Ponce’s Mexican Restaurant

Got food catered from here for a work lunch. When I initially called to place my order a manager said they were too busy and he would call me back to get my order the next day, but he never did. This resulted in my order eventually being made pretty last-​minute.
Luckily the staff was able to hustle and get plenty of delicious food made for me by the time I needed it. Friendly team of people working there, very helpful and polite

I can’t believe I have lived down the street from this place for three years and have never been in! First, the staff is amazing. Paloma was our server and was a rockstar, when you visit the wonderful establishment you should make sure to ask for her section. The menu is awesome, your food comes fast and is great quality, and best of all the drinks are well prices, big AND strong! I will be back many many more times!

Met up with some friends here for drinks and dinner. I’ve heard raves about this place’s stiff drinks from them so I had to come and check it out.
I parked in the street but I believe there is also a lot next to the restaurant. When I walked up there were a lot of people waiting to be seated. It was Friday at 6:30pm so it was right at the peak of dinner time. The place was full. My friends put their names in and the hostess said about an hour wait. So we stood over by the bar and started to drink. Their margaritas are STRONG. A heavy pour for sure. We each had about 2 – 3 of them and were drunk.
When we were seated I ordered the rolled tacos. It isn’t like a taco shop so you have to ask for the guacamole and sour cream if you want it. The servers were all so busy but accommodated our requests. I’d definitely come back. It seems to be a happening spot. And who doesn’t love strong drinks?!

I am blown away by how great this place was. We literally walked in and grabbed the last table. Waitress had our order in with in a few minutes and she got our drinks right away. Margaritas are extremely tasty affordable. The food was delivered with in five minutes of the order being placed. Keep in mind, the place was packed. I love shrimp burritos in this place has probably one of the best in the city. A little spicy if you are a wimp. Lol! Most places put a bunch of beans and rice in it so they don’t have to fill it with shrimp, not this place. They were filled with big succulent shrimp. So glad I tried it.

Great Margarita! Great service! Great Food! Typically when rice and beans are on a plate with street tacos, i’ll take one bite and move on to the tacos. Not this time. OMG… There is something different about Ponce’s rice and beans. So Good! Everything about Ponce’s is spot on! Good job!

Do you know that feeling when you crave a place? We don’t often crave a specific place, more like the type of food, but we crave Ponce’s!
Everything about Ponce’s is excellent, the food, prices, drinks, service and atmosphere. You know a place is good when you see every type of person eating there, from hipster to senior.
If you have people visiting from out of town, this is the place to bring them for a local San Diego experience.
We can’t wait to go back!

I ordered food on grubhub, probably my first mistake. Took over an hour to get delivered and I’m 5 mins up the street.
Everything was cold of course so I just heated up, no big deal. Then I tried to eat it. Mediocre at best. Carne asada is suppose to full of flavor and super yummy. Not even close. I got a dry over cooked regular ol’ steak. My beans had more salt in them then the chips did.
Not ordering or going in to this place ever again.

I ordered ponces on grub hub. Extremely disappointed. Apparently grub hub showed up to their establishment late. So what I got in the end was cold burnt food.
The nachos look like something I could have made in the microwave. They were burnt and soggy. The guacamole on top had been turned brown.
There are ways in 2015 to keep food warm for up to an hour while you wait for someone to arrive. Grub hub had an insulated bag he pulled the food out of had he got it fairly hot it would have arrived to me at least a little warm.
Ordered the food on grub hub @ 2:23. It arrived at 4pm. If you can do delivery better than hire a delivery guy not a third party. In the end it looks bad on you for using their bad service.

Ponces is an interesting phenomenon, as Mexican food goes it’s poor at best. The chips and salsas are cold and inconsistent, when good they are quite tasty, but when off, well let’s just say jarred salsa is better.
Their food, unfortunately is mediocre at best. I can’t say any of the dishes I’ve tried stands out one way or the other. It’s acceptable in flavor, temperature and presentation. Honestly, fine gringo fare, and perhaps this explains why at any given time it’s more like an old town tourist trap than authentic Mexican eatery.
What makes Ponces special, and part of why I come back more often than my tastebuds like, is the vibe, décor and amazing staff. It’s just a cool place with cool decorations and some of the nicest most attentive and non-​introduce people.
It’s also great for families with kids.
But what sets Ponces aside are the Margaritas. Quite simply two will do and they are fantastico!

Ponce’s is where you go if you want to eat delicious Mexican food! The food here is several steps above a taco shop. Don’t expect a high-​end dining experience — prices range from $ 9-​$ 15 and the drinks are within that range too.
Don’t come here for: Beer selection (nothing available beyond cheap Mexican & American macro brews). Quiet atmosphere (the roof and hard walls make for an echo chamber). If you don’t like Mexican (everything is Mexican except 1 item: a cheeseburger). Lunch (will take 1 hr+ to find parking, get a seat, order, get food, eat, and leave).
Do come here for: some of the best beans and rice, great quality carne asada, delicious guacamole, and really nice staff /​service.
Overall, one of my favorite restaurants in town — even with my minor gripes.

Stopped in to Ponces because I’ve had it bookmarked for a long time and was in the area. The food was just ok, different take on Mexican food than I’ve had before. Wasn’t crazy about the salsa or the hard shell tacos that were similar to the boxed ones at your local grocery store. We did love the rice and beans though!
Rant coming up… Sadly the carne asada was dry and flavorless so I asked for a small thing of sour cream. I literally needed just a forkful When we got the bill I saw we were charged $ 1.75 for a «2oz side of sour cream.» Seriously? You could buy a container at the grocery store for the same price… Rant over
Other than that, the service was excellent and the ambience was fun. I loved the décor, especially the paintings. Probably would only return for a drink if ever in that part of town but wouldn’t take the drive just for Mexican food, it is San Diego after all

This place is amazing! We discovered this Ponce’s by using Unilocal a couple of years ago, it was our first Mexican experience in San Diego. I guess it says a lot that we keep coming back.
I really like the veggie fajitas and cheese quesadilla, while my husband is obsessed with their enchilada suizas with pollo asado rather than the regular shredded chicken. When my mom visits from Phoenix she always craves the chicken tortilla soup, even if it’s 90 degrees outside.
I am not much of a drinker but my husband loves their «daily special» margaritas almost as much as he loves the buzz that he gets from consuming them.
The service here is exceptional as well. All of the servers are awesome but we usually sit with Yorba or Stephanie and they are super friendly and provide A+ service.

Last night was our second visit to Ponces. My boyfriend and I had margaritas on the brain, so we stopped in during happy hour ($ 3 margs from 3−6pm) for some dinner. Upgraded to a large marg for $ 1 more — always a good idea. The margs are strong enough and deliciously refreshing. Served in a tall glass, not some wobbly fishbowl — which I appreciate.
The adobada tacos come with cilantro and chopped pineapple which seriously *belongs* with adobada. So so good. The street sized tacos are only $ 2.95. Salsa is very good, this time we got red and green with our complimentary chips.
The service is seriously great here. Greeted as soon as we walk in the door, not by a hostess as they didn’t seem to have one tonight, but by a server just being attentive to the door. Our server was on top of it — we had 1 chip left in the bowl, and she appeared with a fresh supply! As a chips & salsa lover, I really appreciate that :)
All in all, this will be our regular spot for ‘Margarita Monday!’

My first time here was a wonderful experience. In hindsight, I wish I’d stayed and had a margarita, but I ended up just getting my order to go since the husband had a rough day.
On a recommendation, I got a chile relleno burrito with beans and cheese sauce inside (and carnitas? I forget. I need to remember and commit it to memory). Anyway, in some circles, this thing is unofficially known as the «Wilrito», named for its creator. I take my burritos very seriously and this thing was literally magical. I wish I hadn’t shared it with my husband…
I also ordered us a plate of carnitas nachos and added beans. Though I hate having to assemble my dinner, I appreciated that they left the sour cream and guac on the side for me to add at home. They were also very, very delicious.
I hope to be back soon and to down a couple ‘ritas with my ‘rito.

Whenever trying a new Mexican restaurant, I stick to the same system. Order a combination plate that includes 1) a cheese enchilada and 2) something with meat. I believe the way a cheese enchilada is not only prepared, but served, assists with providing a proper ranking for the restaurant. You’d be surprised how many restaurants serve cold cheese enchiladas with unmelted cheese in them!
Every single time we’ve visited Ponce’s we have been pleased and left happy with full, yummy tummies. The pricing is reasonable, the food is always delicious, and they serve yummy salsa options with the table chips.
The restaurant does get VERY busy and for some reason i can never seem to figure out their business hours (meaning I tend to want to go whenever they’re closed) but as long as you plan ahead, you will be satisfied every time!

Let me re-​phrase that…
Chile Verde Burrito… do not, be, a fool.
This place is on point everytime.
Warning: Often quite busy around dinner-​time, and sometimes has up to hour-​long waits.

This is the best Mexican food ever! I love their guacamole enchiladas, steak picada, and chicken enchiladas.
Sooooo good!

I’ve gone back and forth regarding my feelings for this place. And I’m back on the «ehh» side.
The last few times I’ve gone – for both lunch and dinner – I found my dishes to be just so, soooooo greasy and oily. I mean, I know that is to be expected, to an extent, but it was egregious.
I have liked their chilequiles in the past, but last time I just felt gross after a few bites because of the greasiness. The pile of oily rice next to it didn’t help.
Let’s call a spade a spade, people. Ponce’s is an extremely popular Americanized Mexican restaurant, usually with a long wait for dinner. It has an ok atmosphere, good happy hour, fast service, and low prices. But the food is over cheesed, overly oily, and served in large portions. If that is what you are looking for (which is fine! sometimes that’s what you want), go here. But if you want anything authentic, fresh, light, or healthy, you may want to look elsewhere.

It’s a Tueday night, me and my gal pal are driving around trying to decide were we want to indulge in taco Tuesday. We end up at Ponces and it being my first visit and I’m expecting another mediocre, hip, «gringo styled» Mexican food restaurant. I hold high standards for the Mexican food I eat, being Mexican and eating at countless places that have let me down.
The restaurant has low lighting and lots of painting and art work on the wall and it is a little loud but that’s okay with me. We were seated immediately and given chips and salsa. They were out of the green salsa I wanted to try but the red kind on the table impressed me. It looked like salsa from home and had really good flavor to it. Okay, okay… They got lucky with the salsa. I was in the mood for a margarita so I ordered a blended strawberry and my gal ordered a sangria. For a $ 1 more we payed to have our drinks upgraded to a larger size (pint glasses) and the margarita was good, a little more sweet than strong but i liked it.
I was torn on what to order here and was bouncing from enchiladas to a chimichanga to finally settling on the carnitas taco plate with rice and beans. I read a Unilocal review that said these were the «best in town» so I needed to confirm that or not because I love pork. Friend ordered the $ 2.95 street tacos.
If I was Moses and could part the sea for the damn carnitas ladies and gentleman I would…
First, my plate was huge. It had a big serving of both beans and rice with the carnita meat placed in the center, with a big dollop of sour cream and guac. The tortillas were served on the side in their red basket.
Off the first bite of beans and rice, all I could think was «holy f*ck these are too good!»
The carnita meat was succulent and rich in flavor (a little salty but that’s how I like them)
I WENT INNNNNNN on that plate. I ditched all my silverware and utensils and started ripping apart my corn tortillas and scooping up the food.
I polished that plate and my gal pal even helped me finish it. I shared some with her off the bat and she couldn’t stop taking bites throughout our meal.
The staff are a bunch of people in their twenties, they were all in good spirits and our waitress was friendly.
Man, I was impressed and am still shocked Ponces is this good. I will definately definitely be back here.
Muy bien, muy bien.

realmente no se porque tiene tan buenas reviews, la comida esta X nada que uno diga wowww sabe igual que ir a un taco shop, pero bueno cada quien su gusto… el mio no fue.

Being of Spanish & Argentine decent, managed & worked in a friend’s Mexican restaurant, I know how this type of food is prepared.
Ponce, is the last name of many relatives on my Dad’s side, so I felt like I was home.
Based on my primarily relevant to a customer experience:
Marty & I met a friend here for lunch, we entered to an array of paintings on the wall of many beautiful Spanish women, one older women was actually a dead ringer for my Great Grandmother on my Mother’s side.
The ambiance gave me hope, but I didn’t see many of my people here, mostly an Anglo-​American crowd & staff; my experiences at restaurants that offer up specialty culture foods, seeing this is usually not a good sign.
Beer & wine are served, but water with lemon were our choices.
My order-​Combination Burrito-​Bean burrito stuffed with any items below:
Ground beef, chicken or shredded beef-​$ 6.95
A very enchilada looking & smallest burrito I have ever seen in my entire Mexican restaurant dining experiences.
Served Wet smothered in a bland & flavorless sauce, bland carne asada, in fact even though the carne asada was tender, lacked the flavor of what a carne asada burrito one would be expecting, including the whole pinto beans that I equivocate to those from a can, pinto beans not soaked & prepped, I know the difference and that difference was apparent.
Nothing about this burrito, left me sated let alone impressed as again, it was served constructed looking like an enchilada plopped on a plate with sauce.
Seeing my disdain for this, Marty asked our server to bring guacamole & sour cream to spruce this dish up

The lack of condiments like Tabasco, Tapatio (which I’m sure were available on request), should have been on the table & other items aside from salt & pepper, like every Mexican eatery I’ve been to.
Marty asked for these, and a «Sure, no problem.» was not asked, «Those will cost extra sir, do you still wish to have them on the side?»
2 Oz.-Guacamole-$ 2.50
2 Oz. Sour Cream-​$ 1.50
These flavorless sides did nothing to enhance my meal, my familia never makes burritos this way, small as this, nor does ANY place I’ve been in my travels; let’s be safe to say, I’ve seen & had bigger things in more ways than one!
The menu is confusing, leading one to believe ANY menu item below means any menu items below in addition to the staple fare is $ 6.95; see if YOU are as easily misled as I when you see how this is so close to the description under «Specialty Burritos» it’s not only confusing, but too does not say that $ 1.25 will be charged for a substitution.
Lonnie’s order-​3 Rolled tacos-​2 Shredded beef, 1 chicken on very well hand made corn tortillas-​$ 5.95-Everything looked good, but Lonnie’s face was saying-​MEH!
Lonnie admitted later after lunch that his last experience here was less than memorable, but he knew we wanted to go here, so he played it safe & inexpensive.
Marty’s order-​Carne Asada Beef-​served with guacamole, sour cream, salsa fresca, beans, rice, guacamole and a choice of either 3 corn or 3 flour tortillas-​$ 12.95
A flat small portion of Carne Asada, although bland and in need of salt & seasoning, the presentation was appealing, the Carne Asada was tender enough to cut with a knife, but Marty stated that more seasoning was needed and a decent meal, but not for the price.
The rice & beans (which are not a difficult task to prepare) based on our my primarily relevant to a customer experience, appeared to have come straight from a can, yet his corn tortillas were very good, warm, but broke in half easily so they had been in the warmer for some time.
Our table setting-​2 small bowls of chips, small bowl of a green & red salsa, the likes of which I have never seen; green was milder & the red was spicy, but neither one of these added any palate pleasing to the dining experience as their texture was liken to wheat grass smoothies.
A knife & fork, no spoons, we were unable to spoon out anything requiring these absent utensils, we opted to not ask anymore because our server although sweet Valley Girl speak kept interrupting us; Leave your customers be, until ALL of the menus are closed, but do make sure the beverages, ALL 3 utensils, chips & salsa are replenished frequently-​napkins & chips were but only in passing, almost as if they were in a rush to get off work.
ALL female staffs shorts were so tight, & short I could see a dime in their pockets & more; not a prude but ladies REALLY!
Zarape’s and other restaurants whose fare, is much better will continue to get my business here in SD for great Mexican food.
Different Strokes, For Different Folks, but this Castilian feels when it comes to Ponce’s, WE are all NOT: