El Indio Mexican Restaurant and Catering
Since 1940, El Indio Mexican Restaurant and Catering has been dedicated to serving the finest Mexican food in the world. They are the birthplace of the infamous “Taquito”. El Indio prides itself on making fresh and delicious food. Yes, they make their tortillas fresh every single day!
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Mexican culture and cuisine are vibrant throughout San Diego. Few people live in San Diego without loving Mexican food so be sure to try one of our favorites while here. El Indio has been dedicated to delivering fine Mexican food. Originally a Tortilla factory and the birthplace of the “Taquito” they are still earning awards for “Best Mexican Casual Dining”.
Bill Stock
02:02 22 Jun 22
When visiting San Diego from Tucson where we have great Mexican restaurants, we always go to El Indio for the taquitos. They are really good and we don't have them at home. Every thing we've tried there has been very good and the prices are reasonable. We also like the outside eating area so we can take our dog with us.
Nick
03:02 15 May 22
Always good food served by friendly people. The chips are out of this world! Every time I come here I pick up 3 or 4 bags to take home.Their salsa bar is good but be sure to try the jalapeño and onions at the salsa bar. You won't regret it.Also, the rice is cooked to perfection. It's fluffy and flavorful.
David Kira
14:06 04 Mar 22
Been coming here since the 1990s and it hasn't really changed and that's a good thing. Tacos are great with generous portions and burritos are huge. Quality if ingredients is high and salsas flavorful. There are so many different items to try here next time will be the tamales.
Sonny Jenkins
20:57 10 Jan 22
I love this place. The food is great and I have yet to have a bad experience here.But it is also the best place to get prepared mexican staples to use to make meals at home. They have fresh tortillas, frozen handmade tamales of all kinds, salsas and sauces and other delicious food.
J Szoradi
02:06 29 Dec 21
2 STARS:1) For the old vintage architectural history.2) Friendly customer service.The food is a different story.I had the tamale, enchilada and taco.The taco was ok but I've had better.However the tamale and enchilada are awful.Never ordering food there again.If anything good should come out of this, the outdoor patio is great for meeting friends for a margarita.🍹
Max Cady
21:15 16 Dec 21
I think this place is a little over rated. It ranks from pretty average to pretty good in my book. My girlfriend loves the shredded beef crispy hard tacos. The cheese and chili tamales I got were pretty tasty.
Brad Barber
14:14 15 Dec 21
Been living in Florida for the past several years and this is the best authentic Mexican food I have had in decades. The place is immaculate the staff all had that sharp look that comes from intellect and confidence. Will definitely be hitting this place up again before I leave to go back
Vicki Abbott Walton
16:41 02 Dec 21
First meal in San Diego after flying in from Kansas. Absolutely cannot understand the great reviews (we used them to choose where to eat). My husband's shredded beef burrito was oozing grease from the leather-like tortilla. My shredded chicken tamales included a large hunk of chicken. We had to clean a table before sitting down to eat. The tables near the restrooms smelled of uncleaned restrooms. Overall a terrible experience.
Noel Meza
04:14 18 Sep 21
Fantastic! Delicious and authentic Mexican food. Reasonable prices. Quick turn around time. Great location. Parking can be a little hectic and expect a line during busy hour. But overall, I highly recommend.
Janette Perez
04:10 12 Sep 21
Disappointed the food wasn't better based on the reviews. Pork tamale moist and had a good flavor. A pitch of salt and it was very good. The chicken tamale was dry and so-so. Cheese enchilada plate was meant and I didn't care for their rice or beans. The chicken tequilas were good
Robert Baldwin
01:53 06 Sep 21
A San Diego institution since 1940 or so. Try the "Crispy Deluxe" if you enjoy crispy flour tortillas with shredded, stewed/braised beef plus healthy dollops of guacamole, sour cream, and cicaque, etc, cheeses! 👍 P.S. I was too busy consuming my latest Crispy to document it visually. Next time! ❤️
Troy Arthur
22:17 04 Sep 21
This place has been around for so long would love to know how many Tacos they have served? 🤔😁Great food super friendly and helpful.Love this place ❤
Taylor Jones
02:58 27 Jul 21
Food tasted like dog and cat food. Chips where very old couldn’t eat them. Cheese was rubber and the place was very dirty. Never agin! Didn’t get my order right. Everyone was farting the whole ride home. 😒🤢💩🚽
Jeremy Cowan
14:39 24 Jul 21
Was really looking forward to this dining experience, as it came highly regarded in a recommendation.The horchata was quite good, and I thought the food was better than your average Mexican restaurant. I did come away wishing for a little bit more, however, given the hype with which it came. The most impressive aspect of the dining experience was the speed of the service line and food delivery. Super quick!
Dorian Davis
19:17 14 Jul 21
Best Mexican food in SD! My personal favorite is their Crispy Quesadilla Deluxe with shredded beef. I haven’t found any menu item even similar to this at any other Mexican restaurant, in SD or otherwise. It’s so unique and delicious. It’s been my family’s go-to item at El Indio for about 3 decades. I’ve tried a few other menu items from El Indio but always have FOMO when I see someone else eating the Crispy Deluxe and I’ve ordered something else. I will note my other favorite item here is an Autumnal seasonal item - the sweet pumpkin burrito. If you’re a pumpkin lover, make sure to check out El Indio in the Fall and treat yourself to the pumpkin burrito for dessert.
Cindy Lee
23:50 29 Jun 21
Even better than 40 years ago when I was a college student. Staff is quick, helpful and friendly. Great suggestions for out of town visitors. Packed everything perfect for our sunset viewing at Sunset cliffs!
Aaron Howard
01:23 20 Jun 21
This place is very popular and for good reason. Fresh food, excellent, friendly service and catering and party options! All the food is great, but be sure to try their famous tamales!
Sam Salerno
03:43 02 Jun 21
Quick service and great food! Their chips are phenomenal, and their cinnamon chips are one of my new favorite desserts of all time. It’s a pretty tiny spot and didn’t feel all too clean, but we also got there at the end of the lunch rush hour and they were packed.
Rich Sal
22:36 09 May 21
Love this place! Real good food every time I go there. Yes there is usually a line an a small wait. It's worth tree wait
Dawn Marie
22:28 09 May 21
Sadly, the quality of food has fallen. I asked for the green salsa. There was a charge for this, I though oh, its about 1/8 of a cup things are tight, I was thinking 50 or 75 cents. Nope they wanted $2.10 , with tax. I declined. We got a fish soft taco, no flavor at all. Beef soft taco, it was greasy. 3 rolled tacos, they were not bad but for $17 plus I think it could of been a lot better.
Shane Cole
04:58 04 May 21
This place is great. Loved every bit of it. The staff was helpful and patient, I had a lot of questions.In our one visit we tried a wide variety of the menu (we were visiting from out of town and knew we may not be back for a while). Everything was great. Absolutely recommend this place, and I will try to go back.
Xavier Rosette
03:17 18 Apr 21
great food. top notch customer service. the bacon breakfast burrito has minced bacon! this is important to the eating of the burrito because its the only way to insure even distribution and a consistent taste with every bite. 10+ years in diego and its the only place i know willing to take the extra step to do it RIGHT. they have there own parking. recently learned i / we can order online😏
Merle Reed
14:21 20 Mar 21
It's very convenient for tacos. During our vacation time, we went there twice. We were so pleased to find this spot... He's a star here. Tacos and the black model of ummmmm beer.... Amazing.
Reynaldo Guerrero
04:41 10 Feb 21
I went for the first time today. My family has been in San Diego for 60+ years and I never knew about this place. Lol. The food was amazing. I tried the Indio burrito. Super tasty and filling!!! I'll definitely be coming back. 😝
Brandy Thomas
04:37 27 Jan 21
They were so nice, my boyfriend and I spent the day trying different places for california burritos, this place was different than the others but not in a bad way. The tortilla you could tell was fresh, the meat was so tender and good and the french fries were a nice crispy. Can't wait to go back and try more things.
alejandro booker
14:09 15 Jan 21
mexican food at this place - great. Entered near eleven, it wasn't packed. I'll return with my friends. This place has a great design. Reminds me of a cafe in Chicago I loved to visit.
Emiliano Rodríguez
17:40 16 Dec 20
Had a great lunch on the rooftop with friends. Fantastic views of the city and would imagine its even better at night. Not sure about the other reviews; our service was great and food was super tasty. The rooftop was a great place to relax and enjoy a drink. The servers and staff were all very friendly and attentive. We'll definitely stay here again.
Pounder Pounder
01:21 07 Dec 20
I have never been disappointed in any dinning experiences at El Indio. Great food , always prepared with pride and in a timely fashion. Multiple outside locations of tables and chairs/ benches. Call ahead or order at the restaurant. Enjoy !
Miggy Nuo
01:34 30 Oct 20
It's hard to find a decent potato taco in this city, however this San Diego landmark has been doing it for 80 years. Of course they have the classic beef and chicken, but do yourself a favor and try a potato one, you won't be disappointed. Don't forget to grab a bag of their chips, that seasoning on them is amazing
Gene Killian
23:17 13 Sep 20
Moonlight Beach offers a lot.I enjoy sitting and enjoying the views from the cliff areas and walking the beach, I recommend wearing shoes as there are a lot of stones along your walk. There is also plenty of parking, a nice sandy portion of the beach, a great children's area, clean bathrooms and a concession bldg. I always enjoy my visit to this beach.
Michael Green
18:51 29 Jul 20
The food was excellent. While always good it was even better than normal. I think this is because with the slow down the kitchen is slower paced which results in better attention to detail. We ate on the patio that and parking were not as much of a challenge as it is here occasionally.
