The Shoppes at Carlsbad Mall has 17 restaurants offering a wide variety of options such as ramen, poke, cheesecake, and chicken. However, one place recently opened stands out for its unique style of Latin American food. 

Located next to the Regal Cinema and the Yard House, Mas Fuego is a Latin Fusion restaurant that opened in Sept. 2023. Their menu has a wide variety of unique items such as bulgogi tacos and classic dishes such as street tacos and fajitas. The menu has plenty of entrees to choose from, but their best items are definitely the premium tacos.

Their food’s not the only unique thing about the place though, as the restaurant has an amazing interior design, with a lit-up glass tree and an incredible mist effect with LEDs, making it look like fire. The outdoor seating also has a large glass tree along with a giant table for large groups. With a lot of seating and a great indoor design, it should not be overlooked as a place for casual dinners, dinner dates or even for events. 

Some people may notice that despite the large variety of seating and food options, the place feels a bit empty. While the food is good, it seems like the place is slept on by mall-goers. 

The head server, Allan Weedman, hopes the restaurant’s new management team will bring more attention to the restaurant. 

“We hired a new management, so we hope that will help us bring more customers in the future,” Allan said. With a new team, it seems they’re working hard to reach out more to customers.

There are things they should improve upon food-wise. For starters, their premium tacos, while creative and filling, could use an increase in spices for the meats. They wereIt was a bit bland, and definitely needs more flavor. 

Amber, a customer at Mas Fuego, said, “It was alright, but it was kind of expensive. I liked the salsa for the chips, though.” After trying one of the premium tacos and the salsa trio and chips, she expressed that the quality could have been better. 

However, since they are a fairly new establishment, this is just another trial they will be facing. Hopefully with time, they’ll become another popular establishment. So, go out and check out their food, form your own opinion and most importantly, enjoy.