Ray’s is a neighborhood taco shop located on El Cajon Boulevard, whose delivery service is very popular with one of the Departments that the Missus works with. Everytime she’s there they order from Ray’s, but it’s always been delivery, and the funny thing is, none of them have ever set foot, nor do they even really know where "Ray’s" is located. I guess it’s called legacy ordering. Maybe once in the past a former Employee was a regular customer of Ray’s and would always place an order, and said practice has perpetuated itself, now becoming a ritual.
That said, trying to create a post about Ray’s has been the bane of my existence. On our first visit I forgot my camera, and thus you missed a very tasty Birria(Goat) Soup, nice tomato flavor and slightly spicy, though a little short on the goat meat. The Missus had the house specialty Mojarra($5.99), which turned out to be a whole deep fried Tilapia(I thought it was a kind of ocean perch, but found out later that the term is also used for Tilapia), served with beans, rice, salsa fresca, and tortillas. I must say, even though I really don’t like tilapia, the fish was fried perfectly, crunchy on the outside, with a moist interior, and not muddy tasting at all.
Then last week, I had finished my post on Ray’s and Typepad crashed…….. So now like a Phoenix, or at least a Tilapia, my Ray’s post has risen from the ashes. No thanks to Typepad though. I had to recreate it from scratch.
What really keeps those people ordering from Ray’s is the Carne Asada and the Shredded Beef. And on our next visit, the Missus ordered Soft Shredded Beef Tacos($3.95), with no cheese(go figure):
Nicely moist and slightly stewed shredded beef filled some corn tortillas. Unlike other versions, these were quite tasty, and with the provided Salsa Verde these were nice a flavorful. Tomato and oregano flavors stood out. I have gotten used to cabbage in my tacos though, and have a problem going back to lettuce…..
She also ordered the Carne Asada Nacho Deluxe($5.50), with no sour cream and other stuff(sigh….)
The Carne Asada at Ray’s is fairly tasty, with nice lime overtones. Though not grilled I still enjoy the Carne Asada here more then Santana’s.
I ordered the Texas Burrito($3.99), something I first heard about from Howie of A Foodie’s-Eye View.
Basically Pollo Asado ("Grilled" Chicken), Potatoes (most version have french fries, but these had cubed potatoes), Salsa Fresca, Sour Cream, and Guacamole. Actually very tasty, and slightly artery hardening. Though moist, I found the chicken to be not as flavorful as the carne asada(of course, you dummy…). The potatoes were nicely salted and fried, and is of course a starch, ’nuff said. And need I to say, quite filling.
On our next visit the Missus tried the Fish Tacos($3.95):
Ordered no sauce and no cheese, just bleh….we’ll stick with El Zarape.
The 3 Rolled Tacos($1.95):
We ordered 1 Beef, 1 Chicken, and 1 Potato. I guess this is great if you got two bucks and are really hungry. There ain’t much in them taquitos, only the potato tasted like anything.
My advice? Stick with the Carne Asada Burrito($3.75), maybe a bit on the salty side, but at least not bland. Make sure you get the "green"(salsa verde) salsa, tangy and spicy.
Or maybe the Mojarra. Ray’s is a good example of a San Diego neighborhood taco shop. Perhaps not outstanding, but with good prices, and some pretty good food.
When the Missus mentioned to Ray’s "Satellite Customers" that she had actually been here, they had one major question; was it a dump, what did it look like? Ray’s is definitely not a dump. The interior is well lit and clean. Service is very efficient. And the one Gentleman always working (Ray?) is very nice and friendly. Yep, that’s Ray’s a nice neighborhood Taco Shop.
Now hopefully this post will finally see the light of day…..
Ray’s Mexican Restaurant
2885 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92104
Open Daily from 8am to 10 pm.