San Diego’s Best Mexican Restaurants: Salud!
Barrio Logan is an upcoming San Diego neighborhood. This area is known for its celebration of Chicano culture and is home to some of San Diego’s best Mexican food. Salud! from San Diego Taco Company is a relative newcomer to the scene that has quickly become one of San Diego’s most popular taco shops.
- Type: Taco Stands/Street Tacos
- Location: Barrio Logan, a second location opened in National City in 2018
WEBSITE: https://saludsd.com/
- What to Order: Tacos (carne asada, al pastor, fish, shrimp, barrio, birria, califas)
- Salsa Bar: 4 stars
- Drinks: Soda fountain, beer, and wine
- Prices:
- Fish Taco $2.50 (with catfish)
- Carne Asada Burrito: N/A (taco is $2.75, quesadilla with meat is $6)
- 2 Beef Taco Plate: N/A
Salud! Is a casual place but is upscale compared to the legendary Barrio Logan taco shop Las Cutras Milpas. You wait in line, order at the counter and your food is brought to your table. The line can stretch out the door but moves fast.
The focus at Salud! is primarily on tacos. Most tacos are $2.50 to $3 with the shrimp taco at $4. Sides include rice, beans, and Mexican corn. Tacos are served on soft corn tortillas. They are larger than street tacos but smaller than the hard-shell tacos at many Mexican places.
There are also a few “non-taco” options. These include a bowl of lettuce topped with meat ($8), nachos ($8), ceviche ($7) and q basic quesadilla for $2 or one with meat for $6 (mulitas). There is a nice selection of Mexican deserts. There is a different special every day.
Salud! has a solid salsa bar. They have about 6 salsas which are all excellent. There is a good selection of beer and you can get a taster of 5 served in a skateboard. Among the sides our favorite is the beans which come with large cloves of garlic and cheese.
Salud! has specials each day of the week. On weekends there is a taco burger and fries special for $11. On Monday there are Tijuana style-street tacos for $2.25. These include more off-beat meats like cabeza (head), suadero, campechano (carne asasa and chorizo) and lengua (tongue).
Special tacos on the regular menu include the barrio and birria. The barrio ($2.75) is carne guisado on a flour tortilla with beans (frijol), cactus (nopal) and sour cream. The birria ($2.50) is shredded pork in a sauce (if you are serious about birria make sure and check out ED Fernadez Restaurant close to the border).
In general, the meats at Salud! are fairly unique. For example, the fish taco uses catfish. The carne guisado is a stewed beef versus the more traditional grilled carne asada (which Salud! also has). You can see the selection of meats as your order so pick what looks best.
Carne asada and carnitas are safe choices, but I really like the birria. Traditionally, birria is made with goat’s meat. However, I have learned there is all kinds of birria. At Salud! the birria is made with shredded pork.
Salud! got a major reputation boast when it was featured on Andrew Zimmern’s show on San Diego. Zimmern is known for his love of exotic food. Salud! is not really exotic, but it is a solid Mexican food experience that stands far above the normal taco shops in San Diego.
Since Salud! opened in 2015 we admit we have come here more than the famed Las Cutras Milpas down the street. Las Cutras is a more rustic and exciting experience. However, from a practical standpoint at Las Cutras, the line is long, the menu is limited and it closes early (3 PM) and is not open on Sunday.
Salud! looks very trendy with all kinds of eye candy on the walls. However, this is a place where the food lives up to the decor.
Barrio Logan is an up-and-coming neighborhood and Salud! is a prime example of the exciting new dining options in this area. This is a great place to stop before or after our 6-mile downtown walk.
For more on the Barrio Logan Neighborhood check out our overview.
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