— Originally posted on Yelp on 12/3/09 —
Amazing Mexican food! When people from San Diego say they have some of the best Mexican food in the states they aren’t kidding. This is some of the best I’ve had. La Puerta is a couple blocks from the Horton shopping center and is a small restaurant that is very casual and comfortable. We went there for lunch after doing a little shopping and were seated right away in a booth. There were only a few other customers there and a few staff members (a hostess, bartender and 2 servers). The service was a little on the slow side but we didn’t mid much since we weren’t in a rush.
We ordered the guacamole to start and were expecting a bowl of it accompanied by a separate bowl of chips. What we got was a huge mound of chips with the guac on top — peppers, tomatoes, onions, cilantro and cubes of panela cheese. It tasted great and was large enough for 4 or more people. The chips were crispy and weren’t overly salty.
We shared some other dishes that were equally as good. We had a quesadilla that was about the size of a small pizza. The flautitas were delicious — filled with cheese and potatoes and covered in pico de gallo and sour cream with a chile de arbol dipping sauce. The Pastor street tacos were the best dish of the day. 3 tacos filled with marinated pork, pineapple, avocado, cilantro and onions. The flavors were so different and absolutely amazing. The portions of all the dishes tended to be on the large size and between the two of us we couldn’t finish all the food.
As for the beverages… I like a stiff drink, but the mojito I had was pretty bad. The margarita was great, though.
The prices were reasonable. $8 for the guac, $9 for the quesadilla, $6 for the flautitas (a great bargain in my opnion), and $9 for the tacos.
5 Stars
560 4th Ave
San Diego, CA 92101
(619) 696-3466
