Street Food in San Diego: Tacos and Churros
San Diego has a distinct advantage over virtually most other U.S. cities when it comes to being next door to Mexico. We claim bragging rights, because we have really awesome Mexican food available to us around the clock—24/7/365.
Why go to a chain Mexican restaurant when you can happily indulge in Taco shops without ever crossing the International Border?
With a slew of options to choose from, it can be hard for visitors and locals alike to find a stellar place to grab the standard of Mexican food–a good, street style Taco!
That being said, there’s one place just next to Downtown that offers up great street style tacos to fill your belly with delight: It’s “El Paisa” and it’s located just off 25th St. and Imperial Avenue.
Heading over into this neighborhood might make you raise an eyebrow or two because although it’s definitely not the nicest part of town, it’s definitely worth the experience. And dessert will be waiting for you right across the street if you visit in the evening!
El Paisa is a 24 hour Mexican restaurant serving up some of the best Carnitas I’ve ever had. I typically order 3 of the “Mini Tacos” aka “Taquitos” (street style tacos). They cost about $1.70 per taco.
They are served on small corn tortillas, with a mess of onions and cilantro and a couple dabs of guacamole. Also, you’ll get a to add from a little tray of salsas, limes, radishes and a small bowl of chips to munch on while you wait for your order to come out.
The carnitas come out perfectly golden and delicious. Carnitas are a very sweet, tender, melt-in-your-mouth pork and the carnitas here are simply outstanding. They have a wonderful outer crisp and are so tender and delicious. I typically add a little dash of salsa for a tiny kick of spice, but they really don’t need much else than that. Pure porky heaven!
If you’re looking for a purely “California” dish and are not in the mood for tacos, then consider ordering the Carne Asada Fries, which are essentially a bunch of french fries served up with Carne Asada (seasoned beef), guacamole, sour cream and cheese. It’s a mountain of food and typically best shared with a friend or two and may send you into a food coma right afterwards. It’ll be worth it though.
A mere $2.50 will get you 8 pieces of freshly made churros. They’re not as large as the typical churro you are used to, as these are a bit smaller and thinner. They have a wonderful exterior crunch and a soft center. The cinnamon-sugar mixture melts right onto the churros and they have the perfect ratio of spices and sugars to just make it such an outstanding treat and delight.
Getting street style tacos and churros is the perfect way to wind down an evening in San Diego and is also one experience you can savor without hassling to cross the border into Mexico.
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