Ortega’s Mexican Buffet & Pizzeria

Exelent place! I was sad when I finished my Torta because it was soon good. This is a family owed restaurant.

I have never written a review before. But this is a special place and folks should know about it. It is an unassuming appearing restaurant but the food is above and beyond special. We had shredded beef tacos and cheese enchiladas. I have never had both with such fresh flavor and not a drip of grease. I’m going back again… and again… and again. Wonderful!

I was so hungry and ordered a Cali burrito and also carne Assad nachos. Just disappointed cause the fries were old in my burrito, and the carne Assad was not seasoned. For the nachos it was small portions and chips were stale.

My wife and I eat here about once a week. Mostly because they are a real Moms & Pops place. If Juan is not to busy, he will sit down and talk. They also have good food at a reasonable price. Not fancy but down home.

This is the best vegetarian Mexican food I’ve had in all of San Diego! This place is great!

I didn’t think I’d write something about this place but I’ll give it a shot mostly because I’ve been here a few times lately, and I’ve made a few more Unilocal buddies who encouraged me to write more, so here goes my thoughts on it currently. I know I’ll edit this multiple times so bear with me.
I used to see the outside of this place years ago and think, «Mexican food bufftet and pizza? What kind of combination is that?» The concept didn’t sound that appealing. I used to skim a few old reviews as well and it didn’t yet make me feel it was yet worthy to try among the 4 or 5 mex food shops around Midway or W. Pt. Loma I could recall. I never really glanced at the specials signs on window or outside until recently.
Yes, we decided to try this spot out for food to go since that was the day we originally wanted a Philly steak combo from Jin’s Grill but it had what we thought was a remodeling going on. My company decided to try to chorizo burrito from either the special price on front, and that we’d split that with some of their mild salsa.
So far liked most of what I’ve tried out. During the subsequent visits The items I decided on for my Linner are the milanesa torta and fish tacos. Some items like tortas and I think burritos or enchiladas seemed pricy but then again I’m not an enchilada fan, plus the tortas do come with French fries for their $ 6.99 price. The service is mostly all right. It might depend on who cashiers that day plus of course most of the time if anyone else besides the family it’s painfully barren except for 1 – 2 patrons. You always get your to go item brought to you plus thanked for your visit. Also, on my last visit I finally decided to take a few minutes to read the article explaining the story behind why the location had both Mexican and Italian foods. I’ve never tried out the buffet myself but get an idea from the reviews of what are under some of the lids. Also, last time I walked in, I actually saw a pizza out on a metal tray. I was assuming it was becaue maybe the construction worker who sat in came in for a buffet meal. I was wondering when I saw this pizza, «how will they keep this warm? There’s no heat lamp or anything «but like mentioned earlier, I got the impression that they might only display a pizza when for sure someone orders a dine-​in AYCE meal; I didn’t see the male owner at that exact moment so I didn’t think of asking about it. The younger cashier who I see most times I visit (weeknights) might seem bored at times but it’s expected if there aren’t many dine-​in patrons to tend to. She’s not the type to voice a complaint or anything to purposely rush you so it’s not too bad. I asked a few questions about a few menu items such as what types of smoothies they carried and what gets added in since I’m considering changing my eating habits to gradually start on the nutritarian diet. She of course turned to who I believe was her mom to get a few answers, so I felt glad she was patient with me. I think whip cream gets added to it.
I recall last time that I saw who appeared to be Juan tossing what looked like a pizza crust and he was all smiles, plus he thanked me for my visit so it made my day a tiny bit better.
The white sauce at the tiny salsa bar which I believe is the same sauce on the fish tacos seemed like a type of flavored mayo with a speck of herb or pickle, I totally forget but not too bad for flavor. I’m not one who knows what ingrdedients make a common saucefor Mexican fish tacos unless I do a search. Atleast for these $ 1.99 fish tacos It didn’t look like it was a rectangle frozen fish stick thrown in a tortilla full of cabbage like it might seem at a few other shops here and there. True I could have dished an extra dollar out to try halibut or another type of fish for their seafood tacos but I wanted to see what their «basic» fish taco was like first since this particular item is one of the usual ways for me to kinda gage how worthy a Mexican casual restaurant might be, and there are some types of fish I don’t eat often enough to know its taste. I hope I’m using the correct term here but I pretty much don’t have as discerning of a palate when it comes to certain ingredients like fish or cheeses. I’m no Florian from Cupcake Wars with highly sensitive taste buds lol so it’s why I don’t try as much to be a food critic, so guess you get my drift. I read some reviews about their other Ortega’s in OB. Maybe sometime I’d try it out also if I have a little group along n hopefully can park with ease. I’ll do more research on that later. At least for Midway you have a small lot and curbs to use.

My co-​worker suggested this place for a burrito, so I gave it a shot. I was skeptical since they do both pizza and burritos, but I said «what the hell».
I got my burrito and as most people I was extremely excited, I try not to eat burritos frequently so it’s definitely a treat when I do.
I took a bite and my first thought was «why does my Carne Asada Burrito taste like a pizza.» I thought, «maybe it’s because they used Mozilla cheese or maybe its their hot sauce.»
Upon further inspection of said burrito, I found pepperoni lined up inside the burrito!
ooooohhhh thats why I taste f***ing pizza!
I am all for trying new things, don’t get me wrong, but my brain was so confused. Here I am eating a Carne Asada burrito that tastes like pizza… WTF!
You know how when you try something new that’s not gross, but not good either, just kind of there… but for some odd f***ing reason you can’t stop eating it… Well, that’s how I felt about my pizza tasting burrito. I took the pepperoni out once I discovered it.
I love pizza as much as I love burritos, but I also prefer them separate!

Not good. I walked in and paid $ 14.50 for a dinner buffet. There were about eight stainless steel serving dishes covered with plastic lids. First one I lifted had some kind of soup; I moved the serving spoon and a thick layer of surface scum moved with it. Yuk! But I was determined to get something to eat, so I continued on. Another dish offered what looked like pig’s knuckle soup in a pale yellow liquid. Not for me.
Chicken mole looked okay, so I spooned a breast onto my plate, then took a scoop of some kind of red strip meat in a chili verde sauce. Also took a chili relleno, which was tepid and tasteless. The rice and salsa were okay, I guess. I got a drink cup, which I filled with some kind of weak soda pop.
At my table, I picked apart my chicken mole and found a lot of pink meat near the bone. I should have stopped right there and summoned the manager, but for some stupid reason I ate a couple forkfuls of the dubious meat. Also ate the chili verde and the chips. Nothing especially good.
Later that night I suffered some gastric distress, but nothing worth suing over. Red near the bone, leave it alone… I’ll be leaving Ortega’s alone from now on. Nasty little slop chute.

A small nook in a little plaza. Good service and the food is good. I kinda came in a full stomach, but I was able to try their tiny enchiladas and and yummy pasta. The sides were great as well. My daughter had the steamed veggies and she loved them as I did too. I recommend the buffet. The couple next to us had a pizza and it looked yummy. I’ll try that next ;) I did put minus one star because it was a bit hot inside and that distracts me too much while eating lol.

Wouldn’t it there again. If looks could kill, I’d be dust by now. Very uncomfortable setting. Low quality food with a big price.

I was curious about this place because I’ve never seen a Mexican food buffet. but after going, I have decided it is not worth the 12 dollars for the buffet, I mostly stuffed myself with the rice and beans. The enchiladas were okay, but a little bland. They also had barbeque ribs which were decent (but in a Mexican buffet?). They had pasta but it just tasted like buttered noodles. Chile Relleno was okay.again.bland. The pork in chile sauce was okay. No soup available. I finished off with a cold churro that had a weird vanilla filling in the middle — only took one bite.
The restaurant was hot and we were literally sweating (not due to spicy foods, its just HOT in there). We were the only ones in there besides the family that owns the restaurant — who were eating when we came in. I felt a little weird interrupting their family dinner… The girl who took our order had a blank stare the entire time, I asked a question and she just looked at me like I was stupid… I felt obligated to tip but I regret it.
I would rather go to a regular taco shop next time and pay half the price for better tasting food. Not coming back.

I give a one only because I cannot do zero. First of all i must say that the owner/​workers of this restaurant must have a lot of family to have such high reviews. I definitely trusted Unilocal,instead of my instinct on this one. We should have left as soon as we walked in, but because of the 4 star review and small family business i gave it a chance.
Tried the buffet ($ 12/​per person, small selection)
Food was 2 stars at best (less than luke warm/​too greasy/​little flavor. the last item i tried (the pasta) i had to spit out because it was so bad my tongue rejected it)
It was about 85 degrees inside (no air conditioning or breeze, not exaggerating) W My husband had to leave the restaurant in the middle of his meal because he sweating profusely and felt sick, as soon as he stepped outside he threw up, right in front of the restaurant.
I do not like to leave bad reviews at family owned establishments unless it really must be done. THIS MUST BE DONE.
I went back inside and asked for a refund for my husbands buffet only (we bought 3) The owner refused and said that he must have eaten too much, i contested… then he said «he must be intoxicated» I said I was not going to argue but that i come because of Unilocal and that i was going to leave a review. He did not care! Had he given me the money back for my husbands buffet i would not have left a review at all (for their attempt at being decent and realistic business owners and my desire not to harm a small family business) but I had because there was absolutely NOTHING good abut his place! SAVE YOUR MONEY AND GO SOMEWHERE YOU KNOW AND TRUST.

My husband and I stumbled upon this place while looking for a Chinese buffet. This was the only other buffet we found besides the smelly Chinese place down the street. The word buffet is a tad bit misleading. It is very small with just a few items. I wasn’t sure what type of meal I was in search for until we took a look at the menu. I ordered 2 Carne Asada tacos and a slice of sausage pizza. Odd combination but it was fantastic!!! Their Carne Asada is grilled to perfection and the sausage they use on the pizza is amazing. My husband ordered a Chicken chimichanga and a fish taco and he was in heaven. The prices are very reasonable we will definitely make this a regular spot.
Signed/​2 fluffy foodies

Wow! Just happened to pull in the parking lot to look something up on Unilocal and saw this place! The other reviews looked good, so we decided to give it a try. Glad we did! Truly authentic Mexican. Prices were great. I had the Steak Chimichanga. It was huge with plenty of steak and just the right amount of cheese, quac, and sour cream. If I lived inSan Diego this would be a regular stop for me!

Their fish tacos are absolutely delicious! They used to be a dollar each but they raised the price to 1.99 $ each. Still worth it though! The lady who took my order is very nice and looks Azn but she speaks Spanish which is pretty impressive. I recommend this place for their fish tacos! I havent had any other item on the menu. I come here once in awhile because its close to my work place.

Mom and Pop’s Authentic Mexican food and it’s finest.
I have eaten here several times and every time I go, their food is delicious and their service is amazing. They always have daily specials and offer an amazing all you can eat buffet for $ 8.99 lunch or $ 9.99 dinner if you have a little time to eat in. They also have $ 2.99 Halibut tacos that are very good for the price.
Today, I had their 2 Carnitas taco plate and it was perfect as always. Plenty of pork in each taco and the perfect amount of salsa, guac and lettuce. The beans and rice that come with were good as well and just enough to top me off.
The restaurant is always clean and quite. It’s the perfect place to enjoy a nice meal. You should definitely give them a shot if you are in the area.

This review applies to the lunch buffet, which is small but excellent.
The buffet generally includes rice, beans, mixed vegetables, chile rellenos, cheese enchiladas, a pasta dish with cream sauce, and, at the heart of the offerings, pork chile verde and pollo en mole. A hot ‘red dish’ varies to include either a beef dish or soup, such as pozole or menudo (I don’t like menudo so I can’t speak to that). Also included is a basic salad, chips, a salsa/​dressing bar, and dessert, usually a nice home-​made pastry. Highlights:
The salad is simple fresh greens, but if you dress with a little onion/​cilantro mix, creamy ranch-​style dressing and salsa verde, it’s a very good first course.
Veggies: it’s very difficult to get veggies in a Mexican restaurant. Usually your veggies are reduced to no more than a small pile of shredded iceberg lettuce and a few pieces of chopped tomatoes as a garnish. Not here. The veggies are a very good, properly cooked mix of broccoli, zucchini, carrots and potatoes in a mild garlic oil. One of the reasons I keep coming back.
Chile Verde (pork) & Pollo en Mole: both very good to exceptional, and always part of the buffet. Make sure to spoon extra sauce on your rice.
Rice, beans, cheese enchiladas, chile rellenos, and other supporting dishes are all good to excellent.
I’ve been coming to Ortega’s for years, and its buffet is consistently excellent. For a long time, I was fearful that this little casual place would go under, but thanks to Unilocal,the word has gotten out — and their business has thankfully improved because of it.
Ortega’s is a little place, but they have one of the best buffets in San Diego.

I have the runs this morning from their food!!!
Worst carne asada fries, actually they have no idea how to make them right.
Mines had no cheese no pico de gallo barely any meat and burnt fries.
I told them to fix it and the cashier girl was very rude. they put like a tablespoon of pico de gallo lol
This place is a dump.
People are giving this place high ratings from the stupid 1.00 tacos which is ridiculous. try paying more money here and see what you get.
Crap. And ive tried genric pizza with no toppings.
Pizza hut is right next door better deal to get 10 carry out unlimited than their 1 topping generic garbage for 8 bucks.
I had to take acidophilus to help my stomach but im getting outta bed every 10min to shit cause of this place.
Youve been warned!

2.95 Ceviche Tostada with taste at least triple the price?
I’m in~

Pizza joint or Taqueria? it’s actually one in the same.
I wanted to try this place the day I laid eyes on it. So on our departure day from San Diego, I made this my final stop before hitting the road.
I ordered their Chorizo breakfast burrito and I’m glad I did. Huge, cheap and hearty. All the things in it that a growing boy needs to survive a 6 hour drive back to the valley.
Great place for breakfast. When I head back next year, I’l have to give their pizza a try.