Ortiz Bakery & Restaurant

Customer service is lacking. I almost got yelled at for not taking the plate from the waitress’s hand. Oh and my mom could not eat the lettuce because it was not washed!!! Will not be coming back.

Food is doable. However, it’s difficult to enjoy your food at this place on a hot day. This place has no air conditioning. I do not recommend it to anyone who wants to eat in peace without sweating. They have ceiling fans but it is just not enough.

Authentic Oaxacan food. We had tlayuda. This is a very large toasted corn tortilla, spread with a thin layer of black beans topped with ample Oaxacan string cheese, choice of beef, chicken or pork slices, tomato and guacamole. Totally delicious. We loved our lunch. Located at the end of S. Santa Fe in a busy non descript mall with workers and families enjoying their lunches. Every item looked great to us. Lots of choices and fair prices. Yummy looking Mexican bakery items. Don’t worry if you don’t speak Spanish. The menu is also in English and they will help. Great place to practice your rusty Spanish!

The only items I ever have when dining at this establishment are the tlayuda con tazajo and the tamales de mole. They are the best «restaurant» tamales I’ve ever had. The Tlayuda is alright.
Their service needs much improvement. I’ve been disappointed several times here. Once, I called an order in and they told me it would be ready in 15 minutes. When I show up 20 minutes later… the cooks start running around like headless chickens. The cashier explained that my order had not been made because they were afraid I wasn’t going to show up. A second time, I sat for 15 minutes waiting for my order. I raised an eyebrow when the cook sat with her husband (the owner) right next to my parner and me for lunch. I turned and said «and where’s my food?» Again, it hadn’t been made.
As we say in spanish, «puras de esas» at this establishment. Awful service 9 out 10 times.

Came here with some friends and had the red mole and dark mole chicken dish. They were both really good, but the dark mole was a bit too sweet for my taste, but it’s supposed to be that sweet so I can’t really complain. Service was so-​so, didn’t really expect much, dining room was pretty small. overall though the mole was one of the best that I’ve had at a restaurant.

OK, this is my favorite Mexican restaurant in this part of town and that’s saying something since there’s so many of them here.
They specialize in food from Oaxaca, which is a state in Mexico unique for having a lot of people of pure Native American blood
I ordered chapulines and tlayuda de choriqueso. For the drink, I ordered a champurrado
I’m a fan of chapulines (fried grasshoppers) and the one here is the best I’ve had so far. In other restaurants that I’ve tried, the chapulines is salty but the one here tastes perfect. If you’ve never tried insects before, then come here and order chapulines. It costs only $ 5.00
For my other order, I ordered a Tlayuda. If you don’t know what it is, Tlayuda is basically the Mexican equivalent to a pizza. It’s way different than that «Mexican pizza» they have at Taco Bell. The one here is also delicious. The Oaxacan cheese that was on the Tlayuda was absolutely phenomenal. I loved the taste and the texture.
The drink I ordered, champurrado, was exquisite. It’s basically like hot cocoa but with a nice touch of cinnamon to it. It was sweet and smooth. It made me feel relaxed
Gosh, I love this restaurant so much, this restaurant deserves 10 stars!

Been twice here it’s been a super great loved the mole tamales n enmoladas n the clayudas if you want true oxaqueña food this is the place to come ill defiantly come back

Best Tamales Ever!
Having discovered this hidden gem of a restaurant/​bakery after a GOOGLE search for «best tamales», we decided to give it a shot on our way to Los Angeles. Were we ever glad we did! Despite a language barrier (we don’t speak Spanish), ordering off of the numbered menu above the counter (with English translations and photos) was simple enough.
The staff was extremely friendly and made our visit thoroughly enjoyable. We then sat down and waited for the order to be delivered to our table, while we marveled at the portions other customers were being served. Most of the diners were families so we got the impression that this was a very popular place — not to mention it filled to capacity within twenty minutes of our arriving for dinner. In addition, there is a small bakery with an incredible variety of delicious looking choices to the left of the entrance, which some customers used to satisfy their dessert cravings.
One bite of the tamales made the whole trip worth it! These were truly the best tamales either of us had ever had — extremely moist and tasty. We ordered another round because we couldn’t believe how good they truly were! Then came the empanada, which actually looked more like a large quesadilla but was astoundingly tasty with big chunks of chicken and a spicy Oaxacan sauce unlike any we’d ever had before. WOW.
Though there appears to be some confusion as to why the huge sign in front reads, «Panaderia Oaxaca y Restaurant» rather than «Ortiz Bakery» as it is listed online, you’ll consider all other tamales second-​best.

2 ½ stars. I first want to mention that the service was lacking. The woman taking our order was not friendly. Just crack a smile please. Anyhow, I was torn between the mole negro or roja but settled on the negro and ordered a tamale oaxaquena style. We were excited! Our dishes came out and we were disappointed. The mole was so sweet it was hard for us to down them. We were scraping the sauce off and then dousing it with the salsa they provided. We then broke open the tamale to find the same sauce. /​sigh We also bought a few of the desserts from the bakery and they were good. Nothing to rave about. If I decide to return, it may be to try the caldo de Rez.

This is a nice low-​key restaurant in Vista with tasty Mexican food that is hard to beat short of going south of the border. The staff is always very friendly. I usually end up ordering the Tamales — I can’t get enough of them — but everything on the menu is very good. It is a good place to go whether you are alone or in a large group.

2.5 stars overall.
Three stars for the bakery: I’ve had this place bookmarked for a while and I’m glad I finally got to stop by. They have a great selection of pastries, I just wish I would have gotten to try them freshly made. I bought them around 7pm on a Saturday and ate one Sunday morning (it wasn’t as flakey as I’d like). But like I said, they’ve got a great variety and they’re around 50 cents a piece.
Two stars for the mole tamale: I also ordered some tamales to take home. I don’t speak spanish so there was definitely a communication barrier. When I asked which tamales they had, she told me mole. I told her that my husband and myself weren’t fans of mole sauce. And then she said chicken, so I said I would take 4 of them. When she rang me up she yelled something in spanish to the cooks and I thought she said mole and I told her «Chicken, right?» Si. When I got home I had chicken mole tamales. I stopped and got some salsa on the way home and drenched the tamale in it and it was okay. I would give Ortiz Bakery another try if they had pork or beef tamales available.

If you read no farther than this, let me just say: «Get the tamales de rajas!» Also, contrary to what Unilocal says, this is NOT between Indian Rock and Cananea, so don’t waste your time getting lost. The address is correct, (1275 S. Santa Fe) but It’s like 3 miles from Indian Rock & Santa Fe. It’s actually on the part of Santa Fe between Monte Vista Dr. and Cypress Dr.
OK, so I don’t eat beef or pork, so my options here were somewhat limited. I’d also have to say that a vegetarian would have a pretty hard time finding something here. That having been said, I eat chicken, so I was in luck!
This is Oaxacan style food. If you’re not familiar with it, let me just tell you now that you’re not going to find tacos, burritos, chips and salsa, etc. at this place. What you will find is mole sauces aplenty, the BEST TAMALES YOU’VE EVER HAD, and some pretty bodacious pastries. My husband had to write a paper for school about Latin American culture, and he decided to do his research here. Boy am I glad he did! I got to come along on one of his trips, and it was really good food.
I will also tell you that you kind of need to know Spanish to navigate this place. The staff doesn’t speak English. The menu has some very limited descriptions in English, but this place is not trying to lure Anglos. It’s not Chipotle. It’s authentic. It’s good. If you really don’t speak any Spanish, hang back and minute and order by number.
My husband ordered the mole negro. The sauce was amazing, but it’s a leg and a thigh (chicken) with the bone in, so if you are more of a breast meat only type of person, keep that in mind. There was white meat in the empanada, so you could always order that. Speaking of empanadas, their version of an empanada is nothing like any I’ve seen before. It’s not like a little hot pocket type deal. It’s more like a giant yummy quesadilla. I also ordered some tamales to go. They are like $ 1.65 each or something, and you could make a whole meal out of 3 of them, so it’s a pretty great deal.
Now for the Panaderia side (bakery), they have SO much to choose from. Unfortunately for us Anglos, a lot of the items aren’t like much you’ve probably seen before if you were not raised in an area with a significant Mexican population, so your selection process is pretty much by-​guess-​and-​by-​golly. To get your pastries, you pick up a cafeteria tray and some tongs, and you just go pick out whatever you want from the cabinets and bring the tray up front to get bagged up and checked out. Everything is only 75 cents apiece!
We bought a half-​dozen treats home with us. Some were awesome, and some were «meh.» The things that look like giant sugar cookies actually taste more like pie dough. The things that look like crème horns with a pudding filling, however, are AMAZEBALLS. There are also some cinnamon-​sugar wreath things that taste like carnival elephant ears. So yum. And the triangle puff looking things are full of vanilla pudding and are SUPER yummy. Then there is a bread roll thing that is full of pudding, and I thought it would taste like a French crème puff, but it just tasted like a whole wheat dinner roll with pudding inside. We threw that one out. Sure, there were some hits and some misses, but the hits were great hits, and the misses were cheap, so it wasn’t a big deal.
In the end, if you’re on a budget, I’d say go with a sure thing and get a tamal de rajas to go and one of those triangle pudding turnover deals. The whole shebang will only set you back $ 3. The mole is also super amazing, but the meat that it accompanies is not so much my cup of tea.

The fact that this place is a bakery saves it. The place is big and the people working here are friendly, but the food was not what I imagined. I ordered a Tlayuda vegetariana, but it was plain so I asked for avocado. I was expecting the large blue corn tlayudas I had seen in Mexico City food stands or even maybe this:

My husband ordered the red oaxca mole with chicken and was disappointed at the flavorless dish he ate. Mind you we both finished our dishes, huge dishes by the way. I just dont think we will make the trip up north to this place again. Ill have to find another oaxacan bakery.

May be the best Mexican food I have ever had. Wow!
We got the Chile relleno and a tamale. The rice that came with the Chile was fabulous. Cooked just right, not dry, not crunchy. The tamale… you really have to get it. Super cheap and the flavor, well imagine mole with chicken and masa, all cooked in a banana leaf, and it is even better than that!
The coffee, delish! Like the best flavored coffee you have ever had.
And couldn’t resist getting a pastry for dessert. This was a sugar coated triangle filled with cream goodness. 75 cents and spectacular.

Not sure where the name ORTIZ came from, we didn’t see it on the outside.
But I can assure you won’t find «Tacos» here, what you will find is a surprise of a different region of Mexico. Freshly made & a Great Find! I had to stand back and read the descriptions each dish, it was all new to this gringo!!!

I have to say I haven’t tried having a meal here yet. I go there for the pastries. Next time it’s your turn to bring in the donuts at work, go to Ortiz’s and get a couple of dozen (one of each different type!) Pan Dulce instead. It’ll cost you half the price of a dozen donuts, and has half the sugar content too. You’ll be the hero of the office for bringing them something so delicious, and the ladies will love you for not tempting them with greasy sugary stuff that the love but don’t dare eat.
Seriously, though, the pastries here have to be sampled to be believed. I have no idea what any of them are called, and at 7:00 in the morning usually none of the English speaking staff is available. You walk in, turn left, pick up a platter and a pair of tongs, and start loading up the pastries. When the platter is full, you set it aside, grab a second one and do it again. Then you take it all to the register, and get change out of a $ 10 bill. What could be easier?

I am so amazed that this place has not been reviewed more. And really disappointed that there were not a lot of «gringos», like me, streaming out the door. I am telling you, you have no idea what you are missing!
Tonight was our first time, and it was heart stopping it was so good. I had to tap into the recesses of my ancient brain to remember some of the Spanish words for things, but with a lot of pointing, smiling, and mispronunciations, we managed to successfully order an amazing meal.
The initial draw for my hubby was the mole. Moles are very complex sauces that require many processes, and can take greater than a day to make correctly. And not all moles are the same. Ortiz’ makes several different types. You have not experienced a great mole until you have tried their rojo, or another one with «colorado» in the name.
We had a caldo de res made with beef ribs, a chile relleno (stuffed with chicken), an empanada that resembled a quesadilla but was a huge homemade corn tortilla filled with chicken, vegetable, and sauce, served with sliced avocado, tomato, onion. As if that was not enough food, we ordered to go a mole with chicken leg, and a tamale with mole. oh yeah, the bakery was not left untouched. Three pan dulce came home with us. I showed some restraint — we would usually pick a half dozen.
Amazing, all of it. And huge servings at very affordably low prices. I would order the same again, but their menu really cries out to try more. This may have been a low budget meal in humble surroundings, but with all the perfection of a 5 star restaurant when it comes to taste.
We will be in this area for the rest of this week, and no doubt, we will be back to Ortiz Bakery at least one more time before we have to drag ourselves home. This place could easily become a habit any time we pass through. I do believe this place has their hands on great chefs.

One of the BEST places in town for authentic mexican food.
Tired of the gringo-​flavored mexican food from all the ‘mexican’ restaurants around town? Tired of burritos, combinations, and tacos? Look no further! This is one of the best places around town for real mexican food.
I always take my out-​of-​the-​country guests that want to try mexican food to this place and they love it! Food is really good and different from everything they’ve tried before. And is not expensive at all!
I love the enfrijoladas and memelas… tlayudas are also very good! I still need to try the mole and the ‘crickets’… I’ve tried crickets before, but not here… and they are actually very tasty!
The restaurant has an English menu posted on the wall, but you should have some basic command of Spanish, because sometimes the workers do not speak English… but if you know how to use your finger, you’ll be fine… just point to what you want!
Also, try some authentic mexican sweet bread, it’s always fresh and very good! Great for cold days with some chocolate or coffee. (But remember to burn the extra calories!).
This place is easy to miss, but is next to the Gorditas place that is more noticeable!
Enjoy!

Great Oaxacan food! I am slowly but surely learning more about and experiencing more of this regional cuisine. It is really quite different from Baja California or Tex-​Mex and I am always glad to find a place that serves this style of food.
Unfortunately, this place is in Vista. I never go to Vista, but was called to jury duty and found out I could go to the courthouse there in place of the one downtown (so much easier!). Making the most of the situation, I found this place through Unilocal and decided to make a stop on the way back home. The food is authentic. Almost everybody there was Mexican. I kind of felt out of place and had no idea what to get, but decided to go for the yellow mole to go. The food was really good, if rich. Spicy mole. Tender chicken. I do have to say I like black mole better, but anything with chocolate in it is going to win.

I had to come back and write more about this place.
They offer «comida corrida» which is like a lunch special for less than $ 6.00. The food, which tastes like what my abuelita (grandma) would make is great. There are usually two choices that include: main course, rice, black beans, soup (sometimes pasta, others lentils), tortillas, salsa and the homemade fresh water.
I specially enjoy when they have the tortitas de papa (potato cakes) and the huevos con chorizo (eggs with chorizo). Mmmm, deliciousness!
The owners are very friendly and always ready to please a food demanding customer like me.