Can tacos really be said to be great if the tortillas are awful? Have they perhaps fixed those issues?
That sounds yummy!!
As others said Bracero is definitely not worth a drive to SD - too many mediocre dishes between some good (but nothing outstanding) dishes
Agreed. But at least it’s a nice addition to SD…
Honk, I believe it’s not only difficult, but possibly unfair to make such a definitive statement based on your one and only visit during the initial growing pains of this establishment The wood grilled octopus is outstanding tender moist and flavorful. The bone marrow and camarone sopes, the peanut smoked lamb shanks, and many of the tacos, especially the lengua and the beef cheek are all outstanding IMHO.
That may all be true, but the point remains that it is not worth the drive from LA to SD just to eat at Bracero.
Now, if one were to make a day out of it, say, the Mercato in the morning, then perhaps brunch/lunch at Crack Shack, followed by afternoon coffee and gelato at Pappalecco and then a nightcap at Bracero, then sure, why not.
But just to drive down to SD for Bracero? When there more and often better and more interesting Mexican fare up in LA? No.
Sorry but at this level of hype, price point and competition in SD I expect a restaurant to perform much better in the kitchen and FOH even after one visit. The kitchen had too many disappointments in one visit and the service was one of the weakest at high-end restaurants in SD (or anywhere)
Hasn’t been my experience or a great many others on the board. Maybe you need to give them another chance. And while I generally agree that LA has better restaurants (in most categories overall), I don’t think there’s anything quite like Bracero in LA.
Btw, my friend said her favorite taco truck in Austin was on riverside drive near burton. She forgot the name said she hasn’t had it since 2008.
Think again.
Broken Spanish, BS Taqueria, Taco Maria and Bizarra Capital, to name a few.
2 Likes
Corazon y Miel…
CyM is great, no doubt.
But I fear it slants more towards Salvadorean/Latin American than updated Mexican fare. That said, CyM is indeed in the same spirit of restaurants like Bracero even though the underlying cuisine may not be the same.
1 Like
I have to second everyone who is shouting out Anaya. Their menu is so plain but their food is so outrageously good. Their breakfast burrito is just potatoes eggs and cheese, but they must sprinkle crack in it because it is so delicious. Also their asada is proper steak as opposed to most mexican places
1 Like
Ipse l love Ray Garcia’s cooking and he is no doubt a great chef, but I still dont think im wrong. And . . . Bizzara and Tacos maria aren’t even close.
What about Bracero do you think makes it worth going to? At the same time, what does it offer that these LA spots don’t?
Keep in mind that the depth and breadth of Mexican Cuisine is such that it’s hard for one, two, even 10 restaurants to really represent all it has to offer, even at the high end. Plus, L.A. doesn’t have a good representation of Baja Med, which is the roots of Bracero. Also, I am intrigued by the Caja China cooking. I adore this type of cooking as it’s remincient, but retains more nuanced flavors than my beloved Pib or Hoyo.
Plus, I have a weakness for Javier’s fideo tacos. He does them right.
–Dommy!
So the second best restaurant in LA is “not even close” to this place?
I haven’t had much Mexican food in the San Diego area but remember being impressed by El Agave a few years ago. Can any of you put it in perspective with the quality of the places being discussed here?
Lol I thought that person was saying the type of food was different. If they are suggesting that Bracero is way superior to Taco Maria, I don’t even know what to say. Especially given that most people find TM to be superior to Broken Spanish…
Where did anyone say Bracero was BETTER than TM? genuinely curious… I seems to me people who like it are saying a) it’s worth going out of your way to check out and b) That the food itself is different style of Mexican than what you find in LA.
I’ve never been to either lol but I do enjoy watching these side threads spin and spin 