounce. However, if you choose to stay, the patio is set up for some ping pong, grubbin, and the DJ is spinning good music… at a gas station. I mean, who does that? CLASSIC. It’s a nice alternative to your usual hum-​drum Taco Tuesday.
If you’re a newbie and need to try the holy grail item on the menu, it would have to be the Tabe Asada Fries (TAFs). It is a paper tray of a San Diego staple topped with who knows what. I’d rather not know, considering some masterpieces need to remain covert /​not ruined. I know some people say that they wish it were a bigger order but do you want to die early? I mean, would you eat two orders of animal-​fries from In-​N-​Out? Ok, you probably would. Fatties unite! All that said, make sure you place an order for these. I spent so much time foodgasming on it trying to figure out what all the flavors were.
The tacos for me were kind of a miss. It might have been the salsa slaw that threw me off. I always expect a certain zing or acidity or heat and it was lacking. However, it is probable that I may have just not had my palate game straight. It does get messy since the base is a flour tortilla, so nab yourself a lot of napkins. Of the four they offer, my humble opinion suggests that you try the Spicy Korean or Fish since it delivers the most flavor.
Service wise, I think the staff is great. It certainly depends on what time you get to the spot and how much you order but the quality of preparation and ingredients are fresh. They even come out and place your order on your table. People might argue the service can get out of hand but that’s expected. Did I not just say that the venue is located inside a gas station? They don’t have a GE-​Smart kitchen at their disposal!
Overall, I’ll be reacqauinting myself with Tabe BBQ over and over again. I just need to get one of their trucks to make it to my work place!

Well, I happened to be around the Aero Drive area for work the past two days and I was determined to try the famed Tabe Asada fries the first day I spent almost 20 minutes trying to find the place since I only had the thought in mind and forgot to look on their website where the exact location was so I ended up going somewhere else since my lunch break is rather short.
The next day I went there as fast as I could only to be rewarded with some semi slow service but even though I was in a rush when I got back to work and started eating I found that the small wait was definitely worth it. The portion you get for $ 6 is kinda unexpected especially since when you think _​_​_​_​_​Asada Fries you’ll be getting a ridiculous portion fit for two but I’m a big guy and was hoping for at least a foam container full of this goodness but I was sadly disappointed in the size though the flavor made up for it I guess.
I’m sure those reading this would expect for the korean bbq to be the star of the show for the Tabe Asada Fries but I have to say the fries in this case were definitely the better flavor element. I’m not sure what spices they use for their fries but it was an absolutely magical blend that went so well with the sweetness of the Korean BBQ (i’m assuming Bulgogi). Overall, for a little window in a gas station convenience store they’re top tier in my book and I will most definitely give this place another go for their other offerings.

It’s easy to get hooked on Tabe’s Asian take on Mexican food. You love Asian BBQ right? So why not put it in a taco? Chef Todd has done exactly that with great results. I liked the spicy pork taco better than the beef one — it had great heat to it — the salsa really balances the flavors. I also tried the asada fries — shoestrings with carne asada, covered with cheese, sour cream and the aforementioned flavorful salsa. They melt the cheese with a torch instead of sticking it in the microwave, which I thought was really clever.
Quick note: this is their home kitchen that services the mobile trucks and their hours are only M-​F from 11 – 3. They have said they are changing that, but I would call if you are in doubt.

I was so excited to try this place. It seems like the reviews are pretty split on which is better between the beef and pork taco. I have to say I thought the pork was much tastier. Tacos are around $ 2 each.
The fries are yummy but they did leave my tongue a little numb by the time I finished eating.
I grateful to have this place as an alternative to the food in Sorrento Valley.
Visit their website to see their hours and where they are each day of the week.

If this place served beer, it would get five stars. (yeah, i know, that’s how i do)
The tacos here were delicious! The layers of flavor were so interesting and refreshing. It wasn’t too out there though, they were still bbq, and spicey pork. This isn’t just another taco place serving street tacos (which are great too). This is something really cool and yummy for those people who are interested in the asian/​mexican blend.
The tortillas were light and flavorful, the presentation was great. I’ll DEFINITELY be catering these in for work. I have a feeling everyone will love me for it.
I hit up their location on Murphy Canyon Road. Small, but friendly service. Definitely give this place a try!

I found Tabe BBQ inadvertently by searching for a traditional BBQ place. Once I read the reviews I began to have flashbacks of my great experience at the Kogi Truck in LA. The location closest to me was closed so I searched for the next Tabe location. When I followed the directions I ended up at… a gas station??? Luckily, I had the presence of mind to go inside and check it out.
The small take out window is easily missed if you don’t venture far enough into the «Extra Mile» convenience store. But once you find it… you’ve found some serious munchage.
Just like others have said about the other location in Rolando… it’s mexican /​asian fusion. Delicious korean style meats put inside your favorite type of mexican fare. Tacos, burritos, and Tabe Asada Fries??? Yup, you read correct… Tabe Asada Fries. Yes, the menu is much smaller than Kogi’s but I imagine that’s because they’re fairly new. I can see the menu expanding as they grow. They also have a rice «bowl» which consists of your choice of meat, refried beans, chopped up lettuce, and white rice. Not bad… but I’d say try everything else before getting that.
The food took a little while to get but that’s because they literally don’t make it until you order it. I didn’t mind at all, but if they start to get more popular this may become a problem. The customer service is great here… that’s a lot of the reason I didn’t mind the wait.
Overall, probably the best food you’ll ever get at a gas station. Give it a shot!