El Pueblo Mexican Food
Cardiff-by-the-Sea

Mexican Food in Cardiff-by-the-Sea — Open 24 Hours

El Pueblo's Cardiff-by-the-Sea location is our flagship — the original kitchen that started the neighborhood's love affair with fresh, fast, affordable Mexican food. Tucked just off the 5 at 820 Birmingham Drive, this is the only Mexican restaurant in Cardiff open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Surfers grab breakfast burritos before dawn. Night shifts drop in for carne asada tacos at 2am. Families roll through after soccer practice. Whenever you're hungry, we're open.

Family-owned, El Pueblo Cardiff has become a neighborhood staple — the kind of place locals send visitors, and the first stop for everyone coming back to town. Our kitchen turns out the same menu you'll find at our Carlsbad, Carmel Valley, and Del Mar locations, all made fresh every day with produce delivered each morning.

Fish Tacos, Breakfast Burritos, and Late-Night Eats in Cardiff

Cardiff is where the famous $1.39 Fish Taco was born — crispy fried-to-order fillet, chipotle sauce, fresh pico, crisp cabbage on a warm corn tortilla, with no limit on how many you can order. It's the taco we've never raised the price on. Locals come in for five at a time.

Beyond the fish taco, the Cardiff kitchen serves the full El Pueblo menu all 24 hours: breakfast burritos (Super, Steak and Eggs, Machaca, Chorizo), huevos rancheros and chilaquiles in the early morning, carne asada plates and burritos through the day, and late-night favorites like adobada tacos, carnitas quesadillas, and carne asada fries for the post-midnight crowd.

Easy In, Easy Out — Right Off the 5 in Cardiff

El Pueblo Cardiff sits at 820 Birmingham Drive, sharing an address with Cardiff Valero — gas, snacks, and cold drinks next door. Fuel up the car and the people in it at the same stop. Order at the counter, take it to go, or eat in the lot with the windows down — it's how Cardiff does it.