Juanita's Taco Shop

Juanita's Taco Shop Estilo Tepatitlán is a small, long-running taco shop on Coast Highway 101 in Encinitas, opened in 1984 by Juanita, a single mother who cooked in the Jalisco style.

History

Juanita opened the shop in March 1984 after coming from Michoacán and raising her children on her own following her husband's death. According to the San Diego Reader, she cooked in the style of Jalisco, as the name's reference to the town of Tepatitlán suggests. Her sons Alex and Ricardo later took over day-to-day operation so that she could step back. The shop is at 290 North Coast Highway 101, on a strip of surf shops, bike shops and small restaurants, with a bus stop out front and the Encinitas Coaster station about a mile south.

Menu

The room is tiny, with a few tables, a counter and a felt-letter menu board. The menu is the classic San Diego taco shop roster: carne asada, carnitas and al pastor tacos, fish tacos, rolled tacos, breakfast burritos with chorizo or machaca, a California burrito with french fries, adobada burritos, tortas, tostadas, flautas and horchata. In the Reader's account it served from early morning until midnight, staying open until 2 a.m. on weekends. A 2021 Reader feature noted its carnitas and pollo asado.

Reviews

See also

• Tacos de carnitas

References

1. "Tacos for Life". San Diego Reader. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
2. "San Diego tacos – from the beginning to now". San Diego Reader. Retrieved 2026-10-10.