San Diego Avenue · Old Town · Mexican & breakfast
Old Town Mexican Café
An Old Town favorite since 1977, where cooks make tortillas by hand in the front window and carnitas are the house specialty.
Opens Old Town Mexican Café’s website. It serves breakfast, lunch and dinner every day.
Details checked November 2026
Featured photo
Old Town Mexican Café on San Diego Avenue, 2010 · Photo: Joe Mabel on Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Type
Mexican restaurant and cantina
Carnitas, tacos, breakfast and margaritas
Price range
Moderate ($$)
Yelp lists $$; Tripadvisor $$–$$$
Hours
Daily, typically 8 am–9 pm
7 am on weekends and 10 pm Fri–Sat, per Google
Time needed
About 1 hour
Our estimate; waits run longer at dinner
Parking
Free state park lots
4-hour limit; not suited to big rigs
Since
1977
Making tortillas by hand in Old Town
On the menu
Handmade tortillas, crispy carnitas and margaritas
A big Mexican menu from breakfast on: carnitas plates, street tacos, enchiladas, chile rellenos and molcajetes, chilaquiles and breakfast burritos in the morning, and warm tortillas from the front window, with a full bar.
Photo: City Foodsters on Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
Start here
Carnitas
Carnitas are the house specialty, per Gayot, and the carnitas plate is one of the most-reviewed dishes on Yelp (104 reviews). Google reviews mention carnitas 148 times.
RV tip: Mission Bay RV Resort is about 10 minutes away. Old Town’s free lots don’t suit big rigs, so bring the tow vehicle.
Also worth ordering
- Homemade tortillasThe top topic in Google reviews (346 mentions); you can watch them being made in the front window.
- Street tacosThe most-reviewed dish on Yelp (159 reviews).
- MolcajeteHeated over an open flame, per Fodor’s, and 135 Google reviews mention it.
- BreakfastChilaquiles, huevos rancheros and breakfast burritos; waits are shortest in the morning.
Why go
Old Town’s tortilla window
Old Town Mexican Café has been on San Diego Avenue since 1977. Cooks shape corn and flour tortillas by hand in the front window, and La Jolla Mom reports they make thousands a day.
It has 4.4 stars from more than 9,400 Google reviews; Tripadvisor (4.0) and Yelp (3.5) are cooler. Google’s review topics highlight the tortillas, carnitas, molcajetes and mariachis.
It’s a short walk from Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, so it fits a day of museums and shops. Mission Bay RV Resort is about 10 minutes away.
Photo: Joe Mabel on Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Why it made our list
- Tortillas made by hand in the window
- In Old Town since 1977
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Full bar and margaritas
- 10 minutes from Mission Bay RV Resort
For RVers
Taking the rig to Old Town Mexican Café
The practical stuff we wished someone had told us before we pulled in.
Leave big rigs at camp
Old Town’s free state park lots have a 4-hour limit and fill by mid-morning on weekends, and Escapees notes they aren’t built for large rigs. Bring the tow vehicle.
Or take the trolley
The Old Town Transit Center, a short walk away, is on the Blue and Green trolley lines, so you can leave the car behind too.
Go early
Waits are long at most times except breakfast, per TripExpert. Google lists an 8 am opening on weekdays and 7 am on weekends.
Watch the tortillas
Stop at the front window to watch the tortilla makers before you’re seated; it’s the restaurant’s best-known sight.
What visitors say about Old Town Mexican Café
The visitor report card
We don’t copy other sites’ reviews, but the published scores are worth reading together. Scores checked November 2, 2026.
Handmade since 1977.
Old Town Mexican Café, via Old Town San Diego Guide · oldtownsandiegoguide.com
What visitors often mention
Recurring themes in Google’s review topics
Homemade tortillasCarnitasMolcajete
Google’s review topics put homemade tortillas on top (346 reviews), then carnitas (148), molcajete (135), mariachi band (64) and bar seating (45). Checked November 2, 2026.
What reviewers mention most
Number of Google reviews that mention each topic, checked November 2, 2026.
Good to know
Happy hour3–6 pm weekdays
Kids menuYes
TakeoutYes
Good forBreakfastFamiliesGroups
Yelp rates it $$ and Tripadvisor $$–$$$. We couldn’t verify current menu prices.
Know before you go
Plan your visit
Old Town Mexican Café
- Address2489 San Diego Ave, San Diego, CA 92110
- HoursDaily, typically 8 am–9 pm
7 am on weekends and 10 pm Fri–Sat, per Google - Phone(619) 297-4330
- ReservationsSuggested, per Gayot; call (619) 297-4330
- Getting thereOld Town Mexican Café is on San Diego Avenue at the edge of Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, about 4.9 miles from Mission Bay RV Resort via I-5 South.
- ParkingFree state park lots nearby have a 4-hour limit, per La Jolla Mom. No RV parking is posted.
We couldn’t reach the restaurant’s website. Google lists 8 am to 9 pm Monday to Thursday, 8 am to 10 pm Friday, 7 am to 10 pm Saturday and 7 am to 9 pm Sunday; Yelp lists 8 am to 9 pm daily. Call (619) 297-4330 to confirm.
Where to stay nearby
RV parks near Old Town Mexican Café
These are the San Diego RV parks we have visited and written up. Drive times are from Google Maps on a weekday morning and change with traffic.
Mission Bay RV Resort
A full-hookup RV resort on De Anza Cove in Mission Bay, next to Campland, with bayfront sites, a heated pool and lower winter rates.
Campland on the Bay
A big waterfront RV resort on Mission Bay with its own beach, a marina, pools and nonstop family activities.
Santa Fe Park RV Resort
A full-hookup RV park in Rose Canyon near Mission Bay with a heated pool and clubhouse; expect some train and I-5 noise.
Helpful answers
Frequently asked questions
The questions RVers ask most before pulling in.
Daily, typically 8 am–9 pm
Ready for fresh tortillas in Old Town?
Watch the tortilla makers in the window, then order the carnitas and a margarita.
Thank you to the people behind these photos. Please support them by giving their work a look. Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Joe Mabel (two views of San Diego Avenue, 2010; CC BY-SA 3.0) and City Foodsters (carnitas tacos; CC BY 2.0); the images were resized. Food photos marked “not taken at” show the dish, not this restaurant’s plate. Area photos show the neighborhood, not the restaurant. Review-site logos are trademarks of their owners.
Disclaimer
RV-Roundup is an independent, community-based resource created to help RV travelers and to support and promote the places we feature. RV-Roundup is not owned by, operated by, or officially affiliated with Old Town Mexican Café unless otherwise stated.
The information on this page was prepared using the most current details available at the time of publication, including the restaurant’s published materials and publicly available sources. Hours, prices, menus and other details are set by the restaurant and may change at any time without notice. Before you travel, please confirm all details directly with Old Town Mexican Café at oldtownmexcafe.com or (619) 297-4330. RV-Roundup is not responsible for errors, omissions, or changes made after publication.
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