ORTIZ’S TACO SHOP
ADDRESS: 3704 Voltaire Street, San Diego, CA 92107
WEBSITE: http://ortizs.net/
I was admittedly still pretty full from the salad that I had eaten at Solana Beach Kitchen in the early afternoon, so I decided to try to stick to something more on the lighter side for dinner. Tacos immediately came to mind, and knowing that I was going to try to stop by Sunset Cliffs that evening, I started taking a look around Point Loma for a taco spot to hit up afterwards. Ortiz’s Taco Shop came up in my search on Yelp, with great reviews and solid photos as well. Right on cue after the sun went down, I took the quick drive over to the taco shop.
The spot was certainly what you’d categorize as a hole-in-the-wall, with a pretty cramped parking situation to boot. I got super lucky that there was a car that was pulling out just as I was arriving into the plaza. It was around 7PM when I got there, and there was a pretty extensive line of people inside the restaurant waiting to order. I watched the line stay pretty constant for the most part throughout the entire time I was there; I guess that’s a good sign that they were able to keep up with the orders as more people were coming in.
No matter what type of Mexican food you were looking for, it seemed like Ortiz’s had you covered. The menu featured tacos, burritos, nachos, enchiladas, quesadillas, tortas, and chimichangas, with an array of different meat or seafood options for the filling. Despite all of these other options enticing me, my stomach was still feeling like it could only handle tacos. I wanted to get a good sample amongst the different taco options, so I opted to go for the asada, pastor, and Baja fish.
The inside of the place itself is not too large, with people lining up on one side to order at the counter and then booths for seating on the other side. There were only six four-person booths in the restaurant, so if you came during a busy time, you might end up needing to take your food to-go and eat elsewhere. My luck continued, as not long after I ordered, two people had just finished eating and made a booth available for me to go and grab.
The kitchen was cranking out those orders of food, as the guy at the counter kept calling name after name. Pretty soon, he called mine, and I went up to grab the plate of tacos to bring back over to the table. I do have to say that these tacos definitely had some heft to them for sure, piled on with a bunch of different toppings. For the asada and pastor, they were both topped with cilantro, onions, and guacamole. The Baja fish taco came with shredded cabbage, diced tomatoes, and white sauce; two lime wedges were provided for the Baja fish and asada tacos as well.
I tell you what, the meat and fish were so hot on these tacos that I had to wait a little bit before I could pick them up. Each taco was served with a double-wrapped corn tortilla, and I resorted to pinching the taco right at the top to pick it up and start trying each one out. The pastor was first, and the marinated pork had a really nice flavor that was complemented by the guacamole. There were savory flavors with a subtle hint of sweetness, and I liked that the flavor of the meat could stand on its own.
Asada was next up after a squeeze of the lime wedge over the top, with the grilled steak taking center stage. I’d say that of the three tacos, this one was probably my least favorite, since I thought that the meat itself lacked some seasoning. But the steak being combined with the guacamole, cilantro, and onions still made it an enjoyable taco to eat. Then last up was the Baja fish, which was fried nice and crispy to give each bite a crunch. The shredded cabbage, tomatoes, and white sauce that topped it helped to give a contrast to the fried batter of the fish. It was certainly a nice blend of savory and acidic flavors.
I’m definitely glad that my search for tacos in San Diego led me to Ortiz’s Taco Shop. It’s a prime example to not judge a book by its cover, as it’s probably one of those places that you might drive by and not think twice. But the food was absolutely on point, and it’s no wonder why there was always a line pretty much to the door. If you end up finding yourself in the Point Loma area, take a stop into Ortiz’s. You’re not going to be disappointed.
Let’s now take a look at the Ortiz’s Taco Shop Dish Spotlight. Asterisks (*) below mark my recommended dishes.
** Baja Fish Taco (pictured left) **
Fried fish topped with shredded cabbage, diced tomatoes, and white sauce, in a double-wrapped corn tortilla. Served with a lime wedge.
Asada Taco (pictured middle)
Grilled steak topped with guacamole, cilantro, and onions, in a double-wrapped corn tortilla. Served with a lime wedge.
** Pastor Taco (pictured right) **
Chunks of al pastor topped with guacamole, cilantro, and onions, in a double-wrapped corn tortilla.
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And finally, here are my rankings for Ortiz’s Taco Shop:
Food: 5 / 5
The variety of different options offered here is solid, and the tacos were definitely worth making the trip out there for. There was a lot of meat packed into each taco, with fresh ingredients used for all of the toppings as well.
Atmosphere: 4 / 5
Hole-in-the-wall vibes were definitely reinforced by the booths that were reminiscent of the early 2000s. The space was certainly developed to be functional, with enough seating for about 24 people to come in, eat, and head out.
Service: 4.25 / 5
The guy taking orders at the front counter was very efficient, along with the members of the kitchen. This rating is more about the speed at which I was able to get my food, as I was waiting for probably no more than five minutes after I placed my order.
Price: 4.75 / 5
The meat tacos ended up being $5.50 a piece, which some might consider to be more on the expensive side for tacos. (The Baja fish was $4.49.) I thought, however, that with the quality of the ingredients as well as how much meat / seafood that they gave you, the pricing was well worth it.
Overall:
18 / 20
(90%)
Categories: California, Restaurants
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