Casual restaurant serving creative Mexican meals, plus brunch staples & happy-hour specials.
Steph Kwan
This is a great brunch spot to explore a range of Oaxacan specialties. The flavors are bold, vibrant, and full of depth. Their house made hot sauce brings lots of heat.
… moreSara Murray
Came here during happy hour for a co-workers birthday. The $5 margaritas were great! Unfortunately, the servers seemed annoyed with our larger party wanting to order from the happy hour menu. We had to request the menu as none were originally offered to us. Naturally, people were ordering margaritas and some of the cheaper food options. Happy hour runs 3-5PM. At 4:56PM we asked someone who worked there to take our order before happy hour ended. He told us he was not a server but offered to get one. The server came over at 5:00PM and stated that “the machine” wouldn’t let him put in any additional happy hour orders. Our party just stared at him in disbelief and tried to explain that we had tried to order before 5PM. He would not honor the prices. So overall, I would only go here for happy hour and I would arrive early as to not get caught up in the machine not working. Service was meh but a cute place for average Mexican food!
… moreSamarth Suresh
Just landed in San Diego and stopped at Cocina De Barrio for lunch. Really good authentic Mexican joint with a relaxed outdoor seating area. We had chips, salsa, guacamole, and their house-made salsa macha, which was excellent. I tried a couple of Mezcals and ordered the plant-based mushroom tacos – easily some of the best I’ve had, full of flavor and very satisfying. Great place to unwind after a flight.
… moreJoy K
Food was delicious. Homeade tortillas. Shared several dishes everything was delicious. The chips in the Chilaquiles stayed crispy! Service was helpful and quick. Not busy for weekday lunch time which was surprising. Good sized portions. Definitely will go back.
… moreTayla Hendricks
Great vibes all around. Went on a Sunday with no reservations and only waited about 15mins for a table. I didn’t like that you couldn’t order drinks at the bar and wait for a table. If you went to the bar you had to stay there to eat and you would not be added to the waitlist. The food was good. The drinks were better! The service from DAVID WAS THE BEST! Have great recommendations, was quick with bottomless mimosa refills, and extremely attentive. Will be back.
… moreAlex Ryan
Enjoyed visiting this place for brunch with family from out of town. Dog friendly patio. Food presentation is lovely, unfortunately I found a hair in my dish. Everyone else in our party seemed pleased with their choices. Seems that with a little more love and attention to service and other details, this place could deliver higher. Still a good option and would not discourage anyone from visiting.
… moreCeci
My mom and I were looking for brunch in the downtown San Diego area, and this spot caught my eye. Cocina de Barrio is a cute spot serving hearty food, delicious and aesthetic cocktails, and good vibes all around!
They don’t take reservations for brunch, for those trying to reserve beforehand. It’s a huge seating area though, both indoors and outdoors, so you and your group should be ser! My mom and I walked in and got seated immediately.
Our servers were super nice, and had a good sense of humor. We ordered the enmoladas (which my mom enjoyed), and I devoured the sopes benny. Both dishes were delicious!! I also got the Tia Chata cocktail, which was a cute cocktail that came with its own popsicle!
I could see the girlies having a cute brunch here, especially with their mimosa deal. Definitely come by and check this place out! Drinker or not, this restaurant is a must try!
… morechad zerbe
Cocina De Barrio is in San Diego and was absolutely fantastic. I have never had a spin on Mexican inspired breakfast the way CDB does it. It is difficult to put it in words. I had a poached egg breakfast and have not had a better breakfast with a poached egg than CDB. The service was great and the portion size was more than enough. There is inside and outside seating as well as seating at the bar (full bar). We had Sopas Benny, Cafe de olla coffee, pollo en mole negro, chorizo hash, ginger sangria white wine. We didn’t have a wait when we arrived (1045am) but when we left there was.
The next time I’m in the San Diego area we will visit CDB for sure. I took a pic of the menu, take a look at the pancake and waffle breakfast creations, amazing. Can’t wait to return.
… moreBlanca
My favorite was the pineapple upsidedown pancakes. I will simply go back for those. Green chilaquiles tasted good. Omlette did not have a lot of flavor. Was charged two dollars for a side of green salsa. Went early on a Sunday, so it was crowded and a bit loud. That’s expected though, given how many people go. Had to pay for parking. $20 dollars for 3 hours.
… moreKaylise C
Delicious food with beautiful presentation! The chilaquiles were flavorful, fresh, and loaded with toppings—definitely a must-try. The Stuffed French Toast is amazing as well.
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