Don Chido

Staff is very very nice. Food is good.
I ordered the churros for dessert because I read somebody recommended them in here. Nope I’ve had better.
The salads are pretty good, mostly the tortilla salad and, the shrimp taquitos mmmmmmm loved them. I need to come back and get a drink next time

My favorite Mexican restaurant in San Diego! Staff is super nice. Drinks are good, they have an excellent craft beer selection and you have to try their Mezcal margarita. You can watch them make fresh tortillas for their delicious tacos. My only problem is trying not to eat 20 tacos and nachos when I come here.

Went out to lunch with my coworkers and my boss here. None of us have ever been here before. I live downtown and after looking at the website I felt this would be the perfect place for us to have lunch since the website looked so promising. After we ordered we were sitting a the table for a good 15 minutes with nothing but water because they don’t offer complimentary chips and salsa (they charge you $ 4 for it), once the food arrived it was cold, and the portions were way smaller than expected. Our server was polite but our overall experience here was a huge disappointment. The food is way over priced for the portions they serve. The food was not worth the money.

Fantastic staff, great waiter, extremely accommodating, drinks are on point and they’ll make what you like, delish chicken tortilla soup. Would recommend :)
David worked w us tonight. Rocked it!

Got the nachos and they weren’t good, service was bad, buddy found a hair in his drink.

Hand made tortillas, decent food, terrible margaritas. Sweet and sour on the rocks. Requested to add soda water to my sugar water margarita but still overwhelmingly sweet.

Review for Taco Tuesday (strong 3, bordering 4):
Meeting up with some colleagues who completely discarded the carefully curated list of nice restaurants in San Diego I had sent them with the text «there’s taco tuesday at don chido, come here!».
Was pleasantly surprised by the food and staff. Tacos for $ 2 each was good price and the $ 5 margaritas were a bargain! The mushroom veggie tacos were delicious as were the fish ones.
Keeping two stars off as my order was mixed up and I was served a chicken taco rather instead of fish, and guacamole (although good) was a small serving compared to other places we visited.

Cannot stress this anymore. Best Mexican restaurant in downtown San Diego! They get busy during the weekends, so I highly recommend to make dinner reservations!
The bar is great! Joe is probably one of the best bartenders here! And also the rest of the gang! Gabe, the manager is amazing! He is so kind to all customers. He’ll definitely take care of you if needed!
They’re starting something new on TUESDAY NIGHTS! Check it out! Dancing and drinks on a Tuesday in downtown San Diego? Yes! Best place to be!

Stopped in here last week after having a couple drinks next door. The place was pretty slow compared to some other restaurants in the area which was surprising due to the amount of people out. The service was overall slow and she forgot a couple things, like water refills, but she was friendly enough just not the most attentive.
We started with the Queso Fundido: manchego and jack cheese, rajas, house chorizo, toasted garlic chile oil, fresh corn tortillas (from their menu). It sounded better than it tasted! Also, it could fill you up. The tortillas are small but thick.
We then split the Pollo Asado: grilled chicken, mushroom, pickled jalapeño, caramelized onion, manchego and jack cheese, house cut fries, chipotle aioli. It was big enough to split and wasn’t bad by any means just not the most flavorful thing in the world. The fries that came with it were good and overall the meal was average. The service definitely could’ve been stepped up a notch. We might give it another try eventually. Maybe it was just an ‘off’ night.

My coworker and I Unilocaled some Mexican restaurants around the blow dry bar nearby and we found this place. We were greeted by the hostess and seated immediately.
We ordered the enchiladas, carne asada tacos, and the guacamole. Chips were served at the beginning of our meal. I think the guac and chips were my favorite part of my meal unfortunately. The carne asada tacos were just okay, nothing too special. They were also reasonably priced at $ 3/​each. My coworker thought her enchiladas were just okay, but the portion looked pretty large as it came with rice, beans, and 2 enchiladas if I remember correctly. We also ordered the shrimp taquitos to go as well for our other coworker. She was not too fond of them and thought the serving portion was small. The food was kind of disappointed as we were really craving some good Mexican food. The customer service however was pretty good. Our food took a little long to arrive though.

The atmosphere is awesome and the food is amazing ! Their chicken enchiladas are sooooo yummy! Our waiter recommended the Strawberry infused Classico margarita and it added a great touch to the meal. We will definitely come back and soon too. Superb customer service.
Ps. Make sure you try the salsa sampler

The salsa sample to start was very good. The chips were warm and had the right amount of salt and perfectly crispy. They did not seem like they were out of a bag. They brought three salsas: mild, green, and tomatillo. All very good.
I had one each of the chicken, steak and chorizo tacos. All had chopped onions and cilantro. Would eat them again. I’m not sure this place has the local «hole in the wall» feel that a lot of other gaslamp places have, but it has a cool vibe with nice music and porch.
All in all, if you want a few good tacos and a drink in a more upscale environment, I would recommend it.

Came here for dinner, it was ok not great but not bad either. I wouldn’t make this a must try place. I had ceviche and a fish taco, both were good but in both cases I have had better. The service was good, matched the food level — not great but not poor service either.

Shrimp taquitos
GUACAMOLE!
Salsa sampler :)
VERY busy, waited a long time for bill and waters even though the place wasn’t full, that’s the only reason why I docked a star…
But other than that, I loved the food! And the people were really nice
Tip:
They have a phone charger near the bathrooms for free. You can lock your phone in the charging station with your credit card and then unlock it with your credit card and your card never gets charged! Good deal!

This was a good spot to get tasty Mexican food while exploring the Gaslamp District. We came here for dinner on a Saturday night and were not disappointed.
We started with the salsa sampler and chips. It included a standard red salsa, green salsa, and chipotle salsa. They were all well made and tasty. For my meal I had the street taco combination which includes three tacos, beans, and rice. At $ 12 it’s a great deal. I chose carne asada, carnitas, and fish for my tacos. All of them were delcious and packed with flavor. They also specialize in tequilas. Tequila is not my preferred liquor, but they offer some fun mix drinks with their tequilas.
I’d definitely stop in again on a future San Diego trip for a Mexican food fix.

It’s all about the pork shoulder mojo here. Came here because my client wanted to. Not the place I’d ever choose, but so glad for these pleasant surprises. The server recommended the mojo and that looked like the best option.
Guac and chips are fresh and good. Salsa is excellent. Sangria is about average and the Mojo is awesome. Love the slices of panela queso and the subtle heat. This place is much better than the reviews. Excellent beer and cocktails too. When I come back, I’m coming for the shrimp diabla. Good atmosphere and changed my mind about avoiding downtown and wanting to look in to more places I’m missing out on.

Returned to Don Chido on date night with my boyfriend. He was very excited to be downtown. We had reservations and everything. Fancy night for us.
We were greeting by the hostesses outside. They led us to a table by the bar. Good spot for people watching.
Our waitress was very sweet and fun. Made a few recommendations and her smile was contagious.
We ordered nachos to start and both had street tacos. I, the steak… He, the carnitas. All plates came out very quickly. I also had a house margaritas. It was just as good as I remembered. Flavorful without the overwhelming tequila taste and still strong enough to last me the night. The steak tacos were amazing! So juicy and well marinated. I wish I had a bite of my boyfriends but he devoured his in a heart beat. 3 tacos each. And he couldn’t get enough of the loaded nachos. I, personally, am not a nachos fan but these were delicious. They had, I don’t even know… EVERYTHING on them. And well spread out.
Management came over and made sure we were alright. My date was very impressed. This is his new favorite taco spot in Gaslamp. We’ve been back once more already and I’m sure we will be back again.
Our total meal was less than $ 50. Pretty reasonable for the size of the portions. Try it out! Next time, I’m getting dessert.

Was seated here immediately after being rejected at 3 other restaurants nearby before a Saturday Padres game. Those pesky dodgers fans were taking up all our spots, so we had to keep walking farther and farther away from the park. The patio was full, but we were seated on the inside where it was nearly empty.
The things I like about this place:
— Homemade tortillas
— Tacos
— $ 13 Margarita (upgraded from house margarita)
The things that I didn’t like:
— Service
— Pricing
— SMALL amount of chips with the salsa sampler, and no refill
I would’ve been happy to give this place a much higher review if the price point wasn’t SO off. We ended up paying nearly $ 60 for 2 margaritas, 2 beers, 2 taco plates, and chips&salsa. We did order a lot, but between 4 people splitting 2 entrees… It just didn’t seem worth it.
The margarita I ordered was amazing, I’m not even sure what it was — but it was an upgrade from their basic house margarita. I wasn’t planning on ordering a second, but it was so good I had to! The tacos were really good — they were loaded with meat and on super fresh tortillas.
We were all pretty upset that when we ordered the salsa sampler, we only got 1 small bowl of chips. They were gone within a few minutes, and we had more than half of our salsa leftover! We tried to ask for a refill, but our server brought us the check without even asking if we wanted anything else. Weird service and high pricing.

5 stars for the churro!
I was visiting downtown SD for the first time and came here just for the churros. In fact, I blindly embarked on a journey from Little Italy on the word of my friend. Was it worth the 40 minute walk? Definitely, yes.
I declare these the best churros I’ve ever had. Better than the ones in Mexico even. Maybe because they were more like a churro and beignet had a baby. Beignerro? Cinnamon sugar coated outside + ridiculously fluffy inside. The dulce de leche dipping sauce took this over the edge. Whatever calories I burned on the walk to/​from Don Chido were completely cancelled out. And I was more than okay with that!
I also got the Mi Adelita cocktail — chili infused el jimador blanco, strawberry, rosemary, mango, chili mango rim. A good amount of heat and not too sweet. ¡Delicioso!
Disclaimer: I didn’t have any real food so take this rating with a grain of salt. But get. the. churros.

Don Chido is one bad arse mother effer !!! From the ambiance to the food I was thoroughly impressed. Been here twice: Once for NYE and for a birthday party. Nothing but positive things to say ! Only downside: Wish it was closer to home and parking is a hit or miss downtown.
AMBIANCE:
It’s like I hopped out a plane into Mexico ! Right when you get inside, you can’t help but feel at home !! I get a nice vibe here !
For NYE, they had a LIVE DJ and flat screen tvs playing some old school jams.
Hip, modern, vibrant, and welcoming !!! Cool colors and art décor ! Awesome Tortilla lady at the center of the restaurant working her magic ! Viva la Mexico !
You can sit at tables or bars and they have great HH specials.
MENU:
Drinks:
Don Chilada with Bloody Mary mix — Okay this thing is huge !! I love Bloody Mary drinks and this was a nice Mexican version with some spice to it !!! For NYE this was a prefect drink to toast with !!!
Mango strawberry vodka cocktail with strawberry and lime wedges. Waiter specially made this for me since I wanted something ‘fruity.’ Like crack this was addicting ! What’s worse was it was open bar so I had FIVE of these creepers ! Honestly couldn’t taste the vodka and reminded me of a smoothie! The aftermath was a different story. Good stuff though !!!
Sangria with orange wedge– Not as fruity as I would like, but gave me a nice buzz. It was great babysitting this drink for the whole evening. Enough to last me ’til the very end. Yes I’m a cheap date. I’m already in a happy place after a few sips.
Appetizers:
Guacamole — cilantro, lime, red onion, fresno chili, minus the queso fresco, tortilla chips !
then again how can you screw up guacamole ?! Very FRESH ingredients !!! Nomnomnom!
Salsa Sampler — chipotle salsa, tomatillo salsa, chile de arbol salsa, tortilla chips. Cool presentation with the trio sauces. I liked the chunky salsa the best. Then again, I like anything thick (tsk tsk). Great starter to have with a bunch of peeps ! How can you not order this at a Mexican restaurant? A must item for sure !
Entrees:
Braised Market Greens w/​o manchego cheese — rainbow chard, kale, mustard greens, guajillo chile sauce, market potatoes, market vegetables, wood fired onion– Mmm I really enjoyed this. Can be enough for an entrée salad and even share as a group. So many flavors to this dish and quite hearty for a salad. Really liked the potatoes and greens in this dish ! I’m craving it as we speak !!!
Smoked Bacon Apple Salad without the bacon and manchego cheese of course — mixed greens, apple, cherry tomato, tomatillo vinaigrette, and mezcal gastrique. I didn’t enjoy this as much as the Braised Market Greens, but it was still quite tasty and I loved the crunchiness of the apple and the tangy yet sweet dressing. This can also be a good entrée if you want something lighter.
Rajas Poblano– veganized — raja chile poblano, sweet corn, mushroom, tomatillo salsa, minus the manchego and jack cheese, served with frijoles de la olla (mexican bean stew). Paleo style served in baby gem lettuce leaves and market salad. OH EM GEE !!! Thanks to chef Antonio for creating this luscious yet light dish ! It’s on the healthier side with the lettuce leaves, but very flavorful. The side market salad and beans were perfect accompaniments ! Be warned it’s piping hot ! Why? Because it’s freshly cooked dum dum ! haha jk but seriously, I love how everything tasted fresh and the quality of the dishes are superb (not to mention visually pleasing).
Veggie mole (vegan version) — Visually pleasing — ancho chile mole sauce, frijoles refritos (refried beans), market salad — OKAY STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING !!! You cannot pass this up !!! Apparently, a lot of LOVE gets put into this mole dish. WHY? Because there’s ~20 plus ingredients in the mole sauce alone ! It’s freakin’ complicated, but this stuff is the real deal yo !! I can swim in this mole !!! IT’S THAT FREAKIN’ GOOD !!! I was SO HAPPY after eating this. The sad thing is I never got to finish it, because we were stuffed with our previous dishes, but I would come back just for this alone.
I’m glad they were able to accommodate my requests of veganizing their dishes. They informed me it’s pretty easy to with some of their dishes since you simply take off the dairy/​cheese and of course meat.
Dessert:
Apparently, the cinnamon churros and caramel sauce are something to rave about, but I’ve been so full from the food that I haven’t had room for it. I also am unsure if it’s vegan-​friendly. I keep forgetting to ask. I hope it is, because I want to know what the fuss is all about.
SERVICE:
TOP NOTCH !!! They really treat you like family and check on you !
Chefs Fern and Antonio were gracious to accommodate my dietary needs.
The food comes out in a timely manner and everyone was friendly and seemed to enjoy working there. I feel like the staff here truly enjoy what they do and it shows in their dishes and service.
5 STAR CUSTOMER SATISFACTION !