Why are there so many "-berto's" taco shops in San Diego?
Because they're mostly one family. Roberto's opened in San Diego in the late 1960s, and relatives who opened their own shops were told to change the name — so Alberto's, Filiberto's and dozens more followed.
- The original
- Roberto's
- Variations
- 70+
- Franchise?
- No
Late 1960s
Alberto's, Filiberto's…
Mostly family and former staff
The short version
- Roberto's was founded in San Diego in the late 1960s by Roberto and Dolores Robledo, from San Juan del Salado, San Luis Potosí.
- Family lore says relatives who rented a shop were told to drop the Roberto's name, so they painted over the R — creating Alberto's.
- The original family runs about 81 shops: roughly 60 in Nevada, 20 in California and 1 in Texas.
- More than 70 other '-berto's' variations exist across the Southwest.
- They are independently owned, so quality varies from shop to shop.
Drive around San Diego and you will pass Roberto's, Alberto's, Hilberto's, Filiberto's, Adalberto's and more — taco shops with near-identical names and similar menus, many open late or around the clock. They are not a franchise. Most trace back to one family.
Late 1960s
Roberto's opens
~81
Family-run Roberto's shops
70+
Other '-berto's' names
How one name became dozens
From Roberto's to the '-berto's'
NBC News reporting on the Robledo family.
According to NBC News, the Robledo family's version is that Roberto objected when relatives renting one of his shops did not use fresh ingredients, and told them to stop using his name. In the family's telling they simply painted over the R — and Alberto's was born. Other relatives and former employees followed the same naming pattern.
Same name pattern, different businesses
| The Roberto's family shops | Other '-berto's' | |
|---|---|---|
| Ownership | The original Robledo family | Separate owners, many related |
| Count | About 81 shops | More than 70 name variations |
| Where | Mostly Nevada; about 20 in California | San Diego, Arizona, the Southwest |
The Robledo family also claims credit for the California burrito — see What's a California burrito?.
KEEP READING
SOURCES
Everything above traces back to one of these. Follow them — if one has changed and we haven't, that's our mistake, not yours.
NBC News · Checked October 3, 2026
Roberto's founding, the renaming story, shop counts
San Diego Tourism Authority · Checked October 3, 2026
Taco shop culture and the California burrito