Tuetano Taqueria and Mar Rustico - Old Town

I was quite excited to hear the news that Michelin recognized Tacos Tuetano was opening in Old Town. For me, this marks what could possibly be a long overdue revitalization of Old Town eateries for locals. I had visited the location in San Ysidro once, but hadn't returned in ages before they moved and shuttered.

I/we have visited Tuetano about a dozen times since they've opened in Old Town and this post is long overdue.

I guess that one of the reasons I've taken so long on this post is that every couple of visits there's something new.

First was the addition of Mar Rustico; a Mariscos Place.

Then the shops in the back; of which we haven't partaken yet.

 During the last two visits; the wine shop next door has opened, but were closed during our visits.

Also, the ordering can be confusing....on certain days you would have to go down the side of the dining area to order the birria and tuetano, then to Mar Rustica counter to get Mariscos, then off to the drink station to order drinks. The last couple of times we've gone on slow days (i.e. Monday) and at off hours and would then order from the drinks counter. You get a one of those buzzer things and sometimes you pick up your order and sometimes they'll bring it to you......

It's interesting when you do order from all three places and try to get things in a cohesive manner.

 We love the al fresco dining when the weather is pleasant....though it's not as much fun when it is chilly or windy. Of course this is San Diego.......

I think the one thing that really got my attention having been to the San Ysidro location were the prices; at the old location a birria taco + bone marrow was $6.75. Here...well, it's $11....call it the Old Town mark-up if you will.

Since we've tried a bunch of items here; I thought I'd list out our picks and pans.....

Favorites:

  During the recent cooler weather, I would usually order the consomme with birria ($9) with a side of bone marrow ($7).  This is not your side order-after thought birria consomme as there's a good amount of birria in the nicely flavored broth. Also a good quantity of onions and cilantro and the broth is well seasoned with a pleasant amount of acidity. My drill consists of picking out the bone marrow and using that to top the tacos I make with the nicely soaked birria and then pouring all the rendered beef fat/marrow liquid into the soup. Be still my heart...literally. I will say the on one occasion I had a bone with less than a teaspoon of marrow in it and when Tuetano first opened the birria had a tendency to be on the tough side. But not on recent visits.

The Missus loves the Smoked Marlin Burrito ($16), though they've often out of it.

    The wonderfully smoked fish is moist and seasoned nicely and we've never experienced any "off flavors". The Missus loves that the tortillas have been nicely griddled on the comal. As you can tell; these aren't huge, but they are mighty tasty with a squeeze of lime.

And of course the reason most people come here....the Birria Tuetano ($11).

   Yes, $11 is pretty steep, but when it's good, it's very good. I will say, I've had this a few times when the birria was too tough, but recently it seems they've got things right. A nice bit of spice, onions and cilantro to cut the richness, and bone marrow to add that decadent beefy-richness back in...a squeeze of lime. The Missus likes the simple chili de arbol "salsa", but it detracts from the enjoyment to me.

It doesn't get much better than this....

Decent:

If I'm hungry I'll get the Birria Torta.....the price differs depending on the day; I've had it for $18 and for $16......

  The bollilo roll on both occasions was toasted perfectly and held up for the entire meal. That griddled queso, while being a bit mild in flavor was a nice touch. The birria in the torta is on the drier and chewier side. The pickled onions adds pungency and there's always a ton of cilantro to add even more citrusy-pungent tones to the torta. On one occasion, I added in a side of bone marrow a rich - buttery addition to the torta.

We tried the Quesa-Taco once and thought it was ok.

The birria was dry and too chewy on this visit; though we loved the griddled tortilla with the cheese to protect it from getting soggy. I guess we missed the bone marrow? Or maybe we just should have ordered a side of it with this?

Pans:

The two items we didn't care for came from Mar Rustica. We tried both twice.

The Ceviche ($21) was very inconsistent. While it always looked good; once it was super salty and had too much lime juice; the fish was over marinated and rubbery. And once it lacked enough lime and was really bland.

The Fish Tacos were even more disappointing. For $16 for two tacos de pescado we expect perfection. On both occasions the fish was over-fried. As you see below.

The fish had dried out on both visits. Not sure what fish they were using on one of the visits but it tasted fairly muddy. Not very good and you can get better elsewhere for half the price or less.

As you can tell; there are items we keep coming back for at Tuetano. Though there can be some "unevenness" at times and you're paying the "Old Town premium", when it's good it is quite good. And though we've had better Tuetano in Mexico....that consomme with a side of marrow is quite nice on a chilly day.

   And we hope that this is just the beginning for Old Town.

Parking can be a bit of a challenge, though because of that and since we don't want crowds were usually go during the week and at off hours.

Tuetano Taqueria/Mar Rustico
2548 Congress St.
San Diego, CA 92110
Hours:
Sun - Wed 11am - 7pm
Thurs - Sat 11am - 8pm

Comments

[RedDevil]

The reviews of this new location have been very uneven so I have been waiting for your review. Thanks so much! Hope to try it soon.

[kat]

except for the muddy fish, everything sounded great!

[Kirk]

I think there's a lot of "moving parts" to this one RD. And some inconsistency leaks thru.

[Kirk]

They are getting better Kat!

[Loren]

Honestly I used to drive from Mission Valley to their location in San Ysidro for an occasional birria treat, it was that good and even dragged my wife down on two occasions (who agreed it was amazing). I've tried the Old Town location twice now, and honestly it's just not the same. Besides the prices which border on ridiculous, the birria just doesn't taste as good as it used to. I've tried the tacos multiple times and nothing tastes as it should. Feel like they just sold out or something happened when they came north.

[Kirk]

I think they are getting a bit better; though I noticed that the birria seems to be a bit more defatted and not seasoned as heavily Loren. In the beginning the birria just wasn't very tender and I'm fairly certain that the ratio of peppers is a bit different. I still prefer Fernandez; but I like the consomme at Tuetano. Also, I haven't seen the owner at the new location - just her husband.

[Soo]

I'll have to try this place on an off time.

[Joy]

I heard glowing things about the San Ysidro shop (pre Michelin Plate nod) and unfortunately only got around to visiting when some of the quality had started to slip. I know the owner had spoken about running the business by herself - doing everything from the front-of-the-house service to the cooking, and she knew she was cutting corners as a result. Unless she has invested in a team I would imagine the burden is even greater in a more central area. With more quality control this could be a star again.

[Kirk]

Check them out Soo.

You know Joy; in all of our visits to the Old Town location, we saw the owner's husband, but never the owner.

[Sandy]

I tried this place a couple of weeks ago with visiting family. Birria tacos were new to me, and the bone marrow was quite decadent. Everyone enjoyed the birria tacos, especially those who ordered the ones with the handmade tortilla.

[Kirk]

Glad you liked it Sandy! You should check out other birria places and see how it compares!