San Diego’s Best Mexican: Ed Fernandez Restaurant

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Ed Fernandez Restaurant specializes in one thing, Mexican beef birria.  Ed Fernandez is located in a far corner of San Diego, but it actually is a fairly short drive from downtown.

UPDATE: In October 2022 Yelp released a list of top 100 Taco Spots in America.  Ed Fernandez was number one!

WEBSITE: http://ed-fernandez.cafes-world.com/

• Type: Taco Stands/Street Tacos
• Location: technically San Diego but next to Imperial Beach
• What to Order: Birria Tacos or Stew
• Salsa Bar: N/A, salsas are on table
• Drinks: Bottled soda
• Prices:
  • Fish Taco N/A
  • Carne Asada Burrito: N/A
  • 2 Beef Taco Plate: N/A (basic beef birria taco is $2.20)

Ed Fernandez Restaurant is located right off the 5 interstate a few miles north of the border.  We actually had to do some research to determine that officially it is in the city of San Diego.  This area is the Otay Nestor neighborhood.

Although technically a part of the city of San Diego, this southern section is closer to the cities of Chula Vista and Imperial Beach.  This area, along with the southern neighborhood of San Ysidro was annexed by the city in the 1950s.  However, these neighborhoods do not connect to the rest of San Diego.

In other words, Ed Fernandez Restaurant is off the beaten track for many San Diego residents.  However, the location is right off the freeway only 13 miles south of downtown and the airport area.  We have made it here from downtown San Diego in 15 minutes.

The big challenge with Ed Fernandez Restaurant is that it is closed Monday and Tuesday and the rest of the week it is only open until 2 PM.  Furthermore, lines tend to be long. This place is popular for good reason.

The reason people come to Ed Fernandez Restaurant is for the birria.  Birria is a Mexican dish that traditionally has been made from goat.  However, it appears different regions of Mexico have their own versions of birria.  Fernandez does beef birria that is popular in next door Tijuana.

Ed Fernandez Restaurant was opened in 2006 by the Fernandez Brothers.  In recent years, the word is starting to get out.  In January 2020 San Diego Magazine did an article on the brothers and the restaurant.  Fun Diego Family first wrote about Fernandez after visiting the popular Salud! restaurant in Barrio Logan.  Salud! has an excellent pork birria and it inspired us to venture further south to check out Ed Fernandez

We are concerned that Fernandez will become too popular.  However, according to the recent San Diego magazine article, Fernandez is in the process of expanding.  Right now, they share a crowded parking lot with a church.  We quickly learned to avoid the parking lot and park on the side streets.  Supposedly they even have a shuttle service (we have not seen that).

The crowd outside Ed Fernandez Restaurant can be intimidating.  People wait in the parking lot. However, we have found that a party of 2 can get seated pretty fast.  They also do a booming takeout business, but we always eat in.

Almost everyone will comment on the friendly service at Fernandez.  The staff goes out of their way to not only greet you but carefully explain the menu.  This goes a long to ease what could be an intimidating experience with a new cuisine.

The menu can look confusing, but it is actually quite simple.  Basically, you can get a birria taco for $2.20.  You can add cheese by getting a Quesataco de Birria for $3.35.  The Quesataco Extreme adds cheese and hot sauce at $3.90.  Chupacabras is a spicy version that adds grilled onions.

We like to order three tacos each.  My personal favorite is the Quesataco.  They have hot sauce at the table, so I do not feel the need to order it spicy.

There is also the option to add Nervio to your tacos.  This is tendon which I hear is chewy.  Personally, I have tried Nervio.  The only other meat on the menu is lengua.  This is beef tongue and once again we I have no plans to try this.

One main option that I do plan to try is the birria stew.  The stew comes in a large bowl with tortillas for $11.50.  I have not tried it yet because I love the tacos.  Also you can get the tacos with a side of broth for dipping.

Ed Fernandez Restaurant gets it right by focusing on one main item.  The best endorsement comes from my 13-year old son who generally hates waiting for crowded restaurants.  At Fernandez he was won over by the friendly service but more importantly by what he claims is the best taco he has ever tried.

Be sure and check out our complete guide to Mexican restaurants in San Diego!

Best Mexican Food in San Diego

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