Best Latin American Restaurants in Kearny Mesa

Really love the tamarindo shrimp taco, frozen horchata and the esquite. They are my favorite, can’t wait to go again.

We chose to sit outdoors for an early dinner, and the ambiance was lovely. The service was quick and very pleasant. I had the pleasure of trying their passion fruit shrimp ceviche, and it was absolutely delicious! I’m inspired to recreate the recipe at home. I also enjoyed their tacos, which were fantastic. The purple tortillas added a special touch that made me think they might be made in-house. Would definitely recommend to our friends.

The food at Cosina de Barrio was incredible—each dish was packed with authentic, rich flavors that truly felt like a taste of home. The ingredients were fresh, and the preparation was spot on. Every bite was a celebration of traditional flavors. The drinks, though, were a bit too inflexible for my taste; they lacked the creativity and variety I was hoping for.

We had reservations for an outside table; it ended up being a rainy evening and they were able to offer us a table indoors. For drinks, we enjoyed the Tempranillo and the Oaxaca Rosito, which is a Negroni with Mezcal instead of gin; it was luscious and smoky. As appetizers, we enjoyed the chips with a smoky orange and hot green salsas and the Tetala Mole Flight. The latter is a large triangular patty filled with potatoes and cheese, artfully topped with their three moles. It was so fun to taste all of their delicious moles. Our entrees were the Burris Ramen, with braised short ribs and noodles in a delicious broth; and a carnitas taco and a mushroom & cauliflower taco. Both were wonderful, and I appreciated that the tacos were ala carte. We shared the Chocoflan for dessert; this is flan atop a thin chocolate cake layer, topped with raspberry mousse and freeze dried strawberries, with passion fruit caramel on the plate. Everything was delicious and the service was excellent. This was a refreshing change from typical Sonoran and Tex-Mex restaurants.

Maybe it’s because it was a Sunday but we waited about 20 minutes to be seated even though the restaurant was about 25% full. Once seated, the service was good and four of the five dishes we ordered were very good and reasonably priced. Interesting food combinations but not the place to go to if you want a salad.