Ortega’s

Mediocre at best. There is no shortage of really good Mexican restaurants in San Diego and unfortunately this isn’t one of them.
Fiancé ordered chili relleno taco combo. Chili relleno was so packed full of seeds it wasn’t enjoyable to eat. Cheese wasn’t melted and it had a surprise toothpick in the middle. «Grilled» fish taco was over cooked and had a faint hint of old oil flavor to it. I ordered chicken tamale taco combo. Beef taco was okay. Couldn’t find the chicken in the tamale and the masa had a unique texture that I wasn’t a fan of.
We also ordered shrimp cocktail as an appetizer. It finally arrived half way through our meal and wow, what a disappointment! Tomato juice tasted sweet, like a can of spaghettios.
I gave them the second star because the chips and salsa were very good — a misleading start to a disappointing meal.
FYI — alcohol is not served on the patio.

Just had lunch with the family. Yummy aguas frescas, especially the watermelon. Vegetable taco was great, the pastor taco was too salty, kids had quesadillas, margarita good. $ 75 for family of four at lunch.

We had a customer appreciation event at work and had Ortega’s cater for us. I worked directly with Erik and he and their Popusa lady was amazing! They stayed for our entire event and their customer service was top notch. They’re food was delicious and the best we’ve had in San Diego!

Had been a longtime, die-​hard fan of Ortega’s; had viewed it as one of the best and most creative Mexican restaurants in San Diego. Everything was uniquely good always. But just had a disappointing weekend meal there. The vibe and much of the staff had changed, the normally immaculate place was a little dirty, and the food was not so great. All entrees at our table were pretty forgettable. The flavor was flat; without spark. Meat and cheese had been reduced and replaced with doughy filling. Tortillas were undercooked. One diner in our group became ill afterwards. Maybe we caught them on a bad day, but regrettably maybe not. It seemed a different place than it had been. We’ll probably give it another shot sometime because of our history with it and because our favorite waitress is still there. If it weren’t for those two considerations, we’d pass.

This is where you can get real and Mexican food.
Sure, there are tacos stands and burrito joints all around San Diego but if you want an authentic meal, than this is your spot.

I’m really disappointed with this place. I came here last year and had a great time, but this time around everything has changed for the worse. While the food is very tasty, the wait time is EXCESSIVE (we waited close to two hours for our food), and the owner (s) really need to restructure their hierarchy (i.e. One person would only take our drinks, while another would only take our meal orders, despite the fact that we asked several times to place our orders to no avail). The quality of the chef is the only thing saving this place, but unfortunately it isn’t enough for me to recommend this restaurant or come back.

Really really good food here! They are very quick to giving your food if your on your lunch break too. Highly recommend!

This place does not open at 8am. The food is great but they should change the hours that are listed.

Ortega’s serves the BEST tamales in San Diego (and most likely all of California)!
Order the chicken tamale and I promise you won’t be disappointed. Free chips and salsa is also an added bonus.
I recommend this place to anyone and everyone that likes Mexican food.

The service and atmosphere was great! Our dinner and dessert was fantastic! Not to mention the complimentary chips and salsa!

Great tasting food, cool décor. The margarita was perfect, and the jalapeño cheese tamale was perfectly moist. I had the chili relleno and lobster enchilada for lunch. It was more than enough for two people – both drinks and plate sizes were huge.
I was searching for an authentic Mexican feel… There were three restaurants on the block, and this one won, hands down. A bit more pricey than the others, but worth it.

The food is decent but definitely expensive for what it is. I came here when my cravings for rolled potato tacos were crushed when my favorite place to get them had closed early that day, and in search for an equivalent plus having walked past this restaurant several times I decided to stop in. The people that work here are very, very friendly, but the rolled tacos were definitely not crispy and the potato lacked flavor. Oh, and we didn’t even get chips and salsa to start!
Cute décor but overall didn’t seem that clean. With other fabulous options within a couple block radius I don’t think I’ll be coming back.

I don’t know exactly where to start. This place is a diamond in the rough. I have a hard time believing the 3 stars.
— I have never had anything other than the perfect meal here. The green ranchero sauce is the best I’ve ever had. They always cook your eggs exactly how you want them. The Refried beans are 100% every time. The salsa is how you picture your salsa to be. When I get food this perfect, I expect tiny portions. Not tiny. But not wastefully massive. Just enough to have a left over snack. The veggies are never soggy and the avocados are alway bright green. You can tell the cooks care.
–the service is exceptional. I usually get the same girl as I frequent here for breakfast. She is pretty and friendly and has glasses (shout out!) she really is one of the better servers I’ve come across. Always always makes the meal delightful.
–the décor is awesome and it’s always clean. ESPECIALLY the bathroom– Immaculate. The menus are never smudged or greasy and there are no prints on the windows. You can tell they run a clean house. The cooks and all the staff are friendly and make eye contact and smile and say hello and goodbye. Clearly nothing to hide.
And the food. Don’t forget the amazing food!
Love!

Pretty decent authentic Mexican cuisine. Staff is very friendly. I had Cali burrito and it was delicious. The potatoes are diced and the burrito was very juicy. I plan on taking the family here sometime to check it out. Prices are pretty fair for authentic.

While of this place is no Mike’s it’s definitely at the top of the list for Mexican food places in OB. The only reason I didn’t give them five stars is because they are a little pricey but they have a nice atmosphere. I typically get my burritos to go so I’m accustomed to a small poorly decorated or just an outdoor concrete table. I come back every week or two so that says something because I pass to her three other Mexican food places to walk here. Nothing has ever been disappointing. Perhaps I am spoiled by Mike’s but I would need a side-​by-​side comparison to actually give an authentic vote on who was better.

Service was horrible, prices are outrageous, and the margaritas were, uh not margaritas!!!
We came in to order fajitas for 15 and they were not very accommodating. And when we sent the watered down margaritas back they did not want to refund the money.
Just don’t come here period!!!

Every bit as good as before they expanded the seating area!
Love the casual and relaxed mood and the open kitchen as you walk in.
Great chips and guacamole plus the ceviche is very tasty!
Most authentic in the area!

Wow really not impressed with this place at all. All I wanted was some simple hungover placating plate of greasy chiliquiles. Service was nonexistent, prices were average. The food literally took 40 mins to come out and the place wasn’t even busy.
Had to pay 7.95 for gross watery guac with flavorless salsa.
I ordered my chiliquiles with scrambled eggs and it came with over easy but like I said I waited 40 mins so wasn’t gonna send it back. It was a disappointment. All in all the experience only made my hangover worse!

I had the calamari and fish soft tacos. So good. The chips and salsa were good too, but I also it’s hard to ruin that.
Whatever they put on the soft tacos was intoxicatingly delicious, the sauce… the meat. the veggies.you get the idea.
I would’ve given them five stars, but I wish they had a three taco special or something, versus just ordering them ala carte.

My fiancé and I recently had family in town. As always when having visitors they want to have good Mexican food while in San Diego. After going back and forth on multipe places we chose Ortega’s. My first visit to this restaurant was last year. We had walked by many times and decided to try it and were very happy with our experience.
So being my second time here I knew more or less what to expect and what I wanted. I couldn’t forget the pastor burrito and knew it was what I was going to order. Unfortunately when it was time to order they were out of the pastor. I was pretty much devestated but knew there were other options. I went with a Carne Asada chimichanga and a carnitas enchilada to take my pain away.
Everyone was very happy with their meals. The staff here is so honest and friendly. When asked about the strength of the margaritas the server was very honest saying they aren’t weak but not strong. I’m glad we came here and look forward to coming back.