Mexican food in San Diego is readily available everywhere – and we couldn’t be more thankful for that! 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. So if you’ve already had your fill of Italian restaurants or French bistros, and you’re looking for a fix of tacos, barbacoa, and more, make sure to check out these 14 best Mexican restaurants in San Diego.
1. Aqui es Texcoco
This Mexican restaurant specializes in lamb “barbacoa” as an homage to Texcoco, the Mexican region considered to be the birthplace of barbacoa. The lamb is covered in maguey leaves and slow-roasted for hours. Make sure to wear your stretchy pants when you visit Texcoco. This spot serves family-style dishes featuring loin, rib meat, Cabeza, sesos, and pancita (tripe), with a complimentary cup of seasoned lamb broth to dip into! That sounds heavily to us.
📍Location: 520 Broadway, Chula Vista
2. El Indio
This Mission Hills landmark has been serving some of the tastiest food in city for over 80 years, making it one of the best Mexican restaurants in San Diego. El Indio is known for its taquitos, which they cooked for their tortilla factory workers back in 1940. The founder of El Indio popularized the name, and the dish, around San Diego. These crispy rolled tacos come in several flavors, including beef, chicken, and potato topped with guacamole and cheese. They have plenty of other delicious dishes to try, like burritos, chimichangas, enchiladas, tamales, and quesadillas. On Tuesday, their street tacos are just $2.25.
📍Location: 3695 India S, San Diego
3. La Puerta
If you’re looking for more of a bar vibe, but still want amazing Mexican food, this is the spot for you. La Puerta has an industrial interior, with celebrity mug shots all over the walls. Some claim they make the best Margaritas in town – but you can try for yourself during the generous happy hour between 3 – 5 PM. Expect to find all classics, such as delicious tacos, fresh guacamole, burritos and more – the Carne Asada tacos are a favorite!
📍Location: 560 Fourth Ave, San Diego; 4020 Goldfinch St, San Diego
4. Café Coyote
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 has over 100 types of tequila, and offers more than 20 different margaritas. Get a spicy watermelon one, pineapple-chipotle, or a Chamoy sauce one in a Tajin Rim Glass topped with a Tamarind Chile Treat.
📍Location:2461 San Diego Ave.
5. Puesto Mexican Bar & Kitchen
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.
📍Location: Multiple locations
6. Tacos El Gordo
This Tijuana-inspired taquería is best known for its wide variety of street tacos and meats. At Tacos El Gordo you’ll find plenty of tempting taco options all the way from adobada (spiced pork – a fan favorite) to cabeza (head) and buche (stomach). At this popular eatery, you’ll also find other Mexican traditional dishes including tostadas, mulas, and decadent fries loaded with your favorite choice of meat, cheese, and other fresh toppings.
📍Location: 511 F St, San Diego
7. Ed Fernandez Birrieria
At Fernandez restaurant, you’ll find some of the best birria or Mexican beef stew this side of the border. Their famous dish is cooked overnight to let the beef, chiles, and spices create a flavorful and hearty stew that pairs perfectly with warm corn tortillas. The staff provides excellent customer service, and they’ll answer any questions you might have about the menu. According to Yelp, in 2022 they were voted for “the best taco in USA”!
📍Location: 2265 Flower Ave # D, San Diego
8. Flor’s Farm to Table
This one is still a little bit of a hidden gem when it comes to the best Mexican restaurants in San Diego. Fresh and delicious go hand in hand an Flor’s Farm to Table, where it’s easy to see how much passion Flor and Orlando put into what they do. If you’re looking for a great deal, head there on Taco Tuesday and get 3 for $15. The most famous items are the red snapper burritos and tacos – but be warned, they do go fast. Drinks are also freshly made…just ask the staff.
📍Location: Old Town Urban Market, 2548 Congress St STE G, San Diego
9. The Taco Stand
This incredible spot has multiple locations across the city, and all its tortillas, guacamole, and salsas are freshly made daily. It’s definitely a fan favorite as one of the best Mexican restaurants in San Diego. Plus, it opens at 9 am, so if you wake up craving something extra tasty (why not?!), make sure to check out Taco Stand’s killer breakfast burritos. Try their churros, too!
📍Location: Multiple locations
10. Lola 55
This spot serves some modern yet traditional-inspired dishes. Gourmet food steal the show at Lola 55 with their mesquite grilled steak tacos with avocado mousse, smoky Padilla salsa, crispy onions, and jalapeño toreado. Other tasty filling options include achiote pork belly, local fish in beer batter, and charred cauliflower with eggplant “bacon”. This is the place to be if you want to see what happens when old meets new and fancy.
📍Location: 1290 F St, San Diego
📍Location: 7720 El Camino Real Carlsbad
11. Tahona
Located in the heart of Old Town, Tahona is San Diego’s best mezcalería. The more than 120 mezcal kinds and dozens of cocktail options steal the show. Additionally, this incredible restaurant offers tasty Oaxacan-inspired dishes like quesabirria tacos (beef barbacoa, Oaxacan cheese, cilantro, onion, and tomatillo salsa) and decadent churros. They even have a happy hour, making it more wallet friendly.
📍Location: 2414 San Diego Ave.
12. TJ Oyster Bar, Bonita
TJ Oyster Bar’s name might be a bit confusing, but it offers some seafood options in the best style of Baja. At TJ’s, you’ll find tostadas piled high with mouthwatering ceviche and agua chiles, and tacos loaded up with fried fish, smoked tuna, garlic shrimp, octopus, and stingray. Wash it all down with a michelada, margarita, or a Mexican beer for a totally awesome meal.
📍Location: 4246 Bonita Rd, Bonita
13. Las Cuatro Milpas
The no-frills taquería has a small but mighty menu of traditional Mexican dishes so popular that you can always find a huge line outside. This cash-only Barrio Logan spot is famous for its carnitas and is open Monday through Saturday until 3 pm – perfect for lunch!
📍Location: 1857 Logan Ave, San Diego
14. La Doña
Located in Pacific Beach is owned by Tijuana-native Chef Gabby Lopez who cooks an abundance of Tijuana-style Mexican dishes, like their Tacos de Camarones, spicy agauchile, and more. One of their specialty dishes is Molcajete el Patron with carne asada, pollo asado, shrimp, chorizo, and salchicha picos. It’s served sizzling in a traditional Mexican molcajete with tortillas, rice, and beans.
📍Location: 1852 Bacon St, San Diego