La Catrina Tapas & Cantina

**** La Catrina has closed

La Catrina has been somewhat of an enigma for us. I first noticed this shop on the corner of University and Herman, in the former location of Tostada's while walking around the area when the Missus was getting Her hair done one day.

A few days later we dropped by for dinner and really enjoyed the tacos……

And the Missus loved the salsas as well; especially the version with chili de arbol and nuts. It was spicy and complex, really heightening the experience.

So, I was thinking we'd do a couple of more visits, then I'd do a post…..except, the menu kept changing, the Rib Eye and Bone Marrow tacos we'd enjoyed changed…..

Then the rock shrimp tacos; which were delicious on a previous visit, were suddenly not fried on one visit…..

On the next visit the shrimp were nicely battered and fried, but now came with fries…..

And then, to top things off, we went twice during hours posted on the place's website; only to find them closed. Sigh…..

So, after three actual visits and two aborted visits, I basically called it quits.

Until we recently got back from Mexico City. The Missus really wanted some tacos….actually She missed the great salsas we had. So, after checking out the hours on La Catrina's website, we returned. And so far so good.

There was one dish we've had at La Catrina on every visit. It's the Carnitas and Octopus Cazuela; a shareable portion of porky, rich carnitas, and nicely prepped octopus.

The flour tortillas served is a bit inconsistent at times; but when you get it slightly charred it just brings the flavors up to another level. I never thought the combination of carnitas and pulpo would work, it does in this case as the octopus adds a very nie texture. And yes, the Missus loves the salsas….

When things are right; there's a wonderful combination of textures, along with the richness of the pork, the acidity and slight pungency of the onions and pico de gallo, all brought together by the charred flour tortilla and picante salsas. And while it's not always been perfect, it's never been bad.

What we also did on our two recent visits is get whatever Happy Hour or special is going on.

There's usually the Rock Shrimp Tacos.

Which were 2 for $7 during our most recent visits. And the last time we had them; the layer of queso on the tortilla had been wonderfully griddled, forming the perfect, crisp, nutty-milky shield for the tortilla. The shrimp were crunchy, moist, and quite well, but not overly seasoned.

This last time the Fish Tacos were 3 for $8.

The Missus loved these. The fish was perfectly fried, crunchy exterior, the flesh moist, with a mild sweetness. It went well with the smooth and creamy guacamole and of course the salsas.

On our previous visit the Rib Eye Tacos were 2 for $7. While the portion of meat was quite generous, we didn't for these very much.

The meat was tender, but hadn't been seared properly and lacked color and the flavor a nice caramelization brings to meat. It was moist, but also seemed on the greasy side and hadn't been seasoned enough for our taste. The queso had not been griddled enough so it was soft and didn't protect the tortilla from all that juice and grease; causing the taco to lose its integrity and fall to pieces. Maybe you'll have better luck with this one.

Something we tried twice but didn't have much luck with at La Catrina is the Ceviche.

Both times we tried this; the fish had been chopped into fairly small pieces and had been overly "cooked" in the lime juice making it mushy. Also, we found the ceviche to be way to sour and salty both times. We haven't tried it on recent visits, so maybe……or maybe not.

We really enjoyed our last two visits to La Catrina; it seems we've found what works for us and what we enjoy. The staff here has always been friendly, welcoming, and quite nice. I'm hoping that all the inconsistencies we ran into are over. I'm also hoping the place survives. Perhaps it's because we eat at a rather early hour; but we've rarely seen more than one or two other tables filled during our visit. There's so much potential here.

La Catrina Tapas & Cantina
3139 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92104
Hours (as of this past week):
Tues – Thurs 4pm – 10pm
Fri – Sat    Noon – 1am
Sunday       Noon – 9pm
Closed on Monday