We enjoyed our lunch here. They prepare the tortillas fresh at the front of the store.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Steve Getty
Always killer! Highly recommend the Crispy Carnitas! Muy bien!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Hugo Diaz
Authentic Mexican Cuisine a WOW experience for us!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Miss Glassess
We love the food! They're generous with the food they serve.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 3
steven har
It’s been yrs since I went here .what a tourist trap today. Smallest portions poor quality overpriced, watered down drinks. So many people think this is good.strange. A portion of black beans came in a dish about 2oz .a few bites. Fish taco was a saturated fried piece of cod poorly done. Never again.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 3
Itzel P
Me and my mother went for a nice breakfast girls date and we were not disappointed.
Authentic delicious tortillas and free refills on cafecito. Affordable delicious food.
Our server was so nice and attentive and all of the staff were so friendly. The hostess was fun and polite to talk to. The busser was very friendly and talked with us about how the food here is authentically made.
Their whole staff is amazing and friendly, I recommend coming here for a good time with good food you will not be disappointed.
We will be back for more girl dates and tortillas!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
israel gold
I often time overlooked Old Town Mexican Cafe due to my own habitual nature and preference. Needless to say, I couldn’t have made a greater mistake. Hands down I had some of the BEST Customer Service and RIB’S i’ve ever had in my own life. I find myself salivating just thinking about them, wishing I got the full rack rather than half.
This is my new Old Town treat, for whenever I’m in town, the Ribs will be close by me.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Mari Diaz
First and foremost, I hardly ever provide a bad review unless it has left a mark. This restaurant left a mark...
We were so excited to have lunch here. It was our first time in Old Town. The kids were fascinated by the lovely ladies making homemade tortillas and the atmosphere seemed really fun. It started out great, the waitress was reslly nice and our drinks came quickly. The food was okay. The salsa and the tortillas were my favorite. My enchilada was small and lacked a lot of flavor but it was still okay.
Our experience changed after I ordered a second beer...it never came. However, it was placed on our bill. My husband let the waitress know about the mistake while I used the restroom and she proceeded to argue with him about how she did bring it out. He was made to feel like he was trying to pull a fast one! He was so appalled when I returned. Maybe she took it to the wrong table??? Maybe she forgot??? Who knows but it's not fair to be made to feel this way while being honest.
Long story short, this was my birthday lunch and I'm sad it ended this way. We certainly won't be returning. There are much better establishments in San Diego that are a lot more welcoming.
My advice...If you choose to eat here, keep track of your order and speak up ASAP if you don't get what you ordered, or you may end up with an uncomfortable situation in your hands.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 1
Aaron Lbt
The chill Mexican vibes.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Laura
I would not recommend the Pozole. The Pollo Asado Tacos were good. The homemade tortillas are very good and authentic. The flan and bunuelos were delicious. The restaurant was loud and busy.
We had some time to kill between flights on Sunday October 13th and decided to stop at Old Town Mexican Café for dinner instead of staying at the airport and having bad food. We’ve always loved this place, and the food is consistently amazing. We were really looking forward to eating there before our flight back home to Phoenix.
Unfortunately, our experience started off on the wrong foot. When we walked in with our luggage, we asked the hostess (I was told her name was Liliana) if it was okay to bring it in with us. Her attitude was surprisingly rude as if we’d asked for something completely unreasonable. She told us we couldn’t take it in and could leave it on the side of the front entrance but that they wouldn’t be responsible for it.
We politely asked if she could at least keep an eye on it, and she flat-out said, “No, I don’t want to.” When we asked if it would be safe, she just shrugged and said, “I don’t know.” It was uncomfortable and unnecessary.
We then asked to sit near our luggage so we could keep an eye on it ourselves, but the nearby table was dirty. She said she couldn’t seat us there because of that. We told her we didn’t mind waiting for it to be cleaned, and she responded with attitude and told us to go back and wait. The whole interaction felt dismissive and rude — it really dampened what should’ve been a nice meal.
Thankfully, our server Sergio completely turned things around. He was friendly, attentive, and even apologized for the hostess’s behavior. He went out of his way to make our dining experience enjoyable. The food, as always, was fantastic — but the rude welcome left a really bad impression.
I truly hope management addresses this, because this restaurant has always been a favorite of ours, and it deserves better front-end hospitality.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 1
Jeffrey Swan
Large and festive Mexican Cantina more than Cafe. Taco Tuesday is the best.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Marisol Moya
Great lunch after our flight home. Parking is always a challenge in Old Town San Diego. Food was delicious, beans & flour tortillas the best. Bar area has tables to sit and eat without the long wait.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Mahmud Hussain
The only Mexican place you should be eating from in San Diego. Their salsa is to die for 😍🇲🇽
maureen f
Food and drinks were great, but made the mistake of sitting at the bar. Our bartender, Paul was inattentive, not friendly , and honestly seemed annoyed to help us. I ordered a margarita but he never asked my husband what he wanted, just walked away. Kept talking to the people behind us but never checked on us or asked if we needed another drink, which I would have gotten but didn't want to bother him. I love this place and will continue to come, but if I see Paul at the bar I'll definitely sit elsewhere, even if we have to wait.
We enjoyed our lunch here. They prepare the tortillas fresh at the front of the store.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Always killer! Highly recommend the Crispy Carnitas! Muy bien!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Authentic Mexican Cuisine a WOW experience for us!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We love the food! They're generous with the food they serve.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 3
It’s been yrs since I went here .what a tourist trap today. Smallest portions poor quality overpriced, watered down drinks. So many people think this is good.strange. A portion of black beans came in a dish about 2oz .a few bites. Fish taco was a saturated fried piece of cod poorly done. Never again.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 3
Me and my mother went for a nice breakfast girls date and we were not disappointed.
Authentic delicious tortillas and free refills on cafecito. Affordable delicious food.
Our server was so nice and attentive and all of the staff were so friendly. The hostess was fun and polite to talk to. The busser was very friendly and talked with us about how the food here is authentically made.
Their whole staff is amazing and friendly, I recommend coming here for a good time with good food you will not be disappointed.
We will be back for more girl dates and tortillas!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I often time overlooked Old Town Mexican Cafe due to my own habitual nature and preference. Needless to say, I couldn’t have made a greater mistake. Hands down I had some of the BEST Customer Service and RIB’S i’ve ever had in my own life. I find myself salivating just thinking about them, wishing I got the full rack rather than half.
This is my new Old Town treat, for whenever I’m in town, the Ribs will be close by me.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
First and foremost, I hardly ever provide a bad review unless it has left a mark. This restaurant left a mark...
We were so excited to have lunch here. It was our first time in Old Town. The kids were fascinated by the lovely ladies making homemade tortillas and the atmosphere seemed really fun. It started out great, the waitress was reslly nice and our drinks came quickly. The food was okay. The salsa and the tortillas were my favorite. My enchilada was small and lacked a lot of flavor but it was still okay.
Our experience changed after I ordered a second beer...it never came. However, it was placed on our bill. My husband let the waitress know about the mistake while I used the restroom and she proceeded to argue with him about how she did bring it out. He was made to feel like he was trying to pull a fast one! He was so appalled when I returned. Maybe she took it to the wrong table??? Maybe she forgot??? Who knows but it's not fair to be made to feel this way while being honest.
Long story short, this was my birthday lunch and I'm sad it ended this way. We certainly won't be returning. There are much better establishments in San Diego that are a lot more welcoming.
My advice...If you choose to eat here, keep track of your order and speak up ASAP if you don't get what you ordered, or you may end up with an uncomfortable situation in your hands.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 1
The chill Mexican vibes.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I would not recommend the Pozole. The Pollo Asado Tacos were good. The homemade tortillas are very good and authentic. The flan and bunuelos were delicious. The restaurant was loud and busy.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Restaurantji Recommends
We had some time to kill between flights on Sunday October 13th and decided to stop at Old Town Mexican Café for dinner instead of staying at the airport and having bad food. We’ve always loved this place, and the food is consistently amazing. We were really looking forward to eating there before our flight back home to Phoenix.
Unfortunately, our experience started off on the wrong foot. When we walked in with our luggage, we asked the hostess (I was told her name was Liliana) if it was okay to bring it in with us. Her attitude was surprisingly rude as if we’d asked for something completely unreasonable. She told us we couldn’t take it in and could leave it on the side of the front entrance but that they wouldn’t be responsible for it.
We politely asked if she could at least keep an eye on it, and she flat-out said, “No, I don’t want to.” When we asked if it would be safe, she just shrugged and said, “I don’t know.” It was uncomfortable and unnecessary.
We then asked to sit near our luggage so we could keep an eye on it ourselves, but the nearby table was dirty. She said she couldn’t seat us there because of that. We told her we didn’t mind waiting for it to be cleaned, and she responded with attitude and told us to go back and wait. The whole interaction felt dismissive and rude — it really dampened what should’ve been a nice meal.
Thankfully, our server Sergio completely turned things around. He was friendly, attentive, and even apologized for the hostess’s behavior. He went out of his way to make our dining experience enjoyable. The food, as always, was fantastic — but the rude welcome left a really bad impression.
I truly hope management addresses this, because this restaurant has always been a favorite of ours, and it deserves better front-end hospitality.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 1
Large and festive Mexican Cantina more than Cafe. Taco Tuesday is the best.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great lunch after our flight home. Parking is always a challenge in Old Town San Diego. Food was delicious, beans & flour tortillas the best. Bar area has tables to sit and eat without the long wait.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
The only Mexican place you should be eating from in San Diego. Their salsa is to die for 😍🇲🇽
Food and drinks were great, but made the mistake of sitting at the bar. Our bartender, Paul was inattentive, not friendly , and honestly seemed annoyed to help us. I ordered a margarita but he never asked my husband what he wanted, just walked away. Kept talking to the people behind us but never checked on us or asked if we needed another drink, which I would have gotten but didn't want to bother him.
I love this place and will continue to come, but if I see Paul at the bar I'll definitely sit elsewhere, even if we have to wait.
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