I have not been here in a while. Lo siento! I have missed it so much! Ordered the house…read moremargarita to start off the evening!They have changed the menu a little, but they still have my favorites. The big tortilla with beans and chorizo...sooooo good! I can never pronounce the name of it...LOL! But I also ordered the taquitos, another delicious starter! I then had the green mole with ground pistachios over chicken...oh sooooo good!!!!! I love coming here! The staff is always friendly! The server said it had been a while. The outside patio is always welcoming!!! They are also dog friendly! Cako Approves!

Was in the area and needed a quick bite before an event. Stopped by at 4pm and was surprised to be…read moreone of 4 people at the restaurant. Two at the bar, one outside, then me. Given the minimal patrons, service was excellent. Was here during happy hour and the food was great! Server said birria or fish tacos are best, so I opted for birria. Tacos didn't come with consumé but they were juicy enough without it. Good flavor but tortillas did start to fall apart. Margaritas for $5 are a good deal and tasted fresh. Ambiance is upscale Mexican and I think it hits, at least for happy hour! Guac and salsa prices were too high for my liking ($13 and $10, respectively) especially as a happy hour item, but to each their own. Overall 4.5 stars rounded up to 5 with a $5 marg as the kicker to round up vs down (for guac and salsa prices).

"This is the place I trust." A quote from a good friend of mine which is all the proof I need…read more As for everyone else. Fresh tortillas, fresh meats grilled, adobada spicy and flavorful, cactus on top, open kitchen where you can see the passion on full display. Super friendly staff, and working hard too, loved these people. Nice atmosphere as well. I don't want to eat tacos anywhere else now! I need me some El Gordo fuego!!

Great, but didn't quite live up to the hype! This is the only Tacos El Gordo location I've tried,…read morebut I've heard that the carne asada at this location is much better than the downtown location. The adobada was really good though! We got it both in taco form and as fries, and I definitely preferred the adobada. Overall, solid tacos, but I think my expectations were just a little too high going in!

Good food and amazing service by Ana! All the food tasted amazing and Ana was so attentive with us!read more

Great tortillas and salsa and great, ambiance. We drive an hour and 10 minutes to eat here.read more

Matt was the BEST server of ALL time!! Never had more incredible service and a better dining…read moreexperience! His energy and passion for the restaurant and his town was contagious! AND MOST delicious spicy margarita EVER!!!

Absolutely loved this place! From the moment we walked in, the service was excellent and the…read moreatmosphere was on point. Every dish we ordered was flavorful, beautifully presented, and clearly made with quality ingredients. The staff was attentive without being overbearing, and the whole experience felt welcoming and well thought out. Definitely a spot I'd recommend to anyone looking for a great meal. We'll be coming back for sure!

We had a great experience at La Puerta! The service was excellent, and the atmosphere had that…read moreperfect mix of chill and lively -- definitely a popular spot without feeling too hectic. They also had some really great vegetarian options. The tostadas, veggie tacos, and flautas were all awesome and full of flavor. The margaritas were reasonably strong, which was nice. And definitely save room for the churros -- they were so good! The only thing that wasn't quite our preference was the queso fundido. It was a little more solid than we like; we prefer ours to be extra melty and gooey. Otherwise, everything was fantastic. Great food, drinks, service, and vibes!

I'm so mad about this place!! Hubby and I headed down to SD…read moreto get away from the heat in the OC. On the drive, I decided I wanted Mexican food. I picked a place off Google but when we landed there we were not comfortable stopping to park, so we looked again and decided to check out La Puerta not realizing it was in the Gaslight District. I am not a fan of the Gaslight District, which is why I am so mad!! I'm going to HAVE to go back to the Gaslight District!! The food was AMAZING!! I HIGHLY recommend the Potato Flautitas. It's the kind of dish I'm going to dream about, I'm salivating now just thinking about them. I also did the Pick 3 Street Tacos (and actually ordered a 4th). The Ranchero Shrimp and Grilled Veggie were top notch. The Conchinita was recommended by our waiter, and it was interesting, tasty but different. It could have used a little more pickled onion. The only one I would not recommend (shockingly, I thought it would be the easy pass) was the carne asada. It was too greasy. My husband ordered a carne asada quesadilla and said the same, it was too wet and soaked through the tortilla. But there were no many other delightful options, I would say just don't go traditional. But honestly my favorite thing on the plate was the side dish rajas con crema, seriously, that alone is going to drag me down to the Gaslight District. I'm even considering going to a Padres game just for the excuse. I'm salivating again! As for our waiter, Colin, he was fantastic. Very informative, made great suggestions and seemed genuinely pleased by our satisfaction. He was smiling the whole time, friendly and stayed very present. I highly recommend you get yourself through the door at La Puerta and sit down for a meal ASAP. (We ate the food so fast I forgot to take pictures.)

very good food we got our food fast. Great customer service and great atmospher. The tacos were…read morevery good and the elotes were very tasty.

I recall this place from years ago! I loved their surf and turf and mango salsa at the time. I came…read moreback and it was not the memory I had. They had construction going on when we went, the street parking and their personal lot were closed off Anyway, the burrito has some overdone shrimp and beef, where the shrimp was a bit tough and the beef a bit dry. The flavor and sauces were correct, just the protein texture were off. When we had their mango salsa it looked like it had been sitting there for a while since the mango did not have a more firm and brighter sheen to the color. Even with the things I mentioned, it still was better than a lot of other places I've had. Flavor profile great, texture was mid.

We had such an amazing experience at Cocina de Barrio! We made a reservation about 3 days in…read moreadvance, which I definitely recommend because the walk-in line can get really long. Everything we ordered was delicious. The Late Flight was amazing, and honestly all of the food was great! Is so nice and cozy and fun music background. Our waiter, Anelle, was wonderful and made us feel so welcomed. Mario, the manager, kept checking on us throughout our meal and really made the experience special. I jokingly told him that my boyfriend stole my tamale, and Mario was kind enough to bring me another one on the house . Such a sweet gesture! The whole experience felt warm and welcoming, almost like being at home with family. Amazing food and even better hospitality. Thank you, Mario and Anelle, for taking such great care of us. We'll definitely be back!

The huevos rancheros were SO YUMMY! I also got a drink and it was delicious…read more Service was nice and attentive. It is very nice looking inside, could see people coming here to celebrate bdays and such.

This is my new favorite restaurant…read more The place is nicely decorated, feels inviting and spacious at the same time. The service is prompt and friendly. The foods and drinks are beautifully presented and it's difficult to resist licking the yummy molé.

Service fell off a cliff Ignored despite being somewhat…read moreempty weird Bartender was chatting with friend and ignored us for 15 mins Then they ripped us off with minuscule ceviche portion and when we mentioned they said would charge double

Javier's is officially my new favorite spot in La Jolla! We came here to celebrate my friend's…read morebirthday and had such a great experience from start to finish. We made a reservation online ahead of time and were seated right away. Parking was pretty packed since it was the weekend, but luckily they offer valet right in front of the restaurant, which made things much easier. We started with a couple of refreshing margaritas along with the complimentary chips and salsa. For food, the four of us decided to share the Trio de Ceviche and La Tablita, and everything was delicious! The ceviche tasted so fresh, and La Tablita was especially fun because you get to build your own beef tacos. The meat was incredibly tender, and there was plenty of food for all four of us. The atmosphere is definitely one of the highlights. The music, energy, and overall vibe were amazing, and the interior is absolutely stunning. It almost feels like you've been transported somewhere else as soon as you walk inside! Our server was great and made sure we had everything we needed. Service was excellent, and our food came out surprisingly fast. Between the food, drinks, beautiful atmosphere, and great service, we had such a fun birthday dinner. I would definitely come back again!

Yum yum yum! Loved Javier's! The restaurant is so beautiful with all the stone work and the giant…read morebar in the center. Such a stunning design. The food and margaritas were amazing. It is a bit pricy so I would come here for a special occasion but everything is so delicious. Our server was so attentive as we had two babies and a larger party. She made some great recommendations. She let us mix and match the enchiladas which was a great choice to try more of the dishes. They ask you to check your stroller at the host stand, so just an fyi for any parents with littles.

The fried shrimp tacos were awesome. The chips were good and the hot sauce was a little spicy but…read moregood. I forgot our waiter's name but he was very attentive.

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.