San Diego Mexican Food Reviews

416 3rd Ave
San Diego, CA 92101
(619) 702-4455 (map)
Official website

Bottomline - Elegant dining. High prices. Great food.

I've had great Mexican food at hole-in-the-wall tacos shops, lunch trucks, and mom & pop places. But sometimes you don't want that. Sometimes you want fine dining. For that I recommend Candelas.

First of all, the bad. I think the prices here are a little high. A dinner with appetizer, entree, dessert, and cocktail will run about $70 per person. That may or may not be high for fine dining in your experience, but for me it was a bit high. However...... I didn't think it was unreasonably high, and I don't feel uncomfortable recommending it. It's fine dining, with dishes you won't fine anywhere else, and you pay a premium for that. But some reviews mention the price, and I tend to agree.

Now that that's out of the way - I really really like the food here. The meat is perfectly cooked, even the huge portion of seabass. The preparations are distinctly Mexican and delicious.

The seabass in grape sauce is sublime and delicious. The rather large portion of fish comes with a crunchy sear and a perfect moist interior. The fillet is simple and exquisite. The desserts are traditional and done well. I thought the ceviche appetizer was a swing and a miss, but then I do like my ceviche a bit more raw and bold than most people might like.

Service was impeccable. The atmosphere is romantic. I have heard there is a DJ there playing loud music some nights, but I have no idea whether that is good or bad.

Note that this is not the sort of fine dining that embraces the "new American" style with small portions, deconstructed recipes, or weird food through chemistry. It's just great food in the restaurant style of central Mexico.

There are actually two locations, one in the Gaslamp and one on Coronado Island. Parking can be an issue at the gaslamp location, so consider using the valet service.