San Diego Mexican Food Reviews

Official website
6695 Mira Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92121 (map)
(858) 457-8226

Los Primos is a San Diego chain. The one I'm reviewing here is the one on Mira Mesa. I'll add to the review as I try some of the others.

When trying out a Mexican place on Mira Mesa Rd, especially over in Sorrento Mesa, that's part of a gas station, you don't set your expectations too high. Los Primos proved me wrong. These were two of the most delicious tacos I've ever had. Tons of flavor and quality meat. Adobada and polo asada tacos that caused me to nod and make yummy noises.

However..... let me stop right here and express a major concern. If you look for Los Primos reviews on other sites you'll see most of them tend to rate the food as mediocre at best. This worries me since I found the food to be first rate. So let's slow down and go over things in detail.

Yes, the food took a long time to come out. Not stupidly long though. Just 3-4 minutes more than I'd wait other places. I didn't feel it was a problem really.

Yes, the portions were on the small side compared to many mom&pop places. And yes, the prices were a little higher. But the food was really really good. When I buy a $1.50 for a taco I don't expect greatness, and when I pay $2.69 (the price at Los Primos) I *do* expect greatness. In this case I think I got what I paid for - a great taco. We can always quibble over whether it's better to get double the meat at a lower price no matter what it tasted like. For me personally I'd rather have this taco than something cheaper or bigger. Others will have to make their own value judgments.

And I only tried a couple things, so maybe I got lucky. Ditto for the location, maybe this shop is just better than the others. Still, the two tacos I tried were delicious. Not only will I be back, but I'll try a few of the other shops in the chain to make sure I'm not making a mistake recommending them.

No free chips, and the salsa bar just got the job done without anything fancy. The tortilla seemed to have been fried very briefly, but I'm going to call that a good thing in this case. A lot of people were getting the tacos to go and I think the frying would likely help them hold up much better on the drive back.

Parking can be a problem here, since it's just a gas station.

Edit - 2009-08-16: So I tried the Los Primos on Regents Rd. It was, as other reviews have said, very average. Perhaps even below average. The fish taco had a tiny peice of fish. The pollo asada taco was 1/3rd onions, 1/3rd cilantro, and 1/3 chicken. Not the right way to do it. The tables were uncomfortable. The tortillas fell apart. The whole experience was La Jolla rather than Barrio Logan. I would never go back to such a place.

So...... wtf..... I really liked the one on Mira Mesa, and I really felt like this one was a strike out. I'm not sure what is so much better about the Mira Mesa franchise, but for me that's Los Primos. This one, something else. More research needed I guess.