Huapango's

Well now...fortified with a few drinks, we strolled over to Huapango's across the street.

Mr. TJ really likes the Happy Hour there and also a particular hot waiter...


who happened to be there!  I  wasn't too sure about the caliber of this place. The fact that it's a Mexican restaurant in Hillcrest automatically made me think that the place would be a yuppified and dumbed down version of Mexican food. I guess I'll never know because we didn't really order an actual meal here but a couple of empanada appetizers. Oh yeah, and drinks.

Growing up in the South Bay, we are used to getting good Mexican food all over Chula Vista. Recently, I've become a fan of mariscos. Gone are my rolled taco days from back in high school. But back to Huapango's. Although it was nice and cozy inside, Mr. TJ thought it best to hang out on their front patio to enjoy the end of the afternoon.

The waiter was indeed handsome. He turned out to be Turkish (La Ley guessed his accent right; she has a friend with a Turkish husband). His name in English means "Honor".

He seemed to roll with it when asked to snap a few shots of us as well as when Mr. TJ asked to take a photo of HIM!   Relax...our waiter is married.

Their nachos came with two sauces - one creamy cheese with peppers and a tomato based salsa. The white sauce reminded me of the kind they serve at Miguel's.  Mr. TJ, La Ley and MFH all ordered tamarindo martini's with a bowl of extra chili/sugar/salt powder to put on the rims. It looked quite skimpy (unlike they way they do it at Karina's).

I was done with drinks for the night and ordered a virgin Passionfruit number. This was actually quite horrible. It looked like a smoothie and was super super sweet. Like burn some holes through your teeth and esophagus sweet.  MFH liked it though, but I couldn't stand it. That was a waste of $5.50 for me.

I was glad that I didn't have another drink. You see, I hardly ever drink and the two that I had were enough for me. I figured I could be the designated driver that evening in case the rest were too messed up to drive.

Below, our beef and chicken empanadas. The co-workers started cutting into it before I could snap an unadulterated shot! Sacrilege!

The empanadas were nice and flaky, but didn't really taste like empanadas to me. The dough seemed like they were made from tortillas instead of actual dough. These were okay, but not great. The filling was also 'meh'.

This was a billboard that we saw as we walked north on Fifth. Yowzah!!!

Would I go to Huapango's again? No. Their empanadas didn't really wow me and neither did my drink. The only good thing was our charming waiter and of course, the good company. It was funny seeing my friends "get happy".

Huapango's
3693 Fifth Ave
San Diego, CA 92103
(619)546-5934

huapangoscuisine.com

Our next stop would be dessert up the street where several choices awaited us...