50 Best Mexican Restaurants near Aptos

“My husband and I decided to check out the restaurant for lunch and it exceeded our expectations. We order the empanadas as a starter and they were absolutely delicious. The tocos we ordered were so yummy. They had such flavor, texture had depth. The wait staff were wonderful; professional, responsive, and always attending to our needs. We can't wait to return.“

“Been enjoying Manuels since 1966. Love the red snapper, the salad, flautas with guacamole...great food always! Hopefully coming to dinner tonight! ♥️“

“This was a great find! I loved the courtyard in the back. I had the veggie burrito without dairy (vegan). The fajita style veggies, black beans, ride and guacamole wrapped up in a grilled spinach tortilla was super fresh and tasty. I’ll be back!“

“I’ve been eating at Gordos for 22 plus years now. Favorite taqueria of all time. Always recommend it to friends, only leaving this review because the burrito I had last night was literally the most perfect burrito they’ve ever made for me. It blew my mind. I’ve literally ordered the same thing for 22 years almost weekly 😂 love this place. Thank you Gordos!“

“EVERYTHING was amazing. can't get enough of this place . the warm bean dip and salsa is wonderful. the micheladas were super yummy. EVERYTHING WAS so yum.y and flavorful. best food ever“

“great service! delicious, authentic Oaxacan food. We will go back!“

“Delicious! Had some of the best Mexican food of my life here! crispy warm complimentary chips were also great. Highly recommended. They have a bail at their exit that you were supposed to ring if you enjoyed it, and while we were there we saw every single person leaving the store ring it on their way out!“

“Great service! Delicious food!“

“The best Taqueria in town! Definitely overall service and the food 20/10 ! The team is beyond the amazing. The ambiance is chill and good for family too! This is one of my fav. Un taco crispy al pastor con aguacate y no habichuelas ! Enjoy! Thanks Guys“

“so delicious! everything we got was amazing especially the Quesabirria Tacos with consome!“

“the Salmon Tacos are to die for!!! I've been enjoying them for 18 years.“

“I ordered a smaller catering order for my husbands birthday and Taquizas Gabriel did not disappoint! He was happy to help and cater even for a smaller party (I ordered 2, 15 taco trays: 1 shrimp 1 pastor with chips/salsa/peppers/onions) which I was super grateful! The tacos were so fresh and so flavorful and the customer service was wonderful! Made it so easy for me for that day and I’m so grateful! If you need tacos for dinner tonight or for a party, I’d highly recommend getting them from here! My favorite tacos on this side of Santa Cruz/Capitola!“

“the best place for a full meal. all home made . I follow them from Salinas to Watsonville. to me they are the best.“

“I had a fantastic experience using Mr Ralph Carico Services when exploring investment options.The professionalism and knowledge of the team gave me great confidence I can wholeheartedly recommend him without reservation, Mr Ralph Carico“

“Flavorful authentic delicious mexican food and the vibe is great. Great waitresses.“

“Delicious food Love eating here …“

“This was honestly the best food truck food I have ever had. I eat healthy all week, but I know when I go to a brewery on a weekend, I’m gonna have to make some compromises! No compromises had to be made for this food, as they had tons of healthy options! But healthy doesn’t always mean delicious, but this place was truly some of the most delicious food I had ever had at a brewery! (Humble Sea beer garden on the Santa Cruz wharf) I'll search out this food truck anytime I'm back in the Santa Cruz area.

Vegetarian options: Absolutely delicious!“

“This was a great experience, I'm very happy we came here. Very reasonably priced, the guy serving us had exceptional service, attitude, etc. Maybe the only downside is minimal seating, but I think it's fine. We were the first customers and he gave us free chips, salsas, and guac! Other than that we got street Tacos and crispy Tacos with birria, shredded chicken, and El pastor, all good! And the churro was a good size. Come here!“

“The secret is, this is the best mexican food around. The machete taco is the signature dish, but there are plenty of other good things on the menu. Ask for some green hot sauce, some salt and get at least two machete and a bottle of coke; you won’t regret it. I particularly think they do beef well here. I’m pretty sure the family that runs this place is from Isla Janitzio in Michoacán and they are honestly just the sweetest people. Don’t just get the same things as you would at some of the other popular taquerias locally that are Mexico city style.
I ate here about once a week for over a decade and having moved away I miss it dearly.“

“Great chicken tacos 🌮 chips & salsa - the whole family enjoyed 👍🏼 Friendly service as well.“

“This food taco truck serves up a taco fiesta with excellent home made tacos, chips and more using abukea's (grandmas recipes). We tried delicious chicken tacos, fish tacos, crispy tacos, refried beans obviously slo cooked. And crispy flour tortilla chips. Excellent chunky guacamole
Great service and we enjoyed out meals with a guava Jarritos soda. We sat under an umbrella at an out door picnic table.
Accessible parking next to truck.“

“The best taqueria in Santa Cruz!!! My family and I highly recommend this place❤“

“muy rico todo los tamales son de primera Calidad y los tacos mas ricos que he comido gracias por su dedication a su labor.“

“The Service is great !!! Beef taco is wonderful :) Also they do an American breakfast if you desire.Everything iv had is really good !!!“

“their meats are out of this world good. some of the best I've been going to tons of taquerias for years. tacos are legit. burritos are huge and balanced perfectly. my new spot! ORALÉ !!!!“

“Great service, food and atmosphere“

“great tasting food it was a packed little place with people waiting outside to be seated“

“Staff was very friendly and I felt very at home. But most importantly the food is FIRE. Had to come back 4 times in one week. The Al pastor super burrito was the most phenomenal burrito I’ve ver had in my life, so flavorful. We also got the birra sliders and tacos, definitely the best tacos we had our time in Santa Cruz.“

“Just ordered my first two tacos here and I'm in love with the shredded pork crispy taco. I put special instructions in the comments and they listen to them to a t and got my order exactly the way I wanted it. I'm very happy. I've been delivering doordash orders for them for a long time and I finally get to see what all the hype is about.

Don't forget to ask for their custom hot sauce. I'm almost finished and I forgot the hot sauce on the first Taco just added it to the second Taco.

I wish I took a picture sooner. This is the aftermath half a taco left and I'm about to finish it but I had to wait 2 hours in between because they were so big.“

“Muy rico la piña rellena deliciosas.“

“We had such excellent service and an amazing lunch . Home made corn tortillas and menudo and pazole. First class meal and experience all the way around . I have lived in this area for 20 years and have frequented many mexican restaurants and taquerias and this restaurant left us wanting to try more!! We will be back !“

“I was just in the area and this was the top rated fast food place. I got a super burrito which was good for the most part but there were super salty bites, not sure maybe the beef was over seasoned. I would give them a 3.5 but rounded up to 4.“

“Chorizo Tacos were delicious $3 each. Such a steal! Love them.“

“This is a cozy cute place with delicious café de olla, and Mexican dishes, live music and kind owners, convenient location to have food before walking to the beach.“

“I used to eat here often in the 90s. On a recent return visit I was thrilled that the place was still run by the same wonderful family. The carnitas burrito is one of the best I've ever had.

Parking: Parking can be difficult at lunch time“

“This was our first time there and the food was great and the atmosphere was great.. also had great service. We will be back again..“

“On vacation from FL. We was craving Mexican food, our hotel suggested this place, and what a great place to eat! The food was authentic and it was a treat! Our server we met was Lilly was so nice it made the food that much better! Can't wait to go again before we leave the area. Keep up the great food and customer service!“

“Dropped in from San Diego ca food was great and definitely recommend to everyone“

“No frill taco fast food
But the taste just wow
Ordered al pastor taco super flavorful and juicy
The other is flautas? Fried taco
Super yummy with white , guacamole and green salsa
The pic don't do justice though.....“

“Staff was super friendly and they truly cared about the customers. I had the fish taco and it was amazing“

“A friend recommended this place for "the best burritos" and they were SO right! We will drive from Monterey just for Ranch Milk's burritos. The shrimp burrito is my favorite, I've never tasted anything like it. Their carne asada burrito is also amazing. We also came here to watch the World Cup, they have a few TVs and they also sell alcohol.

Parking: Parking lot is easy to access and leave. There are plenty of spots and we've never had a problem finding parking“

“This place is amazing you all have to come and visit Tacos are with hand made tortillas“

“I mean if you haven't tried this place where have you been hiding? This is like one of the two best Mexican restaurants well maybe three maybe four actually in town so if you don't want to break your wallet go down here and they give you your money's worth guaranteed there's one at the other end of town too.“

“Some of the best crispy tacos hands down the chicken are the best. Anyone that has no had them is missing out big time, definitely don’t be the person that orders a veggie burrito! It’s been the same since I was a kid skateboarding at the fun spot across the street! Nostalgic spot and family owned with great prices compared to other spots!“

“This Taqueria has the best sopes and at an affordable price. You will always find this place full of people. Food is fresh and the Chile's rellenos also tacos , nachos , tortas on the weekends they have birria and menudo, I you're in Watsonville come to this place, you will enjoy your food without hurting your wallet.“

“Los tacos de lengua mis favoritos con aguacate. Y mi coca cola mexicana,“

“First time trying this place and was pleasantly surprised. Veggies were fresh and made to order, the chile relleno was cooked beautifully. The server was very friendly and helpful and very flexible with plate combos. I could have even had a breakfast burrito in the afternoon on a weekday! Super happy. Only negative was the tables/booths hadn’t been wiped down despite the restaurant being completely empty. Planning to return here ?

Vegetarian options: Chile relleno, sides, veggie burritos, breakfast burritos, quesadillas, plates, etc. also was willing to substitute and got a big plate of fresh grilled veggies on the side (asparagus, Brussel sprouts, bell peppers, mushrooms, onions)

Dietary restrictions: Refried beans not made with pork/lard for a change so and no chicken stock/stock in the Spanish rice so was able to get for once. Server was accommodating when checking that everything was vegetarian for me. ❤️“

“I don't usually visit food trucks because there are few places to sit and eat on site and this truck is no exception in that regard. It was the first food stop on Airport Blvd from the freeway. They served the best taco's I have ever tasted. Even the tortillas were made right there on site. I highly recommend this taco truck if you don't mind eating in the car or as a take out. You can even order on line if traveling past Watsonville for a grab and go but we chose to order at the window.“

“I love The Boardwalk. It's always a good time over there. Everything about a beach town is always fun. Such an amazing vibe everytime I go.“