A Rough Looking Diamond Called Juanita's

I parked on the Pacific Coast Highway and was famished. I was going to my favorite Mexican restaurant, Juanita’s Taco Shop. It is not a fancy or nice restaurant. I would almost compare it to a hole in the wall. The place has barred windows and is covered in old stickers. I walked into the grimy little restaurant to see as usual a complete mess. I would not call this restaurant cozy, it is not. Many critics call small, cramped dark restaurants cozy, but Juanita’s is no such thing. It is small, cramped, grimy, and all in all gross aesthetically. I regularly eat there, so I tend to ignore the disorder of the restaurant. I didn’t even glance at the menu. I knew what I wanted to eat before I had left the beach to get lunch. I was getting a chorizo and egg burrito. I ordered it and a large horchata and still I only spent six dollars. Horchata is a traditional Spanish drink. In the US, it is almost impossible to find traditional horchata. In the US it is made with water, sugar, rice and milk. The traditional drink is very different. It is made with tiger nuts, water, sugar, and cinnamon. Juanita’s only serves the traditional drink. This is the only restaurant I have been to in the US that serves a traditional horchata. I took a sip and per usual it was astounding. Several minutes later my burrito came out in a brown paper bag. I personally like to eat in the restaurant. The food is always better fresh out of the kitchen. I saw down at one of the three tables and chowed. Their homemade chorizo was out of this world. The ratio of this Spanish sausage to egg and cheese was perfect. I could eat it every day for the rest of my life. I did not mind the excessive amount of grease or oil. The food is just that good. As I ate, I watched people wander in and out of the restaurant. Over ninety percent of the time I am the only white person that will stay to eat in the restaurant. Plenty of Hispanic and Latin families will sit down to eat, but white people will generally wait outside for their food to be cooked. It is a true sight to see. The restaurant is truly amazing. Its food is unbelievable and its atmosphere is perfect. Inside it is never packed, but there is always a stream of people coming and going. It is a must eat in San Diego.