Moreno’s Taqueria

As a self-proclaimed taco enthusiast who has explored taco joints from coast to coast, I can confidently say that Moreno's Taqueria stands head and shoulders above the rest. This place has captured my heart, and here's why: I'm originally from CA, and my taco journey has taken me through SOCAL, CENCAL, NORCAL, TX, NM, AZ, NYC, CHICAGO, and even Mexico itself. But Moreno's Taqueria has a special place in my heart because they treat you like family from the moment you walk in. The owner and staff have mastered the art of making every guest feel valued and at home. Now, let's talk about the food. It's more than just food; it's a labor of love and passion. Every dish at Moreno's Taqueria is crafted with care and dedication, and it truly shines through in the flavors. As someone who has a deep love for tacos, I've sampled them far and wide, and Moreno's sits with my TOP 3! My personal favorites include their queso birria (beef) tacos, which are an absolute delight. The flavors burst in your mouth with each bite. And let's not forget the asada tacos; they are perfection on a plate. But it's not just the meats; their rice and beans are on point too. If you have the chance, don't miss their menudo on weekends. It's the perfect comfort food that warms your soul. I have a special connection to Moreno's Taqueria because when I was stationed at Vandenberg SFB, CA, finding a taco spot that met my expectations was surprisingly challenging. Moreno's not only met those expectations but exceeded them in every way. To sum it up, Moreno's Taqueria is a taco lover's paradise. The warmth of the staff, the exceptional quality of the food, and the overall experience make it a must-visit. My family and friends know about my love for tacos, and Moreno's Taqueria is where I proudly take them to experience the best. Thank you, Moreno's Taqueria, for setting the bar so high and consistently delivering outstanding tacos. You've won a devoted fan in me! 🔥🔥🔥

Stopped by this taqueria tonight, our first night in Pismo Beach. This is a family owned business and we were immediately greeted by everyone there. The prices here seem excellent. I enjoyed my meal here and it was very filling after a long day of driving and hiking. I had the quesabirria tacos, chips and salsa, and a Mexican Coke. The portions were excellent and the food didn't disappoint. The quesabirria tacos tasted like the ones I had in Mexico and were very authentic. I would've liked to try some different salsas with the quesabirria tacos. I saw some in other pictures here but mine didn't come with any. Chips and salsa are not included with the meal and had to be purchased separately. The chips were made fresh and warm when I received them. For a single person, the portion size of the chips was a bit much. I would've preferred an option to purchase a half size or have some included with the meal. Looking forward to coming back soon to try their burrito!

This place is so worth it! Food was delicious, staff was kind and they had seating. Nothing fancy just great food!! We had the quesabirria tacos and carne asada fries!

Loved this place so much, the first visit I had enchiladas and my boyfriend got a torta and birria tacos! We raved about it to my family and dragged them to coke back the next day! They got the birria tacos too, and a California burrito! They are so friendly and cheerful here. Awesome place to eat can’t wait to visit next year!!! Oh and the horchata 👌.

I loved the food and the service here. I visited on a Tuesday night close to their closing time. But even then we were treated like family. It was so nice speaking in Spanish to our server. The server is so kind, welcoming, and accommodating. I love that I got a free Agua de horchata by just liking their Instagram and also the chicken sope was loaded with meat and all the toppings. My husband is vegan and had the French fries which we both enjoyed. I highly recommend Morenos taqueria while visiting Pismo beach for an authentic Mexican experience and meal.

Really good food! We had asada and shrimp tacos. The staff were really nice and went above and beyond to ensure we had a pleasant experience. I would definitely recommend if you’re in town or just passing through!

The customer service was outstanding and the food was delicious and very fresh tasting. We ordered Chili Verde Sope, Chicken Burrito and a Carne Asada Burrito. We will definitely be stopping by here the next time we’re in the area

Best tacos in pismo and slo! Highly recommended. Have been half a dozen times - consist excellence. Favorites are the birria tacos and fish tacos. Family run, food is authentic.

Great food and great customer service!! Tacos had lots of meat on them and the QuesiBirria was very delicious 😋 definitely recommend. It's a close wall from Pismo Beach ⛱️

Omgosh!! I feel like we discovered treasure! Tiny little incognito place that unfortunately blends in and if not for reviews we may have passed. The young lady at the counter is so sweet, the prices are very reasonable, and seriously OH EM GEE the carnitas!! We went for dinner and I was so so pleasantly surprised we went back a couple days later so my husband could get a breakfast burrito and I was delighted to have the carnitas tacos (yes, in my book, tacos for breakfast - with coffee - are encouraged during vacation!) This little mom, daughter and son gem is a must visit while in Pismo!!

This place was DELICIOUS 🤤 I got the super breakfast plate and cafe de olla and my husband got the 3 meat burrito with a coke and cafe de olla. Let me tell you this place was good and worth it!! The nice girl working this morning was so helpful and just super nice!! Thank you again we will be back!!! Authentic Mexican food!!

We found this little Mexican place. And i'm in little in morrow bay, and they had the best mexican lunch, that we had for a while

We stopped to grab some items from the a market next door, it was closed for some reason. Grabbed a burrito from here, $15. It was big and delicious.

The food is amazing. We bought salsa to take home. The portions were plenty and extra to take home. You can tell that everything is homemade, even their fries. Best Mexican food I have had in a long while.

I think these are the best tacos I’ve had so far in my whole life. I got the fish taco, the asada, and because the reviews were good - the queso birria. All three tacos were executed perfectly in taste and texture. They do not skip out on toppings and clearly have an understanding of the balance between seasoning, heat control during cooking, and usage of ingredients. I ate the asada first, which was bursting with real flavor (and not just saltiness, which I find too often in most cuisine across America). The meat was also quite moist. I had the fish taco next, which was one big mountain of fried fish and toppings. I was most impressed with how hot yet moist and fleshy the fish was when I bit into it, two sure signs that the oil was hot when they cooked it and that they used the appropriate amount of batter. Finally, I saved the queso birria for last. I’m so glad I got this. I actually got a second one because it was so good. Where do I start? The taco shell was part soft and partially crisped, which lended a beautiful mouthfeel. It comes with a generous amount of consommé which adds more aroma and a slight bit of heat. This bit of fattiness is delicately balanced by the acidity from the lime. The filling itself is out of this world, and has just the right amount of cheesiness (without overpowering). The meat is incredibly tender and moist, and is bursting with flavour. I hope you can see why I had to order a second one. In addition, they are very attentive in their service, more than other restaurants I have encountered in the central California coast. They show that they care about your experience here in both the food and customer service. They definitely know what they are doing here. Worth returning and ordering more!!

A few friends and I walked in for some late night tacos. Even though we walked in 10 minutes before closing, the workers were so kind and accommodating. I was astonished at the unique meat options I have never seen elsewhere! I always go for a classic birria taco, but this time I tried buche, cabeza, and adobada. I can confidently say that they were all delicious. Highly recommend everyone coming here to get their Hispanic food fix while in Pismo!

After a long mountain trail of cycling with my family in SLO, we needed some good protein and we stopped at this delicious Mexican restaurant! I highly recommend recommend if you enjoy authentic Mexican Food! My son had a delicious carne assda burrito, my daughter had steak fries! My son and I had quesa tacos, the seasoning on red tortilla was amazing and all of the steak had a charbroiled home cooked hint flavor! Their shrimp tacos were refreshingly delicious with great flavor ! Lastly their customer service was top rated they really checked on my kids and my family!!!

A very peculiar hole in the wall, you could almost miss it if you're not looking. Once inside it's a very nice chill Mexican style restaurant. The menu selection is quite vast, I tried the fish tacos since I figured it being on a beach why not. My only gripe was I didn't have enough tortillas to eat it all with. The food was amazing the rice and beans were delicious, but the fish and bell peppers drizzled with sauce was the true star of the plate. 5/5 stars very good food Service time was less than 20 mins. The environment is very nice if you're trying to enjoy a sit down meal with your family.

Looked this spot up before coming to Pismo for a staycation and glad I did. There's a plethora of spots in downtown Pismo by the pier that...aren't...incredibly...........diverse....in their offerings. Everyone has sides, burgers, boozy beverages, and their own version of clam chowder but Moreno's has incredibly flavorful Mexican fare, GREAT service, and a simple menu that's not trying to be more than what it is supposed to be. I had a shrimp quesadilla; my wife had a breakfast burrito, and both were devoured within minutes of receiving them. I needed more and ordered a barbacoa taco and an asada taco...both delicious and washed down with a Jarritos. Clean joint with great food and friendly service.....what more does anyone need? Definitely returning the next time we are in town.

Delicious authentic food and lovely people We had quesabirria, barbacoa sopes and chilaquiles Fresh and high quality ingredients, and very flavourful We had a great chat with the waiter who is from Mexico City, definitely a great place to eat in Pismo!

Delicious food! Great service. We had the birria, asada fries, asada tacos, lengua taco, cabexa taco, asada quesadilla and horchata. Nice family-owned restaurant close to the pier.

Angel Weir

The food is amazing. We bought salsa to take home. The portions were plenty and extra to take home. You can tell that everything is homemade, even their fries. Best Mexican food I have had in a long while.

Lynn Chau

I think these are the best tacos I’ve had so far in my whole life. I got the fish taco, the asada, and because the reviews were good - the queso birria. All three tacos were executed perfectly in taste and texture. They do not skip out on toppings and clearly have an understanding of the balance between seasoning, heat control during cooking, and usage of ingredients. I ate the asada first, which was bursting with real flavor (and not just saltiness, which I find too often in most cuisine across America). The meat was also quite moist. I had the fish taco next, which was one big mountain of fried fish and toppings. I was most impressed with how hot yet moist and fleshy the fish was when I bit into it, two sure signs that the oil was hot when they cooked it and that they used the appropriate amount of batter. Finally, I saved the queso birria for last. I’m so glad I got this. I actually got a second one because it was so good. Where do I start? The taco shell was part soft and partially crisped, which lended a beautiful mouthfeel. It comes with a generous amount of consommé which adds more aroma and a slight bit of heat. This bit of fattiness is delicately balanced by the acidity from the lime. The filling itself is out of this world, and has just the right amount of cheesiness (without overpowering). The meat is incredibly tender and moist, and is bursting with flavour. I hope you can see why I had to order a second one. In addition, they are very attentive in their service, more than other restaurants I have encountered in the central California coast. They show that they care about your experience here in both the food and customer service. They definitely know what they are doing here. Worth returning and ordering more!!

Daniel Eynisfeld

A few friends and I walked in for some late night tacos. Even though we walked in 10 minutes before closing, the workers were so kind and accommodating. I was astonished at the unique meat options I have never seen elsewhere! I always go for a classic birria taco, but this time I tried buche, cabeza, and adobada. I can confidently say that they were all delicious. Highly recommend everyone coming here to get their Hispanic food fix while in Pismo!

Cindy Castro

After a long mountain trail of cycling with my family in SLO, we needed some good protein and we stopped at this delicious Mexican restaurant! I highly recommend recommend if you enjoy authentic Mexican Food! My son had a delicious carne assda burrito, my daughter had steak fries! My son and I had quesa tacos, the seasoning on red tortilla was amazing and all of the steak had a charbroiled home cooked hint flavor! Their shrimp tacos were refreshingly delicious with great flavor ! Lastly their customer service was top rated they really checked on my kids and my family!!!

Denton Warlock

A very peculiar hole in the wall, you could almost miss it if you're not looking. Once inside it's a very nice chill Mexican style restaurant. The menu selection is quite vast, I tried the fish tacos since I figured it being on a beach why not. My only gripe was I didn't have enough tortillas to eat it all with. The food was amazing the rice and beans were delicious, but the fish and bell peppers drizzled with sauce was the true star of the plate. 5/5 stars very good food Service time was less than 20 mins. The environment is very nice if you're trying to enjoy a sit down meal with your family.

Aaron Wilson, Jr.

Looked this spot up before coming to Pismo for a staycation and glad I did. There's a plethora of spots in downtown Pismo by the pier that...aren't...incredibly...........diverse....in their offerings. Everyone has sides, burgers, boozy beverages, and their own version of clam chowder but Moreno's has incredibly flavorful Mexican fare, GREAT service, and a simple menu that's not trying to be more than what it is supposed to be. I had a shrimp quesadilla; my wife had a breakfast burrito, and both were devoured within minutes of receiving them. I needed more and ordered a barbacoa taco and an asada taco...both delicious and washed down with a Jarritos. Clean joint with great food and friendly service.....what more does anyone need? Definitely returning the next time we are in town.

Tania C

Delicious authentic food and lovely people We had quesabirria, barbacoa sopes and chilaquiles Fresh and high quality ingredients, and very flavourful We had a great chat with the waiter who is from Mexico City, definitely a great place to eat in Pismo!

Tj B

Delicious food! Great service. We had the birria, asada fries, asada tacos, lengua taco, cabexa taco, asada quesadilla and horchata. Nice family-owned restaurant close to the pier.

Gerardo Perez Meneses

Amazing, superb and kind service, The place is small, but the food is huge. The fries are something absolutely to get by default and the tacos are what a true Mexican taco should be. They close at 7

amazing service. the lady is so sweet. the birria tacos very a lot in temperature and crispy ness but overall very good. the consume is a bit oily but if you don’t like that it’s great! the combo is also a great deal

Different style of food than I'm use to. I had the adobada burrito, comes with rice n beans inside which normally is a turn off for me. But this was really good. Red taco sauce served to me temperature hot. It was lacking the extra spice that I really want.

Food was ok. I had a California burrito 🌯 Fry's were really soggy. My wife had the carnitas quesadilla. She wasn't a fan of it at all.

The burrito was wrapped perfectly, easy to eat and it stayed together. Decent size. Very friendly staff and quick service. I got the potatoes, eggs, and chorizo breakfast burrito. Salsa roja has nice spice and flavor. They warm the salsa in the to go cup so that it didn't cook of your burrito, 👍🏻.

Great fresh tacos & burritos made right in front of you. Very friendly staff. If in the area again will definitely stop by for more!

We got some veggie food and it was very good, really wish they could add more veggie options in the menu

I was pleasantly surprised at how good the food was... Chile Relleno was delicious as they used queso fresco (rare to find authentic ingredient used on this dish) Cheese and Onion Enchiladas with rice and beans.. the Enchiladas had a great taste. As for the rice and beans I didn't care very much for them, as they didn't taste homemade Quesabirria was good. Could have used a bit more flavor. Shrimp Tacos were amazing! They were loaded with shrimp and the bellpeppers with that sauce.... yummy! I'd love to come back again!

Naveen Nagaraja

We got some veggie food and it was very good, really wish they could add more veggie options in the menu

Maria Sykes

I was pleasantly surprised at how good the food was... Chile Relleno was delicious as they used queso fresco (rare to find authentic ingredient used on this dish) Cheese and Onion Enchiladas with rice and beans.. the Enchiladas had a great taste. As for the rice and beans I didn't care very much for them, as they didn't taste homemade Quesabirria was good. Could have used a bit more flavor. Shrimp Tacos were amazing! They were loaded with shrimp and the bellpeppers with that sauce.... yummy! I'd love to come back again!

The food was fine, saw this place because it was next to a bakery and thought we'd give it a try. Menu outside said one thing and menu inside said another. We ordered a plate thinking it came with beans and rice like the outside menu said but when we got our plates they said it didn't come with rice and beans. So we $45 for 10 thin taquitos and 2 tacos....way overpriced! Won't be going back at all which is a shame because menu looked decent.

Great food overall, prices are a tad high, which is expected in summer 2024. The pambazo looked great and was huge but was actually burnt, with some of the meat and burn burnt and crispy, so not even edible. And we love pambazos so that is a let down. Otherwise food was good

Enormous burritos. They made mine veggie. I don't usually like green pepper, but it was very good. You order at the counter. You have questions, it helps if you speak Spanish.

Tim Balen

Great food overall, prices are a tad high, which is expected in summer 2024. The pambazo looked great and was huge but was actually burnt, with some of the meat and burn burnt and crispy, so not even edible. And we love pambazos so that is a let down. Otherwise food was good

shari weinberger

Enormous burritos. They made mine veggie. I don't usually like green pepper, but it was very good. You order at the counter. You have questions, it helps if you speak Spanish.

I honestly don’t understand how this place has so many good reviews. The person taking our order was too busy chit-chatting with someone outside while the kitchen rang the bell because our food was ready. He completely ignored it! I even told him, “Hey, they rang the bell,” thinking maybe he didn’t hear it. Instead, he snapped back, “Yes, I’ll be right there,” with attitude. When we finally got our food, the carne asada tasted burnt, and the posole tasted more like birria with hominy 🤣—and to top it off, it was cold! My husband politely asked if they could reheat it, and it took forever to come back. He even had to ring the bell and ask for it again, and the guy rudely replied, “I’m heating it for you, give me a minute.” About 15 seconds later, he finally brought it out and was over heated. Clearly he forgot about it. Bad food and bad customer service. Definitely do not recommend this place.

First time trying this place & I always try to give each place the benefit of the doubt. Im sad to say I was extremely disappointed. We bought a carne asada burrito which had a lot of fat, a quessa birra in which i asked for no onions & there was SO MANY onions, & we always like to get a side of chips & guac, the chips were burnt & the guac was definitely sitting out all day. We are all feeling a bit nauseous after eating it all. I truly feel bummed when I have to leave these types of reviews but its definitely an honest review. Won't be eating here again.

Avoid at all cost, worst Mexican food I’ve eaten. I ordered an asada torta and 2 chicken tacos. Asada was nasty. No flavor, too much gristle. The asada looked and tasted as it was precooked and reheated. The chicken was bland and terrible. I couldn’t even eat my taco. The picture with the asada was all the meat in the torta. Not even edible.

Sonia Hernandez

I honestly don’t understand how this place has so many good reviews. The person taking our order was too busy chit-chatting with someone outside while the kitchen rang the bell because our food was ready. He completely ignored it! I even told him, “Hey, they rang the bell,” thinking maybe he didn’t hear it. Instead, he snapped back, “Yes, I’ll be right there,” with attitude. When we finally got our food, the carne asada tasted burnt, and the posole tasted more like birria with hominy 🤣—and to top it off, it was cold! My husband politely asked if they could reheat it, and it took forever to come back. He even had to ring the bell and ask for it again, and the guy rudely replied, “I’m heating it for you, give me a minute.” About 15 seconds later, he finally brought it out and was over heated. Clearly he forgot about it. Bad food and bad customer service. Definitely do not recommend this place.

Jewelz Borunda

First time trying this place & I always try to give each place the benefit of the doubt. Im sad to say I was extremely disappointed. We bought a carne asada burrito which had a lot of fat, a quessa birra in which i asked for no onions & there was SO MANY onions, & we always like to get a side of chips & guac, the chips were burnt & the guac was definitely sitting out all day. We are all feeling a bit nauseous after eating it all. I truly feel bummed when I have to leave these types of reviews but its definitely an honest review. Won't be eating here again.

Joey Campos

Avoid at all cost, worst Mexican food I’ve eaten. I ordered an asada torta and 2 chicken tacos. Asada was nasty. No flavor, too much gristle. The asada looked and tasted as it was precooked and reheated. The chicken was bland and terrible. I couldn’t even eat my taco. The picture with the asada was all the meat in the torta. Not even edible.

We shared a chorizo breakfast burrito. Since we ordered chorizo, it is expected to be a little greasy but this was a bit extreme. The grease was dripping from the burrito. The salsas were watered down and lacked flavor. This was disappointing. We had eaten at this Taqueria before and had some positive experiences. I usually recommend Morenos Taqueria to friends and family, so it was unfortunate to see that the food quality and flavor had declined so drastically from our last experience.

Amanda Cortez

We shared a chorizo breakfast burrito. Since we ordered chorizo, it is expected to be a little greasy but this was a bit extreme. The grease was dripping from the burrito. The salsas were watered down and lacked flavor. This was disappointing. We had eaten at this Taqueria before and had some positive experiences. I usually recommend Morenos Taqueria to friends and family, so it was unfortunate to see that the food quality and flavor had declined so drastically from our last experience.

Went to get breakfast and found this on my plate, the place use to be good service and food quality but i guess no anymore

We had a HORRIBLE experience here. We placed an order to go and went to pick it up 30 minutes later. We got there and paid for our tacos. 15 minutes later our order was ready and they told us we owed an additional $5 for the cheese we requested on our tacos ($1 per taco which we weren’t told about). The food was very subpar for the outrageous prices. I would NOT suggest this place to anyone.

Carne asada was old from the day prior and it was burnt. Employee stated that it was made the day prior and reheated in the microwave. When asked for a refund the employee would not do it. Instead he said I had to choose a different meat. After finally getting a refund. We left and are never coming back again, horrible service.

Yolanda Lehre

Carne asada was old from the day prior and it was burnt. Employee stated that it was made the day prior and reheated in the microwave. When asked for a refund the employee would not do it. Instead he said I had to choose a different meat. After finally getting a refund. We left and are never coming back again, horrible service.

Some of the worst Mexican food I’ve had in the area. The supreme burrito comes with guac and I noticed halfway through that there was no quac. I told the guy at the register and he brought me mashed avocados that were black…..I didn’t touch it. Towards the end of my burrito I saw some brown mush and I guess they did put avocado. It was too old and brown for me to notice it was in the burrito. Do yourself a favor and go to el Guerrero across the street.

Skip El Moreno for breakfast We went in mid morning on a Monday for breakfast. The restaurant was empty and there was no one at the counter. After waiting a while, we had to ring a bell to summon someone from the back who clearly didn’t want to deal with customers. We ordered chilaquiles, but what we were served was more like cold nachos: plain tortilla chips with lukewarm sauce and unmelted shredded cheese. No crema or queso fresco, no onion or cilantro—no seasoning, no flavor. Eggs ordered over medium arrived sunny-side up with runny whites; rice and beans were barely warm. Nearly $30 plus tip (paid before seeing the food) for a breakfast neither of us could finish. If this is El Moreno’s standard for a breakfast meal, they should just stay closed until lunch.

Belinda Resendez

Some of the worst Mexican food I’ve had in the area. The supreme burrito comes with guac and I noticed halfway through that there was no quac. I told the guy at the register and he brought me mashed avocados that were black…..I didn’t touch it. Towards the end of my burrito I saw some brown mush and I guess they did put avocado. It was too old and brown for me to notice it was in the burrito. Do yourself a favor and go to el Guerrero across the street.

Jay Chalfant

Skip El Moreno for breakfast We went in mid morning on a Monday for breakfast. The restaurant was empty and there was no one at the counter. After waiting a while, we had to ring a bell to summon someone from the back who clearly didn’t want to deal with customers. We ordered chilaquiles, but what we were served was more like cold nachos: plain tortilla chips with lukewarm sauce and unmelted shredded cheese. No crema or queso fresco, no onion or cilantro—no seasoning, no flavor. Eggs ordered over medium arrived sunny-side up with runny whites; rice and beans were barely warm. Nearly $30 plus tip (paid before seeing the food) for a breakfast neither of us could finish. If this is El Moreno’s standard for a breakfast meal, they should just stay closed until lunch.