Puesto

Two words: Taco. Tuesday.
How has it taken me this long to taste the delicious goodness that is Puesto?! First of all, Taco Tuesday is taken to a whole new level here at Puesto. The tacos are priced at $ 2.50 a piece and they’re delicious! What makes these tacos so unique are that they are full of so many flavors without having to rely on spiciness. Each taco has a unique set of flavors. No additional salsa or hot sauce necessary. I absolutely loved the potato soyrizo taco! It was easily my favorite. The lamb was also delicious and I loved the pollo al pastor. I love that they put a crispy melted cheese on the tacos. Brilliant!
Thanks to Unilocaler tips, I also tried the frozen horchata! So good! It had all the creamy of goodness of horchata with the consistency of a blended margarita. Yum!
The only thing keeping this review from 5 stars was the service. I’m pretty sure our waiter never smiled once while we were there. He looked so mad the entire time we were there, I was afraid to ask him a question. The music was also so loud I could barely hear him.

This place is pretty delicious.
My boyfriend wanted to try this place out for Taco Tuesday and I honestly had just planned on coming to keep him company. I hate corn tortillas so I knew I probably wasn’t going to like my food. Boy, was I wrong! They make their tortillas fresh here, so maybe that’s why this is the first time I’ve had corn tortilla and it didn’t taste and feel like eating tire.
I had the Potato Soy Chorizo, Lobster, and Filet Mignon. My boyfriend had almost the same thing but Chicken Verde instead of the Chorizo. ALL of the tacos were so good and had their own distinct flavors. My favorite was the Filet Mignon. I’m a pretty tough critic, so for me to be genuinely impressed by a meal is rare. I definitely will be back. Great food and nice atmosphere. By far the best and most uniquely flavored street tacos I’ve ever had.

I didn’t care for this place. It’s not authentic, but I knew that. Hated the surcharge on a few of the tacos. Little-​bitty tacos for $ 14 (3 tacos) and out of the options, 4 – 5 tacos had a +$ 1 or +$ 2 or +$ 3 surcharge. The guacamole (plain) was $ 11 bucks!
Drinks are pricey, but I have to admit that their Puesto margarita was good. Again a +$ 2 surcharge if you wanted mango margarita.
This is a place where you can stop for drinks and have a «snack» taco before you go for an actual lunch or dinner.

I just found my new favorite US/​Mexican restaurant in La Jolla!
Highly recommend the Puesto Perfect Guac (we had the parmesan on the side), and the chips and salsa.
Had the Tacos Chicken Al Pastor & Carnitas and both are a solid 4 stars. 1 star off because it’s not as good as ones I’ve had in Mexico (but it’s awesome for a US restaurant) and because it was a bit difficult to eat. My wife tried the Potato Soy Chorizo Taco and loved it. She have that taco 5 stars. :-)
Definitely try the Vanilla Bean & Orange Flan.
+ Presentation is great
+ Taste is well balanced
+ the Flan is rich, but very tasty
We had a La Rosita (Strawberry vodka) and a Michelada (beer and juice) and both were pretty good.
I agree with the other reviewers that this isn’t «authentic» Mexican food, but don’t let that stop you. Puesto is a great place to grab a drink or two with dinner.
Bonus points: they are opening one in the Bay Area sometime soon.

4.5 stars — Excellent customer service and great food. And a great twist on some dishes. LOVED IT. They put cheese on top of the guac, sounds weird, but tastes amazing. Their tacos are good. I tried pork, chicken, and fish. Their grilled corn comes in a bowl which loses the fun and joy of eating it. I thought it would be like Mexican street corn. The salads are very good too. The desserts were also good, don’t recall anything unique about them. Love the vibe and décor.

tl;dr: Must order the chicken verde tacos! Everything else is really overpriced and not worth it
—–
Not «authentic» Mexican food by any means, but definitely an interesting twist on it!
You have to order the chicken verde tacos! The chicken was super flavorful and juicy and also wrapped in this sort of burnt cheese? The cheese is what put it over the top for me. I wish I’d gotten 3 of them in my mix and match plate. The mango margarita was also pretty good but severely overpriced. Chips and salsa come with your order, and we also added an order of crab guac. There wasn’t that much crab but the guac itself was chunky and fresh. Again, overpriced. Two of us rang up a bill of $ 75 for lunch on a Saturday… The bathroom situation is kind of annoying too since there’s only two stalls for the whole restaurant. Probably won’t come back again, but we had a gift card so it didn’t hurt so bad. ;p

We came here for happy hour after checking out La Jolla Cove. The service was really good. The chips and salsa were amazing. The tacos were really really good.. The filet mignon taco is one of the best tacos I have ever had. The margaritas were really god as well.

I had high hopes for Puesto after reading the reviews, but at the end of the night I was left with unfulfilled hopes and a large credit card bill.
Food:
–I got the mix and match tacos (chicken al pastor, chicken verde, and carnitas). If you’re going to charge $ 14 for 3 tacos, please don’t add an upcharge for most of these tacos! I was annoyed that the already pricey tacos were even pricier. The tacos were very well presented, but they all tasted the same except for the carnitas taco which was too salty for my taste. Soooo disappointed!
–Guacamole Nogada (guac with pomegranate, mango verde, and candied walnuts): This guac was $ 11, and it was the highlight of the meal. I thought it was very creative to add pomegranate and candied walnuts to guac.
–Vanilla bean & orange flan: I’m not a huge flan person, but this was good although it’s too sweet after a few bites. Otherwise, it was creamy and refreshing.
–Tres leches de café: This is a nice spin on tres leches cake by adding coffee and mascarpone. It’s as if tres leches cake and tiramisu had a baby.
Service:
–Service was very good with attentive and friendly wait staff. The location is nice too for people watching, although parking can be a pain.
Would I go back? Probably not on my own accord since there are so many other Mexican options in SD. This would be a good place to take out-​of-​town friends who want more upscale tacos.

Came here for Taco Tuesday for the 2^nd time and it was great again! We got seated right away as there were a good amount of open tables on a Tuesday at 6pm. Tacos are normally 3 for $ 14 (mix and match) but if you go here for Taco Tuesday (3pm-​close) they are $ 2.50/each. Got a bunch of different types but my favorites were the Chicken Verde and the Potato Soy Chorizo (vegetarian). Both of these tacos were very flavorful and on point.
For drinks, I got the frozen horchata. I was not going to get it because I wanted to drop a few pounds prior to running a half marathon this weekend but when I saw someone get it, it looked so bomb that I caved in and order one. This drink tastes amazing and incredibly sweet. Best of all, it was only $ 4.
So I ended up eating 4 tacos and had the frozen horchata and the bill came out to be about $ 15 prior to tip. Super reasonable price if you go on Taco Tuesday. It’s DTLJ so parking can be a hit or miss but it is usually not too bad and there are a good amount of parking spaces so you may not need to parallel park. This restaurant is a great example of affordable upscale dining (lol) and I will be back.

This restaurant is very unethical. Last Sunday my husband and I went here for lunch and we used credit card to pay for the meal. Together we spend $ 45.68 and I left tips blank but I signed a total of $ 52.00. This morning I received a bill of $ 52.68 charged onto my bank account. Although it was only $ 0.68 cents but the way they handled my bill is very unethical and I would definitely not come back again. I would not recommend this place to any friends or family. I am not comfortable leaving my credit card to pay at this place.
Please be aware that it might happen to you as well.

I was a little excited for this place. It fell a little short.
We had guacamole which was absolutely delicious. The walnuts and pomegranate seeds added a nice touch to it. It bought it a new flavor to the usual guacamole.
We also got the zucchini and cactus taco which was a little new to my palette. When you take the first bite you expect a burst of flavor but it falls short with blandness. It was too watery and gooey for my liking.
The potato and soy chorizo one was delicious. the potatoes were sweet and the chorizo was well done. The crispness added a new layer of texture to the mix
Overall the presentation and the décor of the place was fresh and welcoming.
The margarita was mediocre not good not bad. It didn’t have a kick or a new flavor.

Love there rice bowls and street tacos! You can’t go wrong with fresh tortillas that they make on site. The drive to get here is worth it for sure.

Visited this Puesto location for the first time with my coworkers for lunch.
I made reservations on Open Table for a party of 5. It’s not really needed because there were hardly any people there during lunch time.
WHAT TO GET:
Tacos $ 14 for 3 mix and match: I ordered the carnitas, Maine lobster + $ 3.50, and filet mignon +$ 1.50. The Maine lobster taco was my favorite! I’m not sure if it’s worth an additional $ 3.50 each though. The filet mignon I can do without and the carnitas was just okay.$ 19 + tax for three tacos is a bit crazy. The lobster tacos were the best but for street tacos it’s not worth it.
Guacamole $ 9– This was good but they only get you one heaping scoop… They should give you a larger bowl for that price…
Frozen Horchata $ 4: This was the best part about Puesto! This drink is worth the money! It tastes like a churro slurpee! I ordered it at the end of my meal and they have to-​go cups if you want it for take-​out! MAKE SURE YOU ORDER THIS!
Puesto has good food but it’s definitely overpriced and portions were cheap especially the guacamole. Yeah I get it’s La Jolla, but it’s just Mexican street food… They probably rack up the price to pay for rent.

I ate at Puesto for my birthday when my roommate took me here. It’s short of spectacular and I felt like I was paying so much more for a taco that was not that great. I tried to understand the hype about these «upscale» tacos if you will but I couldn’t wrap my head around jazzed up tacos and all. Maybe I just like mine simple and greasy like they should be. We asked for extra sauce which was charged to our bill approx 2 – 3 bucks? (straight up just little dollops of salsa) unbelievable…
Waitress/​waitresses were nice and that was probably what made the whole thing bearable.
Parking is in la Jolla so there’s that. We went on a random Tuesday night so it wasn’t too bad but beware of weekends. Our wait for around 6pm was about 45 minutes… Understandable.
Maybe it’s just me but I don’t really have the desire of returning to Puesto :/

Puesto in La Jolla is now a sit-​down restaurant with full service and a full bar. So now it will cost you even more to get your tacos. I’m finding that the food is a little inconsistent, ever since they remodeled and added the full bar.
On my recent visit, I had 3 tacos for $ 14, PLUS $ 1.50 upcharge for the Tuna Asada taco. The tacos are small, and don’t come with any sides. But you do get chips and salsa for the table.
The Tuna Asada taco was excellent… fresh, tender seared line-​caught bigeye, with guacamole, pickled onion, Serrano chile and cilantro.
But the carnitas taco had tough pork, which wasn’t hot enough inside… pork was almost cold, and not tender at all. In my notes I see that in fact the carnitas wasn’t tender enough in the last 2 visits, so I won’t be ordering that again.
I asked the server to trade my carnitas taco for a chicken verde taco, which was much better, tender and full of flavor.
I also enjoyed the zucchini and cactus taco, which is very nice with the crispy melted cheese.
Puesto in La Jolla is small, and loud, since they added the full bar. I feel rushed when I have dinner there now, as if they’re eager to get me outta there and give my table to someone else. The guy who clears tables almost took away my last uneaten taco before I was done!
So yes, Puesto can be tasty or disappointing, depending on what I order. I prefer the ambience at the bigger Puesto at The Headquarters location near Seaport Village. It’s also a bit pricey for tacos.

Wanted to love the place based on photos and location, but thought the food was overall average for the price. The one exception was the crab guacamole, which was pretty unique to this place and also amazing.
Octopus Tacos: cool menu item, but the chunks were too big. The octopus tasted fresh, which is a shame they chose to deep fry and drizzle in cream. Would’ve preferred a more ceviche-​like approach.
They were pretty much out of all the beers and aqua fresca flavors I wanted to try.
Great service and fun, posh setting. I think a good option to take out-​of-​town friends after a nice walk along the La Jolla coast. Parking in this area can be a nightmare.

Wanting to grab a quick lunch before heading to the airport, we stopped by Puesto. The patio was inviting and the place was nearly empty a little after the lunch hour so we figured we could get a quick and yummy bite.
I consider myself a gourmet taco connoisseur. These tacos were AMAZING. A bit pricey, but that was to be expected for the area. We tried the filet mignon, carnitas, pastor and the lobster. My faves were the filet mignon and lobster tacos. The tacos aren’ t very big but are packed with meat so they end up being quite filling.
The service was okay, but because there were barely any people dining at the time we were there, I felt our server could have been a bit more attentive.
Decent place with yummy tacos.

Not the place I remember. Sorry not into the sit down and order. Walked.

I’ve only ever come here for Puestos Taco Tuesdays and they are the most lavish tacos I’ve ever had. They are not the typical mexican tacos you get from the hole-​in-​the-​wall taco shops/​stands, but they have a unique twist and strong depth of flavors. The tacos have the fillings wrapped in this fried cheese which is awesome, even though I’m lactose intolerant. Their vegetarian tacos (cactus, etc) are also bomb af!
Another thing I would definitely suggest is their frozen horchata! It’s so good!
The only problem with the Taco Tuesdays are that you should call in advance to make sure there’s seats or be prepared to wait.

Best tacos I’ve had in all of San Diego! My new spot when visiting the finest city of the states!
I recommend the carnitas bowl and the mix and match tacos (all the carnitas are sooo yummy!)
And I want to commend my server at the time, who was also the bartender– Josh. This guy not only have good looks, but also was very friendly, attentive and courteous. He made me feel special. He’s definitely one of the best servers I’ve ever had.

Was a fan of Puesto back when they were a more casual Chipotle-​style walk up and order establishment. Although the prices have gone up considerably, the food is delicious.
This is the original location but they now have another one in Seaport Village. Both have lively fun atmospheres.
Great cocktails, love the iced horchata that is more like a milkshake.
Good warm chips.
Love all of the tacos — they are all uniquely flavored and full of spices. My favorite thing is the way they fry the cheese to a crisp — adding an extra bite.

Weird story: in my most resent psychology course about illusions and the brain, our class was given an experiment to eat skittles in the dark. Lo and behold, you literally can’t tell which flavor is which…
Let’s be honest here. #TacoTuesday is just a nice hashtag to get you out on a weekday, because frankly you don’t save that much more? Regardless, I finally had my first Taco Tuesday experience at Puesto, one of the most highly rated places on Unilocal.
I made a reservation Sunday night for a party of 2 on Tuesday, ¹⁄₂₆ at 8:30 PM. They close at 9 PM, but they were still hustlin’ and bustlin’! When we came at 8:10 PM, we were quickly seated.
We were given chips and salsa on the house, and quickly ordered the following:
«With your chips»:
–House-​made guacamole ($ 9) /​/​VERY impressed! It is literally «simple» and «fresh». Hit just the right spot, and was a good amount for 2 to share. At first glance it looked a little unappetizing but that first bite is addicting! GET IT.
Soup:
–Soup of the day: lamb stew ($ 7) /​/​I’m assuming this is the «birria» stew. We both actually really enjoyed this soup, but sadly it was a small portion for the price. Not too salty, and good amount of meat and garbanzo beans in it. Cabbage was the perfect touch!
Tacos:
*I was confused for a good 5 minutes about what was this brown/​red crust in the taco… and where was my meat?! This red/​brown thing is actually cheese, and my meat was engulfed in its glory.
–2 al pastor /​/​pretty good! Not enough pineapples as I like (Taco Stand!)…not even sure if that’s a legit thing. but regardless, I like how it was shredded so each mouthful you got a bite of everything.
–2 chicken verde /​/​all the juices of the meat was on the bottom, so I had to pull apart the cheese to get to the real party. Not bad– chicken is hard to make well but it would be nice if it was spicier.
–2 carnitas /​/​my partner and I both really enjoyed it since it was clean and simple. Large chunks of lean meat, mixed in with bits of fat. Perfect balance and pretty good portion size! But then, it’s also pretty bland. It didn’t seem like it was marinated enough.
–1 filet mignon (+$ 1) /​/​this was good but not good enough for an additional $ 1. It had about 6 – 7 cubes of filet mignon which was nice but wayyyy too much cheese. But at least the meat was tender!
Drinks:
–1 frozen horchata ($ 4) /​/​Stir it up! All the spices and sugar is on the bottom. Yummy, and good size for the price. I would order it again!
Pros:
–Nice atmosphere. And nice try at creativity with wrapping the cheese around the meat…
–One tortilla! I’m sure I’m not the only one who complains about that additional tortilla. Huzzah for only one! AND it’s not oily or grainy. Yum!
Cons:
–Meh service. Server took a long time to get us chips and salsa. And waters. And food took way too long between appetizers and tacos…
–Mediocre food. For a place that is supposed to specialize in Mexican food, I wish they would make their meats shine more than the cheese. I’m pretty sure I was just eating crispy cheese. That’s it.
–Pricey. We racked up $ 39 before tip and tax… when I could have bought 39 hass avocados instead.
Tips/​Observations:
–Reserve on OpenTable! Never hurts.
–Parking is meh. We ubered here, so we didn’t have to figure that mess…
–10% off if you check-​in! But CANNOT be combined with other promotions.
So how does my class tie in with my experience at Puesto? Visual stimulation is important in how you perceive taste! It was dark and visually the taste did not meet expectations at all. I’d hit other spots before coming here…

We decided to try Puesto because of the reviews on Unilocal along with it being restaurant week in San Diego.
When you walk in, it’s such a cute and hip ambiance.
For the restaurant week menu we got soup, appetizer, 3 tacos and dessert all for $ 22 per person. Which was such a good deal especially since normally 3 tacos is $ 14.
The service was really good other then they forgot to bring our side order of rice but no big deal. The side of rice was pretty small almost like a kids portion.
We ordered the tuna, chicken verde, filet mignon, chicken pastor, carnitas, soy potato chorizo. Our favorite was the chicken verde and filet mignon was the best out of all 6. Tuna was alright but probably wouldn’t order it again.
We ordered both desserts — flan and tres leches cake. Both were very delicious.
Overall, would definitely come back. The food was great, service was good and the ambiance was nice and a great location.

Puesto was definitely delicious… And they do have a pretty good spicy margarita.
If you’re going for restaurant week, be sure to clearly state what you’re asking for. They brought out two wrong items and definitely apologized… then did nothing about it.
We paid $ 80 for 2 margaritas, a beer and two restaurant week orders.
We’ll be back but probably for normal sized food servings and only tacos! (:

one of the best mexican restaurants here in la jolla!
i had the mix & match choice of three tacos: chicken verde, lamb barbacoa & maine lobster (my fave) ! top it all off with agua fresca mango-​limon and my supper is complete! i was sooo satisfied with my super duper delish taco dinner!

Sometimes restaurants that try to put their own spin on being creative with their tacos end up disappointing me because they fail to taste as wonderful as the hole-​in-​the-​wall businesses or as simple as the Americanized version from the fast food giants. It’d taste like they failed to be one or the other.
But this place is probably has one of the best tasting, innovative tacos I’ve ever had. My favorite is their carnitas tacos — generous portion of meat and it holds well with a single tortilla shell. Word of caution is that there may be too much cheese engulfing their other taco options so maybe suggest to see if they can put less in, if there’s cheese in those.
Overall, 3 tacos alone is pretty satisfying, almost filling.

This review is only for the service and their horchata and is in no way indicative of an overall rating for Puesto.
The only reason I came to Puesto later in the evening was because I read somewhere on the internet that Puesto had some legendary horchata in its beautiful, apparently a semi-​frozen horchata. Reading this, my friends and I knew we had to check it out before closing.
Now, I didnt realize until I thought about it that Puesto was one of the fancier restaurants in SD. I felt bad just coming in to order a drink, but we ended up doing so anyway. The hostesses at the counter were very sweet to us and made no indication they were annoyed that we just wanted a horchata. They were $ 5 each, which is ridiculous, but I really did want to try them…
A few minutes after we ordered, the hostess who took our order notified us that they ran out of horchata and were only able to make one. And so she told us we would ALL be refunded. I’ve never experienced such courtesy before.
And now, the horchata was AMAZING. Was it frozen like ice cream? No! Was it thick like a smoothie? No! Was it thin like normal horchata? No! It was a blend of all 3. The drink was very cold, tasted thicker than a normal drink, but not too thick like a smoothie. Apparently you can spike it with rum too!
I will definitely come back and eat here, because I am hooked.
Drink well and prosper,

Taco me home!
Fun spot to get together with friends. Good for parties of up to 6 people.
Suggested tacos:
Chicken Al Pastor
Crispy melted cheese, hibiscus & chipotle tinga, avocado, piña habanero pico
— Yummy! My favorite. Rich in flavor.
Filet Mignon + $ 1.50 each
Crispy melted cheese, avocado, spicy pistachio jalapeño /​nut
— Not a fan. The meat was tender, but was not as flavorful.
Carnitas
Traditionally braised pork, guacamole, tomatillo fresca /​gf
— Another must order. Delicious!
Zucchini & Cactus Veg
Crispy melted cheese, calabasitas of zucchini, corn & tomato, cactus, avocado, cilantro-​tomatillo /​gf
— Tried to be adventurous and ordered this interesting taco option. I did not like the texture or taste. My suggestion, pass and order other options.

When I first visited Puesto about 3 years ago, it was a walk up counter and a build your own taco, salad, and/​or bowl. I loved it and thought it was deserving of five stars at that time. But now this location is more similar to the one located at «The Headquarters» near Seaport Village and sadly you can no longer customize your tacos at the counter.
Don’t get me wrong though, the food is still great! I love the unusual flavors and toppings. Some of my favorites include the zucchini & cactus, potato soy chorizo, and chicken verde. Just three tacos will be $ 13. (Keep in mind these are more like street tacos, so if you have a big stomach, this place can be pricey.)
The food here is no doubt fresh and tasty. I would definitely recommend this place to someone looking for a unique taco experience in San Diego.

One of THE BEST tacos I’ve ever had. I really wish that I lived closer so that I could have these every week!
The pricing can be a little steep but their tacos are so unique and delicious that I wouldn’t mind paying that much for them (the taco Tuesday prices, at least). They’re all things that I haven’t tried before, which is why I kind of wish they were cheaper so that I could have a taste of them all.
My favorites are the ones with crispy melted cheese in them. They put the cheese directly on the stove and grill them until they melt and turn brown, and then they just scoop it up and wrap it around everything else. LOVE it! The tacos that I like the most are chicken verde, the chicken al pastor, and the potato soy chorizo veg. They have so many kinds of tacos to choose from that it’s hard for me to pick only a few.
I haven’t really had anything here that I didn’t like. Their guac and chips are good starters, and their beans are also nice and creamy. I think my favorite side would be their esquite, which is grilled corn with lime, chile, and I forgot what but it’s this sort of white cream.
All the servers and hosts are nice and they are always making sure that your water is filled, that you’re getting everything you need, etc. It can get a little bit loud and hectic, but they are always willing to help.
If you want to give this place a try, I recommend coming in during taco tuesdays or for restaurant week. Heads up, parking can be a nightmare, especially during dinner hours after 6 pm, when the 2 hour parking limit ends. Also, this place can get pretty packed so be sure to make a reservation. When I first came here without a reservation it was a 45 minute wait time.

I’ve had some of the best tacos here the past 2 times I’ve visited. On my most recent visit, I arrived during happy hour and was surprised to have a variety of tables available.
My dad was with me, and we both enjoyed a margarita. My dad is a marg snob, and he throughly enjoyed the fresh flavor and noticed the tequila was unusual. One was enough.
We ordered one taco each, since we were on a progressive type schedule for dinner. We ordered the chicken verde and carnitas tacos. Both were large enough in size to satisfy our early pre-​dinner hunger pangs. I love how Puesto’s tacos have been incredible at both locations, and they have been consistent in their size and flavor.
I would recommend this place to anyone that is gluten-​free or vegetarian. They have menu notes for GF and V items!

Puesto has a pretty awesome bar tied to the actual restaurant and is a great option for grabbing a quick drink. I’ve never act silly eaten at the restaurant but a couple of folks have said that it’s pretty good. That being said, I have frequented the bar several times and it has been a great experience each and every time. The beer selection is fantastic, cocktails are plentiful and the service is fantastic. Overall, not a bad joint to grab a drink or even a bite.
Pros–
Great beer selection
Service
Location
Ambiance
People watching
Cons–
Parking
Limited TVs

TL;DR: Hype Alert — Too expensive for what it is.
When we arrived around lunch time, we were starving. There was a long line of people waiting to have their names written on the list plus a 45 minute wait. We put our name on the list and took a walk; when our table was ready, we received a text message to head back.
The restaurant was pretty packed, and it took a while for our server to reach our table to take our order. I was craving tacos so I ordered the filet mignon (+$ 1.50), carnitas, and chicken al pastor. My husband decided on the chicken al pastor bowl. I also asked for a sample of the horchata agua fresca, but my server was so busy he forgot and I had to remind him a couple of times. However, he eventually brought it with our food complimentary.
Concerning the food, the tacos were delicious and had pretty good flavor. The one I liked the least was the carnitas — it was just missing something though it was still good. The big downside, however, was that they were pretty small. I didn’t leave hungry, but also not entirely satisfied. For the price, I was expecting at least a side.
My husband’s chicken bowl was absolutely disappointing. He was barely able to eat it because of how spicy it was (odd, because he’s Indian), and it really didn’t have any distinct flavor. He mentioned he would have rather gone to Chipotle (lol).
Anyhow, unless it was for Taco Tuesday, I’m not sure I would recommend this place. I thought the food was to expensive for what you’re served. It’s not like you’re blown away by the quantity or the flavor. The service is also not that great since the servers are REALLY busy.
Next time I’m in San Diego, I’m definitely skipping out on this one.

Came here on a Tuesday night (though we didn’t realize it was Tuesday until we noticed how packed this place was). Went around 7:30 PM and waited 20 min for a table. Just strolled around the area and 20 min went by very quickly. :)
Taco Tuesday starts after 3 PM (or was it 3:30?) until closing. And typically, the tacos were $ 2.50 (extra $$ for certain tacos) and wayyy worth it. They weren’t the largest tacos but the meat quality was top-​notch and I was full after eating 2.
We ordered the:
Ceviche
Filet mignon ($ 1.50 extra)
Carnitas
Potato chorizo
Pollo asada
Side of rice
Frozen horchata
Ceviche was meh. Basically it was chopped up fish on a larger stale-​tasting tortilla chip. I would definitely pass on this. Didn’t taste fresh and could hardly taste the fish.
Tacosss. From my most favorite to least: filet mignon, carnitas, pollo, and potato chorizo. I love that the filet and pollo came wrapped in some kind of cheese. And the filet mignon was flavorful and juicy. Would definitely order this one again! Carnitas also is a solid choice… really tender and flavorful as well. Pollo was tasty as well, though we couldn’t even tell what the meat was since the cheese is a bit overpowering– but I’m not complaining! :) lastly, the potato chorizo. Or soy chorizo. Whatever it’s called. I don’t like potatoes in my tacos. It’s a strange combination and it shouldn’t be done. Smh. I absolutely did not like this dish.
The side of rice was really good! The rice was kind of chewy (?) like rice cake? Not 100% how to describe it. But it was limey & was the perfect compliment to the tacos (maybe it’s the Asian in me).
Frozen horchata was also yummy. Wasn’t too sweet but was a bit $ for what it was. Definitely would recommend trying once at least!
Overall, really enjoyed the tacos here. The tortillas were a bit thicker and more chewy than the typical tacos and I would definitely come back here on another Tuesday! Otherwise, I don’t think it’s worth the price you’d pay on another day.
FYI can’t use your Unilocal first check-​in 10% off on Taco Tuesday.

Wow! This place is not your typical Mexican restaurant! We took our vacation this year to San Diego to visit my nephew, and he has been taking us to all these amazing places around town! Puesto is on the top of my list! I was not expecting the unique variations of Mexican cuisine that they offer on their menu! So many selections of not so traditional food!
We were served the usual chips & salsa that were homemade. We also ordered an additional specialty guacamole dip that contained avocado, pomegranate, tomato, mango verde, chile & candied walnuts. What a great combo of flavors! It was very spicy hot and sweet at the same time, but very good! Some of us ordered tacos in which you get 3 street style tacos in whatever variation you want — beef, chicken, pork, or even vegetarian. The menu displays what dishes are plant based and/​or gluten free. They specifically prepare gluten free food separately from other dishes. I had the zucchini & cactus and couldn’t believe how delicious they were in combination with the other ingredients and sauce. My frozen peach Horchata was very thirst quenching and flavorful. I even got a free refill! It hit the spot during the warm summer day.
As I checked in on Unilocal,I received a nice surprise of getting a 10% off coupon for our first visit! Our waiter Gilbert was very friendly and personable. He made our whole lunch experience even better with his fun sense of humor and of course, his superb waiter skills! When he told us his name was Gilbert, we thought it was a fun coincidence that my nephew and brother-​in-​law also have the same name! I just had to take a photo of «The Three Gilberts» for the Puesto /​Yelp archives! Ha! Ha!
We all enjoyed our dining experience out on the patio area where we were allowed to bring our dog with us. I think he enjoyed himself too. I would certainly be a frequent patron here, if only I didn’t live on the other end of California…

I came here the other week for taco Tuesday with 3 friends. I got the filet mignon taco, a pork taco and a chicken Verde one. For their Taco Tuesday deal the tacos are $ 2.50, except certain ones like the filet cost more. ($ 4)
All of them come with crispy melted cheese which I liked since I’m a fan of cheese. You also get complimentary chips and salsa.
Overall I thought the filet mignon taco was very good but I didnt like the other two that I ordered. The chicken one was just meh and pork one was way too salty.
We came here at around 8 ish and waited for about 30 minutes. I read that other Unilocalers mentioned that the wait here can get quite long so maybe we got lucky.
The tacos are very small and I felt like they lacked a lot of filling (veggies, salsa, dressing in additional to the meat). Overall my experience was ok but nothing too impressive here in my opinion!
(Oh yeah, the décor is pretty though!)

Voted best Taco Shop in San Diego and one of the participating restaurants of SD Restaurant Week, Puesto has been on my «to try» radar for far too long. Today on a La Jolla happenstance I found myself on Wall Street, scoring a parking spot right around the corner. It was dining kismet, how could I pass up the Puesto opportunity?
Nearing the restaurant I was already a fan of the ambiance and décor. There were people sitting outside sipping on micheladas and margaritas, smiling faces everywhere, waiters rushing to their tables… just a super chill vibe in a nice, open, and bright airy space. What was especially neat, is that you can see right into the kitchen (if you don’t sit in the bar area). While you’re snacking on some chips&salsa, you can see the cooks speedily readying orders and pressing tortillas.
It was about 4ish (smack dab in the middle of Happy Hour that runs M-​F 3−5pm) on Labor Day, and we were greeted and seated right away. Our waiter, Angel, was wonderful! He was friendly, quick, and can certainly rock a man bun. Gracias Angel for your excellent customer service, it definitely contributed to our great dining experience at Puesto.
I ordered a Soy Chorizo Taco (crispy melted cheese, tinga (hibiscus, chipotle), avocado and tomatillo roja) and a Zucchini & Cactus Taco (crispy melted cheese, calabasitas (zucchini, corn, tomato), cactus, avocado, cilantro-​tomatillo), $ 3.50/each thanks to the Happy Hour pricing. A bit pricey for a taco, but totally worth it, especially during Happy Hour. Every ingredient tasted fresh and the tortillas were thick and warm, but the real star of the tacos is the crispy melted cheese. *drooooolllllll* Picture perfectly melted cheese enveloping the rest of the taco ingredient deliciousness. I would definitely recommend both tacos to vegetarians and meat-​eaters alike. Dietary bonus: both these vegetarian options are actually gluten free as well.
The tacos were SO good, that my mom and I ordered three more to-​go. The two vegetarian tacos mentioned above, and the third veggie option — the Rajas Vegetarian Taco (crispy melted cheese, rajas mix (chile poblano, sweet corn, oyster mushrooms), avocado, tomatillo fresca). Confession: I actually ate one of them as soon as we got home…
I’ll definitely dine here again!

Probe asada taco, pollo al pastor y carnitas, mi preferido fue el de asada, con una rica salsa de pistachio (picosita para muchos) y para tomar una frozen horchata, me encanto, al igual que los tacos.

Food is always consistently excellent. The mexican fruit cup is a must.