San Diego’s 10 Best Taco Shops & Mexican Fast Food(10 to 6)

10.  La Fachada.  20 25th Street, at Imperial Avenue, Logan Heights.  Fish tacos are awesome for those who like fish with white sauce and carnitas tacos are always made with juicy and tender pork meat.  Try the birria meat taco.  It is lamb / goat meat.  La Fachada also has other meats not common to other San Diego Taco Shops.  Grab sides like grilled onions and jalapenos for free just like roadside stands in TJ.  Not the cheapest tacos in SD but worth it if you are in the mood for a few TJ style tacos.

9.  South Beach Bar & Grille.  5059 Newport Ave, Ste 104, Ocean Beach.  Two restaurants bring me to OB twice a month.  One is Hodad’s and South Beach Bar is the other.  South Beach Bar & Grille offer good taco deals along with drink specials.  It is a very social place, always with a good crowd.

8.  Taco Express.  1330 State Street, Little Italy, Downtown.  A hole in the wall hidden behind a car shop on State Street in Downtown San Diego just south of Little Italy.  They are only open on the weekdays until to 3 and mostly serve the downtown lunch crowd.  Good tasting cheap Mexican food, especially in downtown.

7.  Casa Adams.  3038 Adams Avenue, North Park.  A well known neighborhood establishment with good mahi mahi tacos and refried beans.  For something else try their chile colorado, a chili dish made with dried red chiles and meat offering a complex, hearty flavor.  This is a traditional style chili  without beans and tomatoes.  More than a taco shop, they are a full service sit down restaurant.  Munch on their spicy carrots and chips while you wait for your meal.

6.  Lucha Libre Gourmet Taco Shop.  1810 W Washington Street, Mission Hills.  How many taco shops do you know whose theme is Mexican professional wrestling?  If you are just north of the 5 coming out of downtown, in Hillcrest, or Mission Hills, this is the Mexican restaurant to visit.  The ingredients are always fresh and flavorful.  They even sell $1.50 TJ style street hotdogs wrapped in bacon.   My favorite is the surf and turf burrito with carne asada steak and shrimp smothered in chipotle sauce.

Related articles:

San Diego’s Best Taco Tuesday Restaurants

San Diego’s Best Pizza

San Diego’s Best Burgers

Best Beaches in San Diego

2.  San Onofre State Beach.  North San Diego County just south of San Clemente.  3,000 acre coastal park including the San Onofre Buffs, San Mateo Campground, and San Onofre Surf Beach.  Offers camping and day use.  Surfing is legendary at Trestles Beach.

3.  Mission Trails Regional Park.  At 5,800 acres it is one of the largest urban parks in the US.  Park activities include hiking, mountain biking, camping, and horse trails.  Some trails within Mission Trails Park was used by settlers with horse drawn wagons moved to West coast during the 1800s.  Dogs permitted on-leash.

4.  Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve.  La Jolla, San Diego.  2,000 acres of park in La Jolla dedicated to preserving the natural environment of San Diego before it was developed.  Hike one of Torrey Pines State Park trails on 8 miles of trail within park, walk on the beach, explore history and park information at the visitor center, or take guided tour over the weekend.  Day use only.  Hike to an overlook of the Pacific Ocean, take a stroll on the beach, photograph rare Torrey pine trees, or observe the birds in the lagoon located within Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve.

5.  Mission Bay Park.  Largest man made aquatic park in the US at 4,235 acres with 19 miles of sandy beaches.  The area was originally a marsh but was altered by man to create a popular tourist destination for San Diego.  Enjoy popular water sports in Mission Bay including jet skis, wave riders, boating, and sailing.  Fiesta Island, a peninsula inside Mission Bay, is a favorite for bike riders and home of the famous San Diego Over-the-Line Tournament.  Stay overnight on the beach at Campland on the Bay, a section of Mission Bay Park.  Dogs are allowed on-leash in certain areas of the park as well as off-leash on Fiesta Island.

2.  SD Surfing – Blacks Beach.  There is no wonder why UCSD has the best surf team in the country, they are next to Blacks Beach.  At Blacks nudity is allowed so be warned.  Layout as you watch the parachute gliders over the cliff and surfers or test out your own surfing skills.  Waves can be huge here and are some of the best in the US.

3.  With your dog – Dog Beach, Ocean Beach. Dog Beach is a section of Ocean Beach where your dog is allowed to run around off the leash.  Dog Beach is a large sized area for your pet to exercise in or out of the water.  Dog Beach, OB is usually crowded so your beloved dog will have plenty of opportunities to socialize with other dogs and people.

4.  With the family – Coronado Beach Considered the best family beach in San Diego.  Coronado Beach is on many review lists as one of the 10 best beaches in the country.  Ride the ferry over for spectacular postcard worthy shots of downtown or drive across the Coronado bridge.  Parking can be tricky so expect to walk a distance from your car.  When it gets too hot on the beach run inside the Hotel Del Coronado for some ice cream at Moo Time Creamery.

5.  A romantic sunset – Sunset Cliffs Park Beach. There is a little known park located at the end of Sunset Cliffs.  You get there by driving to the end of the cliffs where the stairs lead down take the road leading to the left and enter the dirt road a few hundred feet up on the right into the parking lot.  Hike to the top of the cliffs or go down to the beach below.  If you unchain your dog here no one will bother you about it.

2.  San Diego Zoo.  2920 Zoo Drive. Famous as the only zoo on the west coast to have Chinese Pandas, San Diego Zoo is the premier zoo in the US.  Located in scenic Balboa Park, the San Diego Zoo features 800 species and 4,000 animals.  Wear your most comfortable shoes and be prepared to walk several miles when you visit.  Online coupons are available.  For more details on the San Diego Zoo go to www.sandiegozoo.org

3.  Balboa Park.  San Diego.  Originally named City Park, Balboa Park is a San Diego treasure.  Started in 1868, Balboa Park houses stunning examples of Spanish Colonial architecture.  There you will find a 1,200 acre park with an outdoor concert area, fountain, the San Diego Zoo, tennis courts, an arboretum, koi and goldfish ponds, several museums including the Museum of Man, dog parks, events and festivals, and more.  See San Diego’s 10 Best Parks and Recreation

4.  Gaslamp District. Downtown San Diego.  Several blocks of downtown are designated the Gaslamp District with distinct street lights simulating old gas street lamps.  This is where the most popular hotels, bars, restaurants, shopping, and clubs exist in downtown San Diego.  Save time looking for a spot by parking in the Horton Plaza parking lot, entrance is on 4th and F Street, and validate the ticket yourself at a station in the mall.

5.  Old Town San Diego.  Off the I-5, just north of downtown.  Old town has the word tourist written all over it.  Tourists flock here to walk around.  There is no one particular attraction that you must see.  Just beyond the road closed off to pedestrian traffic in the historic portion lies many Mexican restaurants serving 100s of fresh margaritas and tortillas daily.  It is not by any means the best Mexican food in the city but the experience is fun every once in a while.  I prefer to simple here like Fred’s Mexican Cafe, 2470 San Diego Avenue or Casa Guadalajara, 4105 Taylor Street over the old style restaurants with the tortilla making factories inside.  Take a stroll through here or grab a bite to eat and drink before heading downtown for a Padres baseball game at PetCo Park or going to Qualcomm Stadium for a football game on the trolley.