Mario's De La Mesa Restaurant — Restaurant in La Mesa

After many years living in La Mesa, my wife and I finally took the opportunity to drop in on what we've always considered an afterthought to all the the other dining places in the main part of Downtown La Mesa. Typically we'd pass this modest looking place on our way home from a lunch or dinner Downtown and routinely say, "We should try that place sometime." Today was that sometime and we were not disappointed, rather exceptionally surprised. We had forgotten about the Friday Farmers Market that blocks off the main streets of downtown and took a roundabout to avoid the congestion and ended up "settling" on Mario's. One reason we never really considered stopping was that it always looked as if the street parking was always full or unavailable without putting in a good walk. But a little investigation led us to an unexpected off-street parking lot just behind the restaurant. Walking inside we were warmly welcomed and quickly seated and attended to. It is a warm and cozy environment with homey, traditional decor. We started with an ice-chilled margarita and michelada with a basket of toasty corn chips and salsa. All the employees who attended to us were prompt, professional, and very personable with their service, from beginning to end. The meal itself was excellent. The Spanish rice and beans were on par with my expectations but the Chile Verde was surprisingly above what I expected. It was perfectly seasoned, not too spicy, and the meat was literally fall-off-the -bone tender. And the plates were a big portion and so delicious that I didn't want to leave any for take-home but unfortunately that meant I would be too full to have dessert. Maybe next time. Because there will be a next time. My only regret during this experience was knowing I hadn't happened in to Mario's much earlier for a meal. Thank you to Mario's for a great dining experience and we'll be looking forward to next time......

Wanted to looove it but just found our experience okay. Adding an extra star because I absolutely appreciate the backstory I saw on the news about the owner starting out as a dishwasher and moving up the ranks eventually taking over as the owner. First and foremost I will say that a lot of the people here looked very happy so maybe it was just a fluke with our table ? Came in, we were seated almost immediately, menus dropped off, and drinks taken, but nobody checked in on us for what felt like over 20 min. When our waitress DID arrive to take our order she was the absolute sweetest. We were pretty hungry and didn’t have any chips and salsa either and requested that once we realized other tables had it. One small basket for a table of 5 people, but we did get a refill eventually when we asked. My son and I had the seafood chimichangas on special and they were pretty good! Rest of our table thought the food was just okay (for reference we eat Mexican food from various places almost weekly). Daughter really did not care for the kids menu rolled tacos that looked like they were those pre-frozen ones from Costco lol. Hopefully the full-size order on the regular menu were better.

We did come here during Sunday rush, so maybe that was it ? Seems like it would be a great place for groups and patio dining, it had fun decor, and again, sweet servers. Will try different items on the menu...

It has been a while since I've been to Mario's de La Mesa. I heard the new family who owns and runs it now has made some positive changes to the menu, like adding the Taco Tuesdays special. Street tacos are $2.95 all day long.

I came in for lunch and ordered an iced cold beer and two carnitas tacos and one carne asada tacos. The street tacos, although they were small, they came generously filled with their appropriate protein.

The carnitas were very good. They were a touch dry but not by much. I liked that they were tender but also had some crispy bits inside as well. They came with only chopped white onions and cilantro. I was hoping for a little guacamole, which would have been great with the carnitas. Going double on the corn tortillas would have been good, too.

The carne asada taco was good, too. The meat was well seasoned and tender to eat. The carne taco also only came with cilantro and onions. Where's the guac? Just a little.

Both the green sauce that came with the tacos and the red hot sauce that came with the tortillas chips were very good. They had good flavor and heat. The tortilla chips they offer when you dine in are good eating.

The service was very good. They lady who took my order and served was very nice. I liked that they served your beer in an ice cold glass or mug. That is the...