Mario’s De La Mesa

This is a great go-​to restaurant, especially for breakfast. The staff is always nice and the food is good. I have been coming here for years and I always enjoy it.

Not only was the food and service fantastic (best hard shell chicken taco ever!), but the staff and restaurant layout were incredibly welcoming — especially considering my partner is handicapped and in a mobility scooter.

I come here for the chicken pozole since it’s only served on the weekends. I love how flavorful it is and how fast they have it ready for me. I will try other things eventually but everyone should try it.

The Good:
Been coming here for decades. The machaca burrito is here is the gold standard by which I measure all other machaca. No other taco shop, Mexican sit-​down restaurant, or diner has been able to pull the sword from the stone like Mario’s. The bell peppers taste like they were freshly cut, and cooked perfectly so they still have their bite and flavor. I usually get it with ranchera sauce on top with a side of rice and beans. Every now and then, I’ll get the machaca plate. They’re both fantastic. Even that fresh cilantro garnish is a nice touch. It’s only available until 4pm though. I’ve tried the Sonora style machaca, which is dry. Not my jam.
Wifey always gets carne asada in some form. It’s always stellar. Juicy. Tender. Flavorful. The mole and the flautas here are also great.
The Bad:
The standard chips they serve are hit or miss, but the salsa is addicting.
The Ugly:
The seats here are about as comfortable as going to the movies and watching a sex scene with your parents. The whole place can use an upgrade honestly, but the food is why I’ve been coming here since the 90s.

Chile Relleno was very good. They’ll bring you a mild red salsa as the default setting, but there’s a hotter green salsa you can request. Breakfast burrito is huge, enough for two.

First and last time going to this place. Soon as we sat down the waitress treated us with an attitude. You can’t help but notice she treated the other customers nicer, idk what we did to deserve the service we got but everything was unpleasant.

The absolute best tacos on the planet. Really there is nothing I have had here that wasn’t good but the tacos smothered in their delicious guacamole can’t be beat. I am a fan who has and will continue to come back.

I’ve been coming to Mario’s for a long time, today the service was really bad. I requested fro butter, which I never got and was never offered another cup of coffee. I asked for napkins and it took forever to get them. I was really upset, and wasn’t hungry anymore.

Came here last night with my family, and I was very pleased. The food is very good, flavor is great. Orderd the enchiladas and they have a ton of meat! The staff was also great and very welcoming.

I liked their food. Their staff is really friendly too.
Seems like a winning deal, right?
Well, the 5^th star isn’t happening because there are just too many other options in the area with cheaper, just as good menu items. That does not take away from Mario’s but it does make it a good taste place with higher prices. Checkout their surf and turf options.

Delicious! Everything I was craving! I took it to go, lunch special two shredded chicken enchiladas with rice and beans. Also got a beef taco which was AMAZING with the fresh guac. Chips and salsa were fantastic. Will be coming more often!:)

Tonight was my last visit to this wretched place. The service is terrible. They care nothing about the wellbeing of their customers.
I ordered beef flautas a la carte. Third bite and a toothpick pierced my tongue. I tried to find a waitress to explain and was rebuked twice. I’m bleeding and they don’t care?! Finally another waitress came by to ask what the problem was. After explaining she started making excuses … oh, it’s very busy … oh, I’ll mention this to the kitchen … do you want the rest of your meal?
No, I don’t. And after decades of eating here (all the way back to the tiny space near Grossmont Center) I will NEVER even consider eating here again.
This would have never happened if Mario was still there. These people care nothing about good service and don’t care if you have a good dining experience or not.

One of the best Mexican restaurants in our towns. Parking in back. Patio or indoor seating. Domestic beer including Corona. Full breakfast menu and selection of Mexican plates. We had Four Giant Rolled Tacos plate, delicious, and Two Cheese Enchilada plate, excellent. Beans and rice was enjoyable to eat. Service was quick and proper even at noon on Sunday. Plates were beautiful (see my pics) and deliver hot. We ate most of the yummy chips and salsa before the plates arrived. Cost per person about $ 15, very reasonable. Highly recommended.

Ummmm yummy, really that’s all to be said. Best authentic Mexican dishes for sure.
Servers are awesome, totally cater to your
back soon guys

This is a great family owned and operated business! I’ve tried a few of their dishes but my favorite is the carne asada plate. The meat has great flavor and the beans and rice are pretty good, too!

I LOVED THIS PLACE SO MUCH.
Chips and salsa are so good! The Salsa is packed with a spicy kick!
The chillaquillas I had were amazing. They let me try both the green and red sauce on the side and both were delicious! Beans and rice on the side, which are sometimes overlooked, were equally as good. My sister ordered the steak quesadilla. And wow was this good! It was packed with so much melted cheese with the right amount of crunchiness in each bite. Yumm! No complaints on the entire meal! I highly recommend sitting on the patio on a nice morning. And they have fried cinnamon and sugar chips on the way out!
**Order the Chilaquillas and Steak Quesadilla

Love this place! The staff is very friendly, we were seated quickly, the servers never missed a beat, the food looked amazing and tasted delicious at an excellent price point. I’m surprised it wasn’t too hectic since it’s a holiday weekend but I’m not complaining since it made service great. I had beef flautas and what I loved about them is that they weren’t greasy. I only wish there was a tad but more sour cream, I had literally a tablespoon of it, but then again this place isn’t a drive through taco stand that just slathers it ya know? Anyway my fiancé had a burrito with the ranchero sauce & it was bomb without being spicy which I love.
Next time I come here I’m going to try the flan. & keep it mind they’re open Labor Day!

Grew up in La Mesa, and this was my first time here… albeit I have lived in Tucson AZ the last ten years but seriously can’t believe I have never been here as often as I come back each year to visit my folks. I am saying goodbye forever to Marrieta’s which used to be our go to close by Mexi restaurant.
We visited for a late breakfast today and were not disappointed. Super cute little place, but really lots of seating inside. Private parking lot out back which is cool since parking seemed dicey on the streets.
Service was great, the hostess was super friendly and the gal that served us was very attentive. My husband’s first comment once we sat down «this place is gonna be good, lots of Mexican’s in here eating». Being Hispanic himself, it is always interesting to get his vibe for new restaurants we try. I am easy to please if they have good fresh chips and homemade salsa (which this place does).
So I ordered the Chilaquiles — that even being on the menu made me a huge fan five minutes in. The Hub ordered the homemade machaca and eggs. The food arrived pretty quickly… LOTS of it… with fresh homemade flour tortillas (I could eat a dozen if I let myself) and piping hot. Both our dishes came with rice and beans. I like to think of myself as a refried beans expert and theirs were realllllly GOOD. We both enjoyed our meals — I ended up boxing up more than half mine to take home. Prices incredibly reasonable. We will be back.
Oh yeah AND they serve Menudo every day for those of you that are fans (I am not) and I know what a big deal that is.

Went here for lunch on my best friends birthday. That’s actually her for the restaurants main photo. She didn’t eat anything though because she wants to maintain her hot bod. I want to maintain my hot bod as well, but I have terrible self control especially with Mexican food. I got the bean and cheese burrito smothered in ranchero sauce and sour cream. Very good.
Any place that gives you free chips and salsa is my favorite place. They also gave free cheesecake for her birthday.
Super nice staff.

¡AY CARAMBA! HOW HAVE I NOT WRITTEN A REVIEW FOR MARIO’S YET!!! I’ve been coming here for years now and I’ve been doing them dirty!!!
First things first, I love Mario’s so much. I’m a princess when it comes down to where I want to eat. I love trying new places, but my husband doesn’t. He sticks to what he knows and he knows Mario’s is good. Whenever he suggests Mario’s, I’m all in… all of the time.
Mario’s is hands down the best sit down Mexican in town. If you ever have anyone visiting from some podunk no where state or just visiting San Diego in general and you want to introduce their mouth to a good time, this is where you need to be. F*ck Marieta’s in La Mesa (See review. That place is disgusting!!! Poverty fish tacos!!!), f*ck Casa De Pico in Grossmont Center (Always busy. Should have never left Old Town), and F*CK Por Favor (White Trash city).
Mario’s has a parking lot so you know your car is going to be safe and you won’t have to deal with paying and finding parking in Downtown La Mesa. Even during the ghetto ass Oktoberfest, they have an employee checking customers in and out of their parking lot. Mario’s is a home converted into restaurant and family owned so the employees are faces that you consistently see and develop relationships with if you’re a regular.
The portions here are HUGE. If you’re trying to make it on to TLC’s: My 600 Pound Life, then come here. I always make the mistake of wearing a crop top here. Don’t do that. When you walk in, there is a huge bowl of cinnamon chips (bunuelos) for the customers. Sometimes I go back like 3−4x before my actual meal comes out. When you sit down, you get chips and salsa. Sometimes I get 2 rounds before my actual meal comes out. When you come on a Sunday, sometimes on Monday, you get a complementary fruit salad. Sometimes I ask for extra because they treat me like VIP here and it is the most delicious fruit salad I have ever tasted. I don’t even like fruit salad so this ones a game changer, baby. Then when your meal comes out, the plate is literally the size of a new born and it comes it your choice of corn or flour tortillas. The menudo, which is delicious and served daily, is also delivered with your choice of corn or flour tortillas.
I have °~no ragrets~°. Not even the crop tops.