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La Torta Cafe
Category: Restaurants Mexican Mexican [Edit]
8356 Allison Ave(between Palm Ave & Pine St)
La Mesa, CA 91941
Neighbourhood: La Mesa
(619) 741-6230
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 9 am - 8:30 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- No
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- Free
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
Jill H. said: "Still one of my favorite Mexican restaurants in San Diego. Sure it's lost a lot of its charm and quaintness after leaving Bazaar del Mundo in Old Town, but it's still a good restaurant. Lots of complaints about it being a long wait,…" read more »
134 reviews for La Torta Cafe
Review Highlights
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"I had the Carne Asada Torta and it was amazing." In 20 reviews -
"Their salsa bar is the stuff of my gluttonous dreams." In 12 reviews -
"...in four big slices consists of spicy pork and jack cheese." In 6 reviews
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133 reviews in English
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Review from David C.
San Diego, CA
This place has quickly risen to the top as one of my favorite Mexican places in SD.
I know this place is known for their tortas, hence their name, but whenever I stop by this place, I always opt for their burritos. But honestly, everything they serve here is top-notch and doesn't require you to be drunk/high or for the food to be drenched in hot sauce in order to appreciate the flavor of their food.
Speaking of hot sauce, theirs is stuff of legends. You can use that to top off any type of food and I'm pretty sure anyone would devour it in an instant. I wish they would bottle and sell their sauce separately. I'm sure they'd make boatloads of money off of it.
Other highlights of this place... humongous portions. One torta/burrito/whatever you order here is definitely enough to stretch into another meal. Prices are super cheap and is a huge value. The actual restaurant is always clean and tidy and the servers there are always warm and friendly.
Honestly, I can't think of any negatives of this place. Everytime I come here, I always leave with a satisfied stomach and mood. -
Review from Meiko H.
San Diego, CA
Good stuff!! Bought a deal where I could get $45 worth of food for $20 using a 3 visit punch card...sweet!
For our first trip, we got the Machaca Torta(huge) and Chicken Tortilla Soup. The Machaca was tender and juicy and they stuffed it into that torta...so good. The soup was really good too...very flavorful. My daughter and I try Tortilla Soup wherever we can and this one really ranked up with the best we've had!
Next time, we got the Carne Asada Torta and the rolled Tacos. The torta was great...rolled tacos were ok. I'm really picky about my rolled tacos so I forgive them for not being as good as I know they can be.
Last trip with our deal card - We got the Chicken Breast Torta(forgot the name) and Tortilla Soup. The meat was too thick but tasted good. Soup was on point as it should be. We had ordered the cheese roll and it wasn't very impressive...torta bread with cheese on it, meh. We also got Churros which were very yummy. My kid looooves churros!
Overall, we've had a yummy experience with La Torta Cafe and we will be going back, deal or no deal! Lots more tortas to taste! -
Review from Andrew M.
Riverside, CA
Cheap, enormous portions, great location - just off la mesa blvd!
Definitely worth it! -
Review from Suzanna A.
El Cajon, CA
Cute place, great music, but above all: great food! Carne Asada Torta was the best. Love how they add papas not potato chips or fries (although fries are technically papas). We will be back again!
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Review from Lauren C.
La Mesa, CA
La Torta is SOOOO good... maybe too good.
Not the healthiest, but is a nice treat every once and a while. -
Review from Kristi R.
La Mesa, CA
My favorite Mexican food in La Mesa. 1 Torta feeds all 3 of my kids. They are huge! But I really love this place because the food is amazing. I have never had a bad torta. Love the shrimp torta...to die for. The shrimp tacos are also very good.
It is a very large menu so I get to try something new everytime I go in. -
Review from Bethany G.
La Mesa, CA
I love this place!!! I'm picky about my rolled tacos, and they have the science down pat. Just the right amount of avocado and veggies. Don't even get me started on their creamy jalapeno sauce! ADDICTING. I get the California burritos also and they are huge and delicious. Love their potatoes- not those undercooked, limp fries a lot of places use. The owner is the sweetest man. If you ever have a complaint or comment just ask when he'll be in next and he'll listen. They are always friendly in there. This review is only for takeout as I have never dined in.
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Review from Joshua M.
I have been to the La Torta Cafe twice. First time around it was a solid five stars. We had the carnitas torta which is out of this world. We also tried the shrimp burrito and carne asada quesadilla. The owner (at least I think he was the owner) took our order, and was talkative and friendly.
The hot carrots at the salsa bar are perfect. This is also worth mentioning.
A few days later we were eager to come back and repeat the experience. Only this time around the same guy taking our order wasn't friendly. He basically just said to my wife, "what do you want?" I guess it's not a huge deal, but it was definitely a big difference than our first experience. We had ordered the carnitas torta, and a carne asada burrito. The torta again was the standout. The carne asada burrito actually had too much guacamole and salsa in it. It was still good, but it won't be something I'll order again here. The carnitas really seems to be the strong point. I do have to subtract a star for the icy reception my wife got at the counter. -
Review from Max J.
Santee, CA
Best Food! Great Service!!
Incredible menu choices and very accommodating to changes to menu items.
Our kids love the bean and cheese kid's Torta!
Ask for your potatoes well done if you like them crispy!! -
Review from Jam S.
Orange County, CA
Torta!!!
Traveling? Want to try a local place?- Leave it to Yelp to point you to the right restaurant.
The food here is really good. I got the chicken chipotle torta, which came with a side of home fries. Torta was huge, delicious, and fresh. Along with chicken, the torta had tomatoes, chipotle sauce, onions, and avacado. Most tortas are $8-$9 and they have over 35 tortas (along with other stuff) on the menu.
The home fries/potato chips were absolutely delicious-make sure you eat them with chipotle sauce rather than ketchup. Mmmm!
Service was friendly, cute seating area outside, parking can be a pita....if you are in the area, stop by to get some tortas. Remember, it's not a sandwich, it's a Torta! -
Review from Blake H.
La Mesa, CA
This place is insane! If you like tortas, this is the ONLY place to go. They are GIANT! The Miguel torta is my favorite. It has just about every thing on it that you can think of. This thing can pretty much feed a small family. The chipotle sauce is a don't miss. In my opion the sauce takes an awesome torta or fries and makes them completely out of this world. Writing this review is making me very very hungry.
If you have not tried La Torta, get over there now. You will not be sorry. -
Review from Sammie V.
San Diego, CA
I'm DEFINITELY a fan!
Just hit this place up for the first time tonight and I got the Chili Relleno Torta (# 21) and my boyfriend got the La Torta Special (#1). I got some of their salsa, also... the chipotle is AMAZING. It's smoky and spicy and creamy... yummm. The tortas were GiGanTiC and came with some "home fries" (kinda like soft homemade potato chips... they were SO yummy. Delicious with ketchup or in the chipotle sauce). Also with a tomato and onions and lettuce on the side to put on the torta. We couldn't finish the whole portion and are saving them for later :) I absolutely recommend this place. Parking kinda sucks, but I'll take what I can get! I definitely don't mind... come check it out here! -
Review from Bret C.
El Cajon, CA
This is our favorite restaurant.
We come here way too often and we order the chicken quesadilla every time. They fill the quesadilla with onions and mushrooms and other good stuff. It comes with home fries (potatoe slices) and they make them extra crispy for us. My wife and I split one order and both leave full! They have a nice outdoor patio lined with plants for just the right amount of privacy. Be careful though, this place is addictive. We used to go down the street to Marios Mexican Food but not anymore! -
Review from Shannon G.
La Mesa, CA
The staff is always friendly, and the food is always delicious! Glad that they came back to La Mesa. I highly recommend the carnitas torta.
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Review from Gary I.
San Diego, CA
I wish I could have given more stars, but need to be honest.
First of all, the staff are great, they make you feel welcome, overall, outstanding customer service!
Friends suggested we eat here, it was my first time at this restaurant. Upon driving up, I noticed parking around the restaurant was pretty much taken up. But, to my surprise this place has a small parking lot, which was great.
Upon walking through their patio, the flooring was super sticky. Your shoes actually stuck to the floor as you walked and it was tracked to the inside floor too. Might have been something from the very large tree above the patio. The place had several occupied tables outside and inside and people just kept coming in, a good sign.
The inside was clean (including the restroom) and neat. Staff greeting customers as they entered, made everyone feel welcome.
We all placed our orders and the food arrived in a timely manner. I ordered the Carne Asada Torta (looked great in the menu photos), when it arrived, it is a large portion size, you won't leave hungry! The flavor was good, but the meat was quite tough! There was a lot of stringy fibers in the meat, made it very difficult to bite or chew. Only other suggestion I could make would be the hot carrots could have been cooked a bit more as they were pretty crunchy and their "table" salsa could have used a little more heat as it was really mild.
Must say, for my first time, I was disappointed in the meat toughness. I will chalk it up to a bad piece of meat, not their fault and not the norm of this restaurant. I will definitely give this place another try. -
Review from Marie A.
San Diego, CA
customer service was bad. girls were mopping the floor while we were eating so the smell of the cleaning solution spoiled my appetite. you don't do that while people are eating! i asked for no onions and got onions! they forgot my drinks! the food was just bad. the potato chips were burnt and the tortas are all bread. the carne asada meat had a lot of fat in it. yes, they are huge, but that's it. this was my last visit to this place.
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Review from Fredd S.
La torta is a great place. It's inexpensive, friendly and the food was amazing.
Did I mention how good the food was? Ok making sure. This are tortas like my mom used to make, ok, she never made tortas, and wasn't too good at cooking, but if she either of those were true, then that's how awesome those tortas are.
the place has free wi-fi and the portions are immense. This aren't your grandpa's tortas. -
Review from howard s.
Huntington Beach, CA
4 stars means Yay! I'm a fan!
and yay! i'm a fan. my girlfriend and i found this place walking around in la mesa... went in for lunch, and left with more food then we can shake a stick at... and on top of that, good food no less.
first and foremost, it's a torta, not a sandwich. so get it straight. but it's just like a sandwich, using a flat soft roll, and here at the la torta cafe, they are huge.
i mean huge... i'm a pretty big eater, but i could only eat half of the super natalia torta. it was stacked with roast beef, turkey, ham, jack cheese, bacon, beans, jalapenos, avocado and the works. the ingredients were all fresh, and delicious. it was more of a guacamole then straight avocado, but it good non-the-less. the flavor was outstanding, the portion was huge. the the chicken tortilla soup was super cheesy as well.
the last word? it's not a sandwich, it's a torta! if you haven't had one, la torta cafe is the perfect place have your first torta love. -
Review from Toan T.
La Mesa, CA
I guess this place use to be by the college but I never got to try it until it moved to the downtown La Mesa area. the place is small but there is plenty of seating on the inside and outside. I ordered the milanesa torta and it was delicious. It was also very large but I can eat and I had no problem finishing it. My friend on the other hand could not and took the leftovers home. The torta itself was a five star rating but my side potatoes were not hence the four star rating. The potatoes were soggy and still oily. But overall a good experience. Order at the counter and wait for it at your table. Pretty easy and the service was great.
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Review from Ace D.
Erica R. has been reminding us that the best tortas can be found in La Mesa. My prima has been happy with this place, she even choose to have her bday dinner here. When we finally made the effort to come here for lunch, we were highly impressed on how fabulous their tortas actually are.
La Torta Cafe can be found in the heart of La Mesa. It's probably best to visit them here before the lunch/dinner rush time. It's not your typical style restaurant where there server brings you the menu, but rather the opposite where you order and pay first and take your number and seat yourself.
If you never been here, I recommend that you browse over their menu. They have so many great tortas here, it was a bit confusing and anxious for us to decide. We selected the Chicken Tortilla Soup for starters, while wifey selected the Miguel's Cubana Torta, while I opted for the Shrimp Quesadilla.
The Chicken Tortilla Soup was splendid. It tasted homemade, so fresh and the right amount of chicken and flavor. Keep in mind the tortas here are tremendously huge. In fact, you can actually share one with another. They offer for $2 more to split your plate and give you a little more home fries.
But honestly, one plate will feed an army. When the torta came out, I was in shock and awe in how wonderfully each ingredient was stacked and presented. Miguel's Cubana Torta comes with pork, milanesa (breaded fried steak), pierna (pork loin/leg) with panela cheese, grilled bell peppers, onions, avocado and mayo. This was a masterpiece indeed.
Now if that didn't tickle your tummy fancy, indulge on their epic Shrimp Quesadilla. This bad boy has sun-dried tomato, onion, mushrooms, cheddar and jack cheese with their succulent garlic and wine tomato sauce. After one bite, I have not only discovered an awesome torta place but that was perhaps the best tasting shrimp quesadilla ever known to mankind.
The fat: La Mesa is also known for their fabulous tortas.
The skinny: Take advantage of the goodies in their salsa barListed in: Tortas
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Review from Steve L.
San Diego, CA
Only complaint, its out in La Mesa. I go every few months for their Chipotle Chicken Torta with home fries. It isn't a secret, the place can be busy at times, but worth the wait if I am there on a friday or saturday.
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Review from Sarah S.
San Diego, CA
This location is so comfortable with a great little outdoor patio, the food is consistently amazing and the service is accomodating and prompt. Their salsa bar has great choices and carrots which I love.
The prices are a tad high but the cost never influences me not to go to this great spot in downtown La Mesa.
Favorites: Carne Asada Fries, Shredded Carnitas Torta -
Review from Eva J.
El Cajon, CA
I literally dream about food -- yep, food I have eaten, want to eat, want to cook. It surprises people on occasion -- I'm a tiny thing with a 25 inch waist. Make no mistake - I can put away food like a stripper with "daddy issues."
Oh, La Torta. I have never had anything but the jalapeno and chicken torta. Cheesy. Chickeny. Spicy. And the torta roll is good.
Writing this review, I actually had to text my Cubanito and demand he bring his Goddess tribute in the form of torta. It's that type of good.
He says the Cuban torta is good, as well. I know the menu is mind-blowing and vast. Practically every delicious meat and cheese and veggie combo you can fathom. Their salsa bar is the stuff of my gluttonous dreams.
I must also add -- their outside patio is cute. It looks like a place where a fairy would meet up with a satyr to enjoy some delicious tortas. -
Review from Brian H.
Solana Beach, CA
Good location, average prices, and average food. The tortilla soup almost tastes like a bean soup; I thought it tasted pretty good although my friend didn't agree. Also got a torta, had been here before a few times, but years ago and now I remember why. This is a place that is good enough to go to every few years, but if I'm going to blow $20 on Mexican food there are much better choices. Mario's Mexican Restaurant is down the street would be a better choice for a few dollars more. This place is way over Yelped on the reviews.
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Review from Kat R.
La Mesa, CA
I came here yesterday with my boyfriend and roommate. Our roommate had left his car in the area and needed us to go drop him off. It was about lunch time and asked if we wanted to go try out this great Torta place near by. We went over to La Mesa and he showed us this cute little eatery. When we walked in they lady handed us some menus to look over while she assisted someone on the phone.
We waited for a while since she was still on the phone. I was getting slightly impatient until I heard her ring up the bill for the person on the phone which was $97 something. I was like oh, it was a huge order, take your time. When we finally ordered, we got the Phily's Torta, a Carne Asada Burrito, and a Chorizo and Egg Torta. The food was amazing!! I loved my Phily Torta, and the burrito was good as well, but my boyfriend had said when come back he'll order one of the many tortas they have. The prices are reasonable about $7-$9 for a torta, $4-$8 for a burrito, and$6-$9 for tacos and quesadillas.
I will definitely be back! It's located on a slower street in Downtown La Mesa and I would never have known it was there since I never take that road. Nice place and great food. -
Review from Jason d.
Lakeside, CA
Stick with the chicken torta's and its all good. Chicken tortilla soup is great. Priced right, nice people. Stay away from the carne asada.
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Review from Grace G.
Chicago, IL
It was my first visit to San Diego. I entered the threshold of La Torta Cafe unaware of the discoveries that lay ahead of me. The scenery inside was small and quaint. The outdoor seating area was much more attractive.
The menu had a large selection of... tortas. However, I attempted the "Mahi Mahi". This was a hawaiian fish taco. I also had a tortilla soup and a spicy shrimp taco, all of which were amazing. But seriously... the Mahi Mahi is THE taco to get.
The manager of the establishment gave me free pico and other things to try. He even went as far as to give me some free magnets. In addition to free stuff, which I love, the price of the food was good in comparison to the amount of food received. It was huge!
Service was stellar, and the staff was very friendly. It was very easy to find parking, and this restaurant was in a good location in La Mesa. Overall, a great welcoming to San Diego. -
Review from Alexis F.
San Diego, CA
La Torta = amazing food!!
Great service, wonderful food, tons of variety and choices on their menu!
If you live near by it's a great place to walk to for a bite to eat. Small parking lot but the food totally makes up for it!!!! -
Review from John G.
La Mesa, CA
The "new" location on Alison is really nice. Nice outdoor seating.
Now, delivery is available within a 10 mile radius. Can't wait to try it out.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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1/23/2011
Gigantic, awesome sandwiches. Everything is big. One sandwich is easily 2 meals - even for a big… Read more »
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1/23/2011
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Review from Nolan W.
La Mesa, CA
I don't know what happened to this place. The last two times that I ate the spicy camaron burrito it literally had 3 pieces of shrimp in it. Bite after bite, all I got was a mouthful of cabbage and pico de gallo. Not a fan anymore.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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10/13/2011
Hands down best mexican food north of Mexico. I could eat this for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.… Read more »
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10/13/2011
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Review from Jon B.
La Mesa, CA
Must add that their breakfast tortas are amazing, and while one may not think of tortas and immediately associate them with breakfast food, this place is an awesome stop in the mornings. They also have a huge breakfast burrito to compliment their 4-6 breakfast tortas. The Milanesa Breakfast torta and the Bacon & egg tortas are pretty incredible and enough for two people!
Listed in: Breakfast for champions
3 Previous Reviews: Show all »
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5/31/2011
Was never a big fan of tortas but I must admit theirs are pretty great. The carne asada fries are… Read more »
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5/31/2011
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Review from Maria H.
La Mesa, CA
I was sooo excited about La Torta after my first visit. I believe the excitement involved some wishful thinking. I wished this would be THE mexican restaurant in La Mesa. I wished they would measure up to the reviews.
I tried the famous Tortilla Soup. As a matter of fact, I almost became a fan. I thought the flavor was excellent. After visiting this place at least five times, I realize now that I don't like to eat soup out of styrofoam. I also think the soup has too much salt (did something change in the last few months)?
The service by the cashier sucks. The cashiers (some of them) have attitudes and do not offer the best customer service. One made us wait a few minutes to order because she was busy ordering a sandwich for her break from another restaurant. Of course! How could we (customers) interrupt this lady while she is trying to get her own food! Why does the cashier have an attitude?
I did not enjoy the chips and sandwiches at all. The chips SUCK to me. The rolled tacos are okay and not too bad. The chicken burritos are okay but not flavorful.
It has become overpriced and they seem to be trying to cut cost down but it is to the expense of the customer's satisfaction. -
Review from Jonelle O.
San Diego, CA
So. Many. Tortas.
We took forever deciding what to order because there were so many choices, each one looked more interesting than the next. They did mess up my boyfriend's order, but he ate what they brought him and loved it (roast beef torta). I had the La Torta special (turkey, bacon, cheese) and it was filling and tasty. A little bit more spice in the salsa would be appreciated, but it was still damn good.
We already decided we have to keep coming back until we've tried all the tortas and even some of the crazy quesadillas.
Another bonus: Dog-friendly on the patio! -
Review from Jack M.
Rancho San Diego, CA
This place has great Mexican Tortas with and American twist as well. I recently had the Milanesa breakfast torta and it was great! My mother came along and she had the chicken tortilla soup which she enjoyed very much. I gave this place a 5 star rating because not only is the food great but the owner and employee are super stars as well. The place is located on a nice corner of downtown La Mesa with plenty of shade and room on the patio. Nice place to relax and have a torta.
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Review from Aurora Z.
El Cajon, CA
We were so looking forward to loving this place because of the rave reviews. We initially stopped at Mario's but they were swamped and we didn't want to wait so we decided to try La Torta Cafe. When we got there, it was busy inside but plenty of room outside and our first impression was that this place is charming, clean and well operated. We ordered a chimichanga and a carnitas torta and two drinks and sat outside and waited for our food. Ten minutes later our food was in front of us and it looked great, yes the portions are HUGE. Way too much food for one person. We appreciated that the veggies were crisp and fresh and that they offered a variety of condiments such as carrtots, peppers, salsas, etc. and that the meat was plentiful. However, The chimichanga was bland and the carnitas torta was just ok- I must be spoiled from the TJ tortas I've had in the past. I want to try again because we are rooting for this place and hope it was just a bad night but it will be hard to convince my husband to go with me.
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Review from Patrick Y.
El Cajon, CA
BEST salsa ever. Chips are awesome. And of course, Tortas. But you have to try their florentine quesadilla.
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Review from Stan S.
San Diego, CA
Great place...delicious tortas and really good chicken tortilla soup. Huge portions make perfect leftovers for dinner after a big lunch.
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Review from Danica D.
Santee, CA
This is my first Yelp review. The food here was so terrible I felt the need to warn others.
I ordered the chipotle (beef) torta. The beef was a shaved chewy consistency, and I am fairly confident it wasn't even beef. Ugh.
Another in my party ordered the #1 torta, the special I think they call it. The turkey looked store bought, like the thick slimy round stuff that comes in a bologna package. It tasted just like it looked too. Also ordered was a bean and cheese burrito- hard to mess up, right? Nope- beans were beyond bland, tortilla was bland, and the whole thing fell apart.
We also ordered the carne asada fries. No carne asada was to be found. Same mystery shaved chewy meat that was in my chipotle torta!
Maybe we ordered ALL the wrong things, but it was so bad we won't be going back to try anything else. -
Review from Dorothy B.
Santee, CA
i have had really great things about this place so my husband and i were excited to try it. i loooove mexican food, and recently dove in to the world of tortas at some other taco shops i like to go to. when we arrived we were surprised by the extensive torta selection on the menu. there are so many different kinds of tasty looking tortas!...and they also have some other faves: burritos, rolled tacos, chimichangas...a little something for everyone.
my husband ended up w/ a carne asada torta, and i ended up with a carnitas torta...and we each had an icy cold pacifico, which was perfect for a hot friday night. my torta was soooo freaking good!! the carnitas was tasty and perfectly accompanied by the avocado, lettuce and mayo. their green sauce is really good and offered just the right amount of flavor to each bite. the carne asada torta was good...but not as good as the carnitas. the carnitas was a little greasier than i would have liked...but that is where all the flavor was! i was only able to eat 1/2 the sandwich b/c it was ginormous. it made a really good lunch the next day, even cold! i will for sure be back for more tortas and cold beers.Listed in: mexi-can i?, sammys
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Review from Vladimir S.
La Mesa, CA
Only yesterday my brother and I were talking about what a hidden gem this place is, while eating "Pily's Torta". Well we both got food poisoning from it and ended up puking our guts out the whole night, I still haven't fully recovered as I write this. We suspect the poisoning came from the mushrooms. Anyway, I'm never eating at this place again, please spread the word and let others know about the dangers of this place.
