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    Salsa Brava

    4.0 (35 reviews)
    InexpensiveMexican
    Closed 11:15 am - 9:00 pm

    Salsa Brava Photos

    Business Info

    SALSA BRAVA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Quiet
    Good for groups
    Outdoor seating

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    This pics are not that good but the food was good
    Challane Á.

    This place is so good which is why it is always busy! If you're not super patient then it might be best to place an order over the phone for pick up. I got the chicken quesadilla and they were bomb!! The rolled tacos are good and burritos are delicious. I'm always trying new things. Going to try the mini tacos next and I'm sure they won't disappoint. Definitely one of the best taco shops on SD. I promise you they are not all the same. This place is delicious, clean, and the staff there are super awesome! :) You get the pop and moms treatment. Makes me feel like food at home.

    Jason B.

    Salsa Brava is located on the always colorful El Cajon Boulevard. As I was traveling to S.B., I saw a guy crossing the street dancing as if he were straight out of a Morris Day video. Slightly obscure reference to some possibly, I know, so YouTube "Jungle Love" and you'll see what I mean. Aw, what the hell - I'll do the work for ya! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szlejykEhQ4 Salsa Brava (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/0BPYMVaOLIu5_LI2cACPlw?select=zNV3w9at2M2ejWTIMvjfjA) has a tinted (and probably bulletproof) window that blocks your view to the kitchen area. What exactly are they trying to hide? Are they cooking in the nude? Are they doing lines of coke (that's street slang for cocaine) off of their burritos? I'm hoping that they're holding female midget jello wrestling matches back there but I don't think that's the case. Whatever they're doing back there, they're all very nice when they come out from behind their shield to help the common folk like myself. They don't have pollo asado but the guy behind the counter said he'd grill the shredded chicken for me and that it's "very good." It wasn't - it was only good. Their carne asada was forgettably average. Their breakfast burrito comes with hash browns which included the thinnest cuts of bacon I've ever seen/chewed wif my teef. Carne asada burrito (with beans and cheese only) # 74 - http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/0BPYMVaOLIu5_LI2cACPlw?select=LWwyI4P0YY0GAsWYUxySzQ Chicken burrito (with beans and cheese only) # 29 - http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/0BPYMVaOLIu5_LI2cACPlw?select=VYCrbiq86JcvbLPF7hNGNQ Breakfast burrito # 91 - http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/0BPYMVaOLIu5_LI2cACPlw?select=6oiwXbIu5_KAsg-RgIIOrw Bravo to Salsa Brava? Nah, but you could sure do a hell of a lot worse than this place.

    Adobada Tacos
    Chris E.

    The Chefs recipe for Adobada is top notch! I used to drive 20 miles avoiding all other joints along the way to eat there. I have guacamole added to them. Very nice lady at the register too. Moved to Fresno 3 years ago. While visiting San Diego it was a Must that I stopped there. The lady recognized me and said "long time no see". I normally used to say the usual but after 3 years I told her adobada tacos. Sat down, and the lady came with a plate with the tacos with guacamole that I forgot to mention at the register. Outstanding! This action alone led me to get a Yelp account. They provide stocked to go trays if eating in the comfort of your home is what you prefer.

    Chile relleño plate. Oaxican cheese and home made salsa enchilada!

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    3 years ago

    I've been coming to this place for about 28 years. It's always been good food. Authentic Mexican food. Home cook meals

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    4 years ago

    Decent price for some good taco shop!!!! Carne asada is really good!!! My favorite is carne asada fries with added adobada meat FIRE!!!!

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    11 years ago

    Slowest damn taco shop ive ever been too. No one else here but still took 20 mins for my food

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    La Puerta

    La Puerta

    4.2
    (4.8k reviews)
    5.2 mi
    $$

    Five stars all the way!!! Amazing food, fresh chips and salsa oh and service that cares the taco…read moreplate was full of flavor and the portions were spot on! Everything tasted good

    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.)

    Photos
    Restaurant
    Restaurant
    Chicken with fried cheese tacos
    Chicken with fried cheese tacos
    Harland Hazy IPA

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    Harland Hazy IPA
    Quixote

    Quixote

    4.0
    (700 reviews)
    3.0 mi
    $$$

    Quixote is connected to the side of the Lafayette hotel in a deconstructed church with stained…read moreglass, heaven and hell rooms. Super dark and I mean dark, it'll take a minute for your eyes to adjust. Tapas style menu, we were a party of 4 and ordered: Squash blossom Relleno - it's the flower part of a squash plant and stuffed with mushroom duxelles which resembles a meat mixture with squash succotash. Outside is a corn tempura with a tomato base sauce. Pulpo-grilled octopus, one of the best texture and perfectly grilled skin with a chewy yet soft interior. The sauce has a slight kick and crunch from the corn nuts. Crab corn doughnut- this is their specialty and we were about to skip out but glad we didn't. The brioche bun had a donut batter with lumps of crab salad and corn mixture on top. El Festin- perfect for our party of 4 because it was a platter full of 4 Cheese quesadilla, 4 shrimp, 4 chicken slices, 1 jalapeño bacon wrap, ribeye. Flan-we should have each ordered one ourselves! Great flavors and texture, the top had ancient chocolate soil and had crispy corn nuts. Different but yummy. Overall, delicious food that came out so quick, great ambiance, we celebrated our birthdays and were each gifted candles with our names on the label. Truly amazing from beginning to end. Street parking only. The spots on the same block are metered but if you drive down to the second street towards residential, it's free.

    We popped in for a drink and the place was jammin. It's decor is quite nice and the atmos was…read moreenergetic. We we're not greeted at the dire so we wandered over to the bar and luckily found two seats. This is not your ordinary bar. We both wanted a gin and tonic and they have five gins.... None of which I have heard of which is amazing. I tried the prickly pear gin and wowee... superb. A little sweeter than normal but a delight. The bartender was nice and the drinks enjoyable.

    Photos
    Dramatic dining space!
    Dramatic dining space!
    Chamoyada dessert, the mango sorbet was the highlight!
    Chamoyada dessert, the mango sorbet was the highlight!
    Sangre Santa. Taste like a sangria. It was delicious.

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    Sangre Santa. Taste like a sangria. It was delicious.
    Cocina de Barrio

    Cocina de Barrio

    4.5
    (1.2k reviews)
    4.2 mi
    $$
    Happy hour specials
    Full bar

    It's very rare that I find an upscale Mexican restaurant that I absolutely LOVE... but Cocina de…read moreBarrio completely won me over. I was in town looking for a good brunch spot and came across Cocina de Barrio on Yelp. The food looked delicious, but let me tell you... it tasted like home. You know that scene in Ratatouille when the food critic takes that first bite and is instantly transported back to his childhood? That was me. The sauces, the flavors, the textures... everything was absolutely magnificent. It was honestly so hard to choose what I wanted. I would happily pay extra for a buffet here! Hint, hint! I ordered the Oaxaqueño Breakfast, with nopales (cactus) cooked into the eggs with salsa, paired with refried beans and potatoes. Can we just take a moment to give some serious compliments to the chef?! Every bite was packed with flavor. I also paired my breakfast with a Café de Olla, and I loved that it wasn't overly sweet. I enjoy my cafecito, and this one was just right. The ambience is colorful, vibrant, and beautifully filled with greenery, which made the whole experience even better. everyone was very welcoming and friendly Overall, Cocina de Barrio was such a wonderful find. I'm already looking forward to coming back and trying more dishes the next time I'm in town. 10/10 -- my taste buds definitely felt at home.

    Wow! What a great spot. The happy hour is seriously one of the best around, with awesome drink…read morespecials and delicious tacos that are hard to beat! Everything was fresh, flavorful, and the prices made it even better! The service was fantastic and the whole place had such a fun, lively vibe. A SPECIAL SHOUTOUT TO THEO, who greeted everyone with a huge smile and made us feel welcome from the moment we walked in. He was an awesome bartender-friendly, energetic, and made the experience even more enjoyable. If you're looking for great tacos, tasty drinks, amazing happy hour deals, and a fun atmosphere, this place is definitely worth checking out. Can't wait to come back!

    Photos
    Cocina de Barrio
    Cocina de Barrio
    Mango-Tajin Popsicle Margarita

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    Mango-Tajin Popsicle Margarita
    Coasterra

    Coasterra

    4.0
    (4.1k reviews)
    6.1 mi
    $$$

    My new favorite spot in San Diego!…read more I had no idea Reuben E. Lee was gone and this beautiful venue replaced it! I am so glad! This visit we stuck to the Happy Hour menu for food, but the main menu looked so tasty! The margarita very strong and had too much ice, but the wine was tasty! The chips, salsa and guacamole were wonderful and the guacamole was a hearty portion - well worth the cost. The ceviche was just okay, it was packed with what should have been delicious ingredients and in the end it was pretty tasteless. The service was A+ and the view, well there are no words.

    This location is definitely an upscale Mexican vibe, and I thoroughly enjoyed my experience here…read more For apps, we shared the calamari and Tempura Jalapeno-Cilantro cauliflower. I loved the cauliflower app. It was well seasoned, and had a good crunch to it. Calamari was good as well. But I highly recommend cauliflower app over calamari. For main course, I got the tempura Mahi Tacos. They were very filling and had a very subtle spicy kick in the tacos. Overall, the food was good for upscale Mexican-esque food. Service was excellent as well. Our waters never ran empty and after apps, they gave us new napkins to set our forks and knives down while they took our small plates away. They even offered to give us a new set of forks and knives. I think it is small details like this that make a difference. The most prominent detail I really liked about this location was the ocean view. We made a reservation for outdoor seating, and had an amazing view of the ocean and sunset. Parking was a little difficult. There's only one row for free self parking, but it is very limited. They offer $10 valet which I had to do because I could not find any parking. Overall, I enjoyed my experience here. Because this restaurant is a more high-end / upscale restaurant, I would recommend this location more for a special occasion or date night rather than a casual place to eat.

    Photos
    Located on Harbor Island, Coasterra offers stunning views of the San Diego Bay, downtown skyline and Coronado Bridge.
    Located on Harbor Island, Coasterra offers stunning views of the San Diego Bay, downtown skyline and Coronado Bridge.
    View from patio
    View from patio
    Main dining room

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    Main dining room

    Salsa Brava - mexican - Updated August 2026

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