Mexican Fiesta

This is the best taco shop in downtown San Diego area. The only reason I’m giving them 4 stars is cause of there hours.
Everything I’ve tried here has good flavor. There meats are well season. There salsas are pretty good. I recommend this place. Just make sure you know there business hours.
Don’t forget it’s a cash only business.

Came and got a breakfast burrito. Was absolutely delicious. Nice little cash only find. Very good, fresh stuff.

Gave it a 2^nd try and still not impressed. Got a beef and chicken taco. Both were deep fried with oil drenched in the tortilla shell. Not going for a 3^rd try.

Ok here it is folks. My official SD burrito review coming from a SF burrito guy.
This place is right by our hotel. 4.5 stars on Unilocal and a few peeps told me this place is legit.
Had a California burrito. It has carne asada, fries, guacamole and salsa inside. We also split a chorizo and egg.
One thing I’ll say about SD is their tortilla game is on point. Handmade and fresh. Overall the burritos are more streamlined and don’t have beans and rice. The tortilla pulls it all together. The meat was pretty standard.
Im not gonna say who has better burritos. SF and SD style is good in their own rights. However… I definitely would not offer up a burrito with fries in it and say with confidence that «these are the best ever! Better than sf!» like I have heard many SD folks say. But I could also appreciate the streamlined style compared the the humongous sf style that has everything plus the kitchen sink in them.
I’d say it’s about a tie.

Another food truck-​style place I’m not understanding how it shows up in the «Best Rated» list. Yes, I know… it’s brick and mortar but has all the feel of a food truck: you stand outside in a line to order. Then, after you order you stand around in a group waiting for your order to be filled. Outside. With nowhere to sit. Just like a food truck. Except some food trucks at least have a place to sit. Mexican Fiesta doesn’t, though.
Unfortunately, I showed up @ 12:20 on Friday and paid for it. ~10 people standing around waiting for their food and I was ~10^th person in line to order. 35 minutes later I finally walked away, food in hand. So not worth the wait.
Ordered machaca but they didn’t have it, so went with the chorizo burrito standby. Was good, but we live in Southern California, folks! I can throw a stone and hit several of these places within a mile of here and have a chorizo burrito that’s just as good.
5 rolled tacos were pretty good, but still… they’re rolled tacos. Nothing awesome or amazing or unexpected. Meh. Just meh.
Yep, it’s cheap… just like every other mom/​pop taco stand you’ll see. This one doesn’t even take a card, so you need to bring cash. Not much cash, but… yeah. Meh, with a capital «MEH.»
No reason to come back.

This place was literally across the street from my AirBnb on a weekend trip to San Diego. We decided to stop by a share a breakfast burrito before our real lunch. It was very tasty, with a really nice tortilla. I’m bummed because we wanted to try the more lunchy food the next day, but we didn’t know it was closed on Sundays. If I’m ever back in San Diego, I definitely want to try more of the food!

So I thought to myself, oh, it’s raining. I should go to Mexican Fiesta for an early lunch since there won’t be a line. Not so fast, smart guy! There were 10 people waiting for food. In the rain. Some without umbrellas. Are you starting to get the picture?
This place rocks. Is it cash only? Yes. Is there anywhere to sit? No. Is the transaction itself a little like Pookie scoring crack in New Jack City? Definitely. Is it worth $ 4.85 for a carne asada burrito that will have you chasing the dragon the rest of your Mexican food-​eating adult life? No doubt.
And I can’t review the bathroom because there isn’t one. Nor should there be. They’re already doing you a favor. Find your own baño.

This is hands down the best place in San Diego to buy a burrito. The Carne Asana and California burrito are super delicious!
The meat is cut into really tiny bits and not chewy. The potatoes in the California burrito are not traditional fries but hash browns.
The price is not high.
Bring cash as they don’t take cards and call in advance at lunchtime as there is a long wait during the week.

The night before, I went to bed exhausted to the point that I didn’t even feel hungry. The next day, our friends talked about the breakfast burritos here. That was the first thing I got. The first stop of our list of six food places we were checking out today.
The breakfast burrito is pretty simple. You have your ham, eggs, cheese, onions, etc. All of it is wrapped in a warm and flaky flour tortilla. It really just hit the spot. So simple, so cheap, and so good!
My only one regret is that I didn’t try the other stuff like carne asada fries or the other burritos. They were closed on Sunday, which was pretty sad. This place was probably the highlight of our food extravaganza. Oh yea, don’t forget to ask for some hot sauce!

I love coming here because they have authentic Mexican food for a very, very low price. You can get burittos, tacos, tortas, steak fries, etc. for less than $ 5. The food is pretty decent and service is relatively fast. It’s conveniently located 2 blocks away from my job so it is easily accessible by walking. I’d recommend to call in your order if you know what you want ahead of time, that way you don’t have to wait in line. Sometimes it gets really busy especially during lunch, expect to wait 20 – 30 minutes for your order.
Only downside is that they are «cash only.» C’mon its 2016! Let’s make credit cards available!

Made fresh and CHEAP!
Mexican Fiesta is a window front serving up solid Mexican eats just blocks from downtown San Diego, in Little Italy. There is no parking, no tables or chairs and it is cash only. But, it is CHEAP. Burritios are less than $ 5, you can get five rolled tacos for $ 3.50 and everything is made to order. Place your order at the window, slip your cash through the window, and enjoy the clash and clang of your order being cooked.
The machaca burrito is BOMB. It is full of meat, eggs and perfectly seasoned peppers and onions. The breakfast burrito is okay – wish it had bacon, but they make it with ham instead. Serving sizes are not enormous, but the food is so cheap, you can still get an ungodly amount of food for under $ 10. With the extensive menu of cheap and greasy Mexican fare, it’s the perfect cure for a hangover.
Weird hours, make sure to check Unilocal if they’re open!

Great Mexican food. Very filling and satisfying. Don’t let the low prices scare you away. It’s well worth the wait in line. However it’s cash only.

I always look forward to a trip to the West Coast in order to get some authentic Mexican food. And wherever I travel to, I usually seek out the advice of locals when it comes to hidden gems and especially the «hole in the wall» restaurant. After speaking with several staff members at the hotel I was staying at, all of them without fail stated, «The best Mexican Food in San Diego is at Mexican Fiesta». So with an endorsement like that, I had to check it out.
From the other 300+ photos, you can see that Mexican Fiesta is literally a small shack and it is take-​out and CASH only. A minor inconvenience but worth it since these two things keep the prices low.
TIP 1: There is seating at the fountain/​plaza across the street and it great for enjoying your food on a typical sunny San Diego day.
TIP 2: Since I was a n00b, I didn’t know you could call ahead which saves a boatload of time; so do what the locals do and phone your order in for easy pick-​up.
The ordering process is simple, but it takes a few moments to figure out what to eat from Mexican Fiesta’s large menu. I opted for the machaca with a side of guac and chips. As you can see from my pic, the platter was HUGE, and came with a generous side of beans and rice. The pulled strips of beef were extremely flavorful and unlike a lot of places, was moist and well seasoned. My platter also came with three homemade tortillas (choice of corn or flour) and be sure to ask for the house «spicy» sauce. My lunch was quite a deal at under $ 10!!!
If you find yourself in downtown San Diego and you get tired of sampling the food in Little Italy, do what the locals do and head to Mexican Fiesta.

Came here for the California burrito. Ordered at non peak hours and got food pretty fast. Since there is no seating I took it back to the hotel. The Burrito was ok. Hash browns were a bit soggy, not much flavor overall but for the price it was good. Service is what you expect for a hole in the wall establishment.

Don’t let the exterior fool you. Sure, it’s not as glitzy and glamorous as the rest of Little Italy, but it’s straight to the point — the food!
The al pastor taco here was unexpectedly delicious! Firstly, the size of the tacos were massive. It was almost like a mini burrito. As for the taco itself, the meat was full of flavor and not dry at all. It came simply topped with onions and cilantro which added a refreshing bite to the taco.
As for the carne asada taco which came topped with guacamole and shredded cabbage, it fell a little flat for me — nothing impressive or outstanding. For $ 2.10 a taco, it’s definitely worth a visit!

This is an old fashioned no nonsense taco shop. The food is tasty and really cheap! They didn’t have a veggie burrito on the menu, but with a little asking she whipped one up for me. Some people mention the guac being a homogeneous paste, but she specifically asked if I wanted chunky guac in my burrito so they must have two types.
It is cash only so be prepared. For me the downsides include serving pepsi and only selling bottles of water (arrowhead…gross). If you can suck up the drink choices (or bring your own), I highly recommend grabbing some food here then walking the two block to the water front park and having a nice lunch. I took a date here and we did exactly that. It was cheap, tasted good and was a ton of fun.

Having grown up in SD, this little shack is quite nostalgic as it resembles what taco shops looked like back in the days! The best grub comes from these no-​frills hole-​in-​the-​wall joints.
On the days when I work from home and am looking for a quick and tasty bite, I’ll walk a couple blocks and get my burrito fix! Their Al Pastor burrito is the bomb! The flavor isn’t too salty and has just the right portion of meat and pico.
If you happen to be in the area and the taco shop cravings hit, grab yourself a burrito from here.
Do note that it is cash only. And if you want the food faster, call in ahead of time to place your order as there can be a bit of a wait.

I’ve been eyeing this little Mexican Fiesta building for years!
Finally some co-​workers invited me to check it out and I can say that it’s decently priced and the food satisfies.
I had 5 rolled tacos and they were great! The guac isn’t like real guac though. It’s kind of that ‘smooth’ liquid like guac. It tasted good though. But just warning the guac purists :)
They take CASH ONLY and you order at a window, get a number and pick up at another window.
If you’re in the area and craving some Mexican food, this may satisfy.

Really delicious and cheap tacos! They’re big tacos, too! I got the fish and al pasteur tacos which were both really satisfying. The tacos were really inexpensive – just a little more than $ 2 per taco.
The place is located in downtown and is strictly a takeout place. You order from the side of the street and they give you your food to go. Cash out. Taking to go is no problem because it’s right next to the seaside and there are plenty of grab places to sit and eat there.
Conclusion: Awesome, inexpensive tacos. Would definitely go back if around the neighborhood again!

Snapped a photo of the stand with a curious little set up. If you look up, it’s surrounded by innumerable skyscrapers. If you’re looking below and haven’t tried it, you’re missing out. An older man walked up at the same time and said to me in Spanish, «I need to do the same thing! I need to show the boys where I’m at. Are you just getting here from somewhere?», as I am with phone and carry-​on in hand. «I just got in from Salt Lake City.» His accent was familiar to me, I had to ask back in Spanish, «Are you just getting in from somewhere too?» It turns out our families are from the same town in Mexico. That doesn’t happen to me to often, but it was a warm friendly exchange right in front of Mexican Fiesta.
Not even four dollars later, I had five rolled tacos in hand with world-​stopping guacamole, fresh crispy lettuce, and cheese. What a banging deal! The excitement was starting to seep in: It was going to be an amazing weekend. I asked the older man, «So tell me, it sounds like you’ve been here before. Is this the real thing?» He smiled, «Yes, this is the only place I stop when I want taquitos, mija. This is Mexican food. This, my dear, is real San Diego.» And there, I said my thank yous and goodbyes to this perfect stranger who sent me off to enjoy the rest of San Diego. Don’t take it from me, take it from him: Mexican Fiesta is the real San Diego.