La Cocina de Nena

Been here 2x times. It’s right down the street from our new place. We were hoping this could be our go-​to place since we eat a lot of Mexican. I agree wth other Unilocalers — food is bland at best. The ladies that cook during the day seem to cook with a little more flavor. Both times we were there it waS difficult to communicate any changes in our order b/​c of their lack of English skills. We tried to order over the phone once & b/​c they didn’t understand us they just hung up. Had to go in the store to order. That was frustrating. Still looking for our go-​to Mexican place in Vista…

I ordered a Carne Asada Burrito and it was not enjoyable. I asked for beans cheese and sour cream. My sour cream was at the end of the burrito. The Carne Asada was under cooked. I will never come to this place again.

I don’t know if I came back on an off day but there was only one person working there and zero salsa at the salsa bar. I ordered a pork plate with red sauce this time. over $ 10 paid and a few minutes later I had my microwaved pork. It was rubbery and yucky. It seemed like the store was closing early but this experience was just bad. The pork was terrible!

This place not only has good food but is very clean and friendly. Their food taste like your mom cooked! I don’t like Mole but their Mole is the Bomb!

I love that this is family owned and run. The first time I stopped in I ordered pasole. The waiter asked if I wanted chicken or pork, I ordered chicken. They brought me a large bowl of very red soup. It was pretty spicy, I had to get used to it, once I did it was delicious. I did ask about it though, I’ve had many a pasole in my time and never hot, usually you add your own spice. They make the soup to order and can make it with as much spice as you like. I have been back three times and the food has been great. The tortillas are home made so ask for those.
The prices are mostly taco shop range but they offer seafood and that of coarse is more. This isn’t a taco shop but more of a step toward a family restaurant without being a full on. They have the taco shop menu but you sit down and the waiter takes your order. It looks nicer than a taco shop but I wouldn’t consider it pretty. It looks like they do kareoke by the equipment but I’ve never noticed any advertisement for it.

Love it! True homemade Mexican food, no cutting corners. Great service, homemade tortillas and the best green chilaquiles I’ve had in a long time.

Found this place randomly while staying in Vista and looking for a lace through the Entertainment book App. We were there on the later side so it wasn’t busy, but everything was made to order and definitely worth the wait. We ordered ceviche and the mole de pollo. The mole sauce in particular was amazing!

I really enjoyed a meal at Nena s. They have remodeled. So they have more space. I love the plate of chicken mole. I find that it is a rare dish to find around town. They are a great price and serve a delicious meal. Very friendly service. I recommend Nenas for drinks and music.

Sorry, I don’t get it. Been here twice now and the food is bland at best. People seem nice, but the food is seriously lacking.
Example: I had chilaquiles, and there were no eggs. Just tortilla chips drown in green sauce.

We had the Posole it was great. Service was fast. My wife ordered the green chilaquiles with chicken. Chilaquiles were good not great too acidy. Overall good experience.

Plus: Few places offer hand made corn tortillas so that is a big plus. You can order them on certain tacos and w your meal.
Service: The service can be a bit slow but that is because you have authentic food being cooked to order by what appears as home cooks… expect a slight delay and be patient.
The food: the gorditas are not bad. The chorizo and beans has a distinct taste that we liked. Also tried the chicken which as good and the nopales which comes w melted cheese. They are not overly stuffed but decent. I tried the tacos on hand made tortillas. The best gif me is the carne asada which was slightly charred and tasty. The tacos on the regular hand made tortillas are substantial as opposed to their street tacos which are on small tortillas. They have a small salsa bar w some tasty salsas. The free chips are warm and delicious. Also nice selection of Jarritos soft drinks and aguas.
Prices: some of the prices for certain items are on the higher end. Still plenty to choose from without breaking the bank.
Ambience: the place is in a strip mall and is clean and not fancy. Some English spoken depending on who is working.
Best bet: tacos on hand made corn tortillas. I liked the carne asada.
Next trip? Yes I will be back and while I liked the carne asada tacos I want to try the sea food or beef soups or maybe the menudo or posole. Also the chicken in mole sounds inviting.

Stopped in Saturday night to get some food to go. Place was empty, which is too bad, considering that it’s nicer than most Mexican order-​at-​the-​counter places around here. Ordered the 3 rolled tacos and 3 flautas, both a la carte. Total was like $ 8. Food came in under 5 minutes. I think it was 3 min. They started making it before I even finished ordering. Got home and ate. Both dishes were AWESOME. They had good meat, home-​made tortillas, decent guacamole, lettuce (I had them hold the sour cream) and, my favorite, cotija cheese on top! They really nailed. Even my meat-​picky wife love them. Only draw back was that we took them to go so they steam themselves a little in the container so not as crispy as they would have been in the restaurant.
We’ll definitely be back. Highly recommended!
As to another comment about no english — really? You’re in Vista in a cheap Mexican restaurant. English is a bonus. You just point at things on the menu and pay. And actually, the gal who took my order spoke perfect English, and was kind enough to endure my Spanglish.

I couldn’t find a single person that spoke an ounce of English… It was frustrating.
It says, on here, that they deliver… They don’t

The burritos were very skimpy
The lady that works here has one tooth.
Very over priced don’t waste your money here seriously!

Here for lunch with my lovely wife I had there menudo n street tacos I has very happy with there service I will defiantly be back to try there mole plus there tortillas are fresh

I will be back for more menudo. The homemade corn tortillas were made with love, the salsa was just right. The one thing I look for in a restaurant is their cleanness and it was very clean. I bought a dozen of their homemade tortillas. This will be my new Menudo spot! Best in town

Best breakfast burrito arround, and I’ve had breakfast burritos from every Mexican place In north county.
So juicy
They also just did a FULL renovation on this place. It’s huge, has a bunch of HD tv’s, is super clean, and looks great.
Everyone that works here is beyond friendly. If I’m not mistaken, this is a family restaurant and you can tell in the quality of the food. They make. It just like they’re cooking for their family.
Try this place, you will not be disappointed

I was driving in Vista when I saw their sign holder holding a sign for this restaurant. In that sign, it had the world «Mole.»
For those who don’t know, Mole is a Mexican sauce used in various dishes and is considered one of the most Mexican food/​ingredients out there.
Even though San Diego has a lot of Mexican restaurants, not much of them serves Mole which is pretty surprising
Anyways, I stopped by the restaurant. It’s very very small. No bathroom or anything like that. That’s the only con about this restaurant
I ordered their Pollo con mole rojo (Chicken with red mole). As soon as it arrived, I dipped the corn tortilla that it came with on their red mole and my goodness, the flavor is wonderful. Sweet, smooth, and just a tiny bit spicy, it’s one of the best Moles I ever had
I’ll go far as to say that it’s better than the Mole Poblano served at Super Cocina in City Heights.
I also ordered their Mixto Jugo Natural (Mixed natural juice) which is vegetable juice with carrots, celery, beets, and one vegetable that I forgot in it. Just like any vegetable juice, it’s bitter but I finished it like a man
So, I recommend you try this place if you want good Mexican food. It’s not a good spot if you’re out on a date though. Come for the food, not the atmosphere type of place

Mom and Pop type of business, it has that homey environment, they have like 3 tables and is a very small place.
They have hand made corn tortillas, something rare in this neck of the woods.
I had the California burrito, it was pretty good, everything you expect from a well made burrito.
Also had a quesadilla loaded with cheese.
Star less goes to the Jamaica water it tasted like it’s been sitting in the fridge a little too long but it is the real deal, no machine flavored stuff.
Definitely will be going back.
Happy munchin’