Raymond’s Catering

Best food on campus!
Probably the best Mexican food I’ve had in Santa Cruz.
Super affordable & consistent.
Everyone that I’ve introduced to this truck ends up becoming a regular customer.
Alicia & Ray are amazing people.
Location: Science Hill behind PSB
CASH ONLY!

Great Lunch… everyday.
Alicia is adorable and makes great tortas!
Ray is a huge goofball and its always pleasant interacting with him!
Enough said!

My favorite food to eat at UCSC. This truck is a savior since the campus suffers from a severe lack of good food options.
Raymond’s Catering’s offers Mexican food, burgers, and drinks, and they’re all really tasty and affordable, making this truck a great option for students on a budget. On top of that, Ray and Alicia are some of the nicest people I’ve ever met!
Most of the time they’re at UCSC’s Science Hill from Monday to Friday around 12 PM — 2 PM. Although there’s usually a big line, it’s definitely worth the wait and money.

Had a California burger. Food was awesome. Staff was professional. Condiments laid out nicely. Raymond even stands outside and charges people out on the sidewalk so that you don’t have to stand there for 10 minutes cramping your neck and looking up while waiting to pay.
Also people were running up to grab donuts from a box to eat whole they were waiting in line. I was meaning to ask him if those donuts are free. Does anyone know? If so that’s a hell of an awesome way to get people to come to your truck!
One downside is that there’s no credit cards accepted. So bring cash. I know that’s a kind of a bummer reason to take a star off. But in this day and age, in a location where the majority of your customers are tech savvy people (they were parked on science hill on the UCSC campus), and the availability of credit card pay apps for smartphones or tablets, a credit card machine would be useful. I would have purchased a drink and chips had they accepted card, but I only had enough cash for my burger.
Hopefully soon, though!

Best burrito I had in Santa Cruz. I tried a whole bunch of other burrito supremes in Santa Cruz and this one is the best. The burritos are big and they give a good amount of steak, unlike the other places in Santa Cruz.

Ray’s never disappoints. $ 2.50 for a HUGE taco, I usually split mine up into 2 smaller ones because it’s overflowing with meat and other toppings. I always get the al pastor taco and 1 is enough to fill me up! Perfect meal for in between classes.

I was a little hesitant trying this taco truck at first, but let me tell you, there is a line for a reason. Ray’s Catering reminds me of the various and yummiest taco trucks in LA — which is a compliment. Best place to eat on campus? More like best place to eat in Santa Cruz. Nothing can beat their prices. The torta is heavenly and melts in your mouth. I would pay more than $ 5 and it includes fresh avocado! Alicia and Ray are really sweet too! They definitely care about students and their appetites.

Ray’s truck kept me alive in Santa Cruz while my body rejected the rest of the options available in this town…
God Bless Raymond and Alicia
and God Bless America

Great food at low prices. Friendly and quick service. Love the veggie quesadillas.

This Taco Truck is probably the best place to eat on campus! While the line is usually pretty long, the food is made to order fairly quick and is very reasonably priced.
I usually just get a regular chicken burrito, it comes with rice, beans, and meat, which I find very filling.

They’ve got such a variety of tasty items, and many of them are vegetarian! The garden burger is a mere $ 4, but it’s really tasty and pretty filling. The veggie tamales hardly cost anything (I think $ 1.50 or something), but they’re slightly spicy and delicious and are a great appetizer/​late afternoon snack (hours after you’ve eaten your lunch burrito but still need to stay in the library). I often get the veggie burrito with their green salsa, the nachos, and the quesadilla… but if it’s a Friday, I must must must get the chile relleno supreme burrito. It’s the best vegetarian thing they’ve got, hands down, and it’ll keep you full straight through dinner. It’s huge and dense! The batter on the pepper is sooo delicious!
They make multiple stops around town in the morning, mostly on the west side, so if you don’t feel like waiting in line on campus, head to 2300 Delaware at 11am and then go to campus after on the 11:30 20 bus.
I think the only thing I didn’t like from this place was the fish burrito. It was too fishy.

I set up a twitter for Ray for notifications.

My favorite place to eat on-​campus! It’s located behind the physical sciences classrooms and usually on weekdays around 11:50 am you’ll see the line starting to form. Prices are affordable and the quality/​quantity of the food is better than the other food trucks/​eateries on campus. Ray and Alicia have been running this food truck for years and are some of the nicest people you will meet! If you’re one of the first people in line, Ray usually gives out donuts for free! I usually order the regular carne asada burrito ($ 5) and smother it with the hot sauce and it’s delicious! I’ve also tried the chilli rellenos burrito and chicken nachos and those are great as well. Definitely would recommend this place if you’re looking for good food located conveniently on-​campus.

Love Ray’s Taco truck and love Ray! They come to our building every weekday at 11am. Breakfast burritos are awesome! and the bacon cheeseburger «california style» with avocado and grilled onions is TO DIE FOR. Everything is really reasonably priced and there is a large range of food options and prices. Even if I only have like $ 2.50 I can find something on the menu that will do the trick for lunch. I’m a big fan.

Ray’s ALWAYS has a huge line waiting for them. You see people start to line up behind the library around 11:55. The truck is there consistently right at 12. Not only are the prices good, but the food is great too, especially when you’re on campus and starving. Last time I was here, there was a box of donuts that Ray told people to just take as they were waiting in line. Free food always makes your meal taste even better!
Torta: This mexican sandwich is super good. I’ve tried the fish and the carne asada, personally I like the fish because it makes it a lot more juicy. The bread is crunchy on the outside and soft of the inside, filled with meat, salsa, lettuce, and if you get the super option you get guac and sour cream on it also. I definitely need the green and red sauce poured on this also.
Super Burrito: I’ve only tried the carne asada, but the meat is juicy, the beans are hot and the rice is tasty. The only thing that isn’t letting me give this 5 stars is that the guac and sour cream are usually on one end, with the beans/​meat on the other end.
All in all though, good prices for good food on campus. Give this place a try!
And remember… CASH ONLY!!!

I am surprised that this place does not have as many reviews as the number of customers they get daily. Nothing more to say as I’m updating my review.
Everything here is amazing and very consistent, you definitely get your money’s worth here. I almost always come out with a full stomach and I’m very satisfied. Sometimes I feel like I can eat even more, and when me and my friend did attempt this, (buying two supreme carne asada burritos) we could not bare to finish it. Being an Economics major — the marginal utility of enjoyment of consuming their burrito did go down, only because we were so full! So yes, stick with one burrito unless you’re a pal and buy a lot of your friends burritos.
Planning for trips to Raymond’s Catering is very possible, just make sure if you’re planning to make a trip and buying a lot of food, let Raymond know what specific time you want to pick up your food and what food you want. Instead of waiting in line for a long time. I see waiting in line as part of the experience — the only bad thing about waiting in line is if you’re by yourself. Time goes by so so so so slow, but this should apply to most lines.
Consistency is what Raymond’s Catering has to offer and Alicia is such a great cook. Don’t forget to tip her. :)
Quick tip: Some like the red sauce, some do not. Personally it’s one of the best sauces to eat a burrito with. I always get the idea of using Ray’s red sauce on other burritos and see if that makes their burritos any better. I still have yet to test this one out. Green sauce is not bad also.
Quick tip 2: If you’re running in between class and are just looking for an eat, Ray’s Catering is perfect for you. Just make sure you drop by around 12:10 — 12:15 and look for the pre-​made food. Most of the food should be relatively warm already and you won’t have to wait in line. Just pay for the food and you’re good to go!
Quick tip 3: Raymond also gives out free doughnuts after his morning go around through the westside of Santa Cruz. So if you’re into free donuts, why not grab some. Usually they’re almost always gone by the time Raymond gets here, so the early bird gets the donut in this case.

I have been going to school for almost a year here at UCSC and i just started going to Rays Catering to find out what is all the excitement was.
First thing i saw was a queue to order and i was like WOW.
So i ordered the supreme carne asada burrito with no beans. Its a good size burrito at $ 5.00 a pop best bang for the buck i would say.
there are lime condiments and pickled spicy jalapeño carrots and onion in the condiment area.
Overall this place has a long line and you can order in advance for tomorrow so you would not need to wait as long.
parking? nah you have to walk there or take the city bus or loop buses.
by way no plastic cash only

OKAY, Just went again today since I wanted to grab some food fast before my class during a 1 hour break and go there around 12:10 with a 15minute wait or a little less than that.
The owner (Raymond) was saying they make 12 other stops besides UCSC so I’m sure if you can’t find them at UCSC, find them in a neighborhood or business?
I ordered a Carne Asada Supreme Burrito ($ 5) without sour cream and salsa (which makes it spicy). If only I knew that there even was salsa in my burrito (duh) I would have been able to enjoy my burrito completely not spicy! Even though it seemed a little drier. but i was willing to sacrifice!
NOMNOMS. Best food on campus.

For the price you pay, this taco truck is totally worth it. I got a torta last time I came here. It was my first time getting it and now I know what I have been missing! It was warm and the meat was juicy. My friend told me that you can ask them to put the hot sauce in while they make it. If you like spicy, that’s definitely not as messy as trying to add hot sauce in as you eat it. The nachos and burritos are also good! This is perfect college student food!
The lines are long though so make sure you’re able to wait a while!

Awesome food, excellent service, but unfortunately, it’s not here long enough! The taco truck (as everyone calls it) is only on UCSC campus from 12ish to 2:30ish Monday through Friday, and often the line is very long, even in the summer.
The taco truck, unlike its name, doesn’t sell only tacos. They’ve also got burritos, quesadillas, nachos, tamales, burgers, and breakfast options made to order. Also, there’s sandwiches and a huge variety of snacks (fruit, candy, chips) and drinks. And all for cheap, 5 or 6 dollars at most. I’ve only tried their supreme burrito, nachos, tacos, and quesadilla… all which can definitely fill me up and with leftovers, since they’re so packed with ingredients. I recommend the supreme burrito for first-​timers. Also, they’ve got self-​serve limes/​lemons, red salsa, green salsa, and whole jalapenos.
You order from Alicia, and she is super nice and is very quick preparing your food. Then, you pay Ray (guy with the wad of bills and a coin belt). So there’s definitely no money-​food contamination happening here! Occasionally, Ray walks through the line, offering free donuts. Both of them are so wonderful and make me and my stomach very happy!