La Especial — Restaurant in National City

Unfortunately, my experience at this establishment was extremely disappointing from start to finish.

To begin, there was no warm welcome upon arrival — no greeting, no direction, and no clarity on whether we should seat ourselves or wait to be seated. I tried to be understanding and assumed it might be a casual setup where guests simply sit and order when ready, but the complete lack of hospitality set a poor tone right away.

We were served chips and salsa to start, but the chips were incredibly stale — not just slightly old, but noticeably unpleasant. While I understand they’re complimentary, they still reflect the level of care and quality that goes into the food overall.

We ordered two plates of chilaquiles: one red and one green. I added shredded chicken to the green chilaquiles for an additional $5 — which turned out to be a mistake. The chicken had a strong, unpleasant odor and a squishy texture that made it inedible. To make things worse, the “green” chilaquiles weren’t even green — the sauce was brown and completely unappetizing. Both dishes lacked flavor entirely and were so poorly prepared that they caused instant stomach discomfort.

Additionally, we decided to try a third item from their menu: the tacos al vapor, which they’re supposedly “known for.” We ordered one of each of the three available flavors. All three were extremely bland and lacked any real flavor. They were at least edible, but nothing memorable or enjoyable. One important note — especially for anyone with food allergies or dietary restrictions — the “bean and cheese” taco was not simply beans and cheese. The beans were seasoned and contained visible ingredients like cilantro, chili peppers, something red, and onions, which was immediately noticeable upon seeing them.

What made the experience even more frustrating was the cost. For three dishes and drinks, the total came out to around $80 — an unreasonable amount given the poor quality of the food and service. It’s incredibly disappointing to pay that much for a meal you can’t even finish.

In summary, the unfriendly service, stale food, lack of flavor, and high prices made this one of the worst dining experiences I’ve had. I do not recommend this restaurant. You’d be far better off spending the same amount at a quality dining establishment where the food is fresh, flavorful, and served with care — and where you won’t leave with instant...

Been to the original place in downtown Tijuana and let me tell you my take. We went early morning to check the place out and it was just opening. We ordered 2 of each steamed tacos(beef w/ potatoes, pork rind(chicharrón), and bean&cheese). Both the beef and chicharrón were pretty good BUT, the tortillas were way too soft and thick. The temperature was great, but again the tortillas are supposed to be dried a bit before making a vapor tacos. The let down were the bean and cheese tacos. Seriously, steak tacos are traditionally made with day old tortillas so that when they are made in steam, the hace a more resistant texture and won't fall apart when being handled. The beans were too soft and almost mushy. A positive thing about the tacos is that they aren't a greasy as the originals, so that's a plus for your health. The tacos are bigger compared to the OG ones too, which is good because they're filling. One more thing, just go for the tacos. Not to trash on them, but the chilaquikes and "Gringas" were sub-par 🫤. I was really looking forward and hoping for them to be great, but it's the typical situation were an original restaurant will always be better that it's successor. Again, this is just a take on it, Go ahead and give it a chance if you're looking for TJ-Style...

So my friend and I went to try tacos de canasta. $3.5 per taco , which is a not a terrible! But the tacos weren't hot enough or tasty enough. I ordered Mexican caviar ( frojoles &queso) it tasted funky so I asked the girl if we could exchange it for a different kind since the bean and cheese taco tasted musty. To which she replied "oh ... if you already took a bite we can't take it back!!! So i don't understand her logic on that comment. But at the end she agreed to exchange it for a taco chicharron. So ordered was 5 tacos and 1 soda but she was charging me for the additional taco when she took back the musty nasty taste taco. So my bill was almost $29 for 6 poorly executed tacos and a $5 soda. Never going back . We love supporting local business but the owner needs to train their personal properly to manage costumer complains and the food...