After our thrift store shopping foray, I remember walking down Newport and looking left on Bacon Street. At the end of the block I saw this...
and remembered that Cathy had recommended this place. In fact, this was one of OB's "landmark" restaurants. TC was up for Mexican food so that became our lunch destination...
Memorabilia in their front window:
There are several dining rooms but we chose to eat in the back patio (which is near their spacious parking lot). Chips and a homemade salsa were served. This was more watery than I cared for but it sure packed a subtle punch.
TC's horchata which she felt had too much cinnamon (it was on the strong side).
I ordered a ground beef tostada a la carte. I didn't want to eat too much for lunch since I was planning to go to the gym later that day. The tostada was nice and crisp and topped with the usual suspects. This was pretty much Americanized Mexican food and I was okay with that.
TC ordered from the Special Plates section. This was the #2 - two cheese enchiladas and a chicken taco with rice and beans.
TC enjoyed her meal and ended up with some leftovers. The portion was pretty generous as you can see.
Here is a nice article which goes over the history of Nati's through the years:
"Nati's Mexican Restaurant Celebrates 55 Years" SanDiegan.com, June 2015
Nati's Mexican Restaurant
1852 Bacon St.
San Diego, CA 92107
(619) 2254-3369
There were two websites I found. This is the more "updated" one: www.natisrestaurant.com which touts their "55th" year in business while this one natis.sandiegan.com, heralded their "50th" year.
Plus the reviews from tripadvisor and that four lettered site.
That's great they've been in business for such a long time. There were many locals there and most of them were on the "older" side. I don't know if I'd go here again though since what we ordered didn't seem all that different from what we could get down south. It certainly has a festive atmosphere and good service. Their location so close to the beach is also a plus.
4 comments:
I suppose it is more tradition that people/families eat here, plus it is one of few 'sit down'/no wifi places in the neighborhood. It's nice to not see tourists also. Good to see you stopping at 'older' places when going out...support the locals!
Reviews I've read were from peope who had been going there for years and now take their kids or even grandkids. That's pretty cool in my book. The restaurant must be doing something right to be around for that long. The food, at least what we got that day, wasn't that exciting to me but I do realize it is Americanized Mexican food which is comfort food for some folks. I do believe in supporting the local economy and avoid chains as much as possible.
I liked that your tostada has slices of avocado on top instead of guacamole. It looks so fresh! The place looks totally old school, I love it.
The avocado slices are a much nicer touch than gloppy guac, I'll agree. This is very old school. Worth at least one visit.
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