Casa de Reyes — Restaurant in San Diego

My friend and I visited Casa de Reyes in Old Town, San Diego, for Easter brunch, drawn in by its vibrant atmosphere and over 7k reviews here on Google. Unfortunately, our visit was a letdown, marked by subpar service, mediocre food, and an overall touristy vibe that didn’t live up to the hype. I wanted to love this place, but it felt more like a spot banking on its location rather than delivering a quality dining experience.

We arrived during a busy brunch hour, but were seated immediately, which was a pleasant surprise. However, the table we were given was noticeably slanted, making it uncomfortable to eat or place drinks without worrying about spills. We decided to switch to another table right next to it, which was fine, but it set an awkward tone for the meal. Things took a turn when we met our server, an older woman who seemed visibly frustrated or angry from the moment she approached us. Her attitude made us feel like we were an inconvenience rather than valued customers.

When I was placing my order, I was still reviewing the menu to ensure I had everything right, but the server reached for the menu mid-sentence, as if I was done before I’d even finished speaking. It felt rushed and dismissive, which was off-putting.

Throughout the meal, she never returned to refill our water glasses or my coffee, leaving us parched and ignored. We tried to flag her down, but she was nowhere to be found for long stretches.

At one point, we needed two smaller plates to share some dishes and couldn’t locate her, so we asked another employee for help. The employee’s response was unhelpful—she asked, “Do you know where your server is or who she is?” When we said we didn’t know her name, she didn’t offer to assist further or get the plates herself, which felt like a brush-off.

The food itself was a disappointment. It wad just mid and kinda salty, to the point where it overwhelmed any other flavors.

The presentation was decent, but the taste didn’t match the visual appeal or the price. For a place with such a strong online presence, I expected a lot more care in the kitchen. It felt like the food was churned out to cater to the tourist crowd rather than crafted with passion.

With so many other dining options in San Diego, I can’t justify returning. Will I recommend Casa de Reyes? Definitely not. If you’re looking for authentic Mexican food and attentive service, I’d suggest exploring other local spots that prioritize quality over...

Update 7/27/24: Ate here because Cosmopolitan apparently doesn't serve dinner anymore. Atmosphere is even better than before. Staff is friendly, but service and food are still an afterthought. Feels like this place is more interested in selling drinks than anything.

One step forward, two steps back. This place has the ability to be an amazing spot for dinner and fun. Great shops, fantastic ambience and authentic personality. This place would be a must visit if it weren't for the handful of issues we ran into. We spent all day running around San Diego. Hitting the beach with the kids, caught a harbor cruise then wanted to spend the evening taking in Old Town and enjoying dinner with the family. The last thing we wanted when we sat down was to be rushed through our meal, but that's exactly how we felt. We, luckily, beat the crowds and were seated almost immediately. Good start. We were seated next to the entrance so a line of 30+ people started to form just a few steps from our table, which normally is no big deal, but this place has tables packed in at an uncomfortable fashion. It took almost 10 minutes to even meet our waiter, which gave us plenty of time to poke through the overpriced menu. We ordered, and promptly received our drinks and appetizer. We ordered and not even a few minutes later, while we had just dug into our appetizer, our food arrives. That's strange. Now we are trying to set up our kids food and sort through a table full of appetizers and meals while 30+ on Lookers watch as we fumble to eat. Constantly having waiters bump into you, say "excuse me" because the tables are so jam-packed is ridiculous for a place this size. We didn't see our waiter again until I flagged him down so my daughter and wife could refill their drinks. The food itself was really hit or miss. Ceviche appetizer was sweeter than I've ever had it and the chips and tortillas used are not fresh. Chips taste like old oil and tortillas are hard in spots like they have been microwaved. Carne asada was the biggest dissapointment though. It was rubbery and tasted like it was reheated. Everything else was good, including the inside of my burrito. This place has the coolest shops, decor and ambience. If they would focus on customer space and quality of the food a bit more, it would really be fantastic. We have always loved to pay a little more for quality food and experience, but this place took more...

When my partner and I discovered Casa de Reyes we were both excited, the place is very lively and had a great feel to it. Unfortunately that’s where it all ended. We queued up and when it was our turn to be greeted by the waitress she asked if we had received a txt message! We were then told the best way to get a table was to book using an app called No Wait. This didn’t bother us as we didn't mind waiting so we proceeded to download the app. It turns out that unless you have an American iTunes account then you cannot download the app and us being tourists from Australia it wasn’t going to work. We then got back in line to request to be put on to the waiting list and was told to come back in 30 minutes to see if we have moved up since the confirmation text cannot be sent to international numbers. We were still not that bothered by all of this as we had a cozy seat in front of an open fire listening to authentic Mexican music. We decided to get some margaritas while we waited for our table. I then proceeded to the bar while my wife kept the seats. When I requested the two margaritas the bar man requested to see identification for both people. This is totally cool with us. I then went back to get my wife’s ID which happens to be an Australian drivers licence. I returned to the bar and provided the ID to the same bar man. The chap scanned the ID for about 10 seconds, he couldn’t find the DOB (which is pretty obvious at the bottom middle of the card) and told me that unless we had an American drivers licence we had to provide our passports for identification. This was it for us and we decided to walk away. It is clear from our experience at Casa de Reyes that they do not welcome foreign tourists. In the end it worked out very well for us as we went to a place called Cafe Coyote (which has a better google rating with much more reviews) this place has more margarita selections than you can shake a stick at and the food is the best authentic Mexican food we have tried in San Diego. The service is impeccable and the prices are way better than Casa de Reyes. If you are a foreign tourist and you want great margaritas and burritos or tacos do not waste your time going to Casa de Reyes, head to Cafe Coyote (5 min walk...