The history of Rubio's is a classic love story. Man meets fish taco. Man eats fish taco. Man falls in love with fish taco. Such was the case for Ralph Rubio, co-founder of Rubio's. As a college student, Ralph made regular pilgrimages to Mexico's best beaches to surf, sun and socialize. It was on one of these trips that Ralph sat down at a seaside taqueria and met his true love. After just one bite, he was hooked.
Several years later in 1983, with his father Ray as partner and the help of his entire family, Ralph opened his first Rubio's, a walk-up stand in Mission Bay, San Diego. It was there he first introduced his beer-battered fish tacos to Southern California. As word of Ralph's fish tacos spread, so did his business. One store quickly expanded to three, and before long, San Diego's best-kept secret was out. Each new store took with it, not just The Original Fish Taco recipe, but also Ralph's commitment to using fresh and high quality ingredients.
Now, people still love the taste of our Original Fish Taco, and it's easy to see why. This long-time favorite is prepared fresh in our kitchens with one faithfully-followed recipe: Wild Alaska Pollock, beer-battered-by-hand and cooked to crispy perfection. Topped with shredded cabbage, mild salsa, and our signature white sauce, all wrapped in a warm, stone-ground corn tortilla.
In addition to our Original Fish Tacos, we offer dishes served with shrimp, wild salmon, ono, and fire-grilled chicken and steak. Our flavorful salsas that are made daily, "no fried" pinto beans, freshly made guacamole, rice and chips are the perfect complement to our coastal cuisine.
We are still based out of sunny San Diego, though we operate around 200 restaurants located in CA, AZ, CO, UT and NV. And we invite you now, just as we would have back then, to come in and kick back. Soak up our version of a sunny day in our casual atmosphere, and enjoy a meal that is as good as a vacation.