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TAMALES CHIAPANECO
549 25th St. (25th St. at Market St)
San Diego, CA
(619) 235-4556
As soon as you step to the counter of Tamales Chiapaneco and spy mama in back squeezing masa dough by hand, you know you’re not leaving here unfed. Chiapaneco’s signature tamales are heavy, saucy, meat-laden affairs headlined by the pollo con mole tamale. Its reputation rests on the earthy, slightly grainy corn masa which plays well with a tangy red mole sauce – which for all its lightness, has a pleasing depth of flavor. Shell out the extra half buck to have it cooked in a banana leaf, and you’ve got a meal at $2. Also worth ordering here: the chile rilleno. Floppy, dark-green poblanos oozing with quesillo cheese, the chiles rilleno are pan-browned and served in a puddle of bright garlicky tomato broth. They come with steaming homemade tortillas and generous sides of rice and beans for rolling into wraps.

DOS BRASAS
1890 San Diego Ave.
San Diego, CA
619-291-6116

It’s easy to fly right past this cheery, lopsided little building just off I-5, but if you’re traveling the San Diego Freeway in search of excellent guacamole, pull off between Old Town and Midtown and find Dos Brasas. Here the guacamole is bright spring green and satiny, save for flecks of garlic – tasty enough to appease even die-hard lumpy guac lovers. Fresh, light and deceptively savory, it makes warm baskets of salty homemade tortilla chips simply a vehicle for the guacamole. Also recommended: the piquant carne asada, whether in tacos, tostadas, chimichangas, tortas or burrito form.

LEONARDO’S MEXICAN FOOD
3852 Mission Blvd.
San Diego, CA
858-539-2280

San Diego surfers and beach bums knew about fish tacos before anyone else in the culinary world, and so any fish taco joint just steps off Mission Beach had better get it right. Leonardo’s doesn’t disappoint, with hunks of whitefish fried in a thin, crispy beer batter that holds the juices at bay until your first bite. Here they wisely keep it simple with diced tomatoes, crunchy lettuce, generous sprinkles of cilantro and green onions, and garlic mayo. One of these will answer even the fiercest post-surfing hunger; two of them, and you’d better stay out of the water for a while to digest.

Eileen Loh is a free lance writer and world traveller. You can read more of her work here

For more on San Diego, check out our San Diego Destination Guide