Vallarta Express Mexican Eatery

Reviews

• Jennifer F.

  star star star star star 8 June 2026

  This is widely known as the GO-TO place among UCSD students to fullfill drunchies and late-night food cravings. Every time I drank with my friends, vallartas would always magically show up at some point. This was the first mexican food place people took me to coming to SD. It was so good that I once took the bus all the way from campus just for vallartas (I do not recommend doing this). My friends and I would blow a ridiculous amount of money to postmates vallartas when we had no car in college.
  
  Ok enough of that! I'm here to tell you the best best best things to get:
  
  #1: Super fries/carne asada fries: This is THE thing to get. This is the crowd pleaser, the #1 favorite. Fries are on the thicker side and they load a generous generous generous amount of carne asada, guac, sour cream, and cheese on top of it. Portion size is ginormous and I'd say it's perfect for 2-3 people to consume. I love it when the cheese gets melty from the heat of the fries and ugh it's just so good. I highly recommend the red sauce eat with this or any of the food here. It's BOMB!! Green sauce is not bad with it too. If youre feeling extra fancy, you can also order christian fries, which is the same thing just with added fried eggs and bacon, but the bacon can get too salty for me sometimes
  
  #2: California burrito: MY FAVORITE BURRITO OF ALL TIME. Ionno man, just something about it is way more savory and delicious compared to other places cali burritos I've had. I'm not explaining this well but it really just hits the spot. Especially especially especially with the red sauce.
  
  I'm begging you guys to try these things, you won't be disappointed!!!

• Anna B.

  star star star star star_border 8 June 2026

  Delicious food at a small, simple restaurant that also has a drive through and is ope! Went for lunch on a Tuesday and there was only two other customers so service was extremely fast. I went with the California burrito (which food seemed a little pricier than expected), which was delicious and huge! There were also salsa and a tomato based sauce that were great additions to the burrito, and I was also able to ask for limes.
  
  My favorite thing about this meal was that they have seating outside so I got to eat my burrito while sitting at their high tables!

• Vincent P.

  star star star star_border star_border 3 June 2026

  To cap off the night, we came here to grab a late dinner takeout. My friend suggested this place to me earlier in the day, so we decided to check it out. The place is open 24/7, so they'll certainly always be open even at the wee hours, so I can see why they're so popular, especially in a college town!
  
  We decided to share the carne asada fries and I ordered the California Burrito. First off, the portions are HUGE. They provide so much food, I would definitely recommend sharing each order with someone. As for the food, we thought that the crane asada fries were okay, but left a lot to be desired. The California Burrito, though, was delicious and tasty. The green and red sauces were also great for that spicy kick. The red sauce was super spicy while the green was more mild, which was more to my liken.
  
  Overall, I would say that our visit was a 3.5 stars. The carne asada fries didn't live up to our expectations, but we enjoyed our other orders: the burritos and quesadillas.

• Monique C.

  star star_border star_border star_border star_border 2 June 2026

  Took a year off eating here after there was tile grout in my Cesar Pepita salad... but now that I got this metal spiral that almost cut my mouth up I'm done here for good. Since Vallarta hasn't responded to calls or emails from either matter, I am forced to write a yelp review. Beware y'all!

• Jacqueline T.

  star star star star star 28 May 2026

  Reviewing just their Carne Asada Fries, I've got to say this is the best Carne Asada Fries I've ever had. Now, I don't eat the meat, but my friends most happily ate them and enjoyed them. I love that these fries are loooooadd with cheese, sour cream, and guacamole. The fries themselves are cooked perfectly. If you're looking for crispy fries, you won't get them here, but I like my fries soft and kind of "soggy", and this place was perfect for me.