I've been going to Jose's since 1972. I no longer live in La Jolla, but every time I visit San Diego, I make it a point to stop in.

The three amigos burrito is big, but great. Consider sharing it. Quesadillas were also very good.

came as tourists & they had the best cheese quesadillas i've EVER Had😍i wanted to go back during our vacation but unfortunately we were in another city at that point

Spectacular! I tried two burritos and both excelled in flavor, texture, and taste. The rice and beans were delicious and provided excellent balance to the star of both dishes. I first tried the Carne Asada Burrito wet style with red sauce. The flavor of the carne asada was phenomenal. It was grilled to perfection. Even after it was chopped, you can see it's grill marks and the aroma of the flavors it was carrying. Next, I tried the Pollo Asada Burrito also wet style with red sauce. Like the Carne Asada, the Pollo (Chicken) Asada was grilled perfectly. It maintained it's phenomenal juicy texture and scrumptious flavor. Definitely will return hungry for more.

we just went for a drink and even got free nachos with a delicious dip. the waitress was very friendly. unfortunately i can't rate the food. for a beer, cocktail etc. is definitely worth a visit

One of the best fish tacos I tried in a long time. We ate outside to enjoy the beautiful views while we ate. Everything was delicious and best of the portion size was perfect.

Great mexican food. The dip for nachos is superb - tasty and spicy. Huge servings for each order.

Magnificent Margaritas! Food is excellent! Staff is friendly and competent. Atmosphere is quaint.

+6

Great food located in a livelier spot. Ocean views. Friendly staff with prompt service.

Amazing Mexican restaurant. We had the mahi tacos and an amazing salad with avocado and salsa dip. Amazing service and good food

Unique and traditional foods and cocktails. Totally enjoyed our "find" when we didn't know where to go. Casual, friendly, non-pretentious, place, great burger...I know! Their Mexican burger and spicy margaritas were fabulous!

Where to begin ... the amazing margaritas, the delicious shrimp ceviche, the incredible view of the Pacific Coast?? Nope, we'll start with our attentive server, Vito !! He not only took care of our culinary needs, he was a wonderful conversationalist ! My husband & I enjoyed the evening and made memories of a lifetime :) Gracias!

Good food, Excellent drinks made by Nicole who is such a delight! Try the Viva la Verde that has mezcal, Ancho reyes, pineapple, and cilantro....really good! Even their skinny Margarita is the best I've had, and I usually don't care for them, but this one is balanced with a bit of agave. They have a cool mural of the locals in the last supper :)

Great place for lunch. Food was excellent and prices werent bad. Good vibes

Best view in la jolla for people watching

Be far the BEST spot for shrimp tacos! I feel in love. The mixed veggies made them amazing. Coldest beer on tap. Beautiful location. Can’t wait to visit again!!!

Great food, clean bathrooms, friendly staff. Just wish parking was easier but... it’s La Jolla, só you know the drill.

+1

Had a great time. It was a bit hot outside when we got in and the server made us feel very welcome. Gave us water and then recomended some margarita(s) which the group loved. He had great knowledge of food and drinks. Great food very tasty. Overall experience was great will give 6 stars if I can. Thanks for looking after us.

Awesome food, amazing flavour, perfect cold beer and lightning service. Can’t fault anything. Thanks.

Vibes ✅️ Food✅️ Views ✅️ Service✅️ Cocktails✅️ To think we considered waiting 40 minutes at another establishment - glad we found Jose's - We were VERY HAPPY! GO HERE!!

We had a nice time at Jose's. We sat outside and enjoyed the wonderful view. The staff were friendly, and the food delivery was quick. The homemade chips were a nice touch. The restaurant doesn't have many non-acholic drinks, but we enjoyed the Topo-Chico mineral water. I ordered the portobello mushroom fajitas, which I would order again.

The food is delicious! Everything is made in house - salsas, tortillas, chips, etc. - and it is all so flavorful. Even the chips at the beginning of the meal had so much more flavor than chips at other restaurants. The salsa was spicy but not too hot, which was a delightful surprise. The servers were very friendly and helpful. It wasn't a problem for us, but something to be aware of- the restaurant is quite loud, even when it's not very busy. It has a great ambience, but not the place to go if you're looking for a quiet place to eat.

Delicious food & excellent service! The fish tacos were excellent, and the lobster tails were perfect. Great memories were created alongside wonderful company!

I have to be fair with this review, We were seated almost right away, but they took too long to come and get our drinks order like 20 min plus, the waitresses were really really rude when We told them We were ready to order, they looked at us like I do not care attitude and left without saying a word, We were about to get up and go when the manager came and apologize for the delay, took our order and was were polite.. We stayed, ordered, if You are used to Mexican food the flavor and taste is good! Is worth your price! Know You will have to wait and take long to order and get your food!

+6

Great location and within 5 minutes walk of LAa Jolla Cove. We went there for lunch on a Thursday and were seated immediately on the patio. With the umbrella open, it wasn't hot and was perfect for outdoor dining. The chips, salsa, and queso were delicious starters to our meal. I ended up getting Jose's burger, and let me tell you, that thing was monstrous, and I was not able to finish it (due to portion and not becauseit wasn'tdelicious). Overall, the food was good, slightly elevated, but to be expecting given the location. I would highly recommend this establishment.

Service? Phenomenal. View? Remarkable. Food? Exceptional. Kelly made our entire experience that much better; sweet, attentive, quick, and a character that my girlfriend and I will absolutely be back for.

They have an amazing California burrito with carne asada and French fries. Their Kona beer was great too!

If you love nachos and real Mexican salsa, we serve you before your meal. Good Ambiance. Very abordable. Generous plate! Share your happiness. Ask again if you are still hungry!! ;-)

+6

I’m surprised the rating for this place isn’t higher. First, the view is great. Second I recommend the veggie burrito, it is unlike any I’ve had anywhere else, top notch. Third, the servers are very nice.

Had a delicious lunch here. We sat outside at the counter height seating and had a nice view. Lots of foot traffic coming through on the sidewalk, but the people watching was entertaining. The waiter and overall service were very good. I would definitely go back.

We loved this restaurant!! Right in the heart of the beach town, it’s hard to not be happy when eating there. The restaurant felt very local and the food was authentic and delicious! Would highly recommend,

Nice atmosphere and decor. We sat on the patio and the service was really good and fast. The server we had was very attentive. The house margaritas are the bomb!

+1

My husband and I are visiting from out of town and we are so glad we found Jose’s Court Room! The service was great- they were so friendly and efficient. The hostess let us switch our seats to be inside and was overall super nice. We both got wet burritos and they were delicious! Mine had shredded beef and it was well seasoned and moist. Also, the guacamole is killer!

I have been here twice, and even after the first visit, it became my go-to place to eat in La Jolla. The chips and salsa are fantastic and pretty sure they're homemade. Both times I have ordered the Carne asada fajitas. I typically don't order the same thing multiple times especially as I am trying a new place as I am adventurous...but that's how good they are. The Carne asada is marinated and I am craving it again as I write this. I haven't tried any drinks yet as the last time I went they were slammed and we barely saw our waiter to place a drink order. I definitely will be trying the drinks in the future. Jose's comes highly recommended.

Beautiful view, splendid Mexican food and great service! Their spicy salsas are amazing

Great spot for laid-back dinner! Service was excellent, and the food was delicious and filling.

Absolutely hitting this place up again! Fajitas and elote dip were fantastic and delivered fairly quickly - great service! My only warnings are about the parking and the stools - everyone already knows parking on Prospect is ridiculous so be prepared. And if you've got a cushy patootie the outside stools are tall and hard but didn't ruin my experience.

Laura the Explorer

Not the most amazing Mexican food ever but perfect for what it is. After watching the sunset, we wanted to wait out the traffic, so we decided to enjoy a drink and a couple of tacos on the patio. Our server was Abby and she was a DELIGHT! The frozen margaritas were strong and excellent. The salsa was fresh and VERY GOOD, the tacos were satisfying and the breeze was lovely. Prices were quite cheap too for this part of the country! We were very happy when we left.

Sophie Harris

Absolutely amazing! The food was delicious, fresh and perfectly cooked. The servers were kind and helpful. I would recommend getting horchata, it is the best I have ever had! This place is so, so great, and I hope you go here - you will not regret it at all!

James Gockelen

Looking for a lunch spot on a sunny Sunday afternoon. We wondered up the hill and found a table outside Jose’s, which had great views down to the sea. The service was warm and welcoming, and we really enjoyed 90 minutes with a cool beer, tasty food and watching the world go by. The food was simple authentic and tasty - not setting the world on fire - but really can’t complain, tasty comfort food is what we wanted and what we got. Would recommend - so do stop by if you’re in the neighbourhood.

Abby Spitz

Amazing. Where else in SD area can you be FULL and DRUNK for $80 for TWO people. The pitcher of margaritas just regular lime was incredible. I had the enchiladas, bomb, my fiancé had the burger and omg… immaculate. 10/10 will be here again!!!

Dawn Lovci

Delicious food. Reasonable prices. Happy hour deals. Excellent service.

Queenie Quynh Nguyen

The best Mexican food in town. The place is in great location and chill. Staff are beautiful and great attitudes. Food is amazing good in taste. Portion is big so when you order, need to be aware.

+2

Jason Harris

awesome happy hour...$5 margaritas including mango and strawberry flavors! the nachos were amazing and very loaded with steak 😋 their green sauce was killer on top of the burrito 🌯 cool vibes. Great view of ocean. highly recommend 3-6p happy hour for late lunch or early dinner then walk along the la jolla cove. 👍

+12

Non-of your business

This was our second time visiting this Mexican restaurant, and overall it was a good experience. We sat outside and the weather was sunny and perfect — the staff were thoughtful and even brought us an umbrella for shade, which we appreciated. I ordered the mango margarita, and it was refreshing and delicious. I had the fajitas, which came with rice, beans, guacamole, sour cream, and tortillas — not my favorite, but still decent. We also ordered the Three Amigos Burrito, and it was a hit! Huge portion and super tasty. One downside: we were charged for extra sauce without being informed, and there’s also a surcharge fee when paying with a credit card. Despite that, the service was nice and we’ll likely come back again.

Nate Hartrich

We were walking around La Jolla and decided to stop in. We decided to sit outside, which was the move. If you do. you will get a great view of the La Jolla shoreline. We were looking to eat an appetizer and have a few beers before we went out to dinner later. We had the platter of nachos with the guacamole and other assorted salsas ($17) as seen in the photos, which was very good. Very fresh ingredients. We tried the Estrella Jalisco lager and found a new favorite. If your looking for a spot to enjoy the scenery while having a few drinks this is the place. Overall the expierence we had was a good one. The bathroom as very clean and tidy.

+21

Christopher Hodge

Working in the Del Mar area for a week in September some of my co-works suggested a trip to La Jolla for dinner. We wondered around and stumbled upon Jose's Courtroom. We sat in the front windows which was wide open for our view of the street and the ocean. Our waitress was prompt and friendly. I loved the use of the hats as lampshades over the tables and specifically took a picture to remember this feature. We have a mix of dishes but it all started with the Dip Trio. I especially loved the Elote Dip. I have looked to my local Mexican establishments but have not found something so delicious in all my life. I decided to go with the Jose's Burger after seeing the "As Seen On the Travel Channel" reference in the menu, and I was not disappointed! The jalapeno corn relish was the icing on the cake for me. Overall this was a great option for great food in the La Jolla area

Heidi Kindel

The Atmosphere..beautiful! Ocean View what more can you ask for! Food is excellent! Been coming here for 31 years and we travel to come here. We live 2 hrs away and will go just for a day to come eat here..usually our anniversary. We did bring our friends for dinner while we were visiting. Great Employees!

Daniel Mueller

We looked for a fun place to get authentic Mexican food while visiting the La Jolla area and this was top of the list and it certainly was as recommended. We had a variety of burritos with the three amigos, California, veggie and surf and turf. All of them had something special and each person was very pleased especially with the wet taco green sauce. Service was equally good and the atmosphere of the place was equally good knowing this was the old courtroom for the area. Definitely check it out.

C. Wise

Went there for lunch husband had a chicken enchilada with a side of rice and beans and he says it's the best chicken enchilada he is ever had. I had the appetizer chicken taquitos and again they were excellent I had to take a couple of them home. They make great Cadillac Margaritas and our server was Tim he was excellent very attentive

+7

Roman Zelvenschi

Very friendly service. The food was on point and outside has great viewing of the ocean with heaters (we visited in the winter). It was somewhat easier to get a spot compared to the restaurants on the first line and more kid friendly food choices wise.

+4

The staff is welcoming, I had great margaritas. They had some heaters outside which was great for the weather in the evening.

The place is beautiful and the food is good, however you have to arrive with a lot of patience because the food takes time to arrive at your table

Nice patio seating with great ocean view. Affordable menu, yummy chorizo burger, nice waitress. Just watch out for the seagulls, they are aggressive!

The best shrimp tacos!

Good View and Good quantity on food ! Waitress was very sweet

+6

Yummy food really enjoyed.

+3

Food was very delicious and service was prompt and attentive! We were able to eat outside and it was a great atmosphere. Food was a little pricy for the portion size but overall it was a great meal.

Stumbled upon this place during my recent visit to La Jolla Cove. The staff and servers were friendly and gave good recommendation for drinks. I liked the La Jolla heat margarita. It was little spicy and had good flavors. Nice place to wind down. They had all necessary Covid-19 precautions like proper dividers, socially distanced tables.

Great coast view, cheaper cost, decent food and great Happy Hour prices, yummy house margaritas! Good spot to go if you're not from the area and looking for a coastal view minus the extremely expensive menu. They played really awesome vintage music, too.

Love the outdoor sitting at this place. The food is good for a touristy place. Loved the enchiladas. The green sauce has a bit, so all for it only if you can really take spicy.

Our server was amazing! Very nice, attentive and personable. I forgot his name, but, he looked like Russel Crowe. The food was pretty good.

Carne asada nachos were good . Went indoors to restroom, Inside restaurant was messy, food on floors. No one to clean up Inside . Even saw a big roach by restrooms. 🤦‍♀️

visiting from out of state. food was great! the salsa had a bit of spice to it - excellent taste. What we didn't like was a service charge at the end. they said it was for credit card transactions. was a bit surprised for an establishment charging for these kinds of things.

The restaurant is small, but confortable. You can eat outside and enjoy the ocean view. It is a casual, but quiet place to eat and continue enjoying the Jolla Cove, also the services is fast and the food is raelly good.🌮🌮🥓🍺🍺🍺🍸🍷🍻

Great views, great service. The outdoor seating is perfect...a view of the ocean. We got the pitcher of Caddy margarita..and it did not disappoint. The reason why it’s a 4 star...the food was okay. It was cold by the time it was served to us and it was really bland...I had to add a lot of salt to eat the Mahi mahi tacos.

Service was great. Food was okay for your average Tex Mex joint. We were not super hungry, so we did the triple dip appetizer and some chicken taquitos. Not sure how it's possible, but the chicken in the taquitos wad dry and yet there was a lot of grease left on our plate. Also, they topped with lots of lettuce and shredded cheese, which is fine, but would have loved some sour cream with them maybe. Salsa was decent - had a slight roasted tomato flavor. We did not have drinks, but others seemed to be enjoying them. I would try again, but maybe order some main dishes.

I was lucky enough to score a table up front with an amazing view of the ocean & Scripps Park area. Started with free chips & tasty salsa. I ordered tortilla soup and a big salad. The soup was tasty and the salad was huge. Salad had roasted corn, red bell peppers, tomatoes, onions and avocados..plus chicken and other ingredients. Located in the heart of La Jolla; good service, lots of tables and a big bar to sit at. Credit cards accepted.

+6

Mahi mahi fish tacos with flour tortilla were good, but it was missing some flavor. The nacho dish was delicious.

Amy Everson

Came here for a lil happy hour drink and snack Really enjoyed the huge dog friendly bar with a great view. The flautas were very greasy but for 6 dollars happy hour price that isn’t too bad Really loud reggae music playin outside but the staff was nice I will come back for 5 dollar margaritas

Joseph Gallo

The food and drinks were very good. The Carnasada was tender & had excellent flavor, as did the chicken fajitas, although Missy wished there was more chicken in the fajitas. The other issue was the tortillas could have been better/fresher. Those issues kept us from rating Jose's 5 stars. The Margaritas were excellent, as was the atmosphere. Recommended.

Brent gaffey

You can tell Jose's does well simply by the location. It is in a prime location in which if you are at the right table, you are seeing the water. We got the trio of queso, guac, and elite, and of course the salsa is complimentary, so dips galore.  The dynamics of the dips made interesting combos and all were tasty standing alone, which we enjoyed. Per the recommendation, we got the baja fish burrito, which I, do not look for fish in a burrito, and the burrito was OK. We got the burrito topped with green sauce and cheese, recommended,  and I have never really known fish to go well with cheese, and my case was justified. The fish burrito wasn't bad, but I wouldn't order it again. They had a local musician come in, and he was really good, until he took an hour break and started playing again when we were walking out the door. I always have a problem with restaurants in fantastic locations because, typically, they don't have to produce high quality fare to stay in business,  and as for this restaurant, in my opinion,  is teetering on that edge.

+7

George Chang

The view of the ocean is the most attractive part of the dining experience. Beautiful view of the ocean on a Friday evening is best part of the experience. The food portion is generous. The food is pretty good. Originality: the food is traditional Mexican. But I’m not an expert. The bathroom is clean, important for us with small kids. The dessert is delicious. Giant scoops of vanilla ice cream with churros. Yum.

+2

It wasn't bad but in a town where your choices for Mexican food are limitless, it wasn't great either. The margaritas are good and strong when ordered individually. Buy the pitcher and it's weaker. Menu was your standard taco shop flair. Just pricier because of its La Jolla location.

Food is above average. Service is strained due to a lack of staff. The margaritas were well crafted and delicious! Go for the music, vibes, and drinks.

Our last meal in La Jolla and was hoping to leave with good memory. Service was quick and up beat. food was expensive and tasteless. We ordered Fajitas which were flavourless but at least inoffensive . We also had the ceviche which really didn’t taste good. The chips and salsa were good.

Stopped in for fish tacos since there was no space around the corner at Puesto. Food itself was decent but the service at the bar on the evening of Thursday 5/9/24 left a lot to be desired. Tarah barely greeted me when I sat down and never asked me how I liked my food, etc. Not sure if she was just too busy or what but I hope this review is helpful to the restaurant owner so that she can get some additional support/training in good hospitality skills.

3.6 stars but totally good place to drop in and nosh. It’s not supposed to be a five star place. It IS a five star for a mexi-bar with THE BIGGEST QUESADILLAS you could imagine. I should have taken a picture. Three of the five of us got them and we could have all lunched on two orders. The ceviche was tasty with plenty of shrimp and the taquitos came with so much lettuce it was like a side salad. Quality spicy salsa for their chips and decent Arnold Palmers. Overall: good yums and even inside seating (many more seats outside) was enjoyable.

The view is amazing ..and by the pics I am about to post one wouod assume the food was amazing ..I think most people go here cause of location and they assume it's good ..ordered top Margareta I am not kidding I am not a big drinker at all like never but I was on vacation no tequila in it at all .the enchiladas were very very dry not enough sauce at all..the rice was hard ..the coke tasted like water like the syrup was out the chips tasted like the cheep ones you get from store ..the salsa was good ..

The bartender who attended us was nice and friendly. Drinks were ok. Inside and outside seating possible. You can see the ocean from outside..

+6

The views were great but we ordered the grilled mahi mahi and the shrimp tacos and honestly they were not good. Specially the mahi mahi tacos, they were over cooked but in general both lacked flavor.

They give chips and salsa on house. And the salsa is hot and fresh! The portions are big. We had veggie quesadilla and it had a lot of veggies along with cactus. I couldn’t tell if I actually ate a cactus. It just blended with other veggies. It came with cilantro lime dip and and jalapeños. We also had nachos which were good too. The only trouble I faced was my server used to disappear for very long time and the other servers were too busy attending other tables..

+3

Came here for a quick lunch. We were seated, but had to grab a server to get menus. Then we had to grab another server to actually take our order. The chips & salsa were good. I had the fried Mahi Mahi taco plate. The tacos were huge, and I appreciated that, but it lacked flavor. Didnt even touch the rice and beans, as it wasnt good. My wife got the elote and taquitos. The elote came out cold. Never been anywhere that served cold elote. Had to ask a guy coming from the kitchen to warm it up because our server was off having convos at the bar with her off-duty coworkers instead of checking on us.And the place wasnt busy, as we walked in on a Monday afternoon. All we desired was standard good, attentive service. Not to be ignored when we're trying to spend money at your establishment. PLEASE AVOID THIS PLACE.

Our group stopped by Jose’s after already having a big lunch earlier in the day, but we were drawn in after a customer walking out told us the fish tacos were really good. So we decided to give it a try—only four out of the seven of us ordered food since we weren’t super hungry. The food was okay. The fish tacos, which we came in for, were unfortunately dry and a little underwhelming. The shrimp tacos, on the other hand, were much better and had a lot more flavor. The highlight for me was their homemade horchata—it was absolutely delicious and super refreshing. The reason for the 3-star rating is the way the bill was handled. Our server brought over a portable card machine for payment and prompted us to tip—without ever showing us the actual receipt. We didn’t know a 20% gratuity had already been added for our group ( which is understandable with our group size), along with an additional 3% service charge. Because that wasn’t communicated to us, and we never saw the itemized receipt beforehand, we ended up tipping again on top of everything. It felt a little shady and left a bad taste in our mouths. We didn’t make a scene about it, but we also won’t be back. Transparency matters, especially when it comes to billing.

Beautiful view Casual atmosphere . I ordered a strawberry Margarita without salt and it came with salt. However, when I complained i feel she just wiped off the salt and served me the same drink. Our server was pushing us to get out we had to ask for more salsa. I ordered a Carney asada taco a La carte, which was about $10. The staff was rude

We were initially greeted and seated promptly, which gave us a good first impression. I ordered the Carne Asada Taco plate and my daughter ordered the ceviche. The tacos and the salsa for the chips were the highlights—flavorful and well-prepared. Unfortunately, everything else was a letdown. My daughter’s ceviche was not what we expected—it resembled a watered-down cocktail with hardly any ingredients beyond the shrimp. There were no signs of the usual fresh cilantro, tomatoes, onions, or vibrant citrus flavor you’d expect. It lacked seasoning and tasted more like soupy tomato water. The rice and beans were also flavorless. After the food arrived, our server essentially disappeared, and we weren’t checked on again. Since we had plans to go snorkeling, we decided to just eat what we could and move on. When I eventually gave feedback to another staff member (a man with a bun, another server), I made it clear that I wasn't looking for a free meal—just offering honest feedback. Unfortunately, he responded defensively, saying things like, “Looks like you ate it all,” and “I’m not the cook.” When I tried to explain further, he brushed it off by saying “This is La Jolla,” implying low expectations were somehow justified. The defensiveness and dismissive attitude were incredibly disappointing. Good food can’t make up for poor customer service, especially when constructive feedback is met with sarcasm instead of professionalism. Sadly, I wouldn’t return or recommend this place based on our experience.

Susan Hailey

I like to sit and relax and enjoy chips and salsa before ordering my margarita. The chips were ( unfortunately) stale and half the basket was cracked chips. When I mentioned it to our server, he said well, the chips are free. So with that comment- it killed the vibe and I didn’t order a margarita. Horrible, dismissive service and I won’t ever go back 👎🏼

We are visiting from Colorado, the food here was not good. I’m not even that picky, but it was really subpar. I don’t think they season the beans, the tacos were cold, they must have pulled the corn tortilla straight out of the bag and didn’t bother cooking it, the cabbage salad was so bad I spit it out into a napkin. Our stomachs are not happy an hour later. This is definitely a tourist trap and severely over priced. Don’t make our mistake! Server was friendly, people watching and ocean views were nice.

Our tostadas had barely any chicken and it was dark meat. Very disappointing. The chips were bland; salsa ok. This was actually the worst Mexican food we've ever had. For what we got the price was outrageous. We're locals with plenty $ to spend but feel like we really got ripped off here. 🏄‍♂️

M

Many things wrong with this restaurant. 1) I’m a solo diner who wanted to eat for myself there and get food to go for a friend. I go, they say that they have tables for 4+ and some for 1-2, and one of the two seaters would open in a few minutes so I said ok. They took my name and number down so I ran to another little store, and by the time I went back to check on the table, they had already placed two new parties at the small seaters. Obviously they had no intention of seating me so I ordered online. Upon getting my food, my burrito that I ordered wet ($2.00 extra) had no sauce and my chicken taquitos are dry and bland. I’m from out of town, so I definitely have no intentions of coming back.