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Old Town Mexican Cafe

2489 San Diego Ave. 
San Diego, CA 92110
Phone: (619) 297-4330
Website: oldtownmexcafe.com



Reviews
CSMobileUser

Posted on Citysearch on 7/31/2009
It appeals to tourists...
That's the only reason this place is in business. Anyone remotely familiar with mexican food will find this place mediocre. The service is awful, the wait is not worth it.
Overall
1 star rating

Quality 0 star rating
Service 0 star rating
Value 0 star rating

sd103

Posted on Citysearch on 7/30/2009
Why anyone goes here is a mystery
First of all, remember where you are. This restaurant is in old town and caters mainly to out-of-towners who probably won't be back soon. The service is absolutely terrible and the long waits are not worth it for the quality and taste of the food. Take it from a local, if you're looking for good mexican there are lots of other places besides this.
Overall
1 star rating

Quality 0 star rating
Service 0 star rating
Value 0 star rating

Reviews: 2

Posted on 6/23/2009

Worst dining experience
Worst dining experience I've had in years. Lousy service - we were completely ignored so much that we had to go to the bar for drinks. The drinks themselves were orrible - we're not even sure they added alcohol to the margaritas. The food was poor quality - 3 of the 4 of us barely touched our food. It was overly greasy and all tasted the same - there wasn't a difference between one dish and the next. It was way too hot inside - I had to step outside to keep from fainting.

Then 10 minutes into our meal, a band started playing so loudly that we couldn't speak to one another.

I was so embarassed that we brought our out of town guests here. I will never go again.

In fact, I saw several parties leave before being served.

The homemade tortillas are the only thing worth ordering.
Overall
2 star rating

Quality 1 star rating
Service 1 star rating
Value 2 star rating

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Citysearch User

Posted on Citysearch on 12/11/2008
The best and most authentic Margaritas in town. by Tisha E. at InsiderPages
This place has not changed a bit from serving some of the best and authentic Mexican food in San Diego. I've always try something different every time I come in and also my favorite of course and I have never been disappointed. But my favorite is the Margarita. It looks kind of deceiving at first because it comes in average wine glasses, but believe me I know the difference, it is tasty and very smooth. Only for Connoisseurs. Try it.
Overall
4 star rating

Quality 0 star rating
Service 0 star rating
Value 0 star rating

Reviews: 5

Posted on 9/23/2008

Homemade Tortillas!
Going to Old Town Mexican Cafe while in San Diego is a must. Their homemade tortillas are so good. I love the atmosphere and the food is really good. The prices are very reasonable.
Overall
4 star rating

Quality 5 star rating
Service 4 star rating
Value 5 star rating

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luckylucy
Reviews: 20

Posted on 8/20/2008

great service
This place has always had fantastic service. The proces are fair and the drinks are great. Breakfast on a weekend is always a excellent time.
Overall
4 star rating

Quality 4 star rating
Service 4 star rating
Value 4 star rating

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Reviews: 14

Posted on 8/3/2008

Worth it just for the tortillas
Although the rest of their menu is good, (nothing special,) their hand-made tortillas are THE BEST. As good as my grandmother's. Ambiance is good, the mariachis will come to individual tables and sing songs, which can be very romantic on a date. (But on a date I would go during an off-peak time of the day so you will have better service and more attention. I recommend between 1:30 pm and 4 pm.) Service is so-so, and during lunch, dinner, weekends, and high-tourist times the wait is L-O-N-G, but I recommend the wait just to try the tortillas- you can't get much more authentic Mexican than that.
Overall
4 star rating

Quality 4 star rating
Service 3 star rating
Value 4 star rating

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TheBestCritic

Posted on Citysearch on 6/9/2008
Outstanding Mexican Food; brave the crowds, it's worth it!
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.
Overall
5 star rating

Quality 0 star rating
Service 0 star rating
Value 0 star rating

Reviews: 5

Posted on 5/30/2008

Great Tortillas
Great service; great food. The homemade tortillas are delicious. You can watch them making them while waiting for your table. Food very flavorful!!! One of the best restaurants in Old Town.
Overall
4 star rating

Quality 5 star rating
Service 5 star rating
Value 5 star rating

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Reviews: 14

Posted on 5/29/2008

Pretty Good Place
The food here was pretty good. Not especially memorable but tasty. The service was friendly but the wait was quite long to get in.
Overall
4 star rating

Quality 4 star rating
Service 3 star rating
Value 3 star rating

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