Canela Mexico City Cuisine

First off, this place is not for snooty tight wads who walk with their nose in the air. It’s a small joint that cooks fresh delicious food and made to order. Maria is the cook and a true delight. It’s like sitting in a home kitchen watching your food get made. If you are in a hurry then think twice. But if you have time this place is a must. Home made Mexican food. Quality you can’t make up.

I wandered into Canela several months ago, shortly after the kind, sweet owner, Maria, took the place over from a nondescript taco shop that had previously occupied its hidden corner of the Boot Barn shopping strip. Being short on time, I drank an Agua de Jamaica, then promised to return.
Recently, our weather turned cold, and my attention turned to soups and stews. I called Maria to ask if she served pozole rojo. She simply said: «You come and see what I have for you,» and, being raised to honor and obey the women in my life, I did as I was told.
Imagine visiting your favorite aunt for a meal, and she serves you everything you like. Plus chips and salsa. That’s lunch at Canela Mexico City Cuisine.
Maria is one of those cooks whose circumstances belie her talent and aspirations, so I read her menu, and was surprised by taco shop treats (many handmade), plus these and many other specialties:
— Mole de la Olla
— Huaraches
— Pozole Rojo
— Birria de Res
Taco shop, indeed. You can, in fact, find a California Burrito at Canela, but seriously, why would you?
I got my pozole rojo, which was very good, if a touch «clean» for my taste. I prefer pig’s feet (patas) and spine (espinazo) to neatly diced chunks of pork loin. Some dishes just want all the flavors the butcher has to offer.
That being said, the quality and selection of interesting Mexican delights prepared by Maria — a superb cook — are not to be missed.
You can always stop at your neighborhood «–berto’s» later in the week.
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Here are the places I visited for pozole since November, in my order of preference:
— La Sierra Café (Highly Recommended):
— El Borrego Restaurant (Highly Recommended):
— Birrieria Don Rafa (Recommended):
— CANELA MEXICO CITY CUISINE (Recommended)
— Pozoleria Doña Maria (Recommended)
— El Comal (Not Recommended):
— Birrieria Y Menuderia Guadalajara (Not Recommended):

Had the handmade fried quesadillas!!! Amazing! 100% authentic mexican food. I would know! From the moment you try the beans you know the food is going to be good!

My husband and I stopped in after church last Sunday and we were very pleased by our experience and the food was delicious. Prices were very good. I had two enchiladas — chicken and beef — with green sauce, with rice and beans. The beans were not canned but freshly made and were super yummy! I feel like I got a good deal and we will go back in the future.

Outstanding food. Truly an undiscovered gem. The green Mole and chorizo and potato quesadillas were amazing. I recommend this place for authentic Mexico City home cooking.

I work near by here so I decided to pop in during lunch and try them out. I was blown away by their hospitality! Service was great, food is exceptional! Defiantly in my weekly lunch rotation! Go here!

Real Mexican food
Si eres Mexicano Sabras que esto esto Es realmente comida Mexican, todo esta delicioso Es como estar en Casa !

Loved the food! Their red pozole is amazing :). Their tacos are delicious. Yay for mom and pop businesses!

First time and it’s worthy so far. I ranked the old Seranos Super Salsa tops with their carne asada burrito, and the new kids on the block did a fine job. Not quite the same as before, but dang close. My buddy had the carnitas burrito and said it was one of the best he’s ever had. The green salsa is pretty amazing and the red is okay. The owner comped us a side of marinated sliced jalapenos and onions… very unique and tasty. The marinade was soy sauce based, with a little something more. I like seeing food prepped in ways I’ve never seen before. Kuddos to them. Looking forward to working my way through the menu. Oh, and it was 12:30, wasn’t crowded and the food came out in good time. I asked if there was any family relation to the old owners, and they said kind of, one of the guys there is the brother-​in-​law (if I heard right) of the previous owner… I wasn’t clear. But, perhaps that’s the reason the carne asada burrito tasted so similar. I’m good on that!

Real classic mexican taste, there’s love and good karma in these plates! I just liked it and suited good to my stomach… like when you eat good :)

Delicious home cooked comfort food. Not your average taco shop. The flavors are so amazing your taste buds will wake up singing! I had the chicken mole with rice & beans. Rich dark, slightly spicy perfectly paired with fluffy rice. I had a taste of the Chile relleno. The sauce was so heavly you could drink it in a cup. I can’t wait to go back and try something else. You can tell the owners know love what they do and they aim to please. Definitely worth a try if you are a foodie.

The sopes are on point! I have been to Mexico City plenty of times and j can say this place is legit.

I hate to be the one to give the first bad review so I’ll start with all the positives. This place is super clean on the inside, the service is great. The food is made fresh .why only one star the food lacks flavor, while everything is fresh and cook daily the food has no taste. I come here twice a month because it’s next to the baby exchange one of my favorite stores and my six year old love’s there roll tacos because in her words nothing «spicy» meaning no onions„ tomatoes, salt,.I would try to order tacos but they have no flavor. It’s to the point where I just order my daughter roll tacos and my eighteen month a side of beans and that it. In my opinion it doesn’t matter how great your service is or how clean your restaurant is if your food isn’t good you wount have a successful business. If your into tastless Mexican food this is the place for you.

I had the chilaquiles breakfast and it was super delicious. The food is not your typical heavy Mexican fare but is home-​cooked and very tasty. Highly recommended. I had a delicious corn drink too, warm, soothing and nourishing– I don’t think it’s on the menu, so maybe you have to ask for it? This is also a great place to have breakfast or lunch while you’re having your car tuned up at the nearby Toyota El Cajon dealership which is an easy half block walk away.

This little taco shop has a diverse menu full of suprises! For instance they offer spinach and pinapple juice which is a pleasant suprise. They also have great lunch specials and some really awesome fry combos. It’s definitely worth it to go check out. The only reason why I am giving them a 4 star review is the salsa is a little lacking. It’s not terrible but kind of eh.

Great Homemade Mexican food café with good prices!
I had the fish taco and birria (beef) soft taco — both were delicious and filling. The wait staff were very attentive and friendly and offered samples of soups: Pozole Blanco, Albondigas and yummy Bunelos (cinnamon flavored chips) for dessert.
A wonderful, friendly, casual family restaurant you will enjoy.

My wife and I tried Canela’s on Friday evening and are we glad we did. Two thumbs up and we will be back. Very good! The former Mexican restaurant in this location was our family’s favorite and Canela’s is just as good. It is located in the strip mall where the Boot Barn is on the corner of Johnson and Arnele.

Yes! Canela has surpassed Serrano’s Super Salsa which used to be located in this very spot. You can’t rush good food for the soul and they make everything fresh to order. The green sauce is the best I’ve ever tasted. The carnitas is phenomenal, Shrimp is the best and I think Canela could take the honor of best Shrimp Burrito in SD!
It’s so slow there at lunch time I need you to go there and eat something. Please! Thank you!

You got to love homemade Mexican cooking, and «yes,» was what I said to my self when I found out they braise their own natural beef for their machaca plate, They do not use the ready made version that comes out of a large can, like other places tend to use.
I ordered the said plate, which came with a side of either re-​fried beans or whole beans, I choose the whole beans, a side of Mexican Rice, corn tortillas, and no doubt corn tortilla chips and a couple of different salsas for around $ 8. I also asked for a side of Cotija cheese at no charge.
They not only loaded the plate was tender and flavorful machaca, but they prepared it very well too. The shredded beef was very tender and juicy, and they seasoned it very well. The eggs that were scrambled into the beef were fluffy and tasted great. The machaca also came with white onions, red and green peppers scrambled in. The machaca was terrific to eat with the corn tortillas. I made machaca tacos and added the house salsa to each one, not to mention a nice sprinkle of Cotija cheese.
Both the rice and the beans were great. I like the rice very much because it picked a lot of that great garlic and tomato flavor and had very good separation. It was was fluffy and seasoning was on point. The beans or frijoles de la olla were quite good. The pinto beans were very tender and the broth that came with the beans delicious: beans that became even more tasty after I added some of that Cotija cheese. One of the employees brought me over a taster of the re-​fried beans to try and they were outstanding.
The food was easily a four star affair, but I upped it a star for the great service I experience from Yadila. She was natural sweet, very helpful, and provided timely service. I appreciated her honesty and sincerity.
Not just another Mexican Eatery…

The food here is delicious! I tried their pineapple and spinach drink and it was beyond what I was expecting. Their plates are a good size and the prices are very fair. Definitely recommend it!