I know a couple who can't stop raving about La Vecindad. So, when I had some meetings in the area recently, I decided to drop by.
Located in the old Guild Theatre; this location really hasn't done well as businesses sure don't seem to last long here.
I gotta say, this place really went for it with regards to bright colors, making the place look quite festive.
The drill here is you go to the counter and order…..the young lady working was an absolute joy; so friendly! I looked over the menu and not really sure what to order, just winged it ordering three tacos. Not cheap at $3.75 a piece, but heck, in this age of hipster tacos, I've kinda gotten used to higher taco prices for a better quality (and tasting) product.
Though I thought the salsas here were really mild. And on this day, I had to ask for some limes….though that really friendly young lady was more than happy to get me some.
I ended up ordering an Al Pastor, El Perron, and a Taco de Papas (potato).
I quickly noticed how hefty these tacos were.
Of the three, I enjoyed the Al Pastor the best.
First thing I noticed that the rather succulent and tender pork, was not the usual thin cut pork and didn't have the bright red color I'm used to with the usual Al Pastor I consume. The flavor, was on the mild side and lacking in the sweet-fruity tones I get from versions I enjoy. The flavor of the white corn tortilla was quite mild and I prefer a more assertive corn flavor. As whole, very mild taste wise, but not bad.
Funny, I was rather happy to see a Tacos El Perron on the menu; it made me think of what I had at the "counterfeit" Tacos Yaqui in San Ysidro that was only open for a short time. This was definitely not that.
When I think of Tacos Perron, the meat is grilled flank steak, mild, but with a nice beefy flavor. This was the usual thin slice beef, you know, the stuff used on your run-of-the-mill carne asada. It was the tough side and lacked flavor. Also, this version used the corn tortilla, which, as you can see in the photo to the right was not up to the task, versus the flour tortilla with a nice layer of cheese melted on the bottom to help preserve it. No beans on this one. It had some nicely seasoned nopales, which, while on the salty side really brought that green bean like flavor along with a pleasant sliminess and griddled onions which were also quite good.
The Potato Taco was nice in terms of texture as the potatoes weren't mushy and dry.
But this just seemed quite bland. The really mild salsas really didn't help much either.
Overall, not bad….nothing outstanding per se, but decent. I did have a nice short chat with the young lady working here. She told me to come back for "Taco Tuesday" when the tacos were two for six bucks and try the two top sellers; the Campechano and the Costa Azul. So I did just that….returning on a Tuesday a few weeks later.
I had to crack up when I got to the salsa bar; notice the Salsa Roja is labeled Salsa Verde and so forth.
Following orders I got the two tacos…..
The Campechano had all the ingredients; thin sliced, though under flavored and rather unwieldy and chewy beef and longaniza; which was on the milder side with regards to flavor, but decent.
Along with the nopales and onions like the El Perron and griddled potatoes which were nicely seasoned. This had a certain greasiness to it and again the tortilla was not up so the task. It was one hefty taco though; that is easily worth the three bucks on taco Tuesday.
The Costa Azul was much better.
On my first bite I was greeted with a nice bacon wrapped shrimp. The bacon was so crisp that it was like having a bacon flavored batter. The creaminess of the avocado and the slightly milky cheese worked together nicely. And the absence of grease or liquid, the tortilla held up, though it's still not my favorite tortilla. 
The verdict? I really like the folks who work here. They are really friendly.
Definitely mixed results with the tacos I sampled and was not fond of how they prep and cook their beef. I don't think this would be counted as a "destination" taco stop for me, but I'd stop by if I'm in the neighborhood and hungry again. After all, they call themselves La Vencidad "Neighborhood Tacos".
La Vecindad Neighborhood Tacos
3827 5th Ave
San Diego, CA 92103
Hours:
Mon – Thurs 11am – 10pm
Fri – Sat 11am – 11pm
Sun 10am – 9pm