Great atmosphere, Crispy Carnitas & Refreshing Margaritas Chips & Salsa best in the city
Great food the beans are to die for there so delicious the waiters are great friendly great place
Always great food and wonderful service!
Amazing, among the best Mexican food I've had in Southern California! Great food, good service and drinks. Carnitas 3 ways, and the fried quesadilla was unique and great. They're a busy place and touch odd on getting in--no reservations as far as I can tell, line to get in, when you get to the front you say how many in your party (and they better all be there) and then get seated. Parking limited as well but they have some with a good attendant (not valet, he just points you to a place, free parking).
Service in general was slow. Kitchen was horribly slow. After having order (Carne Asada) in for about 40 min, I finally flagged down my waiter and asked how much longer for my food. He seemed surprised, went to check, and immediately came back with my food saying it 'just came up.' I hadn't been in a rush cause the restaurant was busy when I went in. It was mostly empty by the time my food arrived Not the greatest Carne Asada... I didn't even finish it. No apologies for the delay (the table full of young ladies next to me had plenty of attention). The Pico Pico Margarita was OK. All in all, there are lots of amazing Mexican restaurants in San Diego. This isn't one of them.
I get to San Diego twice a year and always make it a point to have one meal at Old Town Mexican Cafe. The last 2 visits were very disappointing. The greeter was not friendly, the servers were all over the place and not attentive. The food was lacking flavor and the marguaritas seemed very watered down. It is a shame, because it used to have the best food and good service. Someone better pay attention because there are too many options right in the neighborhood.
We visited this place on our visit to Old Town. They have a decent options for Margaritas. The food was pretty bland, we ordered for a combination which had beef enchilada with pork taco and chile serrano, served with rice and beans and tortillas however the server forgot to get our tortillas and was really very slow with the service too. We waited for 20 mins to get our drinks. Overall an not so good experience. Definitely not coming back.
The old town Mexican Café and Cantina was a wonderful surprise for us in San Diego, CA. This Cafe is an authentic Mexican restaurant. The food was exquisite. The atmosphere joyous bright, and fun. It was beautiful to see different employees making fresh tortillas and other food right before your eyes. I and my wife loved the food. I ordered the Fillete de Pescado a la Plancha and my wife ordered the chicken enchiladas. We were thoroughly satisfied with our choices. The Jamaica juice was on point.We found out about The spot from one of the locals working in the near by, I asked him where is the best place to eat authentic Mexican food. We’re so glad we took his advice. You must visit Old Town Mexican Cafe when you’re in San Diego. It is ideally located nearby a wonderful tourist attraction in San Diego. I highly recommend this five-star experience. Tell him Omar sent you! Keep Going! Love Always….
All you can say after eating here is WOW and when can we come back. We ate here years ago and have been wanting to return. This visit was better than ever! we started off with some fantastic chunky very generous portion of guacamole. SUPER. For our entrees we had roasted chicken, crispy carnitas (super but remember to ask for "crispy") and tacos and rellenos. Everything was prepared to order and took awhile but worth the wait. BTW did i say the place was packed on a Thursday night with a line out the door. Don't fear tho they have a large dining room, with the all important item in OTSD, a private free parking lot in the rear, a real plus. Order some fried flour chips to go with your guac, they cost extra but are worth it. The hit at this restaurant are the little ladies in the front window rolling out fresh tortillas while you watch. FANTASTIC. then they bring them to your table still hot. What is the secret to their greatness? Manteca,, lard. Don't roll up your nose until you taste them. Prices are fair for the quality and the service was exceptional Oh, and by the way, they had a live three piece Mariachi band playing during dinner in authentic costume and they were of sight as well. I guess I've said enuf to whet your appetite. we cant wait to go back.
I have been here twice now, once because of the great reviews and a second time to redeem itself. The chicken in the chicken tacos is SO dry and lacks flavor. It tastes like a generic chicken breast over boiled in chicken broth. The salsa is not notable or memorable. I had a margarita and it was served in a ball glass and clearly used a very cheap mix. The first time I was here all families with children were placed in the very back in a large room that looked like a hotel conference room. We have older, very well mannered and behaved children and between the environment (as second-rate diners since we had children with us) and the poor food - yikes. The second visit, it was just me and a friend. Same terrible food and drink with a server who never checked in with us on. Unfortunate.