Old Town Mexican Cafe

I’m Mexican and so I have this kind of food all the time and I consider myself a pretty harsh critic because I’m used to authentic Mexican food so I can really say this place was up to par. First of all the tortias are made fresh and you can’t beat that. The flavor is amazing! The food is also incredibly delicious and taste like authentic Mexican food. The portions are big and fillings I would definitely love to come back here idk why it doesn’t have 5 stars! Also, our waiter was really enthusiastic and super friendly.

Best Tacos & Margaritas. Look forward to coming here every time we are in San Diego

OMG! Love this place. From Orange County and the Mexican food doesn’t compare at all. Wish I could come here more. Everything is perfectly cooked.

Mmm I felt like I stepped into Mexico! I loved old town and loved this restaurant. The tortilla making in the window made this place feel even more authentic. The chips and salsa and taco Tuesday margs (only $ 3!) were great too.
I was craving seafood, so decided to get the taco salad with shrimp instead of grilled chicken. It was so delicious and surprisingly very filling too. I loved the mariachi band that would pass by the tables also. Our server was great as well. Overall wonderful old town experience!

This place makes the best tortillas on the strip!!! You can taste the difference. Last time there I ordered the molcajete plate, fish taco and chicken taco, MMM. Place can get loud but thats just how it is. Big enough for groups

I was very hesitate to eat here due to how dusty this place was, but I wanted to give it a chance since I’ve eaten in dustier places in Mexico. I was so glad I did. The food is as authentic as it gets, the chicharones just like mexicali and the chorizo reminded me of my aunts in Guadalajara and the homemade tortillas utale so good. I will definitely be coming back very soon.

We love coming here to watch futbol. The atmosphere is great and the drinks are medium strong. But they have those coronas chilling endlessly. I usually order the 5 street tacos and they are so good. Definitely, get something with an order of fresh made tortillas. They also have musicos around playing songs for you for a small tip. I usually have them play one or two songs just to support their trade. It gives the restaurant a definite Mexican feel, but sometimes it gets a bit loud. Oh yeah, the ceviche is also rocking.

The carnitas plate shredded is bomb I highly recommend! And of course they are known for their flower tortillas. But the prices are very over priced for what you get. The customer service is good and there is a wait especially on taco Tuesday. You just can only eat here on special occasions bc of the price.

Loved this place. From the fresh tortillas and tortilla chips, to the great atmosphere, I loved this place. Definitely a great place to stop while in old Town.
PS: try their churro and cinnamon tortilla chips!!!

This place is so loud. So loud. We sat in the back room and it sounded like a sports bar in there. There were five of us sitting three across and couldn’t hear from one side of the table to the other.
We had the guacamole and queso. The guac was good but a pretty small portion for the price. The queso was the baked kind served with chorizo and tortillas– very good! Their street tacos were good but nothing special. The meat wasn’t tender and the ratio of tortillas to filling was a bit off — a bit too much tortilla for the amount of meat.
We tried a few of the margaritas among the five of us, and we like the ultimate the best. The price was good, but it was a relatively small drink.
Overall, it seemed touristy. The waitresses were in «authentic» costumes and the decorations seemed cliché. I wasn’t impressed for a Mexican place in San Diego– for the proximity to Mexico, I’d expect more.

Ultimate Margaritas were really good. Waitress was friendly but the food was less than impressive. The meat in the street tacos was tough and lacked flavor. The acoustics in the back room is horrible. It was so loud that I had a hard time hearing a person sitting right next to me. It was nothing special and with all the competition in the area, I would probably check out a different Mexican restaurant next time I am in town.
I did enjoy watching the ladies make fresh tortillas and the queso with chorizo was a really good appetizer. I may have just ordered poorly but I would expect the basic street taco to be a clear indication on quality of the food.

Hands down the most amazing Mexican food. Felt like I was in Mexico. My waiter was so nice and checked on us many times. Only down side was when it got busy, we got boxed in my newer customers. But every one was sweet and again can’t say how good the food was. I got the #10 comb. Yumm

Crushing disappointment.
Over crowded. Long wait. DIRTY. Hostess hated her life. Waiter hated his life. And the atmosphere was terrible.
Both of our drinks still had food in them from ‘washing’. Our chip basket had crusted old salsa all over the side of it. The table still had the previous occupants food on it. The aisles were so small every time there were two people in them one would bump your table. The floor was so old your table would rock every time someone walks by (which is every two seconds).
Just absolutely terrible. Don’t put yourself through that.

I hate giving this place 2 stars. The food is always delicious. I love coming here for happy hour and ordering fresh corn tortillas. Unfortunately my last visit wasn’t so great. I decided to come here around 3pm on a Saturday. And I understand that it gets super busy and my server seemed overwhelmed. But how could she not notice the cup of water that I ordered. The cup was really dirty and still had food stains on it.
I spoke to the manager and he wasn’t much help at all. I thought he’d come back to give me a different cup of water but he ended up not coming back and I was left there waiting. Makes me sad because I do love the happy hour specials and chips & salsa.

I will visit this place EVERY TIME I’m in San Diego! Old Town Mexican Café you have a patron for life.
If I had to rave about one thing on the menu I could’t because I love several things here.
Pozole, OMG I have no words! if you like Pozole this is the place to go. The spices that oregano that cilantro have my mouth watering right now.
The tortillas, AMAZING (almost like your grandmothers, almost)
Lets not forget about the Margaritas. I like mine drinks the way I like my man, strong! I must say after 2 drinks you’ll most likely be good for a few hours.
Our waiter was the kindest, most upbeat waiter at 8am (yup I was there at 8am having a margarita, don’t judge me lol) He really did help make our experience here memorable.
I will see you soon…

This place is dynamite. Had dinner one night and it was so good we went back for breakfast. It’s a busy place with little parking, but the parking attendant totally hooked us and your bikes up with some safe spots.
The food is off the hook good and they make fresh tortillas all day long. Not sure what else to say about this place. If you like real mexican food, this is the place.

Rico, deliciosa mmmmm las tortillas de arina y con frijoles de lo mejor mmm, las carnitas oh mi Dios estubo muy rico, las meseras todos muy amables, para la proxima vez ya se a donde ir a comer en San Diego.

Old Town Mex has literally not changed for as many years as I can remember. Is the décor cheesy and in need of an update? Yes. Does this really matter? No, because their food is also deliciously cheesy (see what I did there?).
When I was younger, my parents would hold holiday parties in the back room of OTM. This is a great spot for groups, as there plenty of places where tables can be pushed together to accommodate large parties. Fun Fact: They also have little food carts so they can bring food to the table in large quantities.
You’re not going to be served a beautifully plated meal, but that’s not what they’re about. The portion sizes here are definitely generous, and considering the amount you get the prices are pretty awesome. My go to are the Spinach Enchiladas or any of the fajitas and plates where you make your own tacos. Also, they have a healthy selection of margaritas. The standards taste a bit like they’re just a mix, but the Cadillac has never let me down.

Yes, I am a local, but every now and then I like to pretend I am from out of town. I will visit my share of tourist destinations, one of them being Old Town. While this restaurant is not usually my go to, I was lured here by my nephew. He swore that a plate served here would alter my life.
«The Molcajete», translation: stone tool used to grind food.
While the food was an uneventful experience as a whole, there were a few bright spots.
Good: Oh how I love fresh tortillas, both flour and corn.
Bad: The steak was dry and lacking in flavor.
Good: The salsa was unique and potent.
Bad: Grilled cheese, served cold. Tasted like monterey jack. A queso fresco would add a bit more character to the plate.
Good: Avocado’s slices were ripe and delicious.
Bad: Grilled chicken was bland. Maybe a little more salt.
Good: I applaud the addition of cactus, however it seemed to just be thrown in without the thought of how it would be eaten.
Good and Bad: Only 4 shrimp and very bland.
Putting cold food in a warm tortilla does not magically make a winning taco or burrito. The beans were good, but the rice was a bit dry. The amount of food was insufficient to label this plate as a serving for 2. It was not worth $ 27.
With no alcohol in my system and the bar in plain view, my guess is that the cooks bank on having intoxicated customers. We all know when that buzz and munchies hit everything tastes good.
I enjoyed the atmosphere, however as a rule of thumb: Drink a few cocktails or beers before eating.

Worst. Service. Ever.
And the food was just meh.
Went there tonight and will not return.
It’s a Monday night. The place was not busy. We waited a few minutes for a table at 6pm, no problem. Took them 15 minutes to take our order and a few minutes more to bring water for the rest of us. Chips on the table with salsa. Decent start. But then it took about an hour for the food to arrive. The waiter seemed like he wanted nothing to do with us. I flagged down another waiter to bring us guacamole and also requested some Molcajete. Guac finally came, but not cheese. Asked a 2^nd waiter to check up on it. Still didn’t come. Our meal finally, but no molcajete. Waiter was dumbfounded when I asked about it. I wish the rest of the meal had gone better, but it didn’t.
So that was the service. As for the food…
–Guacamole was amazing. The first order that they brought was outstanding. The second order not as much.
–Kids’ hamburgers were gross. I know that’s what I should expect for ordering a hamburger at a Mexican restaurant. But if you can’t do it right, why put it on the menu in the first place?
–Molcajete was good. Once it finally arrived, that is.
–Pollo asado burrito was disappointing. Too much rice, beans, and other filler; not enough chicken. Barely any chicken. The tortilla was dry was crumbly. The taste was bland.
Overall a very disappointing waste of time.
(The mariachi band was great though.)
There are so many wonderful restaurants in Old Town. I wouldn’t bother with this one.

I really like the fact that they have their own homemade tortillas. Their portions are pretty big that you can probably share a plate with two people. Other than that though, I would say it’s pretty average.
I came here on a Sunday and it was pretty packed, but the wait wasn’t too long, maybe about 15 minutes. Once we were seated, they gave us complimentary chips and salsa. The chips were still warm and the salsa was great. It wasn’t too spicy. We ordered the Carnitas Plate ($ 13.50); 5 Street Tacos – two adovada, one pork, one steak, and one chicken; and Molcajete ($ 26.95). We also got a couple glasses of Horchata, which I really liked because it wasn’t ridiculously sweet.
My Carnitas Plate basically came with carnitas, beans, cilantro, raw onions, tomatoes, sliced avocados, limes, and tortillas. In the picture on the menu it showed pieces of pork, but when I got my order, they had put shredded pork. Kind of misleading and slightly disappointed. But oh well, I was hungry so I’d still eat it. The thing with the carnitas plate is that they give you the beans and carnitas on one plate, tortillas in another, and the rest in a third plate. But, the proportions are a little uneven for what they give you. On one plate they give you half for carnitas and the other half for beans, but on the other plate they give you ¹⁄₅ cilantro, ¹⁄₅ raw onions, ¹⁄₅ limes, ¹⁄₅ tomatos which was basically only 4 slices of tomatoes, and ¹⁄₅ sliced avocados which was basically only 4 or 5 slices of avocado. So as you can imagine, I used up my avocados and tomatoes before I could even get halfway through eating the beans or the carnitas, and was left avocado-​less and tomato-​less for the remainder of the meal.
The Street Tacos were tasty, but I think that they were a little dry. You can ask for some hot sauce to put on them, but they don’t have any sauces on the tacos when you get them. The Molcajete is basically steak, grilled chicken, grilled shrimp, grilled cheese, avocados, and cactus (?), all in a bowl of roasted tomatillo sauce. A lot of people seem to like it, but personally I’m not a big fan of tomatillo sauce, so it’s not really for me. The things that they put inside though is pretty good, and you can taste the roasted flavor really well.
Overall, I think this place is pretty tasty. Service was great, because our waitress kept checking back with us and always had a smile. However, there were some things about the dishes that I think could have been done a little better.

Awesome house margaritas and the Chile Relleno was perfect!