Los Dos Pedros, I love you.

Turquoise Street location

Neighborhood: Pacific Beach, San Diego

Price: $

Vibe: Standard taco shop where order at the register and grab your salsa when your order is ready. They have a small seating area, but I recommend taking your grub to go.

When people come to visit in San Diego, they often want to know where to go for the best Mexican food.  I struggle with this request, because if they really want the best tacos or burritos, my suggestion is not typically a sit-down restaurant with mariachis strolling around. It’s going to be a taco shop.  I mean, let’s be real San Diegans, for the legit burrito craving we go to our local spot. Am I right?  Maybe it’s the familiarity, maybe it’s because our spot is minutes or steps away from our house, but we come to really bond with our local taco shop cuisine. 

I feel this way when I get my craving for a breakfast burrito – often the only thing subsiding my hangover and allowing me to function for the rest of the day.  For this craving, there is only one spot that does the trick every time, and that’s Los Dos Pedros.  This unassuming little gem has been operating under the same ownership and in the same location since 1984! That’s 38 years of perfecting their trade. It has even been claimed that Los Dos is the home of the original “California burrito” which actually consisted of carne asada, cheese, egg and potato

The friendly staff here cranks out burritos, tacos, and a whole menu of other stuff I’ll probably never try because I habitually rotate between my 3 favorite things: breakfast burrito, carne asada burrito and “white girl” burrito (nicknamed by my love who thinks I’m crazy for adding lettuce to my bean cheese and rice burrito. Try it before you knock it).  I’ve tried many other breakfast burritos in San Diego and for one reason or another I end up disappointed and wanting my Los Dos.  The tortillas are fresh, the bacon is crispy, and the potatoes, cheese and egg are combined in the most perfect of ratios.  I CANNOT eat this burrito without the “red” salsa (beware, this can be confused with the bright orange Habanero, much different!), and I must have 6 of them.  What is your favorite local spot and your “go-to” order?

Breakfast burrito with red salsa

Breakfast burrito

Carne asada burrito - added cheese

Los Dos Pedros - now has 2 locations!

723 Turquoise St, San Diego, CA 92109

4508 Cass St #D

My affair with Our Green Affair

Neighborhood: Pacific Beach, San Diego on the corner of Garnet Avenue and Cass Street.

Price: $

Vibe: Great location on the bustling Garnet Avenue, you walk in to see beautiful bright tubs of vegetables and Instagram-able swing seats. There are also a number of tables out on the sidewalk for the ultimate people watching in PB.

While I absolutely love pizza, burritos, dumplings, I could go on…. I also adore a fresh, bright salad. And trust me, this is not easy to find when you want to grab a quick lunch in my neighborhood. I used to frequent this lovely little cafe called Zanzibar in Pacific Beach, which closed down several years ago, and with it took my favorite salad options in the hood. That was until Our Green Affair came long. This lovely little family-run restaurant offers beautiful fresh ingredients, creative bowls and salads and homemade dressings that are just divine. I will often grab an extra dressing (just in case) and end up using it on my own salads at home (tahini cilantro is my fave).

Our Green Affair has loads of lovely creations to choose from, but I typically choose the “make your own” salad option. I feel that I’ve perfected this salad with a little trial and error, and now I find I can’t actually order anything else.

Here is my “make your own” salad creation, try it or anything here. Everything is super healthy and delicious!

• Kale base

• 1/2 scoop quinoa

• sweet potatoes (these are thinly sliced, spiced and firm and just bomb)

• hearts of palm

• tomatoes

• cucumbers

• shredded carrots

• goat cheese

• grilled chicken

• Tahini cilantro dressing (2 of ‘em)

The salad is large and often enough for two lunches, so I often get it undressed and take it home. They also have really creative soups, and don’t skip the hibiscus water to round out your healthy meal. I implore you to try out this fresh and friendly little spot in Pacific Beach. Do you have a favorite make your own option? Share it!

Our Green Affair

980 Garnet Ave
San Diego, CA 92109

(858) 352-6641