Top 10 Most Famous Mexican Restaurants In San Diego
The Most Famous Mexican Restaurants In San Diego
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San Diego's Mexican restaurants keep us well-fed with our favorites, serving everything from fish tacos to savory birria and representing some of the city's most exciting new dining destinations. We've compiled a list of 10 of the most famous Mexican Restaurants in San Diego so you can spend less time Googling and more time enjoying America's Finest City's best tacos, burritos, and quesadillas.

Top 10 Most Famous Mexican Restaurants In San Diego

1. Camino del Rio

https://caminoriviera.com/

Location: 2400 India St, San Diego, CA

At Camino Riviera, executive chef Brian Redzikowski's menu features upscale takes on traditional preparations as well as playful, Southeast Asian-influenced dishes. The Taco, a long filet of tempura seabass gilded with edible gold leaf, and Sonoma Lamb Shoulder Barbacoa with cucumber, onion, cotija, rattle tail chile aioli, and salsa borracha are two standouts.

READ MORE: Top 10 Best Mexican Restaurants in Las Vegas: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

2. TJ Oyster Bar in Bonita Springs

https://www.tjoyster.com/location/4246-bonita-rd

Location: 4246 Bonita Rd, Bonita Springs

TJ's OysterBar's name may be a little confusing, but this Bonita restaurant offers some seafood options in the best Baja style. Tacos are piled high with fried fish, smoked tuna, garlic shrimp, octopus, and stingray, and tostadas are piled high with mouthwatering ceviche and agua chiles. For a totally awesome meal, wash it all down with a michelada, margarita, or Mexican beer.

3. LOLA 55

https://lola55.com/

Location: 1290 F St., San Diego, CA 92101

Taco variations here are more sophisticated, with inventive combinations like baby carrot adobada and squash blossom relleno. Some of the winners include ribeye carne asada cooked to order on the mesquite wood-burning grill or achiote-rubbed pork belly with grilled pineapple.

4. Downtown San Diego's Taco Stand

https://letstaco.com/

Location: 645 B St, San Diego

This incredible restaurant has multiple locations throughout the city, and all of its tortillas, guacamole, and salsas are made fresh daily. Plus, it opens at 9 a.m., so if you wake up hungry, make sure to try TacoStand's delicious breakfast burritos!

5. Medina

https://www.medinakitchen.com/press

Location: 2850 El Cajon Blvd., San Diego, CA 92104

This self-described "Moroccan-Baja kitchen" may sound out of the ordinary, but it's packed with bold, enticing flavors. Chef Alia Jaziri creates an intriguing fast-casual menu inspired by her surroundings as well as her family heritage. Moroccan-spiced chicken tacos with preserved lemon and tzatziki-inspired crema, or couscous bowls with merguez, black beans, queso fresco, and toasted pepitas, are among the offerings.

6.Texcoco is here, Chula Vista

https://www.aquiestexcoco.com/

Location: 520 Broadway.

This Mexican restaurant specializes in lamb "barbacoa" as a tribute to Texcoco, the Mexican region regarded as the birthplace of barbacoa--lamb wrapped in maguey leaves and slow-roasted for hours. When you visit Texcoco, make sure to wear your stretchy pants. This spot serves family-style dishes featuring loin, rib meat, as well as Cabeza, sesos, and pancita (tripe), with a complimentary cup of seasoned lamb broth to dip into!

7. Café Coyote, Old Town

https://www.cafecoyoteoldtown.com/

Location: 2461 San Diego Ave.

If you’re looking for some excellent margaritas to pair with your food, then your best bet is to head over to Café Coyote in Old Town. This popular San Diego spot serves giant, freshly-made margaritas alongside overflowing plates of burritos, tacos, and other incredible Mexican antojitos. Café Coyote offers more than 20 different margaritas, including spicy watermelon, pineapple-chipotle, and a Chamoy sauce one in a Tajin Rim Glass topped with a Tamarind Chile Treat.

8. Puesto Mexican Bar & Kitchen, Seaport Village

https://www.eatpuesto.com/

Location: 789 W Harbor Dr. Suite 155, 5010 Mission Center Rd

Puesto Mexican Bar & Kitchen serves up some of the best Mexican food in the city. We love their delectable mango shrimp ceviche, which we recommend you eat on their beautiful outdoor patio. Their artisanal blue corn tortillas are fantastic and really elevate their tacos. You also have to have one of their refreshing Agua Frescas.

9. Corazón de Torta

https://www.corazondetortatruck.com/

Location: Logan Heights

Although Antonio “Tony Tee'' Ley bases his food truck, Corazón de Torta, in Logan Heights, you can find him outside of tasting rooms and breweries throughout San Diego County. Short Rib Guajillo Tacos have rich chile flavor from being slow cooked, with crispy end bits here and there for a crunchy surprise. Carne asada bathed in chipotle meat sauce and gooey melted cheese give “The Dirty” all the juicy flavors you crave, and vegetarian and vegan options like the popular vegan Cauliflower Mole ensures everyone leaves satisfied.

10. Tacos El Gordo

http://tacoselgordobc.com/

Location: 511 F Street, San Diego, Ca 92102

This is a taqueria with rules. The first mandate: Order, then pay. The second: What you order dictates the line in which you stand. You better be prepared to wait long as an hour, especially for Tacos El Gordo's famous adobada meat. Besides the adobada, the menu is short, with just a handful of taco varieties—carne asada, lengua, and chorizo among them—along with quesadillas, tostadas, sopes, and mulas. Note that everything is street-style, meaning portions are small; the average diner will probably need at least three tacos to make a meal of it.

Bottom Line

If there’s something San Diego doesn’t kid around with is its Mexican food. From tacos to enchiladas and birrias, Mexican food in San Diego is readily available everywhere. And with California having been part of Mexico up until less than 200 years ago, you know you can’t go wrong when looking for a place to enjoy Mexico’s scrumptious dishes!

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