La Puerta San Diego

The Media’s Choice for Best Traditional Taco at Tacotopia 2017 went to the exceptional surf & turf taco made by the Gaslamp’s full service Mexican restaurant, La Puerta. It features shrimp sautéed in ranchero sauce, along with arranchera steak marinated 48 hours prior to cooking. This thing of beauty is topped off with sautéed onions and poblano peppers, fresh avocado, Monterey jack cheese, and chipotle crema. It’s a highlight of the design savvy restaurant’s gourmet tacos menu, alongside a pollo asado taco featuring the same two-day marinade, and packed with crispy fried cheese.

But La Puerta covers even more taco ground on its Street Tacos menu, which adds meats such as carnitas, a chili-seasoned al pastor sautéed with pineapple, and achiote pork cochinitas steamed in banana leaf. The street tacos go for 3 bucks a la carte from 3pm until close every Tuesday, and all are wrapped in corn tortillas made fresh daily by a local tortilleria.

With so many tacos to consider, try not to overlook La Puerta’s specialty cocktails. There’s an entire menu subheading dedicated to margaritas, and a vast variety of fine tequilas to sip, including excellent reposados, añejos, and smoky mezcals.