“Good food, edgy atmosphere”
“great food, great ambience”
“If you can't wait for your whopping quesadilla or enchilada, feast on the free chips and big bowl of homemade spicy salsa fresca, or just order to-go.”
“The unusual Mexican menu is infused with generous traditional meat dishes as well as insanely tasty vegetarian, more healthful alternatives.”
“ing love this place”
“i 'm still down with the amazing sangria”
“We walked out, since the only place that I think you get food with such a rude attitude is in jail or in the military (and you do not pay for it by the way).”
“Seriously delicious food, huge portions, and great selection for vegetarians and carnivores alike.”
“the crowd is a cross section of the young counter-culture crowd, which is good, because they tend.”View Less
Pokez.
Pokez is the nickname of Alfonso Reyes and his brother Rafael whom along with his father started this family run eatery back in 1994. It's a funky cool Mexican place. I do not know if the atmosphere
and attitude make the food taste better or the food makes the atmosphere better, but whatever it is this is my favorite taco shop in town.
Here is why. It's the first place I've seen that breaks down stereotypes, by using the same medium and modern style that every other hip downtown eatery uses for its decor. Urban hip-hop and post low-rider pop. Home grown food (being green and supporting local suppliers), local artisans on the wall (donated and not for sale.), low key San Diego attitude, and a collegiate esprit d'corp. Its got freshman named smith waiting tables (multicultural), and Quetzalcoatl on a skateboard as a logo. Come on, I dare you to find another Mexican restaurant in town that can laugh at itself and be itself so well.
The food is good, really good. The vibe is great, in a kid to granddad way. It's got tasty and filling vegetarian and vegan plates. The Jukebox plays the DK's. On weekends it is open to 3am. Enough said, Pokez gets my 5 stars.…
Scenster sass with delicious salsa.. Yes, very scenestery, and what place in San Diego is not? the mysterious, sullen attitude is just a facade, obviously. The mahi mahi tacos were great and I'm still down with the amazing sangria.
Go if you like being mistreated, and still want to pay for food and tip.
My friends and I went today for lunch. We were a group of 6, and a very rude waitress told us that we should sit in separated tables of 4 chairs each. We asked her if we could all squeeze in a booth.
She said NO, at this point she was really giving us commands. Then we saw the tables, and they were next to each other. We figured that we could put the tables together and actually sit together and eat together as a group. We were not bothering anyone, and made sure that we were not blocking other tables, wich we were not. The waitress came and with a very angry yell told us "you do not understand, if you are not going to sit as I told you, you better leave." We told another waiter that the attitude was kind of rude, but he just said "sorry" but did not do anything. It was not crowded, and it is usually the case that for larger groups they accomodate small tables into a big sitting space, but well, not here, at least not for us. We walked out, since the only place that I think you get food with such a rude attitude is in jail or in the military (and you do not pay for it by the way). I figured we still had to pay and tip this horrible person.
We did not try the food, but comon, there are hundreds of Mexican restaurants in San Diego, who needs Mexican Dark wannabe? nasty cool? No thanks, I already solved my issues and I only wanted to enjoy a nice lunch with nice company.
We ended up a few blocks later in Los Alambres, a wonderful place with really good variety of tacos (from Mexico City street tacos, to baja gourmet fish and shrim tacos). Reasonable prices, sunny and clean place, and with a nice service. ?who needs rudeness when you are out for lunch with friends?…
Bad service overshadowed decent food.. My boyfriend and I ate here last weekend, both vegetarians we heard a lot about it and wanted to try. It was cheap, the salsa was amazing, and the tacos were okay... not a direct comparison, but between the two I favor Taco Loco in Laguna Beach (which is also famous for it's poor service and rude employees). It wasn't too busy, but we waited a long time to get everything... drinks, the food, our check... the guy serving us would walk by but avoid eye contact. Kind of strange. We finally walked up to the front and paid. I would eat there again but only for the salsa and if I had an hour and half to spare to eat one taco.…
mexican food with soul!. "Mexican" and "vegan" are rarely uttered in the same breath, but Pokez has its recipe right, with delicious seasoned tofu that would have any burrito-buff fooled. The unusual Mexican menu is infused with generous traditional meat dishes as well as insanely tasty vegetarian, more healthful alternatives. The crowd is a cross section of the young counter-culture crowd, which is good, because they tend to forgive the service more than older folks. Sassy servers can be anywhere from cool to rude, depending on whether you know the house rules and don't bother them too much. If you can't wait for your whopping quesadilla or enchilada, feast on the free chips and big bowl of homemade spicy salsa fresca, or just order to-go. Whether you're a starving artist or just pretending to be one, you're going to love the food and your bill. With vandals' graffiti on the outside and religious relics laced with pop-culture on the inside, the vegetarian eatery isn't half as tie-dyed as the clientele's hair color.…
