Kotija Jr

Best Fish Tacos in town… for sure! Be sure to ask for the salsa in the red squeeze bottles! This place hits the spot after a long day at the beach.

Best Fish Tacos ever. I drove all the way from San Jose Ca just to get a fish taco from here. Has 2. Going to have 2 more tonight and head back home tomorrow happy
Why do I have to live 10 hours away :(. You locals or people without a few hours are so lucky.
I literally had 8 fish tacos in 2 days and now 2 weeks later am dying to return. Might have to take another drive out just for the fish tacos

Every time I come here I’m disappointed. And I regret it every time! Only reason I ever come here is when every other Mexican restaurant less than a mile away is closed and I’m too lazy to drive or cook.
Things that suck:
Service sucks — Once I waited forever because they lost my order. They offered no apology for me patiently waiting 30 min. Recently they forgot to put guac in my California burrito after I paid an extra dollar for it (California burritos at Kotija are not their specialty and leave a lot left to be desired).
Food sometimes sucks: Their enchiladas are pretty sloppily made. Sauce was bland. See above for marginal-​at-​best California burrito. I knew I should have walked directly back home when my destination burrito places were both closed.
Things that are good:
They are open late. They have a parking lot. They are in close proximity to good Mexican restaurants.
I’ve been to all of the Mexican restaurants in Leucadia and this is the worst. And not from from 1 bad experience… it just isn’t that good.

5 stars limited to California Burrito and Carne Asada fries.
Both are simply delicious, in between my boyfriend and I we have eaten hundreds of this.
Cheers tip: order the Carne Asada fries (big enough for two people) and two tortillas and voilà you have two California Burritos.
The proportions aren’t perfect but it hits the spot if you are on a budget
I will recommend it and definitely come back when in the area!
Cheers!

my go to taco tuesday spot !!! cheap tj tacos and easy access right off of pch and lucadia

Driving down the coast and A friend told me to stop by and try the fish tacos. They have a very big menu so take a few min to find what you like. I ordered #14 (3 rolled tacos and a fish taco) and the chicken enchilada.
All the food looked excellent
Big portions
Fish taco was loaded with fish just enough cabbage and white sauce.
Salsa bar
Grilled veggies in the enchilada
Delicious flavor
Not too greasy
Very glad we stopped by to check it out.

I feel bad about this rating, but honestly I was so disappointed with this place.
Came here with some friends after a night of drinking looking for some really offensively yummy Mexican food. I ordered a Chorizo breakfast burrito, rolled tacos, and carne asada fries for me and my boyfriend. Everything was just. okay. It felt like they did not season the meat in the rolled tacos and the burrito had a bizarre flavoring (almost sweet). The carne asada fries were decent but nothing out of this world.
Maybe the fish tacos are good, but I definitely won’t be going back for breakfast. Sorry guys.

Suchhhhhhh yummy fish tacos… had never been before and decided to take my daughter randomly for Taco Tuesday… A lot of taco options… out of chicken, steak and fish — the fish was bar far my fav! Great flavor and I just didn’t want it to end! Nice place to sit outside in a warm summer afternoon and people watch or make people driving by jealous of your delish grub!

What I ate:
Hard shell beef taco and cheese enchilada combo
Food was ok but nothing special. It tastes like all the other fast food Mexican places. Nothing will drive me to picking this place over another small Mexican place. It wasn’t overly greasy but it wasn’t overly fresh. I liked that they had a salsa bar with a few options. All the salsas were good. But really, nothing stood out.
The location is tight. It’s on the corner so if you sit outside, you hear the noise from the busy road. But inside feels claustrophobic. The best place is on the patio since it’s a happy medium. It blocks some of the noise and feels most open of the places you can sit. The parking is very tight but I didn’t have any trouble.

I love this place so much! It takes me back to the good olé days growing up between borders. Back to TJ flavor!

This place was pretty good, right on the corner of Leucadia & Coast Hwy, you can’t miss it. I heard so many good things about their fish tacos and a friend suggested we stop here but I was not impressed. Granted, we came a little later in the evening & my oddball resolution had me eating no carbs so perhaps I need to give it another shot.
Nonetheless my friend ordered chicken tacos, which apparently, if u order the «soft» come with no lard in it versus fried, and I ordered the carnitas plate no onions. The meat was rather bland and bell peppers could’ve been grilled more.
I also wasn’t having it with the messy salsa bar, which the salsas were o-​k.
Maybe I need to come back for the fish tacos…

One of my favorite Mexican restaurants in Encinitas. Huge burritos and lots of other great dishes to choose from. They are also very quick if you need to be in and out. They also have great salsa and spicy carrots! I love sitting outside on the bar table facing the traffic. Fun people watching!

Whoa.
Did we just eat the most eye rolling, toe curling, drool worthy tacos in all of Encinitas?
Si. Si, señor.
The carnitas had bomb ass flavor with juicy tenderness, but had crisp edges and was served very hot. I wanted to wolf it down, but every time I took a bite, I’m reminded to slow down and actually enjoy it. God damn, that ish was HELLA GOOD.
And I only got one because I needed room for my tummy with the equally delicious baja fish taco. Perfectly crunchy, the batter wasn’t too thick and served with that creamy white sauce. What is THAT?! #dontcare #ilovewhitesauces #TWSS
The steak taco was still good, but pales in comparison to the other two choices. The salsa bar could definitely use some more saborrr #istilldontcare
A casual joint with some outside seating facing the busy road. Pick a seat right where the bus stop is to see the riff raff of San Diego. Stay Classy SD!

Awesome little Mexican shop perfect for a pit stop on the way home post night shift. Open at 8 (and earlier I’m assuming, I forgot to look!).
Service was quick, easy and hassle free. The burrito was AMAZE BALLS. Perfect sized and their salsa bar with lots of options is a plus in my book since I can be quite indecisive after 12 hours all night so having salsa options is key.
The tortilla was warm, soft and buttery with some nice brown crispy char on the outside – cooked to perfection. The eggs were delicious and cheesy. Bacon was crispy, not fatty and just delicious. The hash browns in the burrito were awesome too – very crispy and added some nice texture for sure. Sour cream was a must and the sausage I could’ve done without so I’ll forgo that next time but overall super happy. Cheap, easy, on the way home and delicious. Perfect way to end and start my day.

Kotija is making good Mexican food for a great price.
I have visited Kotija several times now. Everything I have gotten has been good and substantial. You get a lot for your money here. On my first visit, I wasn’t particularly hungry and ordered two tacos. They were big and I could barely finish the second.
My favorite item on their menu are the fish tacos. They aren’t fancy but they’re good. I like the big piece of fried fish they deliver.
The restaurant itself is a bit of a dive. The interior is relatively small but there is a sizeable covered patio. My kids love to sit along the Coast Highway and watch the cars and people go past. It’s good entertainment with the meal.

GREAT Mexican food in Encinitas. Probably new favorite spot. My wife and buddy’s wife wanted fish tacos so we were going here or Karina’s and Karina’s was closed so the decision was easy. Walked in and a sign on the wall said «BEST FISH TACO IN SD.» Game on.
Sure enough, both ladies loved the fish tacos and agreed it was one of the finer ones they’ve had. My buddy got the pastor burrito and loved it. I had the surf and turf (shrimp and carne asada) and it was really good. No skimping on shrimp and it wasn’t the little tiny ones, hearty, plump ones in there. My wife also had a carnitas quesadilla which had some fantastic carnitas in it. Not much cheese sadly, but plenty of great meat.
Looking forward to making regular visits here. Highly recommend.

I had a brief love affair with Kotija Jr after the Taste of Leucadia. I fell in love with their fish tacos that night and could not get enough of the yummy salsas in their extensive salsa bar. I liked the flavors of Mexican spices married with produce which provides a perfect compliment to the crunchy cabbage and lightly battered fish.
My kids had been raving about Kotija Jr and after trying the tacos I felt like I missed out on years of mouth watering goodness. I was determined to catch up with those missed meals. Within weeks I had visited several times for the fish taco special on Taco Tuesday, and I finally decided that it was time to expand my horizons.
The daily special menu interested me, standouts included camarones ranchero and diablo flavored burritos. I needed something light just to tide me over for a Unilocal event the same evening so I ordered the grilled fish burrito.
I did not like my burrito, so I opened it up to douse it with more salsa and the unimaginable happened. I found a piece of carne asada mixed right there into my burrito. I want to kick myself in the ass for not asking about the fish preparation. I felt betrayed, humiliated and sick to my stomach. It was like a film in my mouth that you can not get rid of, long after I chucked the burrito into the dumpster the flavor lingered on.
A couple of weeks later my boys came home and wanted take out from Kotija Jr as our pre-​fathers day dinner. I armed them with a bunch of cash and they asked the cashier if the fish and shrimp are all grilled right there with the meats. It turns out they mingle the chicken, pork, beef, shrimp and fish together and are having a big fat meat orgy in the griddle. Never will I be able to order anything on the menu except the deep fried fish taco or a bean burrito.
Kotija Jr is a one trick wonder in my book, but if you ask my sons they will tell you that the addition of carne asada to the fish taco is «bonus» instead of «bogus». I guess everything goes in Funky Leucadia.

Overall quite good. Fish taco, carnitas tacos both very good. Not the best but very good.

The best Mexican restaurant I’ve ever been to, HANDS DOWN. I know that’s a bold statement, but it’s true. Maybe because I’m from the east coast and haven’t tried all the infamous Mexican spots in San Diego, but I know food and I know Mexican food, and this one is amazing.
My first experience at Kotija was over 8 years ago, when I came to visit one of my friends who lives out in Encinitas. I fell in love with their veggie quesadilla and burrito, and eat here at least twice every time I come to visit (which at least once every 2 years).
Well, this trip is no different. We stopped by Kotija yesterday and again, felt like I was in heaven when eating their veggie quesadilla topped with their hot sauce/​salsa. Their food is fresh, with the best ingredients, and it’s super filling (and inexpensive). The quesadilla was filled with beans, sour cream, lettuce, veggies, etc. and it’s ginormous. Their tortilla is grilled to perfection and my taste buds have never felt a difference in the quality and goodness of their food. I can barely finish the whole thing, but force myself to, and then don’t eat anything for the rest of the day.
I’m glad that their quality has stayed true for the past 8 years and I hope it continues. I may be adventurous and try something different on their menu, as I have a few more days left in the area and will definitely be coming back. My friend loves their carne asada and chicken tacos and burritos here, so through his recommendation, I’d say you should definitely try them too. Oh, forgot to mention, they have Taco Tuesday!

Must Order: Fish Tacos, Posoles Tacos (?)
Warning: big portions of delicious food!
This was my husband’s pick for our weekend trip to San Diego. He was in charge of ordering which is probably where we went wrong. Not knowing how much they served and how little our stomachs can hold, we ended up with a fish tacos (2 tacos) meal with beans & rice, and 3 tacos — one each of carnitas, Posoles (?), and carne asada.
FISH TACOS (5 belly rubs): The fish tacos were delicious as promised. Nice crispy chunky fish with fresh taco fixings. My husband loved the refried beans. I just enjoyed my fish taco in its entirety. We definitely could have stopped at just this order between the two of us but oh no no no, hubby had ordered THREE more tacos.
THREE TACOS (4 belly rubs): Honestly at this point I don’t remember which taco was which. All three were delicious with one standing out over the other. We just have no idea which one it was! That’s what you get when you’re full and then faced with yummy lookin tacos.
We will definitely be back on our next drive down to SD! Great food at great prices. I think it was $ 15 for all of our food + a soda.