I had the pleasure of eating at Rubio's Coastal Grill the other day and boy was I impressed. If you are not familiar, it is a Mexican restaurant combined with a Seafood restaurant that focuses on fresh food. The resulting combination is something quite tasty. Different kinds of fish tacos are some of the mainstays of the restaurant.

You can check out their website here:

https://www.rubios.com/

The Food:

The company prides itself on using only fresh food. To top it off, they don't actually start preparing the food until you order it, now that is a novel idea. :)

This comes directly from their website:

"At Rubio's, we believe that when you put the best ingredients in, you get the best food out. That's why we use sustainable seafood, all natural chicken raised without antibiotics, fresh produce, stone-ground corn tortillas and more. We're always working our hardest to get fresh food on your plates."

I feel like most restaurants say something like this, but when tasting their food, I actually believe it. Just as a tiny example, the lettuce has a certain "crunch" to it that lets you know it hasn't been sitting out for hours before you consume it. 

Here is a list of some of the food items on their menu:

• Fish Tacos
• Grilled Seafood Tacos
• Seafood Burritos
• Chicken or Steak Tacos
• Salads and Bowls
• Veggies
• Nachos 
• Quesadillas
• Enchiladas

You can customize just about any combination of the above. As you can see it is quite the mix of seafood and classic Mexican dishes. The meats are all grilled, hence the name, "Rubio's Coastal Grill".

The restaurant:

The restaurant was founded by a surfer back in 1983 and is now run by a former executive at Chipotle. The restaurant recently overtook Chipotle as the number one Mexican restaurant in a consumer reports survey. That is saying quite a lot considering Rubio's is predominantly on the west coast and has approximately 10% of the number of restaurants as Chipotle. Chipotle also has restaurants nationwide. 

The restaurant's themselves do a great job of making you feel like you are on the coast in a Mexican city. The atmosphere is great. Upon doing some research it appears many of the restaurants recently underwent an image makeover to more accurately reflect their menu and stated goal as a restaurant. I would say they succeeded. 

My review and what do I recommend?

I tried the classic chicken tacos as well as the original fish tacos. They actually have a special deal for fish tacos on Tuesdays. So, I will be back on Tuesdays! Both items were outstanding. They tasted even better than they looked which is saying a lot because they looked beautiful. 

The only downside, and it's kind of a big one, was the prices. For the amount of food you get the price is quite high. I ordered 2 classic chicken tacos and it cost me around $8. Which is a lot when you factor in the size of the taco. I could have easily eaten 6 of those little tacos which would have gotten quite pricey!

My advice, go on a Tuesday or another day when they have a special. Either way though, you should go if you ever get the chance. Since I don't get to go to the Mexican coast as often as I would like, it's the next best thing. This place has quickly become one of my favorite places to eat. The food is clean and healthy and it tastes amazing. 

Have you been? If so, what were your thoughts?

Live well my friends!

Sources:

https://www.rubios.com/

http://www.businessinsider.com/rubios-coastal-grill-photos-and-review-2015-7

Image Sources:

http://tntelectricsigns.tumblr.com/page/2

https://www.rubios.com/menu/original-fish-taco/original-fish-taco

http://www.businessinsider.com/rubios-coastal-grill-photos-and-review-2015-7

Follow: @jrcornel