El Vitral

First of all, PSA, IF YOU LIKE BLOODY MARY’S THEN THIS PLACE IS A MUST! I love their spicey bloody mary’s! And for 4 bucks during Sunday Brunch, what else can you ask for?!
Their brunch food is pretty good too, I enjoy the rolled tacos and quesadillas, and the churros with that creamy dip for dessert. It’s americanized Mexican food though, so don’t go looking for authenticity, but nonetheless it tastes good.
The view of the stadium is also fantastic. It’s a great place to go on the average San Diego sunny day. You can take a seat on the patio, enjoy the sunshine, sip on one of those fabulous BM’s and chomp on some good food.
I’m not sure why it’s always so empty when I go, but maybe its just timing. They also only have street parking, which can be a serious pain in the butt.

Love vitral! The brunch is the best with bottomless drinks and mimosas. The Food is always good. I love the chilaquiles verdes. The enmoladas have a sweet flavor with a touch of cinnamon which makes it different but very delicious. Brunch goes till 4 which is one of the best deals for brunch downtown ;)

I think the quality of the food is good here… my problem is in paying a premium for mexican food in San Diego. There is no need to. I also like the margaritas… which are craft style. The East Village cooler with ginger beer and cassis is interesting. The El Vitral is a good standard… and the SanDiago has watermelon and basil. I think its strength is their happy hour honestly. Prices are right and this is when I come. Definitely a good bet before a Padres game. Tacos are 2 for $ 5, and the fish, carne asada and short rib are all good. The ceviches are tasty too… so hit it up.
And chase with their large selection of quality tequilas.

I really enjoyed this restaurant. I went with a few work friends and had a wonderful time. We started with chips and 3 times of salsa. One was a smoky flavored, one was a green salsa and then a cheese sauce. We also order the regular guacamole and it was wonderful.
I ordered the Short rib tacos. There was 3 tacos and they were very good. Other people at the table got the beef tacos, vegetable enchallatas, and mole short ribs. All of us really enjoyed our meal.
I tried the prickly pear margarita and it was great. I’m glad I tried it. They have a long menu of different tequila and margaritas. Yum!
The portions are very reasonable. Sometimes you go to Mexican restaurants and the portions are outragous (a huge turn off for me). This place was not like that at all. Good size portions and food was wonderful!
PS– they have purse stands at each table so you don’t have to put your bag on your chair or on the floor. Really nice touch. :)
PS2– great view!!! Come watch a game here. :)

I was downtown, and in the mood for something new, so I stopped by El Vitral. I was pleasantly surprised by how good the food was. I was craving Mexican, and thought this would be a good choice. I ordered the Tre-​some margarita, which was refreshing with a kick (due to the habanero juice). We started with the guacamole trio, which was a great choice. All three of them (original, fruit and blue cheese/​bacon) were delicious! The chips were also fresh and light. We wanted Mexican food, but the waitress convinced us to try the flank steak dish, and the short ribs dish. Was I glad that she did, they were both FLAVORFUL and AMAZING! The short ribs were a pinch salty, but otherwise nice and tender. This is a great place to go before the game, or for a nice Margarita. I can’t wait to go back again.

El Vitral was a 3-​minute walk from our hotel & I was craving margaritas so it was the perfect fix. We missed happy hour by a few minutes but it was no biggie since we were famished and needed a meal rather than small bites. The Sandiago margarita ($ 9) was absolutely delicious though I wish it came in a bigger size.
Chips & Salsa (complimentary) = good
Short Rib Tacos = great
Filet Mignon strips topped with guacamole & tortilla strips served over cheese enchiladas = awesome
Sandiago Margarita = amazing
They weren’t busy, considering it was Comic Con week, so there was ample seating on the patio. We took advantage of the warm weather and summer breeze. I loved the view of the ballpark. I bet they get pretty packed during baseball season. El Vitral offers a fun atmosphere and an ideal spot for pre and post game drinks.
Keep in mind this place is not your typical Chevys or El Torito establishment. I’d say it’s a step above and, with that said, pricing is a little bit higher. Their entrees are unique and tasty and the traditional options, like tacos, are reasonably priced.
If you’re in the neighborhood, it’s worth a try!

I ate here with a group of 28 and it was clear the restaurant didn’t appreciate the business. Our server was fantastic but we only had one assigned to the group. She was behind all night, drink service was slow and the food came out in waves so we didn’t really eat together. Several guests received their food after the rest of us were done eating. The margaritas taste great and the tuna ceviche is excellent. Its clear that the management didn’t care enough about our group to staff properly (reservations were made several weeks in advance) All in all there is nothing that special about El Vitral and in an area of fantastic restaurants I wouldn’t go out of my way to eat here again.

HOW HAVE I NOT WRITTEN A REVIEW FOR ONE OF MY FAVORITE PLACES EVER. Oh yeah, ComicCon probably got in the way. Pfft.
This has become a permanent rotation in our SDCC dining. Two for two and it’s been a-​freaking-​mazing each time. Pretty much everything is good. Well, everything I’ve tried is amazing. Ugh, I want one in Las Vegas please. Or a portal to go there whenever. That would be cool too.
Atmosphere is wonderful — I love the open-​air panels that overlook Petco Park. So rad. And from what I understand they are trying to get a live music permit! Hooray! Maybe next year’s SDCC will have some great tunes with my om nom nomz.
Try the chicken flautas and be adventurous with a margarita. You won’t regret it.

I think I had what you call a sope? It was catered food for a birthday party I went to. I was hesitant to eat it since I saw beans, but gave it a try. It was actually really good! The bartender gave me a mojito and one of their infamous habanero salsa infused margaritas… both were really yummy. I got pretty buzzed after that! I guess I should drink more often! ;)

The bf took me here. he said i HADDDDD to try this one drink…
FIRST OF ALL, I wasnt too thrilled cuz i really hated tequila, couldnt drink patron for shit. wah! Wtf was he thinking taking me to a restaurant that specialized in all types of tequila? Well, being the trooper that I am, I tried the famous «Smokin Tripler» and OMGAWRSH x10000000 i was hooked… It has mango and tequila and the outside rim of the glass has chili powder (more like LUCAS… the mexican candy I use to get from the Ice Cream trucks in LA as a kid). Basically, its those mango lollipops with the red chili on the outside made into a drank! :D:D:D
So yeah, ended up drinking several of those, and went clubbing after and continued drinking tequila.
THANKS EL VITRAL, I love mah tequila nowwww!!!

Agreeing with other reviews, I wouldn’t necessarily call this Mexican food either. HOWEVER, the food definitely has mexican themes and is super tasty!
A friend and I made last minute reservations during restaurant week and they fit us in no problem. We chose to partake in the restaurant week menu and were beyond pleased.
Service:
We were immediately greeted and shown to a table. Water was poured and chips and three different «salsas» were delivered before we could take our coats off. Some people may feel that if a waiter is not there in minutes it’s bad service, I on the other hand appreciated that our waiter gave us a minute to get seated, look over the menu and then came over. Ryan was our waiter and he was wonderful! He made great suggestions, cracked a few jokes, did a wonderful job making us right at home. Even after we finished our meal and paid the check we sat talking for another 30 minutes (I know not the most considerate, but it was 10pm) and both the server and the waiter continued to fill our water and let us be.
Food:
From the «salsa» dipping sauces to the soup, enchiladas and dessert, we both kept making that face where your eyes roll into your head and you just make noises, but can’t think of the right work to describe what you are tasting! The cheesy/​spicy sauce for the chips and salsa was super tasty. We both had the soup and were delightfully surprised at the mix of flavors and spice to it. I tried the enchiladas vegetarian and licked my plate clean. WOW! Super tasty. Although my friend liked the Mole, we both agreed it wasn’t what we thought and the sauce tasted more sweet than spicy. To top it off we each had a dessert to share. The empanadas were good, but the churros were simply mouth-​watering. Delivered to the table with a caramel-​like sauce drizzled on top and a dish of coconut dipping sauce (it tasted more like frosting!) we could have eaten a couple more helpings.
The entire experience was sensational and I cannot wait to take my husband back to try it — maybe during the day so we can enjoy the beautiful view!

We were walking down J and saw their happy hour ad outside and decided to go in for some apps and drinks. My buddy ordered a ceviche and we all ordered a round of beers. The bartender was cold and off-​putting so we finished our beers and left.
The ceviche was more of a seasoned shrimp dish but the beers were a decent price. I might give them another shot, but with so many other options in the area they are probably going to crash and burn.

Seen this place plenty of times. but the word «tequila» pretty much turned me off. Apparently, two people that I know said that this place is really good. So I went here with a few friends. The staff was really nice and the décor inside was pretty cool.
As for the food… I’m not impressed. I really wanted to like this place because the boyfriend said it was really good. annnnnnd. yeah. My friend had ordered the duck enchiladas and it didn’t taste bad but it was really sweet… TOOO sweet actually. She lost her appetite and yeahhhhhh. I had ordered the pulled pork and there was really nothing to rave about. I’m actually really disappointed. Maybe I’ll try something else next time. if I ever come back.

This is my style of Mexican food. More Baha style. The food is fresh, inventive and delicious.
My husband had the Huevos Benedictinos and they were FANTASTIC! Perfectly poached eggs, served on homemade corn tortillas — really fantastic. I had the Ceviche Natural — was a little too limey for me, I think the flavors needed time to mingle. Chips and Salsa were great. The time to go is for Brunch — great prices for cocktails!

Want fresh food and homemade drinks? Want to eat like you’re with family? That’s El Vitral.
Whenever I am there, I never have a problem with service as there’s always at least three people attending to me and my guests. I especially love when I ask for suggestions on what drinks to pair with the food I choose.
If you could imagine so many different layers of taste — salty, savory for food and then salty, savory and sometimes sweet for drinks — it’s an experience everyone should try as it goes beyond what you think of as Mexican food. This is Mexican cuisine and there is a big difference because you are enjoying fresh and natural foods so well-​paired together on your plate that you will have no comparison in mind for other Mexican restaurants (fast food/​on the cheaper side) — just the experience of fine food.
Try dinner there and don’t forget brunch on Sundays.
El Vitral does really well with groups of people and it’s also a nice place to take a date. You don’t have to scream, the lights are down low and you can also sit outside with a view of Petco park.

Only a block or so away from the Petco Park stadium, this place is surrounded by restaurants, bars and newer, trendy residential towers. I’m not usually a fan of downtown (not really my scene) but I feel the need to try new things and give every place a chance.
Hit this place up with several friends and co-​workers after a baseball game. Because there were quite a few of us, there was plenty of conversation to distract us from the somewhat impersonal service — just never felt a real connection with our server or other staff.
El Vitral is known for it’s margaritas made from scratch in-​house… and I love me a good margarita. Because it’s a bit pricey, many of us stuck to drinks and appetizers… but then, who wants to eat heavy after all those chili-​dogs at the baseball game. I had the El Tre-​Some margarita and Ceviche de Mahi Mahi. Everyone at the table definitely enjoyed their food and drinks — the quality and presentation was strong.
Though this place isn’t at the top of my list currently, I wouldn’t be opposed to trying it again. If you’re a fan of margaritas, I’d say it’s worth the visit!

I’ve never dreamed of becoming a professional baseball player, but after wandering around the Petco Park area, with its free public seating for Padres games, restaurants backing up into the stadium, and high rise apartments overlooking the field; I decided that I could at least become a groupie or a mascot. Even the dogs seemed to be radiating ebullience, and you know how hard they are to please.
El Vitral overlooks this gorgeous park area, with warm and spacious outdoor seating, and a beautifully designed interior (except for the exposed piping, which isn’t my favorite here). We got here right as it opened, so it wasn’t crowded at all, and had our choice of the many delightful locations. We sat by the window. Strong choice, I might add.
As for the food, I found the menu to be well priced for the large portion sizes of the food, as many dishes come with a large bowl of both rice and black beans (both of which are delicious), so you won’t be leaving hungry. We ordered the guacamole sampler which featured their three types of guac, and I thought the El Vitral version with mango and jicama was quite interesting, and played more towards my palette on this day, as I seemed to be craving sweetness.
The Huevos Benedictinos were an interesting take on your classic eggs benedict, with a chipolte hollandaise, and corn tortillas. The presentation (
)
was fantastic, though for me I just found the dish to be one dimentional. The chipotle sauce did have a spicy finish, but the corn and eggs and sauce all came off as very earthy, and lacked depth. Would I have liked it more if I wasn’t in such a mood for sweets… maybe.
I do have to say that the service was my favorite part of this experience. Alexandria (forgive me if I butchered your name) finally showed me that some people actually GET IT when it comes to service. She was present and checked in with us, gave her actual opinion on what SHE liked for dishes, not the «Oh they’re all good» stock line, and didn’t crowd us. A+ here for service.
I would definitely come back here.

I’ve seen this place a dozen times, and we checked in out on a Wednesday! Which was a winner, because. $ 2 tacos!
You need to sit at the bar, and the bartender seemed a bit unattentive in the beginning, but all in all, this place is a good joint.
For $ 2 bucks, you can pick from chicken, carne asada, beef, and carnitas! Not bad. Would maybe comeback here again on a normal night, because it’s a pretty space.

This place is AWESOME!
We never make it to downtown (total NP and Uni Heights snobs), but this place almost makes the parking hassle worth it.
Ryan was our bartender for an impromptu afternoon margarita, and he really made the place that much better. Great personality, efficient with a full bar, and a great mixologist. Try the crème de violette in a drink!
Large, open space and great bright colours lead to a fun and engaging atmosphere. We were looking around for downtown places for a Sunday birthday brunch with a bunch of out-​of-​town friends in a few weeks, and we definitely found our spot!
Haven’t had anything to eat here yet, but have only heard good things from my fellow Unilocalers and non-​yelping patrons of El V.
Great drinks, amazing happy hour and brunch deals, and good service in downtown? Yes, please!

Following our mishap at TK, we decided to head over to EV for my g/f’s bday Happy Hour.
In looking inside the restaurant there were very few patrons dining for dinner, however, about 25 – 30 people congregating around the small lounge/​bar area. While waiting outside, I noticed some angry customers leaving the restaurant complaining how someone told them that the restaurant was at capacity with sooo many open tables. They were floored… Hmmmm…
Our party of about 12 walked in and congregated with the rest of the loungers. A couple parties actually left and we ended up having a place to sit in the lounge. We waited patiently for service, but nothing. The little tables were dirty and wet. Finally, a waitress came by and asked if we’ve been helped. We said no and she asked what we wanted. I requested a menu and asked what the HH specials were. Do I really have to ask???
We ordered a couple of Coronas, carne asada tostada and chicken flautas. Waitress comes back and places our Coronas (with no limes) and the appetizers onto the dirty and wet tables. REALLY?! We ask for napkins for our party and she comes back with 2 cloth napkins and 2 small cocktail napkins. We used the cocktail napkins to wipe the table and we had to get limes from the bar. WOW…
She pretty much disappeared and rarely checked on us. My g/​f and I went to the restroom and we noticed that our waitress and another employee were conversing. They didn’t acknowledge us, smile or even say hello. All they kept talking about is how slow it is and that they only had about 20 reservations for the night. SURPRISE, SURPRISE!
We requested the bill because I was done with the bad service and bad food. Bill came out to about $ 10 for 2 beers and an appetizer. Chris C left a $ 2 tip after I told him not to. When he left, I quickly grabbed the bill and took the tip back. Our service was not worth leaving a tip. Tips are for services deserved.
I did notice prior to leaving that a couple walked in and sat at the bar. After sitting there and not being acknowledged, they got up and left. But not without complaining to the front staff. Wife was CLEARLY upset.
The only positive about this experience is that Adrian Gonzalez dined here for dinner. The bday girl got a pic with him and she was happy.