One of the best perks of Jeff’s job (besides his actual income, I mean) is that he gets every other Friday off.  It’s awesome for me because I do the grocery shopping on Fridays and so twice each month I have a handy helper to load all those perishables into the cooler.  It’s awesome for him, too, because as a reward for all his hard work he gets a lunch date with one hot mama, er, um, me.  Win win, right?  Totally.

We have a pool of five local restaurants that we frequent.  Two are Mexican, two are pizza, and one is a burger joint.  Only on the rarest occasions do we venture beyond our tried and true favorites; it seems every time we try someplace new we experience lousy food, lousy service, or lousy both and that’s just no fun for anybody.  Recently, though, I was asked to visit a local restaurant not on our short list of approved places.  What’s more is that it’s a fast food place and you all know how I feel about those.  After checking out the online menu and reading up on the yelp reviews I decided to give it a go.  Rubio’s it was for our bi-monthly lunch date last week.

This particular location is relatively new.  As such, the place was super clean, which is a non-negotiable criteria for me anytime I’m eating out.  It was cute, too, with a beachy feel.  The thatched eaves and brightly-colored countertops go a long way in conveying the ocean-side fish taco stand theme.

Rubio’s recently introduced a handful of new menu items.  It didn’t take Jeff long to choose his entree; he’s a total sucker for mango.  The lure of the Mango Habanero Ono tacos was too much for him to resist.  I went with a new item, too: the avocado corn fish tacos.

Mango Habanero Ono Tacos

Avocado Corn Fish Tacos

The burning question: how was it?  Let me just say that I was pleasantly surprised.

What I loved was that they didn’t serve me food that had been sitting beneath a warmer.  My meal was only made after I ordered it.  The sides (black beans and spanish rice) were easily on par with those of sit-down Mexican restaurants, which is pretty impressive, I think.  The avocado corn relish on my tacos was fresh and flavorful.  My only complaint would be with the fish; it was kinda greasy.  That very well may be normal for fried fish tacos (this was my first time trying them) but I could only eat one of them because I was afraid my stomach would revolt.  In all fairness, as a rule I don’t eat fried foods so I probably should have ordered something else (they have burritos, salads, etc).  The taco I did eat, though, was definitely an indulgent treat; I really enjoyed it.  Jeff devoured both of his {grilled} fish tacos before finishing my uneaten fried fish taco.  He thought his meal offered the perfect balance between spicy habanero and sweet mango.  He said he’d order it again in a heartbeat.

Would we return?  Yes.  While we tend to opt for sit-down restaurants for our rare dates, Rubio’s would be a viable alternative if we found ourselves pressed for time.  Also?  It would totally suffice for a quick meal on the road if we were looking for a fast bite from a trusted chain.

Tell me, have you ever eaten at Rubio’s?  Wanna?  I’m giving away $20 worth of “Free Eats” cards.  To enter, just leave me a comment on this post telling me your favorite Rubio’s menu item, or what you’d order if you went.  A winner will be randomly chosen from among all eligible entries on Monday, May 21st.  Good luck!

*Jeff and I were treated to complimentary meals at Rubio’s for review purposes.  Rubio’s is also sponsoring this giveaway.*

{ 4 comments }