Hot Papas

Despite what you may think, Hot Papas is not a competitor for Ashley Madison. I know! I was disappointed too! Instead, it’s a mall Mexican joint with a nominal focus on potatoes (the eponymous «papas»).
My steak sandwich came off like a torta crossed with a Philly cheese steak. The bread was notably good, and I liked the ability to customize the toppings the toppings like one would do at a Subway. (Interesting coincidence: this space used to be occupied by a Subway.) For my side of «papas,» I got the fries; while I don’t generally care for battered fries, these were actually quite good.
Overall, my meal was sufficient but not amazing, and, like anything in the mall, especially after the construction of its new nouveau riche façade, the food is overpriced so you’re almost certainly better off going to any of the many, cheaper, non-​mall Mexican options nearby.
Summary: I suppose you might still find a hot papa here is you try hard enough.

Random place in the newly revamped UTC mall. I’m a sucker for any place with tater tots so I decided to try it. So we got the carne asada tots. Nothing was made fresh to order however. The tots were decent, the rest of the toppings were just ok. I’d come back again though if the craving hit while I was near.

Carne asada curly fries and tater tots? Sounds like a plan!
I was at UTC this past weekend and looking for something that I hadn’t tried in the food court. When I passed by Hot Papas, the friendly counter guy told me about the product, and I thought I’d try it out. Here’s how it works: starting at $ 5.99, you choose your potato base (french fries, curly fries, tater tots, or a mix of each), your protein (carne asada, chicken, and I think I saw carnitas), and 6 toppings of your choice. I went with half curly fries/​half tater tots, carne asada, refried beans, grilled onions, lettuce, shredded cheese, guacamole (sadly, not that much was ladled on) and a green sauce.
My order didn’t turn out too bad; while it was filling, the fact that the potatoes had been sitting out under a heat lamp was telling. I think the place would be best served if they were freshly cooked as they were being ordered. Also, the carne asada was chewy and not too seasoned. The 3-​star rating is for the overall portion size, amount of toppings (except for the guacamole), and friendly counter staff (and yes, they also refill your drinks here).
There’s a bit more to try besides the potatoes, such as burgers and tortas; think I’ll keep Hot Papas in mind next time I’m in the area.

I’ve heard people talk about this place so I was excited to try it out. I am very disappointed with my visit. The girl at the register didn’t really explain the menu very well. I wanted to try the baked potato but was told they were out. So I opted for the tater tots. I was I was told I could choose any of my toppings. So I paid and down the assembly line I went (kind of like subway). I told the girl what I wanted and was stopped when I was told chicken was extra AND I could only choose 6 toppings. So I paid the extra for the chicken and she continued to top my tater tots. I asked for feta cheese and she put shredded American cheese. The price was not worth the experience. Sorry Hot Papas, not so hot :(

Stopped in today for my third visit, and I’m not quite as impressed. The size of the serving changed to half of what I had previously purchased, and when I asked if they changed their sizes, the cashier just said «yeah…». Well, can I get a bigger one and pay more? I got a blank stare, so I think the answer is «no». I ordered half tots, half curly fries… Thought my tots were buried under my curly fries, but sadly i discovered that was not the case.
Down the line, the nacho cheese was watery and thin, and bacon is no longer an option. I would pay more for bacon, just add it to your «meat» list like the carne asada? A manager came from the back and started chatting with the cashier while she was making my drink, so she forgot my drink order twice… Sigh. I really want to love this place based on my horrible eating habits and tendencies to be cheap about lunch… But I have a feeling that even despite my willingness to overlook the issues and spend $ 5 on some carb loaded garbage, this place will likely close soon. It’s kind of a bad sign when a place is amazing it’s first week, and then slowly goes down hill after.

A few weeks ago, I went to the grand opening of Hot Papas in National City. I was really impressed with their food and the service. The servers really seemed to enjoy talking to their customers.
I live and work closer to La Jolla, so I was actually excited when I found out they were getting a Hot Papas in UTC! I was finally able to go today. I was sorely disappointed.
I arrived, and Mayra, the only server behind the counter was perfunctory, at best (lunchtime, around 11:45, June 23, 2014). You tried to thank her and smile, and she looked right through you. I understand that people have bad days, but she’s such a beautiful woman, and her cold (as cold as the ice rink one floor below the food court) demeanor did not give me a good impression.
I noticed also, that when she was putting my order together, she was a lot less… generous than the servers at the National City location. She was counting the number of tater tots in the box. She did the same with the carne asada. When she handed me the box, I felt that the food was not even lukewarm. I work two blocks away, and it only takes me ten minutes to get back to work. I had to microwave the food in order for it to taste good.
The food itself tastes good, which is why this restaurant was able to get two stars. The COLD service, and the COLD food, detracts from that.
I will be going back, just to make sure this wasn’t a one-​time thing. Don’t worry; if you’re the owner and you’re reading this, I’m not looking for free food. I hope I have a better experience next time, and once I do, I will amend my rating (which I have done for other restaurants in the past).
Good luck to Hot Papas in UTC.

Remember those nights you spend fantasizing a burrito with tasty steak/​carne asada, beans, refried beans, guacamole, cilantro and nacho cheese (yes! nacho cheese. Some fake is better than the real thing.)? This joint allows you to build your own burrito. Go crazy. Make your dreams come true!

If you’re looking for the ultimate baked potato (not talking gourmet toppings ultimate, but craving some comforting, filling and a little unhealthy ultimate) this is your place! And you can’t beat the prices! For $ 6.99 you can get a baked potato, fries, curly fries or tater tots with almost any toppings: carne asada, chicken, bacon, guacamole, cheese, cheese sauce, scallions, tomatoes, sour cream, etc. Also, for the same price you can get all of that wrapped up in a burrito.

Randomly decided to head to UTC to get some food. As we were heading towards the Mongolian food, we noticed this place and decided to give it a try.
Build your own carne asada fries? Sure why not !
You have the option of regular fries, tator tots or curly fries.
My boyfriend was the one who was building this meal while I was getting mongolian so I am unsure of all the toppings they have but apparently it seems like a lot because he came back with a mountain of stuff.
Specifically, we had tator tots topped with carne asada, guacamole, spinach, mushrooms, grilled onions, grilled jalapenos, nacho cheese, garlic butter, sour cream, and chipotle sauce.
Sounds like a heart attack right ?
First couple of bites was pretty amazing. The tator tots were fried perfectly crispy and did not get soggy even after being overloaded with sauces. The carne asada were small slices and was not enough unfortunately. Didn’t really have any flavor either.
The grilled jalapenos were unique because they were long sliced pieces similar to the whole peppers you eat at a mexican food shop. The portion size was huge and the two of us couldn’t even finish it all. At least they didn’t skimp out on toppings.
I would recommend giving this place a try, just for the experience but definitely not for the healthy people or weak stomachs !! Lol

Went here today and was pleasantly surprised. They have a base menu to choose from (tacos, burrito, salad, baked potato, fries, etc) and you get to add all your toppings. I had carne asada tacos on corn tortillas with grilled onions, feta, black beans, cilantro, french fries, guacamole, and salsa verde. It was excellent! My only big critique: the guacamole had been sitting out a little too long. It still tasted good, but was on the brown side. This place reminds me of a taco truck meets Subway. I highly recommend checking it out!

They left a bunch of coupons in our work lobby across the street. It was a free Coke with the purchase of two tacos, so I gave it a try.
It was rather disappointing. The carne asada didn’t have any flavor. Once you put the toppings into the tacos, I was happy with the amount of food it was (they were $ 3 a taco)…but they didn’t have much flavor.
The soda was also really, really small. That’s not a big deal at a place where you can get refills, but in a food court, most places don’t let you (the Mongollian place right near it does, for $.50, but their cups are big enough that you don’t need one).
The various toppings didn’t look all that appetizing.
My date tried the salad, and she wasn’t impressed with that.

Carne asada on tater tots was really change from regular or even curly fries. Then top it off with some mushrooms, olives, sour cream, bacon, feta cheese & nacho cheese. It was a really tasty dish.

Suprisingly, this place is great. It’s tucked inside the food court at UTC, next to the Mongolian grill and a burger stand. Basically, if you love potatoes and want to put potatoes on your potatoes, this is the place for you.
You can order a potato pie, baked potato, fries (curly, tater tots, shoestring or shoestring with skin) or other combinations of a potato base. You add up to 6 toppings of your choice. It’s an assembly line, similar to Chipotle.
I got carne asada fries (see picture). There weren’t enough fries sitting out for my order, so the worker made fresh fries. And gave me those fresh fries (you know those people who just give you the old fries, then add the fresh fries to it? Yeah, they suck.). She then carefully layered on everything I asked for to make it a huge pile of WHAT THE HECK IS THAT.
I have to dock a star though, since the guac was clearly out for a while from the light brown color. And the toppings in the assembly line really don’t look appealing, fresh or tasty. In fact, I almost gave this place a second thought from seeing their toppings.
But looks aren’t everything and the food came out looking and tasting fabulous.