Rubio's Coastal Grill, formerly known as Rubio's Fresh Mexican Grill[1] and Rubio's Baja Grill, is an American fast casual "Fresh Mex" or "New Mex"[2] restaurant chain specializing in Mexican food, with an emphasis on fish tacos. As of January 2025, Rubio's operates, licenses, or franchises 82 restaurants, with 17 restaurants in Arizona, 60 in Southern California, and 5 in Nevada.[3] It previously had locations in northern California, Colorado, Florida and Utah. The chain announced store closings and a bankruptcy filing the same year with plans to sell itself to lenders. It is headquartered in Carlsbad, California. The company had as many as 196 restaurants through the United States by the end of 2016.
History
According to founder Ralph Rubio, he and some friends from San Diego State University were on spring break in San Felipe, Baja California, when he first encountered fish tacos at a local stand, and was inspired to open a restaurant serving them in his hometown,