La Tortuga — Restaurant in Seaside

Another good Mexican torteria (taqueria?)...but with a Oaxaca Mexico twist! My first visit was a group pick-up for my co-workers...and the main reason we chose LA Tortuga...was they open early (6:00am)...unlike the rest in our area that open from 8:00 to 9:00am.

First thing I notice, arriving near 06:30...was the fact there was a steady steam of people, most very clearly workers, judging from their crew clothing and various trades/business trucks being parked outside. The 2 young women working the counter were very friendly...very efficient and obviously very experienced. The phone in orders were steady...walk-ins steady...all handled quickly and with little fuss. Very impressive to me

Also...another big issue for me, is the cleanliness of a place. Mind you, I'm not germphobic in the least...but I always notice the front of the house at any restaurant. If it's dirty, it's guaranteed the back of the house, which you don't see, is likely to be quite a bit dirtier. Which means pay attention to how you feel after eating at such places...because while no restaurant wants to make customers ill...sometimes it as simple as not every cleanliness process is followed.

Fortunately La Tortuga was spotlessly clean! Even the restroom...which is another great barometer for judging a restaurants commitment to sanitation...was not only spotless, but smelled pleasantly of cleaning products.

Anyway, to shorten this review, our order for 9 people...some who made special requests...all turned out exactly as ordered. Everything was delicious and filling. All in all, I intend to go back...and not just to try everything else on their menu, which I intend to do...but because they have a Tres Leches cake in there that nearly made me cancel my breakfast burrito and have cake instead!

If you haven't been to LA Tortuga...GO!

I will write more reviews later...and as this was only a first visit, why I didn't give 5...

Oh my gosh a friend told me we had to try it and when we walked in at 3:00 in the afternoon and it was packed I knew it had to be good and I was NOT disappointed!! I had a shrimp fajita soft taco and it was delicious! I ate the soft taco last and I would suggest eating it sooner because by then it was pretty much falling apart but it was still very good. I also had the chicken suiza enchilada plate and my first bite was like taking a bite of heave it was sooo good. I get these at other places quite often but I’ve never had any as good as these!! With my plate I also got rice and beans and I like to mix them together and once again they were some of the best I’ve ever had! I was very, very pleased with the food and the service was exceptional also. They were very friendly and attentive which was appreciated. I have been thinking about that amazing food all night and can’t wait...

This is based on a single visit. My friends in Monterey recommended it because of the molcajete, an "everything but the kitchen sink" type of comfort food served in a stone bowl, with grilled shrimp, chicken, pork, beef, and cheese, as well as roasted jalapenos, green onions, and nopales. It was indeed yummy. I wish there were a vegetarian version of it though! The Oaxacan tamale was tasty and fairly moist. I felt the champurrado was not chocolatey enough and was too thin: I'm used to a thicker texture where you can taste the corn meal granules. The tamale and the drink were not, however, up to my very high standard from NYC Mexican street food... I was disappointed by the overly bright fluorescent lights, since I was hoping for something cosy. We had no complaints about the staff. I'd definitely go again to have the molcajete and to try...