The food was really great and I loved the attentive service!…read more I recently attended a small birthday celebration at Cocina de Barro and was delighted with the quality and flavor of the food. Parking in the area was rough, but at least there is a nearby parking garage with good prices ($5). We ordered a bunch of items off the menu, and everything was perfect. At less than $50/head for a huge and wonderful meal with drinks, this was a bargain in my book. Five stars for all elements of the experience!

Yummy brunch! Nothing too special but it gets the job done, especially if you have a large group or…read moreparty. They were able to seat 12 of us at around 10:30AM. I got the emoladas and a cafe de olla. I've had much better cafe de ollas and the enmoladas were tasty and the plate was huge! It was around $21 and I couldn't eat it all there was so much food there. Don't skip their breakfast potatoes!!

Tacos and fries are great but Do not order tacos thru the drive thru, or at least check your order…read morebefore leaving. They will not get them right. Got 4 carne asada tacos and the lady even asked "with everything" I clearly said "yes please" got home to plain carne asada tacos just meat and tortilla. For how expensive they are now I would think they'll make your order right.

You must come to Tacos el Gordo in Chula Vista if you're visiting San Diego. It's so very worth…read moreyour drive down. I like this location better than the downtown SD one. Make sure to get in line for the taco type that you want. There's a different queue for each meat. I highly recommend the lengua! The meat is buttery soft and literally melts in your mouth. There's plenty of parking in the back, but not a lot of seating.

We ate from the a la carte and happy hour menu. All the food was delicious and the vibe was fun!…read moreOur server, Aide, was also very happy, smiley, helpful and appreciative. She was great!! We will be back for sure!!

Our waitress Aide was awesome. She was friendly and very helpful when we ask questions about the…read moredrinks and food. Overall she provided very good service.

Our first and not our last visit to Cocina was amazing…read more Our Server Matt listens and directs you to what you really want. As I was enjoying my cocktail I noticed that Matt gave all of his tables the same attention. He is absolutely fabulous! Alicia

Go see Matt for his margarita recs! Great food and vibes. As Matt says, best in the west!read more

Drinks strong, food was beyond amazing. Only shrimp I've ever enjoyed. All other reviews saying…read morefood was mid are full of it. Nick B was awesome, great bartender and representative of the restaurant. I would be here every week if I lived within 30 mins of it. Thank you for an awesome end to my vacation.

Travis and Robert were amazing! Sat at the bar and their service couldn't be any better. Appreciate…read morehow thoughtful they were. The food was also outstanding! Try the asada burrito!

First time here. We were told to get the surf and turf, which runs $19 -- a bit much for one…read moreburrito, in my opinion. But a friend swore by it, so we went for it anyway. It tasted good, but honestly the ingredients weren't fresh enough to justify that price point. Solid burrito, just not $19 solid. Worth noting: I'm used to eating authentic Mexican food, and while this place will definitely please a lot of taste buds, it's not what I'd call authentic. Go in expecting that and you'll enjoy it more. The real star was the cilantro mayo sauce -- out of this world. Rich, velvety mayo with a bright citrusy punch of lime, savory garlic, and zesty cilantro. It went perfectly with the burrito and just as well with the chips. Good news is you can buy the sauce separately, which I'd absolutely do.

My go to spot for delicious mexican food in San Diego and never a wait!…read moreIt's about $5 a taco and burritos around $15-$20. The food is really good and if you don't mind spending a little extra definitely worth it!! Food comes out quick, lots of seating indoor and outdoor, salsa bar, and awesome decor! Staff is very friendly and attentive. Trust me it's a must try!!!!!

I've come to Cocina de Barrio on many occassions now, and their service and food has always been…read moreconsistently good, with staff going above and beyond! My favorite meal time at Cocina de Barrio is their brunch. Their dishes range from the classics with a "Mexican twist" (eggs, pancakes, French toast) to the more authentic antojitos. I've tried and really enjoyed their enmoladas made with Oaxacan mole. The cafe de olla is also not-to-be-missed. Everytime I come to Cocina de Barrio, the staff always goes above and beyond. The first time, our server (Alberto) saw me yawn and asked if I wanted to try the cafe de olla to "wake me up" (as a joke haha) and he brought it for free! They also sing and give out a generous slice of tres leches cake to the "cumpleañero" (birthday freebie). I look forward to coming back and trying more of their delicious "antojitos" (even though I'm faithful to these enmoladas).

I've visited this restaurant twice, once for a friend's birthday and another time to for a day trip…read morewith my parents. First and foremost, the overall atmosphere of this restaurant is very festive. There's a full bar, plenty of seating, and there's always music playing in the background. In my most recent visit, we were initially directed to a table close to the bar. But one of the bussers kindly cleaned a larger table by the patio very quickly, then moved my parents and I. So we unexpectedly got a comfortable booth by natural light, how thoughtful! :') Food Highlights: - Grilled Octopus (5/5) - Char + flavor + texture made for a phenomenal appetizer to share - Señorial Non-Alcoholic Sangria (4/5) - this was terrific, but it's a bit pricy to order from here. You're better off buying this bev in bulk from Smart & Final - Chicharrón, Chips, and Guacamole (4.3/5) - Delicious! But I would have liked more chicarrón and guac, less chips. - Lenguado al Ajillo (4.7/5) - Crispy edges, but the flounder itself flakes beautifully. The garlic butter flavor isn't too overpowering and the corn cake that comes with this plate is on the sweeter side - overall, a fantastic dish! The staff is generally accommodating to reasonable requests. I actually asked for extra cilantro lemon rice and less beans. I didn't even mind the black beans lodged into the rice cause this still made for a well-balanced meal. If I'm in the greater San Diego area in the future, I'm determined to try one of their popsicle margaritas!

Had a 5/5 experience celebrating a birthday brunch here! The food is phenomenal- the sopes benny…read morehad the most tender lamb birria and the churro & french toast was heavenly! Not pictured but also delicious were the popsicle margaritas. The mango popsicle was perfect for the hot day. A special shoutout to Theresa for her cheerful and uplifting service. All the staff we encountered were lovely but she went out of her way to make sure we were well taken care of and felt special celebrating. I've visited both Cocina de Barrio locations and loved my experiences at each. Will definitely be back and highly recommend you try them to dive into delicious Mexican dishes with great service!

Came to Cocina de Barrio with several friends and overall, we thought it was okay. Some dishes were…read moreranked highly whereas most were middle of the pack. I ordered the mahi mahi fish tacos and a house coffee. The coffee was actually pretty good! Cream and sugar were delivered separately to finish with your preference. As for the tacos, it was okay. The fish was a bit dry for my liking, cabbage could have been chopped with more finesse, and I wished they QC'd their limes a bit before putting them on the plate. Both were bone dry and I had to ask for more. Moreover, the cilantro lime rice was also a bit bland. It needed salt to lift the flavors in my opinion. There weren't even flecks of green if it was supposed to be cilantro? I tried boyfriend's veggie hash but was disappointed to find that it was almost all potatoes. Having said that, it was an extremely generous portion so he was filled up. While I didn't try it, our friend that had the chorizo hash also said it was okay so I'm guessing the ratio wasn't quite right. Anyways, ask for their chili sauce on the side, that's actually quite surprising. It had really good heat and was more like a chili crisp than a vinegary hot sauce. The plates that did score favorably at the table were the carne chilaquiles and the divorced eggs.

I've been coming to Javier's for a long time, and it's still one of my favorite restaurants. The…read morefood is always fresh, flavorful, and beautifully presented. The staff is welcoming, and the service is consistently excellent. The restaurant itself is gorgeous, especially the bar area--it has such a unique and upscale vibe. If you visit, don't skip the Beef Taquitos. They're my favorite item on the menu, and I keep coming back for them. Everything I've tried here has been delicious. Definitely one of the best Mexican restaurants in San Diego.

Javier's is a regular mexican restaurant that has a vast menu and a spacious dining room and nice…read moreoutdoor areas. I ordered the enchiladas suizas and they were alright. Chicken was a little dry but the tomatillo salsa was good. A little expensive for just two of them and you gotta order rice and beans separately because they just serve you the two enchiladas on a plate. The beans were the highlight of my meal tho.

I got a couple rolls to go as well as some edamame. All serviceable, nothing remarkable but an…read moreinexpensive option for some decent sushi! Fun decor in this place! When I came in to pick up my food there was no one at the host stand and it seems like there was one waiter running the whole show during busy lunch time. Little teeny tiny parking lot but it's right across from the shopping centre parking so not a big deal.

This place named itself "sushi bar," but it also says it's an authentic Mexican seafood restaurant?…read moreThat feels like an identity crisis lol. I was given chips, salsa, and an appetizer soup thing in a cup. The chips were fine. I thought the soup was alright. I didn't like the salsa as I found it too watery and lacking in flavor, more like a hot sauce than a salsa. I ordered two hand rolls, a spicy tuna roll and a salmon skin roll. I thought they were good. I found the salmon skin too crispy and deep fried for my preference, but it was still good. Finally, I realized that not only do I never eat authentic Mexican seafood, I'm not even sure what that entails. So I dug through the menu and saw something called "Don Tono," described as stuffed with seafood, but without much other explanation. I asked the waitress what this Don Tono is exactly, and to my surprise, she wasn't sure either. So, of course I had to order it. It was a big thing of aluminum foil with goodies inside, kinda like a seafood bake. It was good, although I found the flavor to be a undertuned. I would've liked some Cajun seasoning. The best texture and taste was probably the fish itself as it was light and flaky without being mushy, and it absorbed the umami of some of the other seafood. I thought the shrimp and shellfish were just okay, and maybe just a tad overcooked for me. Honestly, I was also not a huge fan of the cheese here; I feel like it doesn't quite fit. I also got some rice and salad with it, which were both fine.