Whoa! Stumbled upon this place on a business trip to SD. Very impressed by the overall experience I had here. Friendly bartender, servers and customers. Highly recommended hip joint that offers an expertly curated menu of tasty food and craft cocktails.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Taco
kaila g
The food here was AMAZING! We got the crab and corn salad which seriously blew me away that’s how good it was. The ambiance here is also really fun, it’s a small place that got noisy easily but that’s something I don’t mind when I’m out to eat.My only beef with this place is the speakeasy. My boyfriend and I heard about it and really wanted to try it out but for some reason they make it nearly impossible to get in. We went the night before our dinner reservations and were told the speakeasy is reservation only. I checked their website which explicitly stated “join us before or after your reservation” so I assumed if we had a dinner reservation, we would be able to get in. Nope. We were told at dinner we needed a separated reservation, and that they were booked months out. When I checked Oculto’s website for the next night (a Thursday) they were not booked up AT ALL. It was just super confusing and really disappointing.Other than that like I said, really good food and drinks!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Corn Croquettes
Mad Buy
Wow are their drinks amazeballs! The staff is super friendly and it is a delight to watch the bartenders enjoy their craft. The Mezcal concoctions they serve up are truly unique, complex, and delicious. We will definitely find our way back here next time we are in town.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
William Schroeder
I can't remember how we found this place but dear god it's good. The tacos are unique and creative. The cocktails are truly excellent. The atmosphere of the place is loud and bustling and the decor is well suited. We live in Texas and like to think of ourselves of foodies with a particular focus on tacos. The ingredients are fresh and delicious. The sauces are tasty. I have even recommended it to my friends in San Diego to go for date nights. I highly suggest it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Justin Grant
nice spot on the edge of old
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lena Richter
Tahona is a gem in Old Town. It's probably one of the few places in Old Town that is not kitschy. It's delightful and well designed. The service is fantastic. You need to try the mezcal or tequila flights. And don't forget about oculto 477.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Taylor McGrady
Great food but they canceled my reservation without notifying me. Be sure to confirm before you go!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 1
TimM
A pleasant surprise. Everything was very good. There was a mixup on our soup order - we had ordered the Green Pozole and the dish they brought out was not Pozole - we weren't sure though and just thought it was a different type of Pozole. Later when we looked at the menu we realized that we had gotten the Chicken Tortilla Soup by mistake. It was good, but would have liked to have tried the Pozole. Had the seasonal guacamole which was very good, chips were fresh. Carne Asada Norteno taco was fabulous. Queso birria taco was very good., Ahi Tostada was great as well. We will return.
olivia murphy
Amazing experience! Zach took care of us and gave us an amazing night to remember. He gave us great drink recs, and the food was amazing. We didn’t have a reservation but he was easily accommodating even with a private party in the bar area. We will def be going back and want to try the speaker easy next time!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
SallyF
The food was fantastic and the drinks were tasty. Unfortunately the service we experienced was subpar - the waiter was MIA for most of our dinner and we were constantly waiting to order. The prices seemed high too - $10-15 per taco. I would go again just because the food was so good, but maybe next time I'll sit at the bar where the service is quicker and they offer happy hour.
Love this place. Would highly recommend, especially if you're interested in mezcal. If not there are still plenty of options. Food is also great. We were sitting outside which is less of a vibe but still great service and atmosphere in old town.
I was underwhelmed. I expected the quality of the food to be better. The guacamole display was odd, minimal, and it was not flavorful at all. The birria tacos were delicious but so small and expensive for what you are getting. They could've added a consome to fancy it up a bit. The margarita on the happy hour menu was bland and boring. Was expecting more of the entire experience. The service however was great, very attentive.
LaxmiD
I went to Tahona on a recommendation from a good friend. The purpose was to meet up with a childhood friend visiting from the east coast. She wanted to have Mexican food since San Diego is a great place for it, and Tahona did not disappoint. I initially made the res for an outdoor table, but it was pretty chilly out that evening and the hostess was very accommodating to let us sit inside even though there was supposed to be another party coming in about 90 minutes later for the indoor table. Right around the time that we were wrapping up to be considerate of the party coming in, the hostess came over to the table and told us she sorted it out, and we could stay at the table. It was really nice because we were catching up and having a great time. The food was delicious. I especially liked the Camarones a la diabla street tacos. The tacos are small but they are filling. I had two and we ordered some tapas to share. Yellow Tail epenadas, signature guac, and stuffed squash blossoms. All very good! The mescal was also smooth and delicious. I will definitely go back and recommend to friends.
Kimberly H.
Sad to write this. Came here last valentines day and it was phenomenal. This valentines was just okay. The original valentines experience said it included a welcome drink (like last year) but that was not the case. Second, the place was freezing. Turn the heat on especially when many women were in dresses or skirts. The ambience changed also. Last year had live music, this year subpar radio playing. Tables formerly had candles and now cheap looking orange lights. Tahona, go back to what works. We came for ambiance and food. The food was tasty, the changes in ambiance, elimination of welcome drink, any no heat will cause me to skip this venue going forward unless things change. Details matter
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 2
KimberlyH
Sad to write this. Came here last valentines day and it was phenomenal. This valentines was just okay. The original valentines experience said it included a welcome drink (like last year) but that was not the case. Second, the place was freezing. Turn the heat on especially when many women were in dresses or skirts. The ambience changed also. Last year had live music, this year subpar radio playing. Tables formerly had candles and now cheap looking orange lights. Tahona, go back to what works. We came for ambiance and food. The food was tasty, the changes in ambiance, elimination of welcome drink, any no heat will cause me to skip this venue going forward unless things change. Details matter
Whoa! Stumbled upon this place on a business trip to SD. Very impressed by the overall experience I had here. Friendly bartender, servers and customers. Highly recommended hip joint that offers an expertly curated menu of tasty food and craft cocktails.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Taco
The food here was AMAZING! We got the crab and corn salad which seriously blew me away that’s how good it was. The ambiance here is also really fun, it’s a small place that got noisy easily but that’s something I don’t mind when I’m out to eat.My only beef with this place is the speakeasy. My boyfriend and I heard about it and really wanted to try it out but for some reason they make it nearly impossible to get in. We went the night before our dinner reservations and were told the speakeasy is reservation only. I checked their website which explicitly stated “join us before or after your reservation” so I assumed if we had a dinner reservation, we would be able to get in. Nope. We were told at dinner we needed a separated reservation, and that they were booked months out. When I checked Oculto’s website for the next night (a Thursday) they were not booked up AT ALL. It was just super confusing and really disappointing.Other than that like I said, really good food and drinks!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Corn Croquettes
Wow are their drinks amazeballs! The staff is super friendly and it is a delight to watch the bartenders enjoy their craft. The Mezcal concoctions they serve up are truly unique, complex, and delicious. We will definitely find our way back here next time we are in town.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
I can't remember how we found this place but dear god it's good. The tacos are unique and creative. The cocktails are truly excellent. The atmosphere of the place is loud and bustling and the decor is well suited. We live in Texas and like to think of ourselves of foodies with a particular focus on tacos. The ingredients are fresh and delicious. The sauces are tasty. I have even recommended it to my friends in San Diego to go for date nights. I highly suggest it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
nice spot on the edge of old
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Tahona is a gem in Old Town. It's probably one of the few places in Old Town that is not kitschy. It's delightful and well designed. The service is fantastic. You need to try the mezcal or tequila flights. And don't forget about oculto 477.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great food but they canceled my reservation without notifying me. Be sure to confirm before you go!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 1
A pleasant surprise. Everything was very good. There was a mixup on our soup order - we had ordered the Green Pozole and the dish they brought out was not Pozole - we weren't sure though and just thought it was a different type of Pozole. Later when we looked at the menu we realized that we had gotten the Chicken Tortilla Soup by mistake. It was good, but would have liked to have tried the Pozole. Had the seasonal guacamole which was very good, chips were fresh. Carne Asada Norteno taco was fabulous. Queso birria taco was very good., Ahi Tostada was great as well. We will return.
Amazing experience! Zach took care of us and gave us an amazing night to remember. He gave us great drink recs, and the food was amazing. We didn’t have a reservation but he was easily accommodating even with a private party in the bar area. We will def be going back and want to try the speaker easy next time!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The food was fantastic and the drinks were tasty. Unfortunately the service we experienced was subpar - the waiter was MIA for most of our dinner and we were constantly waiting to order. The prices seemed high too - $10-15 per taco. I would go again just because the food was so good, but maybe next time I'll sit at the bar where the service is quicker and they offer happy hour.
Restaurantji Recommends
Love this place. Would highly recommend, especially if you're interested in mezcal. If not there are still plenty of options. Food is also great. We were sitting outside which is less of a vibe but still great service and atmosphere in old town.
I was underwhelmed. I expected the quality of the food to be better. The guacamole display was odd, minimal, and it was not flavorful at all. The birria tacos were delicious but so small and expensive for what you are getting. They could've added a consome to fancy it up a bit. The margarita on the happy hour menu was bland and boring. Was expecting more of the entire experience. The service however was great, very attentive.
I went to Tahona on a recommendation from a good friend. The purpose was to meet up with a childhood friend visiting from the east coast. She wanted to have Mexican food since San Diego is a great place for it, and Tahona did not disappoint. I initially made the res for an outdoor table, but it was pretty chilly out that evening and the hostess was very accommodating to let us sit inside even though there was supposed to be another party coming in about 90 minutes later for the indoor table. Right around the time that we were wrapping up to be considerate of the party coming in, the hostess came over to the table and told us she sorted it out, and we could stay at the table. It was really nice because we were catching up and having a great time. The food was delicious. I especially liked the Camarones a la diabla street tacos. The tacos are small but they are filling. I had two and we ordered some tapas to share. Yellow Tail epenadas, signature guac, and stuffed squash blossoms. All very good! The mescal was also smooth and delicious. I will definitely go back and recommend to friends.
Sad to write this. Came here last valentines day and it was phenomenal. This valentines was just okay. The original valentines experience said it included a welcome drink (like last year) but that was not the case. Second, the place was freezing. Turn the heat on especially when many women were in dresses or skirts. The ambience changed also. Last year had live music, this year subpar radio playing. Tables formerly had candles and now cheap looking orange lights. Tahona, go back to what works. We came for ambiance and food. The food was tasty, the changes in ambiance, elimination of welcome drink, any no heat will cause me to skip this venue going forward unless things change. Details matter
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 2
Sad to write this. Came here last valentines day and it was phenomenal. This valentines was just okay. The original valentines experience said it included a welcome drink (like last year) but that was not the case. Second, the place was freezing. Turn the heat on especially when many women were in dresses or skirts. The ambience changed also. Last year had live music, this year subpar radio playing. Tables formerly had candles and now cheap looking orange lights. Tahona, go back to what works. We came for ambiance and food. The food was tasty, the changes in ambiance, elimination of welcome drink, any no heat will cause me to skip this venue going forward unless things change. Details matter