15 Best Restaurants in San Diego, California

Bold graffiti graphics, chandeliers with tangled telephone wires, and beat-heavy music energize this Downtown eatery that celebrates Mexican street food with a modern twist. Settle into one of the interior rooms or the sunny patio under orange umbrellas to sip margaritas and other specialty cocktails, Baja wines, or fruity aguas frescas made daily. Guacamole, ceviche, seafood tostadas, and a festive stack of chili-and-salt-spiced mango whet appetites for tasty street tacos—nine varieties including lobster, mushroom, and striped bass that can be mixed and matched for plates of three. Deep-fried carnitas with a cactus leaf salad, grilled filet mignon, and octopus tacos round out the menu. The original (and smaller) Puesto is in downtown La Jolla.

The line that inevitably wraps around the building is indicative of the quality of the tacos and the large selection of local craft beers on tap. Indeed, these are some of the best tacos in all of San Diego, ranging from the classic carne asada and Baja fish tacos to fried-shell beef tacos and Califas, which features French fries inside the tortilla.

Not a typical San Diego taco shop, this Mexican eatery is upstairs in a shopping complex in the middle of a tequila museum with some 2,000 bottles dating from the 1930s. The owners are equally serious about food, calling their cuisine Hispanic-Mexican Gastronomy, which means meat and fish dishes with lots of unusual spicy chilies, herbs, spices, and moles.

Don’t be fooled by the humble facade—this tiny Mexican taqueria serves up some of the best seafood-focused border food in town. There’s almost always a crowd of Uptown locals and savvy travelers here, but orders for burritos, tacos, and combination plates almost fly out of the kitchen. A newer outpost on Adams Avenue offers a seated dining experience with a modified menu.

Named for a form of Mexican wrestling, this taco shop with its hot-pink walls and shiny booths was famous mostly for its lack of parking until it appeared on the Travel Channel’s “Man v. Food.” Then long lines of burrito-crazed fans began forming outside the walk-up window for lunch; their North Park outpost is more spacious.

Don’t park in the gas station next door; they watch and will tow.

Tucked away on the bottom floor of a tattoo parlor, this funky little taco shop has a drink menu larger than the Mexican food lineup (but don't let that dissuade you). Place your order next to the wall of bottle caps, and then head to the pet-friendly street-side patio that draws a crowd for the hearty burritos wrapped in warm, soft tortillas and authentic salsas that range from traditional red salsa to chipotle cream. On Friday and Saturday, this hole-in-the-wall cures late-night munchies with carne asada fries and a 2:30 am last call.

Seafood lovers have long flocked to Puerto Nuevo, the “lobster village” just south of San Diego in Baja California, Mexico. When a family that operates several Puerto Nuevo restaurants opened Ortega's in Hillcrest, it quickly became a top draw for authentic Baja coastal cuisine, minus the long lines to cross the border.

Located next to Campo Santo Cemetery, Tahona—in its architecture and design—might suggest the illusion of a snapshot of historical San Diego, but culinarily it's anything but. Offering a dining experience that centers on mezcal, Oaxacan cuisine, and locally sourced produce and ingredients, Tahona puts a new spin on Southern California Mexican cuisine. Its menu features plenty of familiar staples like tacos, guacamole, and empanadas, mixed in with innovative items like duck confit sopes and grilled octopus.

Make reservations online for its adjoining spooky speakeasy, Occulto 477, which brings an elevated sensory experience to its mezcal offerings.

Located in the open-air Old Town Urban Market, the Michelin-recognized Tuetano Taqueria serves up its savory specialty: birria (meat stew). Grab as many napkins as you need, because these deliciously dripping birria tacos will make a mess. For something with even more wow factor, get the bone marrow birria taco, served still in the bone.