San Diego Taco Tour: 3 Spots Worth Your Time

Carne asada tacos at three spots across San Diego and Oceanside — walking distance from downtown for two of them, a Coaster ride up the coast for the third. Here's how they compared.

One of the best parts about spending time in California is the taco situation. San Diego in particular takes it seriously, and after a few days in the Gaslamp Quarter I had a decent sense of which spots were worth the trek and which had lines long enough to make you reconsider. Here are the three taco stops from this trip, all ordered with a carne asada taco to keep the comparison consistent.

Budget-wise, two tacos and a drink ran $10–12 at each stop. Not bad for some of California's best dining!

Stop 1: Taqueria Los Chuchys — Gaslamp Quarter

The closest spot to my hotel was Taqueria Los Chuchys. It was a short walk from my hotel and as it turned out, the best taco of the whole tour.

Los Chuchys sits in the Gaslamp and operates with the kind of quiet confidence that good taco spots don't need to advertise. There was no line out the door like some of its competitors, but it offered a very cean space, full salsa bar, and quick service.

The carne asada tacos were exactly what you want: a fresh corn tortilla, juicy meat, fresh onions, and a generous helping of guac. Everything tasted fresh, no surprise since you can easily watch your food prepared behind the counter. This was my first time trying Los Chuchys and it immediately went towards the top of my list.

Something worth noting: Tacos El Gordo is just down around the corner and is easily the most talked-about taco spot in San Diego. I bailed on it this trip for that reason, but it's on the list for next time I'm in a city with a location (LA, Las Vegas, etc.).

Stop 2: The Taco Stand — Multiple Locations

The Taco Stand is of the more well-known names in San Diego tacos, and the line reflected it. I walked a few blocks over to B street to find a queue out the door and a 30-minute wait, even for people taking their food to go. That's usually a good sign, so I stuck with it. Eating inside wasn't happening, so I ended up taking the tacos across the street to a park.

That decision showed in the final product. The tacos didn't travel particularly well - they looked a bit worse for wear by the time I sat down. That isn't entirely The Taco Stand's fault but is something to factor in if you're planning to do the same.

The flavor was solid once you got past the presentation, and you could tell the ingredients were good quality. The issue was more execution; you could tell things were moving fast as the shop dealt with the large crowd. For that reason, these tacos were probably my least favorite - but still a cut above what we typically experience on the East Coast.

I'll have to revisit The Taco Stand - or one of their other locations - during a quieter moment.

Stop 3: A Coaster Ride + Tacos 1975, Oceanside

For the third stop I did something different and took the Coaster commuter train north from Santa Fe Depot up the coast to Oceanside. This ended up being one of the better parts of the whole San Diego trip.

The Coaster runs along the Pacific coastline for much of the route and the ocean is right there out the window for long stretches. On a clear day it's quite the scenic trip. The final stop, Oceanside, is worth a few hours. The city has been developing a great food and bar scene around its pier and downtown area in recent years. Most of the action is a short walk from the train station, so the whole area is easy to cover on foot.

My final stop was Tacos 1975, a newer spot in an outdoor food hall a few blocks from the Oceanside Pier. My wait was minimal - a huge contrast to The Taco Stand the day before. The tacos themselves were among the largest of the tour. They had great carne asada, guac, cilantro, and lettuce, and were paired with two salsas which I found particularly good (even though the setup lacked a traditional salsa bar.)

The size and the quality of the ingredients made this a strong contender. If you're heading up to Oceanside, a stop at Tacos 1975 is worth building into the day.

The Verdict

Stop	Location	Wait	Standout	Rating
Taqueria Los Chuchys	Gaslamp, San Diego	None	Fresh corn tortilla, juicy asada, great guac	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Taco Stand	Multiple SD locations	30 min	Good flavor, rushed execution	⭐⭐⭐
Tacos 1975	Oceanside food hall	Minimal	Great salsa, generous size	⭐⭐⭐⭐

For me, Los Chuchys was the clear winner. It's not the spot with the longest line or the most Instagram presence in the neighborhood, which may be exactly why it delivered. Next time I'll add Tacos El Gordo to the rotation and report back, assuming the line cooperates.

Part of the Buyups, Bargains & Beaches — San Diego Series

Installment	Status
San Diego Trip Preview	✓ Published
Alaska IAD–SAN First Class (AS 201)	✓ Published
Alma San Diego Downtown Review	✓ Published
San Diego Taco Tour	You are here
SAN Route 992 bus review	Coming soon
Sapphire Lounge SAN review	Coming soon
Alaska SAN–ORD review	Coming soon
AA ORD–DCA A319 First Class review	Coming soon