Carnitas Uruapan Mexican Family Restaurant
8035 Broadway
(at Kempf St)
Lemon Grove, CA 91945 (619) 462-0704
- Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Private Lot
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Dinner
- Alcohol: Beer & Wine Only
14 Reviews for Carnitas Uruapan Mexican Family Restaurant
Hmmm. Best carnitas in San Diego, they say? Well, they be rightI We started going to this spot many years ago when it was a "hole in the wall" in Spring Valley. We followed it to the current larger-than-hole-in-the wall location in Lemon Grove where the food and value have remained outstanding. The perfectly seasoned carnitas are crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. They are served with beans, warm tortillas, a delicious green salsa, and a big bunch of fresh cilantro. !Que se disfrute!
Fried pork. There's nothing like good fried pork. I don't mean little cubes of dried tough generic white meat, but large chucks of fall-apart tender, cripsy-on-the-outside moist-on-the-inside pork greatness.
While we prefer the atmosphere and prices of the restaurant in Tijuana, this one is fine when the cravings hit. Everybody is super friendly, the place is clean, and for under $14 bucks, you get enough for two. In fact, we take a second order of corn tortillas home to finish off the leftovers.
Best carnitas this side of the border!! The food is absolutely delicious, all of the items on the menu are delicious, but of course they are famous for their one and only carnitas. I'm getting hungry just writing about them. This place is so comfy cozy, the people are great! Hector is a great host, he always greets you with a smile and sees you off with a smile, his parents did a great job! I love restaurants that have awesome people working there, I come back again and again....because really, who wants to not be treated right? not me. Anyways, all you people if you haven't been, you need to, you will not regret because once you try their carnitas........you do go back........again and again for more. Love the place, the food, and the people. It's a definite must try!!
If you love carnitas and haven't been here....GO NOW! It's the only place this side of the border to get authentic carnitas the way they are supposed to be done. The menu says, "delicious deep fried pork" and that's exactly what it is!
It's a little out of the way but so so so worth it. Hector runs the place with his mother and you can almost always find him sitting at the cash register to greet you, just like his father did for years before he passed away. It's friendly and inviting, no frills, just good food.
Seriously, go check it out. You won't be disappointed. You can't find carnitas like this anywhere else in San Diego.
**edited to add**
If you like chicharrones....as in the REAL DEAL, not some weird pork rind, order them here. They are not on the menu and sometimes they run out by the evening, but they are DELICIOUS! Squeeze some lime on them and CHOMP!
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I guess I am going against the grain here. This was one place i wanted to try since I had been to the Tijuana Carnitas Urapan several times and loved it!
However, the Lemon Grove version is bland tasting. I had absolutely NO flavor/seasoning in the Carnitas. As those of you who have eaten Carnitas more than once know that the pork is fried in oil (I know this is not something we eat every day) and serverd with some cumin...oregano, etc. Our order arrived like the pork had been roasted and was as I said earlier naked with seasonings.
Sorry, there is no excuse for a mexican restaruant not to have a little flavor/spice/heat (yes, I tried to doctor it up by adding lots of salsa to get some sense of flavor) attached to the pork.
If you know mexican food this is not the place for Carnitas. No matter if they join the name into their title. FYI I grew up in San Diego and have over 40 years of experience eating and peparing mexican food.
Very friendly, fast service. Food is authentic. Feels like I am back in Mexico with my grandparents. Oh for the love of pork fat. Start with Chicarrones, lots of salsa and lime, helps the digestion.
This is pork heaven. I love coming to this restaurant. The food is always great, prompt service and friendly staff. I've also had a few dinners there with my huge family and it was just great. Amazing carnitas and chicharrones! They are closed Mondays and Tuesdays which kinda sucks but I'll let it go, the food here is YUMMY!!!
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Good Carnitas and a cool family style environment to enjoy them in. One of my favorite things here is their Salsa Fresca, MMmm!! I like to order mine with Avocado and Jalapeno inside. Shit, so good! If I had a car, I know I would drive out here on an AT LEAST semi-regular basis to get an order of Chips and Salsa. Really really tasty and the perfect thing to bring to a potluck or BBQ this summer. Great dinners, great snacks, GREAT RESTAURANT!
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Wow! Be forewarned, when you order a carnitas for two (you order per person) it's more like an order for four normal human beings. The carnitas come in huge chunks that I found to be pretty dry. Chewy, like jerky. But the condiments that come with it and the choice inner parts of the carnitas are excellent! A lot of smoky, meaty goodness all up in your face. Also, the shrimp cocktail we ordered must have had 30 shrimp in it served with a bowl of saltines and vinegar-y salsa picante which is the only kind to be used with seafood. The guacamole was good if not very exciting. Really, the flavors were pretty bland but the portions were enormous.
Note: I took home some of the more inedible portions of the meat and put them in the steamer the next day and they were much better. I know this review may not make you want to jump up and get some 'nitas but if you have a LARGE group of LARGE people and not a lot of $$, this is a fantastic place to go.
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I went here with family after my grandma read a review on it. To be honest, I'd always wanted to try to restaurant with the piggy on the sign, but never gotten around to it.
The atmosphere is kitchy, cool, and the restaurant is FULL of piggies. It's great. It's run by a mother and son, and when we went, the son was running register, and when asked, "Mama's at the casino!" Good for Mama! I tend to make an initial judgement on ethnic restaurants by the customers. Had the place been packed with white people, I would have worried, but 9 out of 10 tables were Mexican, and two of the parties were multi-generational families that, from the way they interacted with the staff, were regulars.
A basket of tortilla chips and a good, though hot, salsa is issued to every table. Extra baskets are $0.50 each, but they serve you so much food, don't opt for the extra chips!
The carnitas were amazing! Served up in a heaping portion, with fresh sliced onions, a pile of fresh cilantro, and fresh, hot tortillas, the pork was tender and flavorful. However, it was a bit dry for my tastes, as well as for the rest of my dining party. We wound up having to order a rather high priced ($3.95) side of guacamole for the carnitas, it was so dry. The carnitas plate is also served with a side of flavorful, smoky tasting refried beans.
My Mom got the Chile Verde, which I think I'll be trying next time. Very tender pork, doused in an incredible green salsa! Eliminated the dry issue!
My Grandma is a big fan of good corn tortillas, and was so impressed with these, she wants to come back expressly to try the enchiladas with the amazing tortillas!
All in all, great food, good prices, I'll be back!
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Thae carnitas here are the best ! Unlike the ones in Mexico that include everything on the pork ( snout, etc.) ,these are pure
"maciza" - solid chunks of pure pork meat, pure pork goodness.
The beans that come with the order of carnitas are magically
delicious, order the guac when avocados are in season here.
Not a huge fan of anything else on the menu but the carnitas
are outstanding.
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The carnitas are what to order here, cannot vouch for anything else on the menu. Tortilla distribution is a little sparse so you will have to work with your server. Suggest to ask for extra tortillas right from the start as if it gets busy you may not see your server after your food arrives. Hole in the wall decor a little dusty and dingy but if you can get past that then pull up a seat. Great parking, free and plenty of it.
Also great fish and chips place next door.
WOW - best carnitas in SAN DIEGO - ask for them extra crispy & you're in for a great treat!
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Great place for carnitas! Atmosphere isn't as touristy as Old Town and food is much better.
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