Isabel’s Cantina

Isabel’s never disappoints. I love just about everything on the menu but the green pozole, blue cheese walnut salad and double happiness are my favs. Great for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Recently updated dining room that is as funky fresh as the menu.

Isabel’s food is fantastic. I almost always get the Single Happiness. Healthy, delicious, and very filling.

This place never disappoints. Everything I have ever had has been super fresh and flavorful. My favorite is the Buddha Bowl with carnitas. I wish I knew how to make it myself. Sometimes the service is a bit slow, but well worth it.

My girlfriends and I used to go to cantina every week. Great food. Baby friendly. And Awesone atmosphere. Sadly the baby changing table is no longer in the bathroom. I thought after a few weeks they would replace it but sadly that’s not the case. I’m not going to let my baby sit in filth and I’m not going to change him on a table people are going to eat off of… Guess we’ll have to find a new brunch place :(

Isabel’s Cantina is by far one of my top 3 places to eat. I’ve been going here for years, and can honestly say that I’ve never had a bad experience.
When people ask me where we should go for breakfast, this is always my first choice. The food is so unique and delicious, and always comes out looking presentable. The staff is always very kind and the atmosphere of the restaurant itself is very zen and relaxing.
It’s safe to say that when you pull up for breakfast, there’s always a wait. To some people, that may sound like an inconvenience, but I think it speaks volumes. When I see a restaurant with a wait, I normally feel like it’s a guarentee that the food is going to be delicious.
The restaurant has a lot of seating, so the wait is never terribly long. I highly recommend coming to give Isabel’s a try. You won’t regret it!

Pacific beach is a beautiful place to live however, bar food is pretty much the only option. Isabel’s cantina sets itself apart from the rest in so many delicious and incredible ways. It was our first time eating here tonight and after the first bite I knew it would be my new favorite restaurant. We had the lettuce wrap appetizer, Brian’s bowl, and the pineapple bowl. All completely perfect and mouth watering. Their entire menu looked amazing I don’t think you could have gone wrong with any option. Our server was friendly, attentive, and kind. She even let us have happy hour even though we were a few minutes late. We will for sure be back time and time again, thank you Isabel’s cantina!
P.s the sangria was also amazing, $ 22 for a pitcher during happy hour!

First thing you will notice is Freshness, freshness of the food is all over. This is place is best fusion of Mexican and Asia, absolutely heaven.
We ordered (and must order food)
*Coconut Pineapple French Toast
*Buddha Bowl
*Avocado Scramble (Awesome)
*Lunch Tamales
*Jalapeño Scramble
*Breakfast Quesadilla
*Mexican Mocha, Super G Café Moto Coffee
Anything you order, it comes with freshness. Not every place carry Super G Moto Coffee
Pros: FRESH food, Tasty food, Fusion of Mexican and Asia, Great coffee, nice drinks
Cons: Always crowded, so hasty and slow service.
Super Noisy, I could not even hear my Mind voice :)
Special thanks for accepting Unilocal coupon even on Saturday

I had some tacos here that were totally boring and took forever! This place has good reviews so maybe there was a new cook on that night and forgot a bunch of seasoning or something. The décor kind of was a guessing game too. Is it an Asian restaurant? A Mexican place? Is it… Christmas? I mean I know it’s supposed to be a «fusion» restaurant but I just wasn’t feeling it.

Food was amazing! However, the service took forever. My boyfriend and I came in around 1130 on a Monday with several tables full. It must’ve taken about 45 minutes to get out food. Others who got their before us even received their food before us. Aside from that, the food was amazing. They serve food with a bit of an Asian and Latino fusion.
I ordered their avocado scramble with carnitas and a mimosa. The scramble was amazing! The eggs were fluffy and moist, the potatoes nicely seasoned with rosemary, the carnitas tender with bits of crispiness, to finish it off with black beans, tortilla, and salsa.
I would recommend coming here. Name of the restaurant is refute my Latin but the decorations are definitely Asian. Love the food and atmosphere and would be back here next time I visit PB. Hopefully the service would be better next time.

Excellent food quality.
Came on Sunday night and had the chile relleno. Very tasty flavors. The portion looks decent on the plate but it’s not as filling as other options on the menus like their bowls.
Also had the flourless chocolate cake which was DELICIOUS! Super moist

Seriously the best place ever!
Cool atmosphere, great food!
The soy chorizo breakfast quesadilla is ON POINT.

We came in on Monday afternoon for lunch. It was surprisingly busy, especially since there are some online deals going on to increase business. We purchased a Groupon, but unfortunately it is only applicable towards dinner. Unilocal also has a $ 12 for $ 20 offer, so we purchased it as well and decided to stay. The menu is eclectic and most of the items sound delicious. I noticed a pitcher of something wonderful on another table when we walked in, which turns out to be pitchers of mimosas. Since they offer wine and beer only, we decided to try one out, even though I was actually looking for a margarita. The Brazilian Mimosa was very tasty and the pitcher is more than plenty for two people to share. For $ 25, I haven’t found any other place that could beat this pitcher of mimosa in San Diego.
I ordered the carnitas tacos, but I would have to say that I wasn’t very impressed. The tacos themselves were relatively dry and bland, and I was hoping for something amazing like I recently had at Puesto in Seaport Village. Even the salsa that accompanied the tacos on the side was not very impressive. For $ 10.50, all you get is two tiny street tacos and a very small portion of black beans and rice that were certainly nothing to brag about.
For being as busy as it was, I would say that the service was relatively smooth. Our server Brian was able to answer all of our questions with precision and executed everything in a timely manor. Everyone seems to work together to get the job done which is definitely a plus. Since we still have the Groupon to use for dinner, we will have to give Isabel’s a second try. I’m hoping that the dinner menu will salvage their name and give us a chance to experience some tasty food.

This was the most disappointing meal I’ve had in a long time.
For starters, the plastic on the bench was full of tears and holes that made for very uncomfortable seating. Since the place was mostly empty we were able to move on down, but I would have been less than thrilled on a crowded day.
I’d been looking forward to ordering Brian’s Bowl all day (yes, I scouted out the menu in advance) because it was full of things like I love: Black beans! Avocado! Cheese! Roasted salsa! Other healthy things that I don’t love, but don’t hate! How can you go wrong?
Well, it was mostly a giant pile of plain brown rice. And the other ingredients were just piled on top with no special preparation, no seasoning, no flavor. Under-​cooked broccoli florets with nothing on them. A dab of beans that tasted like they’d just been dumped out of a can. The salsas weren’t very exciting, but even if they had been, there just wasn’t enough to give flavor to that giant pile of rice.
Maybe I just ordered the wrong thing? But even my friends’ salad and soup bowls were rated «okay» at best. The guacamole and salsa weren’t bad, and the chips tasted like they’d been made fresh, but that wasn’t enough to make up for the entrees.
The breakfast/​lunch menu looks much more appealing, but after that dinner I don’t think I’ll be back.

I never knew this place existed until I bought a Groupon and went on a mom-​son dinner date. Interesting idea, this fusion thing. Nice service and charming place, but the food itself is overrated. I had the Buddha Bowl and it was pretty tasty. But my son had the lettuce wraps and it was just okay — steak was tough and chewy. Scores much better on presentation than on flavor. I want to go back and try the breakfast to see if it is better.
The ambience is nice but seriously, have a better lighting system. Dim lights do not always equal fancy dining. Now that I am in my midlife, I am beginning to hate places that try my eyesight. And I have excellent vision!

I am in love! Adorable restaurant. Dog-​friendly even on the inside. They bring a water bowl too. Yummy food and drinks.
Jalapeño margaritas delish!
Vegetarian options galore:
Avocado scramble!
Tofu chorizo tacos! Careful of these — they squirt!
Dessert:
Coconut French toast (pass on this. It’s nothing special and mine was dry)
They have a cookbook too!

4.5. Delicious Mexican fusion dishes with fresh, homemade ingredients and a large menu. It can be hard to find a place that does drinks as well as food, but this place has it all. Blackberry mimosas (very balanced and not too sweet) to the awesome Soul Bowl (not on the menu)… Don’t pass on the drinks here!
I liked the open air vibe with the open garage door style windows and the zen-​like feel of the décor.
The rosemary potatoes were perfectly golden brown and lightly crispy, and my lunch tamales were delicious (and filling). I also had some of the carnitas quesadilla which was amazing!
One more experience like this one for consistency’s sake and Isabel’s gets 5-​stars in my book.

Originally visited this place 7 years ago with my husband (back then boyfriend) while we were in college. We decided to celebrate his birthday here and the food was great! (Just like it was years ago). We ordered the Buddha bowl and the plate that comes with a tamal. I ordered the orange pineapple kale juice and I loved it.
We were able to find the place very easily because we knew where it was, however, our friends had a hard time finding it because there is no sign and it was dark already. If it is your first time, make sure to look at some pictures of the front entrance before you come.
They had a sign for Valentine’s Day dinner. So we were intrigued about the type of food they would have. We came back for Valentine’s Day dinner and it was not packed at all. We got the chipotle rubbed steak (fantastic) and the shrimp bowl. My husband ordered a Pom mint margarita and he loved it. To top it off, we ordered their flourless chocolate cake with chocolate ganache… very recommended.
Bonus:On a side note, we didn’t take our little one, however, they have a full changing station in the bathroom (as a parent I know how much this is appreciated).
Excellent food, excellent service… also, they have groupon.

I parked 2 blocks away because Pacific Beach (PB) parking is a pain.
I came here on a early Friday evening with one other friend. We had a hard time finding the place because it was a bit dark, when we approached the restaurant they were hanging lights up with hearts for Valentine’s Day! I thought it was pretty sweet except there was no sign so we were hesitant to go in until someone coming from there reassured us that it was the right place. We walked in and it was pretty empty but it slowly got busier as our dinner continued on. The place was well decorated and dimmed with lights. I noticed it was odd to have a bar area with no seating especially when Isabel’s Cantina translates to Isabel’s Bar. My friend found a spider climbing on the wall behind me and it was slowly walking towards the ceiling. It wasn’t a huge issue for me but it gave my friend the creeps.
I ordered a ginger beer and steak tacos, while my friend ordered a coke and carnitas tacos. I had to switch out the ginger beer for a sprite because it tasted like watered down ginger ale. I was a bit disappointed because ginger beer is my favorite non-​alcoholic drink and not many places offer it. It was no big deal to me to switch it out until it seemed like the server wasn’t having it as I saw and heard him slam my drink into the wash bin. The server also offered to refill my friend’s coke but when it came back instead of refilling it with coke he accidentally topped it off with iced tea. We actually thought the iced tea coke mix was pretty tasty and just thought it was hilarious but understandable that people make mistakes. Our server quickly apologized soon after.
It took awhile for our food to come out but I think it’s because it was early in the evening. The tacos was served as 3 street tacos (where the tortilla is small and doubled with no extra toppings such as lettuce or cheese) but isn’t noted on their menu. The steak tacos were perfectly grilled and well marinated. The salsa that came with it had the perfect amount of heat and freshness to it. I wanted a lot more of it! The rice & beans came in a small bowl with a sprinkle of their corn salsa. The corn salsa was really good but there was so little of it. The rice and beans tasted plain. I would have appreciated the dish a lot more if the rice & beans was more seasoned to balance the flavors of the tacos. While I think it’s a good dish, it wasn’t worth $ 15 ($ 5 per taco) type of good, I was also really hungry so anything could have tasted good to me at that point.
I feel mixed about this place and unsure of whether or not I would come back. When I think of a Cantina, I think of free chips & salsa with moderately priced and filling Latin American food but it seems like this place doesn’t do that which I can see why they haven’t placed their storefront sign up yet.

I must say that compared to my previous brunch experience at Isabel’s, dinner is the superior meal here. While brunch left me wanting more (check out my earlier review for more info), dinner was amazing and I was happy with almost every aspect of the meal.
I debated between ordering the steak tacos and the flat iron steak, so I guess was in the mood for some red meat. My boyfriend suggested trying the crispy shoestring plantains as an appetizer so I skipped the flat iron, which already came with a side of plantains, and ordered the tacos instead. Although the menu doesn’t state the number of tacos, the plate is served with three street-​sized tacos. I’m not sure what the steak is marinated in but it’s delicious. The tacos are also topped with jack cheese, which looked suspiciously like onions at first but upon closer inspection I discovered it was just cheese that hadn’t melted yet, pico de gallo and a cilantro-​lime sauce that was incredible. My only complaint about the meal is that some pieces of steak were too fatty for my liking and were difficult to chew. There’s nothing worse, in my opinion, than a piece of almost crunchy steak that is not willing to be chewed. Thankfully, there was just a couple of pieces like that and the pieces that were good were amazing.
My boyfriend ordered the chile relleno with soy chorizo and he liked it. He said he’d order it again and cleaned his plate. Our appetizer of shoestring plantains was tasty and a great way to start the meal.
The only downside is the location of the restaurant. Parking can be difficult and it’s PB location almost deterred my boyfriend from wanting to give it a try (as he despises PB). I was able to convince him though by talking up the sophisticated vibe of the restaurant and assuring him that it wasn’t your typical PB spot with drunk 21-​year-​olds.

After my third visit I think it’s time to review this gem!
First off there’s no sign out front, so it’s very easy to miss (& street parking only– blah)
But wooooooooowzers this is def my favorite place in PB. Amazing brunch, GREAT shrimp tacos, the brain bowl (omg I’m drooling now) or anything carnitas.
The rice & beans that come with every plate are to diiiiie for. The best combo of sweet/​heat.
It’s never crowded in here which is so bizarre to me. They don’t have liquor, only beer and wine (they can make margs but it’s with wannabe alcohol).