Carnitas Uruapan closed in September 2011. It will be missed. It has relocated and is being run by former employees at 4233 Spring Street, La Mesa 92042 Here's a post
mmm-yoso is on vacation. The part usually played by Kirk will be played by Cathy in the interim.
When I started blogging, yea all of seven days ago, the first comment I received was from Ted, who asked if I might possibly review Mexican restaurants in the San Diego area. "Ha!" I thought. Mexican restaurants…what is out there? what is good?…
Then I was reading the chowhound website and recalled seeing a lot of inquiries this summer from people who were going to be staying in downtown San Diego for some sort of convention or another and they, too were asking about 'good Mexican restaurants'.
Invariably, someone always mentioned "Carnitas Uruapan" for great carnitas, yet I have never seen a review. (Carnitas is essentially orange juice marinated pork, simmered in boiling oil, then braised in the oven to get a crispy crust.). So, since I am not doing much of anything, I felt it was necessary to at least show some photographs to the few people who do not know about Carnitas Uruapan. It is in Lemon Grove…waaaay out in East county (maybe 12 minutes from downtown, because you get stuck at lights getting out of downtown).
Looks innocuous, eh? Its a lot nicer than the old location, which did not have air conditioning. That location was taken over by Eminent Domain about 15 years ago.
We went here today, a Sunday, at 1 p.m. We were the only non-Hispanics in the place. This is a good sign.
Here is the menu, all three pages. You can click onto any of them and they will enlarge. 
This is the main dinner menu and then there is the lunch menu.
If you have paid attention, the name of the place is CARNITAS Uruapan. Get the carnitas.
Carnitas for two: $12.90…we wanted guacamole also, $3.50
Doesn't look like much, you say? That is a pound of carnitas meat. You get three corn tortillas each, or two flour tortillas each. Here is what we made, and what was leftover:
I made a taco and then just a plate of beans, carnitas, guacamole, cilantro, onion and tomato. I used lots of carnitas.
The Mister made himself smaller burrito like servings on the flour tortillas.
After we each had two pretty large servings, this amount of meat was still left over. We did manage to finish it all though…but I wasn't hungry for dinner…
The "Sampler Platter" is $15.95 and includes about 1/3 lb carnitas, tamale, chile relleño, enchilada, a sopa, taco, rice and beans…lots of side stuff. Its good. Its all good. The carnitas here are great. The salsa is hot, fresh, the chips are made in house, the tortillas are fresh and warm when they get to your table, the beans are made with lard (wonder where they get it?), the cilantro and onions are plentiful and fresh and it is all brought to your table quickly with a smile. The only thing I don't like- the iced tea is instant, not brewed.
Carnitas Uruapan 8035 Broadway, Lemon Grove 91945
(619) 462-0704