San Diego, CA (The Joy of Food) — On University Avenue, slightly east of the gentrified North Park area, stands El Borrego, a gem hiding in plain sight.
It’s an eccentric operation, this one, with a screaming orange exterior paint job and bright, colorful interior that gives way to equally assertive and creative flavors. One taste of the signature mixiote, the traditional, rich chilaquiles, or the homemade, fragrant green pozole, and you’ll dream about the stuff for days after. At El Borrego, the subtle, distinctive flavors inherent in traditional Mexican dishes are at the forefront.
El Borrego’s claim to fame is expertly prepared Hidalgo-style lamb. El Borrego does right by their namesake product, a meat that’s admittedly not everyone’s favorite due to its often musky aftertaste. Here, the lamb is succulent, tender, and offers none of the gamey pungency that can be a turn off on the road toward lamb nirvana, all thanks to El Borrego’s 24-hour marinating and steaming process.
The Lamb Especial serves as a formidable intro: a trifecta plate with a taco, quesadilla, and a rolled taco. The lamb taco comes stuffed with tender shredded lamb that is well-balanced and full of juicy goodness. Add-ons aren’t needed since the meat is deliciously awesome on its own, but if you must, the red salsa in particular is mightily tasty, although not painful enough for those who like it hot. No matter, the fire-roasted base adds zip without overpowering the flavor of the meat.
Toto, we’re not at Taco Bell any more. Even the quesadilla is special and gets stuffed with rajas con crema, a delectable meld of sliced poblano chiles, corn, griddled onion, and cream inside a fresh corn tortilla. A rolled taco filled with lamb barbacoa is elevated by the homemade crispy corn tortilla and just a touch of cotija cheese. On the side is an ensalada de nopal, a simple, satisfying, slightly briny combination of cactus, tomato, onion, and cilantro and easily the lightest note on an otherwise hearty plate.
The cochinita publil or lamb barbecoa tacos are perfectly adequate, if bland depending on the day, for a quick bite. Squirts of the red hot sauce or fixings of onion and cilantro don’t help much.
The thing you should come here for — the Mixiote de Borrego — is marinated for 24 hours and then steamed an additional six hours inside maguey leaves before being served up cradled by tinfoil, the juices still plentiful. There’s a touch of tequila-type flavor from the agave plant, helping this stand apart from anything else. At nearly $20 an order, this comes with corn tortillas and all the fixings (cilantro, lime, onion, and salsa) for glorious taco self-assembly. The mixiote can last at least a few meals and pays for itself in both flavor and quantity.
Written by Joy
Thanks for reading. The Joy of Food blog celebrates eating well, traveling often, and living la dolce vita. San Diego, California is home base, but thoughts are from all over. Reviews and photos help to highlight wonderful (or not) food experiences from around the world.
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Looks like a great spot if you like lamb!
Yes! Normally it’s not my preferred meat, but the way these guys make it, there’s none of that musky aftertaste that can often plague the experience. Truly a delight and something you should try if you haven’t been.
I’d love to try their green pozole or chilaquiles.
I’ve never had a bad bite here. I hesitated to visit for a long time because it was lamb-centric (not my fave) but the food here is very special.