City Tacos on South Coast Highway 101 in Encinitas's Old Encinitas district is the fourth location of the San Diego taqueria chain founded in North Park in 2014. Each taco builds on a hand-pressed corn tortilla layered with melted asadero cheese before the protein, a base construction that separates the format from standard taqueria builds at neighboring South Coast Highway spots like Honey's Bistro & Bakery. The menu runs roughly 20 taco varieties spanning traditional carne asada and carnitas through casero preparations like cochinita pibil in Mayan achiote sauce and the Mexicali -- arrachera steak, poblano peppers, caramelized onions, and mashed potatoes over asadero. Vegetarian and vegan builds including the portobello mushroom with pasilla chiles, black beans, and cilantro-serrano aioli push the menu into plant-forward territory uncommon for counter-service Mexican, overlapping with the vegetable-driven plates at Buona Forchetta down the corridor. The signature Crunch Time Taco wraps bacon-and-cheese-crusted shrimp in a flour tortilla with corn crisps, shredded cabbage, pico de gallo, avocado drizzle, and jalapeno-green salsa over a bed of melted asadero cheese.