I happened to notice this shop in one of those empty strip malls on the corner of H Street and Broadway on our way to breakfast at Talavera Azul.
I'm usually not swayed by the myriad of "Mexican Grills" and truly not by most places who use the word "authentic" in their name. Call me a cynic.....guilty as charged. But for some reason, this place hung around in my "grey matter" as we ate breakfast. I'm not sure what it was; the strange location, my love for al pastor, or whatever.
So later the same day, I headed back down to Chula Vista to see if the place was even open. And they were. Rather empty at 11 am on a Saturday, but still open.
The two women working were very friendly. The menu huge! With everything from Alambres to Tortas. And there was a strange familiar ring to several of the items on the menu.
That's when I saw him; the owner of Aqui es Texcoco in the kitchen talking to staff. Strange. So I sent my good buddy Candice a text asking if he had opened up a new restaurant. The answer? Yes. I then asked the Server who smiled and said "yes". Apparently, the place had just opened.
Still rather full from breakfast, I decided to get a couple of tacos which are all priced between $2.50 and $2.75.
The salsas are similar to what is served at Aqui es Texcoco; straight forward and nice and spicy.
My tres tacos.
Let's go from right to left. The Costilla (rib meat) was fairly chewy, but not bad, but in need of a bit more seasoning. The arrachera; skirt steak, was fairly tough, but had been seasoned simply and perfectly with a nice grilled-smokey flavor. The winner was without a doubt the al pastor as it had the wonderful slightly sweet flavor along with a nice porkiness that reminds me of Char Siu. Nice crispy bits along with meatier bits were provided. I thought the toritllas were just average; they held up okay, but for some reason lacked the nice corn fragrance and flavor.
A mixed bag overall, but that al pastor was pretty good. I returned the following weekend.
I had seen a couple of items I was interested in on the menu. I started with the Huitlacoche Quesadilla and the Taco de Al Pastor (of course).
The al pastor was a bit tougher than on my previous visit; but the flavors were still good. I didn't care too much for the quesadilla; it was quiet fragrant; the wild mushroom smell tickled my nose, but it was quite bland. But it wasn't griddled right and the tortillas were really hard to cut and I still think it was missing something.
I also ordered the Tostada de pata de res (cow foot tostada)
This was an interesting mixed bag. The tendon had been diced quite finely....I'd have preferred a larger dice so I could enjoy and appreciate the texture a bit more. It was also a bit too acidic and sour for my taste. The beans were lovely; nutty and rich. Loved what the cotija cheese brought to the dish; a light salty-milkiness. A bit too much lettuce for my taste though. Lot's of crisp, crunchy textures, had me wishing for something a bit more toothsome.
As I mentioned a few paragraphs up. A mixed bag, nice service, priced reasonably. I did enjoy the al pastor.
The menu is huge and I'm looking forward to trying other items like the Caldo Tlapeno or Chuleda Ahumada (smoked pork) tacos....or perhaps even Cazuelitas (sopes) Chicharron en Salsa Verde.
I'll give them a bit of time to get settled in before revisiting though.
Al Pastor Authentic Mexican Grill
520 Broadway
Chula Vista, CA 91910
hope they can get more consistency
Posted by: kat | Monday, 18 June 2018 at 09:55 PM
I hope so too Kat.
Posted by: Kirk | Tuesday, 19 June 2018 at 06:39 AM
Happy Taco Tuesday! ;)
Posted by: janfrederick | Tuesday, 19 June 2018 at 07:59 AM
Same back at ya' Jan! Nice to hear from you!
Posted by: Kirk | Tuesday, 19 June 2018 at 08:11 AM
I agree authentic usually means the opposite.
Posted by: RedDevil | Tuesday, 19 June 2018 at 08:57 AM
I always hesitate when I see that RD.....
Posted by: Kirk | Tuesday, 19 June 2018 at 10:12 AM
Bummer about the tough meat. The tacos look good.
Posted by: Soo | Tuesday, 19 June 2018 at 10:21 AM
I think this place has great potential Soo. hopefully, they'll get better over time.
Posted by: Kirk | Tuesday, 19 June 2018 at 10:24 AM
The owner had a Birria place on 3rd that was short lived. Hope this one does better.
Posted by: Junichi | Tuesday, 19 June 2018 at 10:34 AM
Actually, I was told that the owner of Aqui es Texcoco also owns this place as well Junichi. Is he in partnership with someone?
Posted by: Kirk | Tuesday, 19 June 2018 at 10:42 AM
Oh I was referring to the Texcoco owner. He had a birria place a few years ago on 3rd ave. But it didn't last very long.
Posted by: Junichi | Tuesday, 19 June 2018 at 11:45 AM
Oh....forgot all about that Junichi.
Posted by: Kirk | Tuesday, 19 June 2018 at 12:12 PM
Was that El Charco?
Posted by: caninecologne | Thursday, 17 January 2019 at 08:51 PM
Hi CC - Yes it was.
Posted by: Kirk | Friday, 18 January 2019 at 07:10 AM