Gloria’s Taco Shop
1233 28th St.
San Diego, CA 92102
(619) 239-8093
By Judi Curry
For many months after I joined online dating services, Joe and I went out to try new restaurants in a variety of areas. Although Joe and I have remained good friends, he has another lady friend and I asked the two of them to join me in reviewing Gloria’s Taco Shop.
This restaurant is part of the “Golden Hill” area that the San Diego Free Press is highlighting this month. If you have been reading SDFP this week, you may have noticed that Emma Goldman has also reviewed several restaurants in the area, bordering the same streets as Gloria’s.
Joe and Connie
In looking over past reviews of Gloria’s, I am pleased that I had Joe and Connie with me, because although the food was good, I cannot give it the rave reviews that others have given it before.
Their menu consists of almost every Mexican plate known to man. It was difficult to make a decision because I like so much of what they had to offer. There is no table service, which didn’t bother me. One places their order at the window and you are called when your order is ready.
Machaca
My “test” of Mexican food is either Machaca or Tamale, and since we were there at 11:30am, I decided to go with the Machaca plate. It was served attractively along with rice, beans and tortillas.
BUT….the rice was cold and the beans only luke-warm. I think that the rice and beans probably are fixed earlier in the day and scooped on the plate as orders come in. The tortillas were piping hot. The Machaca was tasty, but a little too dry for me. I would have liked to have had a sauce on it or a dollop of sour cream to make it more palatable. The cost for the plate was $5.95.
Bean Burrito
Connie had never had a bean burrito before and she said it was delicious. It was served very warm, and she added hot sauce to it before every bite. The cost was certainly reasonable – $2.77!
Joe ordered two chicken enchiladas, primarily because he had made them himself several nights ago and wanted to compare Gloria’s to his. He had the same comment about the rice that I had – it was cold – but the beans were hot. However, he felt that the enchiladas were dry and needed to have an enchilada sauce on them.
Chicken Enchiladas
Although the order came with two enchiladas on the plate, he left one untouched. He felt that his homemade ones were better because they were not as dry. The cost was $5.95.
Joe and Connie asked for ice tea but there was none available. Instead, they opted for bottled water. I had a cold Mexican soda.
Over all, the price for all of the entrees was very reasonable. The restaurant proper is very, very small, with only seating for few people. While we were there there were several take-out orders; some had been called in while some orders were placed by walk-ins. If I lived in the neighborhood I might return to Gloria’s – but would not go out of my way to frequent them again.
The Menu
If one is not too discriminating about Gringo taste – it might be just what is wanted. But if one is eating at the establishment, food should be served hot, and with a bite to it. That was not the case for Joe and me and since Connie added hot sauce I suspect it was not the case for her either. If it is variety you want, Gloria’s is the place to go, but think of it as a “fast food” joint, rather than as a restaurant.
Judi Curry
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Machaca is supposed to be made with carne seca (dry meat). It is not supposed to be juicy. Regardless, I’m not a machaca fan. To me if a place doesn’t have good beans its not worth going to.
Hi Brent. Machaca is one of my favorite meals and make it myself regularly. Although I do not make it juicy, I serve it with sour cream, salsa, etc. to make it more palatable. These things were lacking at Gloria’s. There was no salsa, per se, only a plastic container of hot sauce. And, since the beans were luke-warm, I cannot vouch for them either.
The taco shop in that area that I really like is Benny’s at 30th and A. Not exactlyHaute Cuisine, but I do keep going back for more. The food could be spicier though.
To change gears, have you tried Buona Forchetta, on Beech St? I haven’t yet, but have heard people rave about it.
Haven’t tried Buona Forchetta Peter. Want to try it out with me?
nice review and thanks, too for the pics. BTW, why not just ask for sour cream? or borrow some from the glop on Joe’s plate? but honestly, Judi… “served attractively”? on styrofoam? That’s the deal-breaker for me, styro=lazy/cheap/polluting in food service.
Greater Golden Hill has a lot of great places to eat. Off the top of my, four of my favorites that I would be happy to go to each and every day are, in no particular order, Vagabond, the Big Kitchen, Pizzaria Luigi and Cafe Madeleine. I’m getting hungry thinking about them.
One more thing, Peter. I split the restaurants with Emma Goldman this month. I was asked to review Gloria’s and one other that will appear in the next day or two. I will take note of the 4 you recommend.
Ambrose – I read the prior reviews of Gloria’s on Yelp. I hate to admit that I was somewhat intimidated by the rave reviews I found there. I tried to be as objective as possible in my experience, and went there knowing that everything would be wonderful. I was disappointed with what I found. I should have asked for sour cream and salsa, but, quite frankly, didn’t want to spend the extra money. I appreciate your sensitivity to the environment. You make a good point.
Stay tuned for the Big Kitchen and Luigi’s…:) I hear from Emma they’re coming next week.
Nice review Judi. I know that I won’t be back. There are far better places for Mexican.
-Joe-
Golden Hill has wonderful Mexican food – Benny’s, Umbertos, Los Reyes – good starts. Panchita’s Bakery – stop by on Saturday afternoon, when the decorated birthday cakes are all ready to go out. For gentrification, try South Park. Greater Golden Hill will include North of A for your list.