Valerie's Taco Shop

Alyson Courtney

WOW! We usually go to Carlsbad Village when we want Italian, but last night we wanted to stick around closer to our house. We randomly found this place, and it was only a five minute drive away. We had the best date night! The food was absolutely incredible and you could tell it was very authentic Italian. Our waitress was great!! We ordered the burrata as an appetizer and it was amazing! I wish I could bottle up the olive oil. My husband got the risotto and I got the PACCHERI ALLA NORCINA. Both were incredibly delicious. Best Italian meal I think I’ve ever had. My only very very small suggestion would be to make the music louder to create more of an ambiance. I can’t wait to go back to try their woodfired pizzas and salads! Also, my husband ordered a beer and I had wine - both were delicious. Definitely a hidden gem in Oceanside. 10 out of 10. We will tell all of our friends and family to come here. We loved it!! Thank you so much for a wonderful dinner!

Kelly Watson

Literally just randomly found this place while looking for a fathers day reservation between orange county and Temecula. The vibe here is a mix of old school Italian with a modern flare. The food was AMAZING... We had pizza and pasta and salad. I brought my 3 year old and they were very accommodating. I had the spring salad that was super fresh with delicious fried artichokes and legit sardines on the side. My son had the cup & char (pepperoni pizza) and he loved it. We sat outside and it was very cozy despite being right next to office buildings. The server was very nice and made great recommendations... Especially the focaccia. Whatever you do, make sure you order the focaccia. So good. We came for an early lunch but definitely want to come back for dinner to try the wine.

Shanice Luciano

Absolutely fantastic food!!!! First time here but won't be my last that's for sure. The atmosphere was calm and relaxing. Great music. The indoor and outdoor seating are both phenomenal. Great daytime lunch with friends or date night. Wine selection is abundant. And to top off the whole experience my picky 3 year old had 3 slices of her marina pizza!!! This place is worth the stop.

Sal Beas

Nice little hole in the wall sit down and eat Restaurant. Great customer service but the guy who served us phew he really needed a shower arm pits were kicking. The clams with the squid noodles were very dry and not too tasty. Everything else was very delicious! The pizzas where all great! We Absolutely enjoyed our dinner. The lemonade was a little to much on the artificial side the taste wasn't that great. The overall look and feel of the joint is really nice and. welcoming.

Erich Cervantez

Great little Italian bistro deep in the heart of Oceanside. We've been here roughly 6-7 times and can honestly say every time the food has been spectacular. If you check-in on Yelp, you can score some complimentary bread. They have beers on tap, and many wine bottles to choose from. The staff and owner are always super friendly. If the weather obliges, definitely sit on the patio! There are two patios now and the side patio features a beautiful fountain and even a fireplace.

Meglio Knives

If you're looking for a fantastic Italian restaurant in Oceanside or Vista, you must try this little hidden gem. I'm a frequent patron, and it's become one of my favorite spots in town. The service is exceptional - the staff is friendly and attentive, and they always make me feel welcome. The food is consistently delicious - I can't get enough of their pasta dishes! They use fresh ingredients, and you can taste the quality in every bite. And the best part? The price is very reasonable, especially considering the high-quality food and service you'll receive. As an Oceansider, I highly recommend giving this spot a try. It's hands down the best Italian restaurant in the area, and I find myself coming back at least once a week. Don't miss out on this culinary gem - your taste buds will thank you!

Legit Italian. Our 3rd time here. The service has always been welcoming, kind and knowledgeable. (And of course there's the Italian accent!) The owner even stopped by the table to greet us tonight. My wife, our 2 friends and I shared small plates: Panelle, Polpette, Arancini, Calamari, followed by the wild arugula salad (with roasted beets) and then a Peppadew Pizza. Everything was absolutely perfect! Fresh, vibrant sauces. Wonderful flavors and textures. 10 out of 10! We'll be back for sure!

This was our second visit and exceptional both times. It is hard to make one caprese better than the next... wrong, it was delicious, had a different spin with a dressing in the center of the burratta and the freshest heirlooms ! Our pasta was presented nicely, homemade al dente just right and was sooo tasty! We did order the carpacio which is typically tissue paper thin, melt in mouth.., they prepared almost like a thin cured hard slice.. a little too hard and need a knife to cut. This little place is definitely a gem 💎 bon appetite 🍴

Really yummy, great service. Happened to come here on a lark after Junkyard next door decided to ignore me for 15 minutes without asking me for even a drink order (it wasn't crowded in there either). Was very very pleasantly surprised with this place. Authentic Italian, quiet atmosphere, and just really excellent food and service. Slightly pricey but totally worth it.

A real gem hidden in one the commercial concrete business parks in Oceanside. Truly memorable food and wine served by perfectly appropriate staff. Pizza oven delights are a " must experience again" for us. Arugula and beet salad extraordinarily tasty and satisfying. If you haven't been there yet, put it on your "next" list.

The food here is unbelievably delicious. Every component in each dish is perfectly complimented and honored by the chef. It feels criminal that it isn't packed every night. Emma is the sweetest waitress! Very proud to serve and passionate about the menu :•) The atmosphere is lovely with a little fountain outside and a fireplace to keep warm, i gave it a four star only because the bar next to them has tv's that are a touch loud.

Ian Lucas

A real gem hidden in one the commercial concrete business parks in Oceanside. Truly memorable food and wine served by perfectly appropriate staff. Pizza oven delights are a " must experience again" for us. Arugula and beet salad extraordinarily tasty and satisfying. If you haven't been there yet, put it on your "next" list.

Jill Lohman

This was our second visit and exceptional both times. It is hard to make one caprese better than the next... wrong, it was delicious, had a different spin with a dressing in the center of the burratta and the freshest heirlooms ! Our pasta was presented nicely, homemade al dente just right and was sooo tasty! We did order the carpacio which is typically tissue paper thin, melt in mouth.., they prepared almost like a thin cured hard slice.. a little too hard and need a knife to cut. This little place is definitely a gem 💎 bon appetite 🍴

Ken Potter

Legit Italian. Our 3rd time here. The service has always been welcoming, kind and knowledgeable. (And of course there's the Italian accent!) The owner even stopped by the table to greet us tonight. My wife, our 2 friends and I shared small plates: Panelle, Polpette, Arancini, Calamari, followed by the wild arugula salad (with roasted beets) and then a Peppadew Pizza. Everything was absolutely perfect! Fresh, vibrant sauces. Wonderful flavors and textures. 10 out of 10! We'll be back for sure!

Gabby Mehler

The food here is unbelievably delicious. Every component in each dish is perfectly complimented and honored by the chef. It feels criminal that it isn't packed every night. Emma is the sweetest waitress! Very proud to serve and passionate about the menu :•) The atmosphere is lovely with a little fountain outside and a fireplace to keep warm, i gave it a four star only because the bar next to them has tv's that are a touch loud.

It’s a long drive but it’s worth it. We came here to try their food based on the reviews. It’s a decent size restaurant with patio seating. It was empty when we arrived at 6:30 but it filled up quickly. The service throughout our meal was ok, nothing exceptional. We ordered burrata for appetizer. It was very good and the sauce was tasty (not very acidic which it’s how I liked it). I got two orders of toasted baguette to go with it (one down side is that this restaurant doesn’t offer complimentary bread, which is rare). We also ordered squid ink linguine with clam (the best one out of all the ones we ordered), lasagna and pasta with bolognese. Overall, we all enjoyed our dishes. Regrettably i didn’t get to try tiramisu. Hopefully next time

Bonnie Ye

It’s a long drive but it’s worth it. We came here to try their food based on the reviews. It’s a decent size restaurant with patio seating. It was empty when we arrived at 6:30 but it filled up quickly. The service throughout our meal was ok, nothing exceptional. We ordered burrata for appetizer. It was very good and the sauce was tasty (not very acidic which it’s how I liked it). I got two orders of toasted baguette to go with it (one down side is that this restaurant doesn’t offer complimentary bread, which is rare). We also ordered squid ink linguine with clam (the best one out of all the ones we ordered), lasagna and pasta with bolognese. Overall, we all enjoyed our dishes. Regrettably i didn’t get to try tiramisu. Hopefully next time

Jocelyn Kuduk

Had pizza and wine 🍷 pretty chill atmosphere. Reason I gave 4 stars because pizza was a bit soggy but still tasted good.

I came late with my reservation, I ended up sitting out on the patio, which is very cold, even though there were heaters. The sport bar next to us was so loud. It wasn’t pleasant for me. The indoor restaurant was a little tight as well. The food wasn’t bad. My pappardelle wasn’t bad but the chicken was tastier.

Maybe it's just not my taste, but after going here twice I haven't really found a dish that I truly enjoyed. The pizza is okay, that's probably just how authentic Italian pizza is, having actually gone to Venice to try very similar pizza years back. The pasta dishes have a strong taste, it's not really my cup of tea. The bread is decent, the dipping oil/vinegar did not taste good. The appetizers and the soup are okay. The service is fantastic, some of the best service I've had. There's plenty of parking and plenty of seating inside. Food is a tad expensive.

Eric Yang

Maybe it's just not my taste, but after going here twice I haven't really found a dish that I truly enjoyed. The pizza is okay, that's probably just how authentic Italian pizza is, having actually gone to Venice to try very similar pizza years back. The pasta dishes have a strong taste, it's not really my cup of tea. The bread is decent, the dipping oil/vinegar did not taste good. The appetizers and the soup are okay. The service is fantastic, some of the best service I've had. There's plenty of parking and plenty of seating inside. Food is a tad expensive.

I don’t know what happened. Maybe waiters were sleeping when we made an order. But instead of vongole they brought cozze. Absolutely not what I ordered. I wanted normal pasta. Not black or green. Plus, they forgot our order - the French fries. Good my husband checked the bag. Then they put it in. The meal is 90$ which is ok, but maybe they need to pay more attention to customers

⭐️⭐️⭐️☆☆ — Delicious food, but portions felt small I ordered from this Italian restaurant through Uber Eats and was really impressed with how tasty everything was. The flavors were rich, well-balanced, and clearly made with care. The food arrived well-packaged and still warm, which I appreciated. However, I was a bit disappointed with the portion sizes. For the price, I was hoping for something more filling. By the time I finished my meal, I didn’t feel satisfied and found myself looking for more food afterward. It was frustrating because the quality is definitely there—I just wish the servings matched the cost. Overall, the food is excellent, and I’d happily order again if the portions were a bit more generous.

Ordered caprese salad and peppadew pizza. Pizza was very good, cost 27.00 for a medium sized pizza. Salad was 19.00 very bland would not order again. They changed to Italian music which we appreciated but noise/ mariachi music from kitchen was dominant. Not a lot of seating options inside, sit closer to front door, unless you want to sit next to kitchen or bathroom. Nice Patio but rain prevented seating. Restaurant had one other table occupied.

William A.

⭐️⭐️⭐️☆☆ — Delicious food, but portions felt small I ordered from this Italian restaurant through Uber Eats and was really impressed with how tasty everything was. The flavors were rich, well-balanced, and clearly made with care. The food arrived well-packaged and still warm, which I appreciated. However, I was a bit disappointed with the portion sizes. For the price, I was hoping for something more filling. By the time I finished my meal, I didn’t feel satisfied and found myself looking for more food afterward. It was frustrating because the quality is definitely there—I just wish the servings matched the cost. Overall, the food is excellent, and I’d happily order again if the portions were a bit more generous.

Anna

I don’t know what happened. Maybe waiters were sleeping when we made an order. But instead of vongole they brought cozze. Absolutely not what I ordered. I wanted normal pasta. Not black or green. Plus, they forgot our order - the French fries. Good my husband checked the bag. Then they put it in. The meal is 90$ which is ok, but maybe they need to pay more attention to customers

We saw lots of good reviews & pictures, so we had high hopes. Our server was new, so asked the owner/manager a question we had asked. Instead of answering the question, the owner berated her out loud in front of everyone, for not knowing everything, just after just a few days. His loud tirade was rude, unprofessional, and toxic. This should have been done in private, as yelling at an employee in front of customers is wrong. The food portions were also disappointing. Why serve an artichoke if it doesn’t have any meat on it? Also, if you have to smother everything in sauces, it usually means you’re covering up the lack of quality food. However, the sauces themselves were quite good, as was the calamari and tortellini. Overall I give the place 2-stars, and do NOT recommend.

Eric McQuisten

We saw lots of good reviews & pictures, so we had high hopes. Our server was new, so asked the owner/manager a question we had asked. Instead of answering the question, the owner berated her out loud in front of everyone, for not knowing everything, just after just a few days. His loud tirade was rude, unprofessional, and toxic. This should have been done in private, as yelling at an employee in front of customers is wrong. The food portions were also disappointing. Why serve an artichoke if it doesn’t have any meat on it? Also, if you have to smother everything in sauces, it usually means you’re covering up the lack of quality food. However, the sauces themselves were quite good, as was the calamari and tortellini. Overall I give the place 2-stars, and do NOT recommend.

We were so disappointed after hearing so many rave reviews about this restaurant. It was actually quite embarrassing, we took our friends there who are Italian. The lasagne was the thinnest, flatest lasagne I've ever seen. 3 flat noodles with barely any ricotta or cheese. It had lots of sauce. It was more like a side dish than meal. Our friend ordered the chicken saltimbocca...the chicken breast was so flat, it couldn't have been 1/4". I wish I would have taken pictures. The only good meal was the salmon special that my husband ordered. It was a good portion and he said it tasted very good. The waitress was very kind and helped us with our wine selection. The prices for the portions we were served were way over the top. So disappointed....we won't be back.

Rhonda Hensley

We were so disappointed after hearing so many rave reviews about this restaurant. It was actually quite embarrassing, we took our friends there who are Italian. The lasagne was the thinnest, flatest lasagne I've ever seen. 3 flat noodles with barely any ricotta or cheese. It had lots of sauce. It was more like a side dish than meal. Our friend ordered the chicken saltimbocca...the chicken breast was so flat, it couldn't have been 1/4". I wish I would have taken pictures. The only good meal was the salmon special that my husband ordered. It was a good portion and he said it tasted very good. The waitress was very kind and helped us with our wine selection. The prices for the portions we were served were way over the top. So disappointed....we won't be back.