Old Town Mexican Cafe

Absolutely the best Mexican food Around. Prices are great. Portions are good. (You wont leave hungry) great service and they keep the place spotless. One of my favorite stops when visiting San Diego. Do yourself a favor and give this place a try if you haven't already. I promise it just doesn't get any better. Oya and grab some homemade tortillas on your way out. So dang yummy!

Our server talked too fast and by the time we got our food it looked old and dry like it had been sitting awhile which is strange because the place was packed. ALSO I found a black hair in mine. I have blond. The tortilla ladies out front seem to know what they're doing.

Two years ago I had an amazing meal at this restaurant. I have mentioned this many times to family and friends. I finally had an opportunity to return. So disappointed. The signature dish of carnitas was so dry it was inedible. We even doused it in verde sauce (which was great) trying to give it some moisture. The molcajete was my favorite thing...was. The steak had obviously been on reheated several times to the point it was difficult to chew, the chorizo was was dry. I’m not sure how that is even possible. The chips were burned. I would like to hope that the food was bad because of all the upheaval we have been going through. But there is never an excuse for serving bad food when we know you know the difference.

This place is outstanding! The lady's behind are no ordanairy lady's they are fantastic people who make FANTASTIC food. I go here ever cupple years. However the lava cake is outstanding this is truly and outstanding place.# 5 stars # amazing

Used to be good, pozole is not what it used to be. Only good thing left are the fresh tortillas

Delicious food (with homemade tortillas!) & enormous portions for a standard sit-down restaurant price. There are a _ton_ of restaurants in this general walking area but this was the one the hotel clerk immediately recommended, and it was a great suggestion.

Great atmosphere but fajitas did not come out on a sizzling plate and were cold. Chicken fajitas were not cooked like regular fajitas and hardly any vegetables came with it. The refried beans were good. Chips seemed like they were all reused from other tables. All smashed half way through the basket into crumbs you couldn't eat.

We visit this restaurant every year during our family vacation. Old style Mexican food. Full bar. They are able to seat large parties if you call ahead. Usually a short wait for a table. Daily lunch specials offered. Food is good service is friendly Take time to walk around the shops while you are there. Nice area.

Great authentic food. Manny was our server and he did a wonderful job. We had a 30 minute wait but it was well worth it. DW

The service at OTMC was great. Pamela went out of her way to help me to plan and order for a company lunch. The food was perfect! We will be back soon and often.

This had really good Mexican food. I got the cheese enchilada. It was very delicious and was so good I ate the whole thing

Probably the best Mexican joint in Old Town. Friendly service, traditional environment, and good food. Caters to the tourists of course but for a tourist spot the food was pretty good and not overpriced.They make their own tortillas and chips and salsa. Overall satisfied with the experience, if you're in old town then it's worth a go. If you want a truly authentic non-touristy spot then you might have to search around, but for what it is, you'll not be disappointed.The service was good and the street tacos were on point. About 30 bucks for two people which is pretty good for a tourist area.

Visiting from Northern California and was recommended this spot from some friends. In the midst of so many Mexican restaurants it's hard to find the good ones but Old Town is definitely one of the best. We ordered take out as we had a big family but the service was great and we were greeted with friendly smiles. Food turned out equally as good and we will definitely recommend this to all we can.

This is a cool spot for gringos lol. Just being honest. The food was really good

This restaurant gives superb service as well as tasty meals. The best place around town. The drinks and food served rapidly and the prices were fair. I recommend this place.

We have been eating at this restaurant for years. We were called for our table, & when my party didn't show up immediately, because some of them were in the bathroom, the hostess told me that they wanted us to wait for another table. "In a very rude manner ". We immediately left the restaurant &made reservations next door. We were seated almost immediately. After being seated, I walked back to see if they filled the table.after fifteen minutes, the table they opened for us was still empty. We will never eat there again, & I will advise everyone I know to do the same. Nice way to treat people Old Town Mexican trash house.

We had the best experience today! My husband treated me to early Mothers Day dinner here and the food and experience was the best !!! This is the best Mexican food I have had since moving to San Diego! They have also made it safe and easy to get food to go right now!

Best Tortillas I have had. The ribs were amazing. Loved the ladies making the tortilla in the front. No patio though.

I was brought here by a friend I visited. At first I thought why is called a cafe? I guess I expected some trendy new age fusion spot or something. I was very pleasantly surprised to see it was 100% authentic, classic food, classic style, and classic experience. I couldn't have been satisfied with portions, service, taste, and prices. What a treat! I don't think it would be possible for me to come back to this area without a visit to Old Town Mexican Cafe!

It is authentic Mexican cafe. Best place to try Mexican food. Try the house sampler and you don’t have to go to the main course menu after that. The staff are friendly and very welcoming and are helpful

Out of this world Mexican food. Fantastic and friendly staff. Won’t break the bank, but will fill your belly.

The food, atmosphere, and the setvice was fantastic. It is located from the main park. The prices was more realistic than the restaurants in the main section of the park.

We’re used to Tex-Mex but our Uber driver highly recommended this place so we stopped in for lunch. It was BUSY, very busy, but we were seated in 2-3 minutes and had chips & salsa (free) while we waited for our food. We had a Cadillac margarita and a Blanco margarita. Both were very strong. They didn’t skimp on the tequila! I ordered a number 1, which had 1 beef taco and 1 cheese enchilada with rice and beans. The plate was delicious and the refried beans were the best I’ve ever had! My friend ordered the shredded pork with homemade tortillas, and he said it was splendid! This is not just a tourist place, though there were plenty of tourist, and there were tons of locals which means it’s a terrific place to eat!

Nice touristic location. Perfect if you want to feel on vacation. Receptionist needs people skills, however waitress made up for that issue. Food up the level of American/Mexican food.Tortillas the best.

Old Town is a quaint community with many shops and Mexican food restaurants and interesting history. It's a nice day time place to visit.

The Molcajete, Chili Relleno, and White Pozole are fantastic. Your tastebuds will thank you. Always festive and lively, great servers too.

Drinks were horrible here... I do not recommend their Bloody Mary nor their margaritas they were both nasty and over priced.. hosts at the front door were very welcoming but service inside was not up to par at all

The food was delicious everything that we had was great from enchiladas ceviche tacos burritos . The margaritas were good small glasses though . The service was really good and fast very attentive, the restuarant is bigger than it looks. We had a party of 8 on a pretty busy day and we didn't wait long to be seated or for the food

Hands down the worst Mexican food we’ve had in our lives and we’ve had a lot of it. There was no flavor, it was bland and boring. The best tasting part was black beans out of a can. The entire atmosphere is like a factory mill. The place is huge, waiters take your order while in running motion. They don’t even have time to ask everyone at the table what they’ll be drinking. Look around. Don’t be fooled by long lines as we were. There must be something better around, the bar is very very low.

The best Mexican food I've ever had! And that's saying something! From the tortillas made fresh by the ladies up front to the menu items and ambience of the restaurant everything was excellent, if you are ever in old town San Diego it is definitely worth going here, prices are extremely reasonable for what you get.

This place was bland, dirty, and the service was mediocre. Margaritas were super overpriced for the quality and it took nearly an hour for orders of tacos to come through, which were too oily and dry. Do not recommend to anyone

Food was delicious as usual. Large portions. Fresh. Chips were 🔥. Salsa as well. 19 in our group. Plenty of room. Definitely the place to go while visiting San Diego.

The ladies making fresh flour and corn tortillas from the street window caught my eye. Once inside, the receptionist attire and authentic atmosphere was very inviting. I enjoyed the fish tacos along with “The inferno Bloody Mary” surely excites the taste buds! My fiancé had a tamale and enchilada, very satisfying! Service was excellent and prices very reasonable compared to the competitors of the area.

Excellent carne asada, copious chips and salsa, and a good selection of tequilas. Everyone in our group had a good time. Worth the slight wait for a table. Would go here again.

This used to be the go-to Mexican restaurant to take visitors...don't know what has happened, but in the last couple of years, the food has regressed from "very good" to "average." I thought one time, bad night in kitchen. 2x, that's it. I should have returned the entree. The salsa with chips, now tasteless. I will remember the good times I had here in the past 25 years, but it's over.

Good food, decent prices. It's usually very busy during the weekends. Hand made tortillas are awesome.

First time here. Had lunch with a local team member. Very good.

I'm not a big fan of old Town because I find it a bit too touristy. But being a long time resident of the San Diego area and having eaten at many Mexican restaurants, I was pleasantly surprised. I had albóndigas soup. Best I've had! And the homemade corn tortillas were the bomb! Since I've only eaten the one dish, it's hard to give it more than a 4 at this time, but I'll be back to try their carnitas. Because I have heard they are wonderful. I also loved that they had parking. A hard to come by commodity in the area.

I'm gluten and dairy free and they were able to accommodate. Got the carne asada plate, with all beans. Not a fan of rice but everything else was delicious. Highly recommended.

I really loved the hot tortillas hand made at the front of restaurant, my entree, 1/2 chicken with spicy side of salsa. black beans and rice it was delishes.plus slices of tomato, chopped cilantro and slices of pickle jalapenos peppers.👍yum!

My fiancee and I have been here multiple times and are never disappointed. The service is always attentive and the food is delicious and fresh. The tortillas alone are worth the visit! I highly recommend the potato rolled tacos, as well.They have a full bar available and really good deals for every day of the week. Be warned though - it can get very warm during the summer due to lack of air conditioning.Overall, this is a cute little spot to grab lunch/dinner or just a few drinks. Plus, it's family friendly! I'll definitely continue to return to this restaurant.

Awesome food! The tortillas are worth it alone. Incredible food. Cant say enough about the joint. Go. Taste. Enjoy. Very safe for black people. You'll like it fam!

A couple of things about my experience were just horrible. 1. The service was terrible! The waiter really didn't care about our table at all. The food didn't come out together. After my food came out, I had to wait 5 minutes for my fajita wraps. The margaritas took forever to get to us. One of them didn't come out until after the food came out. Also, we ordered the margaritas before everything else. The food itself was so so, it's not really anything to talk about. The chicken and steak were both dry. I hate writing bad reviews but I feel that I have to for this. All and all I really don't recommend this place to anyone.

Oscar, our waiter, was excellent and fun (he taught us some Spanish words and phrases)! The food was excellent and we were pleasantly surprised to get seated within 10 minutes, even though the restaurant was very crowded. This was due to their large seating areas. Great time! Highly Recommended!

Excellent place to eat, Molcajete for two is super tasty and really cheap. Service beyond expectations

Very busy restaurant. Very loud but not in a negative way. The bar tender was very nice albeit overworked. Ordered a margarita with light agave - was pretty great

Every time my parents and I visit San Diego this is always a must-see place. The last time we ate here wasn't very pleasant. We came for breakfast and it wasn't very clean. The server refilled my cup with Sprite and there was stuff floating in it. Interior is old. The homemade tortillas are good.

I have been eating at this restaurant since 1989.For a sit down traditional Mexican restaurant, this is by far my favorite in town. The fresh flour tortillas are the best! They also make great fresh chips and salsa. I highly recommend the half chicken and fajitas. FYI. President Clinton use to come here when he would be in town when he was acting President. My office overlooks old town and it was always fun watching the action. Service is generally pretty good. My only complaint is that it is time for a remodel.I believe I have been sitting on the same uncomfortable booth cushions for 23 years!I can't believe they are unwilling to close half the restaurant for a week or so and replace them.

Had to wait way to long and never did get our table of 8 together.Server was very nice.Won't go again

Best fresh flour tortillas in the world! We have been going to Old Town Mexican Cafe for years. One thing has never ever changed. The wonderful, sweet, talented ladies who make the tortillas by hand. These are the real deal. There are many restaurants in Old Town, but this one is a star. The tortillas are light and perfect. Add a dab of butter and they melt in your mouth. Next time you are in San Diego, make sure you plan on visiting Old Town. And partake in the most amazing tortillas you will ever ever ever taste.