Old Town Mexican Cafe

06/09/2008 Posted by billatkins

My wife and I were visiting from Houston, TX, and we actually felt we'd be dissappointed coming from a state who's Mexican food is the best in the land. However, we were greatly suprised with OTMC!! The tortillas are fabulous and served too hot to handle, Texas could learn a lesson from these babies. We had guacomole and ceviche as starters and both were outstanding. Having been to El Agave two nights before where the avacodos were hard as green pears, we were concerned but ordered anyway. It couldn't have been better! The ceviche was very good, but not excellent. It contained only white fish (like the munu stated), but had great flavor and plenty of fish, unlike those that try to strech it by adding too much tomatoes and onion. My wife designed her own plate with a chicken enchallida, a cheese enchallida, and a tostado. She was extremely impressed and didn't leave a morsel. I had the carnitas platter; unlike Texas carnitas it didn't have any sauce served on it, but the pork as tasty as it was. After two margaritas each and the meal described above we walked out for $65 (including tip), feeling we had just finished a meal fit for a "Mexican" king. Two nights before we left El Agave with a $144 tab, and not nearly as impressed with the food quality. Again, this comes from a couple of Texan's who eat Mexican food in restaurants at least 3 times a week. Next time in San Diego, we'll have OTMC on our agenda for a couple of nights.

Pros: Food, Service, Value for Money

Cons: Parking, Wait, Noisy

03/18/2008 Posted by moonbeam2

We went there on a busy Saturday night. Although we had a 40 min wait, we grabbed drinks and snacked on chips to pass the time. In the end, the food and experience was well worth it. The spinach enchilada, also with mushrooms and squash, was relatively light (for hearty Mexican food standards) and tasty. The waitress was attentive, and they even had a live guitar/singing duo come play (for tips). I recommend trying this place. And don't forget to order a churro for dessert!

Pros: Food, ambience, service

Cons: The wait

03/15/2008 Posted by lizzynval

This was actually our 2nd visit, and we wont be going back. While our server was friendly, the food was not very good this time around. We actually took a friend because we where very happy with the food the first time . I actually sat in what seem to be the patio/extended area, which felt like they didnt know where to seat us. Our guest ordered the specialty carnitas plate, the biggest disappointment.

11/02/2007 Posted by notasurfer

So the wait for a table is longer than ever herebut the tortillas and the fresh margs are absolutely worth the wait. Last time we were here was a cousin's birthday: We had eight people, 4 pitchers of margaritas, never ending guacamole and ended up making friends with all the people at neighboring tables by the end of our dinner. I've been going here since I was a kid, and have yet to be let down by food or atmosphere.

11/01/2007 Posted by jomarkumar423

My friend recently came from out of town, and wanted to get some Mexican food. We had heard that this was the place to take people, so we checked it out. The Menu is pretty big, and our server was very friendly. However, the food we got here wasn't anything mind blowing by any means. We actually talked to some police officers who said most tourist go there, and if you can, check out something else. I guess we'll know better next time.

Pros: Big menu

Cons: average food

09/07/2007 Posted by nycgal1978

I am a New Yorker who visited San Diego this past Labor Day weekend. I love Mexican food and was looking forward to going to this restaurant since I had heard very positive things about it. The burritos were inedible. Absolutely nasty. The only good thing about them was the fresh tortilla. I ordered a veggie burrito which had uncooked beans, some shredded velveeta-esque (i.e. not fresh) cheese, and clammy lettuce. The restaurant looks like its out of Disney and its filled with tourists, so beware - this is not the fabulous Mexican food that you thought you'd get so close to the border. I also had to wait about 45 minutes to get a table, so imagine the disappointment. This restaurant is in Old Town which is filled with alternatives that are lesser known but probably much better.

06/23/2007 Posted by dawnmbryant

Overrated. After several stellar reviews, we were really excited to visit the restaurant, supposedly some of the best Mexican food in Old Town San Diego. However, Carnitas, the house specialty, was awful (tasteless and fatty). Another special, Carne Asada, tasted like charred beef. The restaurant would be great if you go for margaritas, chips, salsa, guacamole and their insanely fresh tortillas...otherwise, skip it.

Pros: Amazing tortillas and margaritas; salsa and guacamole was good

Cons: The entrees

01/04/2007 Posted by kimheejin78

You can only make reservations for groups of 7 or larger, I believe, otherwise the wait can be up to 2 hours for a group of 4, especially on busy Friday and Saturday nights. I would recommend in that case to put your name down and walk around scenic old town, or go during lunch when it is less crowded and shorter wait. The homemade corn and flour tortillas are the best in the area, way better than other places that claim they have homemade tortillas. There is also mouthwatering rotisserie chicken you can see basting in the large windows next to the women you can see busily making the homemade tortillas. Their ceviche is also quite good, as well as their carne asada and carnitas sets. Parking is also best in the public free parking lot about a block away from the restaurant.

Pros: tasty food, lots of food, margaritas are good as well

Cons: long wait

08/31/2006 Posted by soniatylr

Me and my husband love this place we've gone once for our anniversary and will be going again for our upcoming anniversary. Nice atmosphere good mexican food and margaritas to die for!

Pros: Nice atmosphere

05/09/2005 Posted by amwillia

Old Town Mexican Cafe seems to be the most well known and loved Mexican restaurant in San Diego. The atmosphere and neighborhood are good in addition to the food. It can be extremely crowded on Friday and Saturday nights. The biggest challenge is driving into Old Town and finding parking during the busy season or special events.

Pros: Atmosphere, Neighborhood, Food

Cons: Occasional traffic, Parking, Long wait