Ordered their California burrito with a tamarindo agua fresca. Agua fresca was light, not overly sweet . Perfect. Their California burrito was huge and filling . Simple, clean with lots of flavor . Meat was was perfectly seasoned and tender . Definitely come again . Oh and it's dog friendly patio if your here with your furry friend.
Mariyah Gillis
Service was pretty good. Our food came really fast. When we walked up to the restaurant we noticed it was quite empty in comparison to all the other restaurants near it. That should have been our #1 clue. In fact, my house and stated upon being seated, “it’s empty in here are you sure you want to eat here?” I laughed. Although the staff was friendly and the food came fast, the food was awful. It lacked flavor, and quality and it was cold. I ordered the potato tacos and my husband ordered beef enchiladas. Both of our food was cold. Very disappointing. Hence, the reason for low number of patrons.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 4
Mark H.
The location is great for people watching and ambiance. But the service is VERY SLOOOOW, not the place if you're in a hurry or on a schedule. Food portions were adequate but average on flavor.
Maribelle T.
My husband, my uncle and I went to old town for dinner one Friday but unfortunately the restaurant we normally go to had an hour wait so we decided to go for a walk to get some coffee. There was a sign outside of mama Antonia restaurant that said café de Olla which is my husband's favorite so we decided to go in especially because they had live music. Originally we were just going to have coffee but since the music was nice, we decided to have dinner. There was one other table and 4 employees around the cash register. After 10 min a young girl We order a coke, cafe de olla, and a Mexican Mocha ceviche de camarón, 1 ala cart crispy beef taco and some shrimp enchiladas... I should of know better when the young girl didn't understand me in English or in Spanish, and she wrote our order on her iPhone. After waiting 20 we got a beverages correct but got 1 carne asada tacos and some shrimp in some sauce that was so spicy even for someone that likes spicy food. Tables were coming in and only one girl was talking orders while the other 3 employees hang out by the cash register doing nothing. People were coming in and just leaving because they were not being seated. After we finish dinner, the waitress was taking so long to come back to the table that my husband decided to go up to the bar and ask for a beer while he was at the bar the waitress brought the bill. We told her to add a beer 20 minutes later no beer had arrived so my husband went back to the bar and asked for his beer. That's when he was informed that the draft machine was not working yet no one bothered telling us and we did get charged for the beer, one thing I could say, was that the live music was great, food was less the mediocre, service was horrible and we will not ever go there again especially because we asked the entertainment what other location they play so we will just go there instead! I see the potential for this restaurant, but they need a lot of work with service and the food!
Lisbeth R.
Horrible service. Ordered the simplest thing on the menu and it took longer than 30 minutes to get our food, mind you it's not busy. We come here to San Diego from LA and we finally decided to try a different restaurant and this was a fail. Definitely not coming back...especially after the amount I paid wasn't worth it.
Moses Vivanco
November 18th 2023, my family and I went to this restaurant, my aunt and I order a similar plate, Carnitas Place, I have been sick ever since, weird symptoms, a lot of Nausea, weakness, dizziness, I’ve gone to the doctor multiple times and they can’t seem to find an answer. The service was strange, the waitress seemed like she didn’t know what she was doing, she didn't understand a word in English or in Spanish. I’m considering launching an investigation.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Vanessa M.
I'd be willing to give this place another try. The food smelled and looked good but we had already eaten and came here for coffee and dessert. I'm only giving this a three because the Pan Dulce we ordered tasted a little old. However the waiter was very nice and the kitchen was quick with our order. I would definitely give this place another try so I could hopefully update my review.
Laura P.
The Worst experience ever! We should have left after the waitress gave us a bad attitude. every time we asked for something she would walk away acting like she didn't hear us. Carne Asada fries took an hour to arrive and we were the only people there! Now I know why it was so empty. Food was salty and be prepared to spend $5 on a can of soda.
Fayco G.
Let's start with the food. I ordered the fish and shrimp tacos which came with rice and beans and my girlfriend ordered the chicken tacos. The food was very mid, and the rice was hard, kind of felt like it's been sitting out. They did serve chips and salsa when you sit down but even the chips were bad, how do you mess that up? For the price of the plate, it was definitely not worth going back again. Their service was probably the worst I've got. And not just me, I saw a couple who waited for 10-15 mins after being sat down which you pretty much seat yourself because you can sit wherever you'd like and not once did the waiter come and ask for their order. The man had to get up and order at the cashier which the cashier/ waiter looked like he had no clue what he was doing. I really felt bad for that couple. It was also dead there, the bar maybe had about 5 people and besides the other couple there, the whole restaurant was empty. The only good thing there, was that it looked really nice inside. It's kind of catfish because I thought the food was going to be great based on how it looked and I should have known seeing that it was empty. I'll definitely look elsewhere if you're in old Town and looking for some good Mexican food.
No mole, no Chiles rellenos, long waiting. We got the food with no tortillas. No fresh homemade tortillas.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Sam Wilson
Absolutely terrible experience. I wish I could’ve tasted the food. Placed an order online nearing $100. Approximately one hour passed and I received tracking information telling me my food would be delivered shortly. About 5 minutes after that message, my order was cancelled.Contact the restaurant to determine what happened. They said a driver showed up and they didn’t even know an online order was placed because the system was new and they didn’t know it was running in their website.I’m sorry, but as a business owner, how do you not have knowledge pertaining to the launch of your online operating system? Furthermore, the restaurant states that they asked what was on the order. The establishment claimed that they couldn’t see the order and neither could the driver. Somehow it didn’t occur for any party to contact me? Now I have 100 bucks in the ether and no food. The restaurant offered a weak apology. The restaurant didn’t offer to make the order so I could pick it up either. Horrible customer service and worse communication.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Martin C.
We just had dinner there on New Years Day, and it is not worth the time/money!! Slow service, bland food, and weak margaritas. We are definitely NOT going back. Don't waste your time on this place!
JohnMichaelsDad
We visited Old Town for a quick lunch. After driving past several packed restaurants, we decided to risk Mama’s which had a sparse crowd. Now I know why… we had to prompt the server to take our order while watching other people walk out without being approached. We ordered the Chilaquiles which were good and then had to ask for our check. My wife stopped by the restroom which had no paper. She asked the hostess who then didn’t ever come back. Not sure if they are working short handed or if this is normal. If you are patient, the food may be worth it.
Frank Bauman
Stopped in yesterday for some lunch. The menu is spot on for a Mexican food fix. I did the Polio Asado Burrito and it was delish. Get the salsa and chips so you can use the salsa on your meal. Service was great and prices reasonable. There was a city notice on front about new ownership (I think). Highly recommend.
Slow server, takes 15min for beer.
Ordered their California burrito with a tamarindo agua fresca. Agua fresca was light, not overly sweet . Perfect. Their California burrito was huge and filling . Simple, clean with lots of flavor . Meat was was perfectly seasoned and tender . Definitely come again . Oh and it's dog friendly patio if your here with your furry friend.
Service was pretty good. Our food came really fast. When we walked up to the restaurant we noticed it was quite empty in comparison to all the other restaurants near it. That should have been our #1 clue. In fact, my house and stated upon being seated, “it’s empty in here are you sure you want to eat here?” I laughed. Although the staff was friendly and the food came fast, the food was awful. It lacked flavor, and quality and it was cold. I ordered the potato tacos and my husband ordered beef enchiladas. Both of our food was cold. Very disappointing. Hence, the reason for low number of patrons.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 4
The location is great for people watching and ambiance. But the service is VERY SLOOOOW, not the place if you're in a hurry or on a schedule. Food portions were adequate but average on flavor.
My husband, my uncle and I went to old town for dinner one Friday but unfortunately the restaurant we normally go to had an hour wait so we decided to go for a walk to get some coffee. There was a sign outside of mama Antonia restaurant that said café de Olla which is my husband's favorite so we decided to go in especially because they had live music. Originally we were just going to have coffee but since the music was nice, we decided to have dinner. There was one other table and 4 employees around the cash register. After 10 min a young girl We order a coke, cafe de olla, and a Mexican Mocha ceviche de camarón, 1 ala cart crispy beef taco and some shrimp enchiladas... I should of know better when the young girl didn't understand me in English or in Spanish, and she wrote our order on her iPhone. After waiting 20 we got a beverages correct but got 1 carne asada tacos and some shrimp in some sauce that was so spicy even for someone that likes spicy food. Tables were coming in and only one girl was talking orders while the other 3 employees hang out by the cash register doing nothing. People were coming in and just leaving because they were not being seated. After we finish dinner, the waitress was taking so long to come back to the table that my husband decided to go up to the bar and ask for a beer while he was at the bar the waitress brought the bill. We told her to add a beer 20 minutes later no beer had arrived so my husband went back to the bar and asked for his beer. That's when he was informed that the draft machine was not working yet no one bothered telling us and we did get charged for the beer, one thing I could say, was that the live music was great, food was less the mediocre, service was horrible and we will not ever go there again especially because we asked the entertainment what other location they play so we will just go there instead! I see the potential for this restaurant, but they need a lot of work with service and the food!
Horrible service. Ordered the simplest thing on the menu and it took longer than 30 minutes to get our food, mind you it's not busy. We come here to San Diego from LA and we finally decided to try a different restaurant and this was a fail. Definitely not coming back...especially after the amount I paid wasn't worth it.
November 18th 2023, my family and I went to this restaurant, my aunt and I order a similar plate, Carnitas Place, I have been sick ever since, weird symptoms, a lot of Nausea, weakness, dizziness, I’ve gone to the doctor multiple times and they can’t seem to find an answer. The service was strange, the waitress seemed like she didn’t know what she was doing, she didn't understand a word in English or in Spanish. I’m considering launching an investigation.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
I'd be willing to give this place another try. The food smelled and looked good but we had already eaten and came here for coffee and dessert. I'm only giving this a three because the Pan Dulce we ordered tasted a little old. However the waiter was very nice and the kitchen was quick with our order. I would definitely give this place another try so I could hopefully update my review.
The Worst experience ever! We should have left after the waitress gave us a bad attitude. every time we asked for something she would walk away acting like she didn't hear us. Carne Asada fries took an hour to arrive and we were the only people there! Now I know why it was so empty. Food was salty and be prepared to spend $5 on a can of soda.
Let's start with the food. I ordered the fish and shrimp tacos which came with rice and beans and my girlfriend ordered the chicken tacos. The food was very mid, and the rice was hard, kind of felt like it's been sitting out. They did serve chips and salsa when you sit down but even the chips were bad, how do you mess that up? For the price of the plate, it was definitely not worth going back again. Their service was probably the worst I've got. And not just me, I saw a couple who waited for 10-15 mins after being sat down which you pretty much seat yourself because you can sit wherever you'd like and not once did the waiter come and ask for their order. The man had to get up and order at the cashier which the cashier/ waiter looked like he had no clue what he was doing. I really felt bad for that couple. It was also dead there, the bar maybe had about 5 people and besides the other couple there, the whole restaurant was empty. The only good thing there, was that it looked really nice inside. It's kind of catfish because I thought the food was going to be great based on how it looked and I should have known seeing that it was empty. I'll definitely look elsewhere if you're in old Town and looking for some good Mexican food.
Restaurantji Recommends
No mole, no Chiles rellenos, long waiting. We got the food with no tortillas. No fresh homemade tortillas.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Absolutely terrible experience. I wish I could’ve tasted the food. Placed an order online nearing $100. Approximately one hour passed and I received tracking information telling me my food would be delivered shortly. About 5 minutes after that message, my order was cancelled.Contact the restaurant to determine what happened. They said a driver showed up and they didn’t even know an online order was placed because the system was new and they didn’t know it was running in their website.I’m sorry, but as a business owner, how do you not have knowledge pertaining to the launch of your online operating system? Furthermore, the restaurant states that they asked what was on the order. The establishment claimed that they couldn’t see the order and neither could the driver. Somehow it didn’t occur for any party to contact me? Now I have 100 bucks in the ether and no food. The restaurant offered a weak apology. The restaurant didn’t offer to make the order so I could pick it up either. Horrible customer service and worse communication.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
We just had dinner there on New Years Day, and it is not worth the time/money!! Slow service, bland food, and weak margaritas. We are definitely NOT going back. Don't waste your time on this place!
We visited Old Town for a quick lunch. After driving past several packed restaurants, we decided to risk Mama’s which had a sparse crowd. Now I know why… we had to prompt the server to take our order while watching other people walk out without being approached. We ordered the Chilaquiles which were good and then had to ask for our check. My wife stopped by the restroom which had no paper. She asked the hostess who then didn’t ever come back. Not sure if they are working short handed or if this is normal. If you are patient, the food may be worth it.
Stopped in yesterday for some lunch. The menu is spot on for a Mexican food fix. I did the Polio Asado Burrito and it was delish. Get the salsa and chips so you can use the salsa on your meal. Service was great and prices reasonable. There was a city notice on front about new ownership (I think). Highly recommend.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5