Carnitas' Snack Shack - Del Mar

AMAZING ! For one they're great because they hooked me up with a buy one get one free deal from 5 stars out of the blue so I went there, gave em my phone number and BAM, I got 2 hearty, delicious sandwiches for $9.72.

The Cubano Sandwich was on a nice thin french roll which giant cuts of pickle and hunks and hunks of pulled pork. It was a mouthful. Both the ham and pulled pork was very tender, would definitely get it again.

The Mahi Mahi (their only fish item) was a great contrast to the Cubano. The fish was cooked perfectly, light, flavorful and surprisingly juicy. The tartar sauce really made it! I think I actually preferred this sandwich to the Cubano just because it wasn't as dense and a little easier to eat. Both sandwiches hit the spot and I have leftovers. Thank you snack shack!

DOV: 12/22/16 | 5:15 PM-7:15 PM

If you're reading this now...you better head over to Carnitas' ASAP! They are closing the shop 12/31/2016....SADNESS. However, North Park and Embarcadero will still be open!

Parking: spacious! They built a parking structure right next to it so hella easy.

Menu: short and sweet!

Ordering system: order at the front, grab a number and wait for them to serve or to-go.

We ordered:
1. SNACKSHACK PORK BURGER: candied bacon/ gorgonzola / greens/ shack aioli ($9):
-Ehh okay. This was one that I was not impressed with. It reminded me of some type of black bean patty and I didn't even taste pork.

2. SNACKSHACK STEAK SANDWICH: sliced ribeye/ pepper jack/ tom/ pickled serrano/ chipotle aioli/ jalepeno bread ($10.50) //
+1 Seriously, my all time favorite! I drove 40 minutes just to eat this...UGHHHH.

They used to have a Yelp check-in for free shack fries, but since they are closing, they stopped the promotion.

Homage to Carnitas! Maybe I'll visit the other locations in the future, but this place has sweet memories.

More like 3.5 stars but I'll be nice. We came here with an out-of-town friend after the SD Fair and honestly, nothing too impressive. Your usual burger and "gastro pub" style food. My husband got the carnitas tacos, which were good, but nothing too impressive. I got the snack shack steak sandwich and it was much better than what my husband ordered. My friend ordered some burger as well and said that they loaded on too much guacamole.

The place as a nice vibe to it, restrooms are very clean, but be careful, you might be accused of pushing some guy's big son out of the restroom, as what my husband had to deal with. Interesting perspective to our day.

I digress, the place can be rather good if maybe we got something else? Place isn't bad, it has potential, I just wasn't impressed with my husband's tacos, considering it was $10.99 for it and I expected more out of it.

Any place with a name like this is a must-go-to, in my book. One look at the menu, another look at the decor, and I was hooked. Browsing through a few of the other reviews, from friends and fellow elites, I see a lot I agree with and can shrug at the bulk of the low reviews as most seem to be from people with less than 30 or so reviews under their belts. Still, we did walk away with a few problems, which probably stem from what we ordered, but they were still there. Anyway...

When you walk in, the place is decked out with an over-the-top pig theme, from the wooden sculpture on the wall to the painted scene near the bathrooms; it's cute and a nice touch to step into. Behind the counter, the guy was helpful and quick, ready to suggest a few choice selections upon asking. We placed our order and stepped outside onto a cold deck with a good amount of wind, despite the sun, and waited.

We started with our drinks, which were an off-brand of craft sodas. These are always hit and miss, with most selections differing from their name-brand counterparts in an off-putting way. I think I've only ever found one label that made a good enough departure from Coke or Barqs that I enjoyed. Regardless, they had Horchata here which is always brilliant.

Next up was the Snack Shack Guacamole & Chips. The guac was good, chunky, and not bogged down with anything it didn't need. But, the chips felt and tasted like they came out of a bag. No oil, dry, and cool to the touch, betraying a lack of recent cooking. They still tasted great, if they did come from a bag, they chose a great brand; kind of like ordering a sandwich and finding they come with a bag of Tim's Cascade Style.

I got the Triple Threat Pork Sandwich, featuring a pork loin schnitzel, their signature carnitas, bacon, pepperoncini relish, and the house aioli. First, I should note that the carnitas were fantastic; just enough salt, a bit of crisp that I like, and a great flavor that wasn't hindered by grease or grit from cooking. Every other part I wish I had tasted on their own, because all of the flavors (carnitas included) were completely overshadowed by that relish. Once in a while, the sweet taste of the bacon or bun would come through, but the sandwich was overwhelmingly sour, tangy from those pepperoncinis. It wasn't bad, but having a full sandwich with so much in it, yet you can only taste one thing instead of a blending of all the rest, was disappointing.

My very significant other had the Snack Shack Steak Sandwich, rib-eye, with pepperjack, chipotle aioli, on jalapeno bread with the pickled serranos on the side. The meat was well salted, tender, with some of the fat still present (the way I like it), but she took massive fault with two things. First, the meat seemed shredded where it should have been sliced thin, allowing the rare of the meat to seep out its juice and peek lovingly from between the bread. Second, about that rareness, there wasn't any! I mean, it's a rib-eye! It should medium-rare at the most, nice and pink with plenty of dark juice soaking into everything else. The meat here was cooked through, no hint of redness, and, when mixed with the shredded instead of slicing, also made this choice a bit disappointing.

Our son had the Kids' Menu Quesadilla, which he skipped, eating only the fries on the side. It wasn't bad, though their choice of corn tortilla did make it a bit chewy. And those fries are pretty tasty, sprinkled with seasoned salt and served with bacon flavored ketchup. The taste of that sauce reminds me a bit of Spanish Rice, thin and runny, but in a very good way.

So, in the end, it was an alright lunch and a filling meal. The whole of it was a tad overpriced, but this is in Del Mar. The individual parts were great, but didn't mix well, and the steak could have been prepared with more care. I do want to come back, try the pork belly appetizer at the very least, and possibly get another Triple Threat with that relish on the side. Until then, this place stands at just slightly above average in my eyes.

The original Carnitas' Snack Shack can only be described as absolutely phenomenal, especially if you're a pork lover. I mean seriously, a freaking sandwich that's got pork stacked on pork stacked on even MORE pork! Truly, it is a heart attack waiting to happen...and I STILL don't care. Yes, I had to order the Triple Threat Pork Sandwich again. Yes, it is just as good as the North Park edition. Ridiculously ridiculous, full of artery clogging delight, and absolutely zero regrets!

But I did leave a few menu items on the table, and quite frankly I have zero desire to deal with North Park's parking situation (which is only marginally better than the farcical situation in Pacific Beach). So, despite this plaza's also fairly crappy parking situation, at least it's a parking lot.

So what were those other menu items? I'm never EVER not ordering the pork belly appetizer ever again. As an avid pork belly lover at Korean BBQ, I'm not entirely sure how I skipped this last time. Super juicy with an awesome sweet-spicy glaze and they actually you give quite a bit! Plus I had to try my friend's poutine...let's just say that they did not screw up the poutine.

Other major plus of this location is that there's inside seating AND it's basically double the size. Can't wait to come back here!

Super rich food here! We ordered a ton to have different tastes... Love the free fries or chicharones w/ Yelp check in.

The Poutine (fries topped with pork and gravy) was outrageously good! $10 and all of us loved it.

The carnitas tacos (2 for $8) were yummy.

I was sad they didn't have the pork burger today, but the regular burger was juicy.

We shared the porkbelly and liked it, though it was a bit sweeter than I expected. The side frisée salad is a nice counter to the sweetness.

We also shared a Cobb salad which was a generous portion.

Surprise hit: the Snozzberry soda! It reminds us of a "red velvet/berry red cream soda" and was oh-so-yummy.

3.5 rounded up to 4. Is it just me, or does the food taste a bit better at their original location in North Park?

Being a creature of habit, I order items that are consistently good and never let me down. Their BLT, Pork Belly appetizer and their SnackShack steak sandwich. Although all delicious, it wasn't quite at the same level as their original location.

I'll still return as they are much closer to my home and it's much easier to find seating/parking. Get your porkie fix today!

I have not been to the North Park location but I know what a legend this place is to San Diego...so we were stoked to visit the North County version (at Del Mar Highlands) on a warm day like today.

Our menu:
* Triple Thread Sandwich - three kinds of pork. Huge & greasy. Enough for 2.
* Pork Belly Appetizer - had to try it. Sweet, fatty and truly decadent.
* Carnitas Tacos - massive tacos. Two is all you need!
* Kids Grilled Cheese - one of the cheesiest versions in San Diego
* Kids Carnitas Taco - our kid eats a lot and one taco filled her up good.
* Honey Hips - a really great flavored local craft brew

Our total came to $65 with tip. The servings are large so think twice about what you order. The Triple Threat Sandwich didn't come with fries and didn't need to. I still couldn't finish it.

Things to note:
* Booth seating is padded. All other seats are not.
* The bathroom is for one person only. Kind of awkward if it's busy.
* You order at the counter right when you walk in.
* There is a small outdoor patio area with a TV and a bar.
* The kid's juices and milk containers are tiny. Go with the natural soda fountain instead.

We like this place but boy I don't want to see pork for a while...at least until I warm up my leftovers ;)

I prefer this location than the one in North Park because it doesn't have flies flying around.

Nice and clean.

I've ordered a lot of different dishes here but the one that stood out are the Steak Burger and Pork Belly Appetizer.

If you don't like pork then don't come here. If you do, like me, then this is the place to go.

Long time listener, first time caller.

I've always wanted to try the San Diego Snack Shack, but their inconvenient lunch hours made it impossible. I was so happy to find out that this location has normal business hours including being open on Tuesday.
We came early at 11:30 to beat the rush and there were many available tables inside and out. In fact, it was a lot more difficult finding a place to park. We queued up outside and made our way to the cashier. The special of the day was a Cuban sandwich and I decided to order that with a side of seasoned fries for good measure. With a drink, the cost was about 15 bucks.

While waiting for the order, there was plenty of upbeat rock and roll music playing and a nice a breeze blowing through the restaurant's large open wall. It was interesting that the tables were empty of napkins and condiments, you'll have to grab that stuff up front.

My choice for lunch was a Cuban Sandwich.. In retrospect this was a great decision. Two types of pork and a rich overall flavor. The Cuban was an encapsulation of everything good about Carnitas Snack Shack, glad I ordered it. The fries were crisp, topped with seasoning salt. My co-worker got the triple threat and said it was great.

A few tweaks
- The Bacon Ketchup was forgettable as it tasted like thick marinara sauce.
- For the Cuban sandwich, my suggestion would be ditch the Dijonnaise, and add a more pronounced mustard.

Overall, I enjoyed the experience here. I'll definitely be coming back.