Pipirins

OK not your average run of the mill Mexican food shop. This place definitely has it’s own feel and flavor to it. It doesn’t have a huge selection, the menu is a tad limited. Pretty much Carne asada or Pollo asada grilled and coming a variety of different ways.
I tried the Carne asada skewers, which were OK but too overdone for my liking, I’m not recommending those. My girlfriend tried their Pollo asada salad which she loved, all white meat chicken with their unique flavor, I liked it as well.
They also have a queso fondue which I tried and thought was really good, thicker consistency than I was expecting, like dipping into a quesadilla, recommended!
Chips and salsa I thought was ho hum nothing to special, their hot carrots were a little different kinda tasted like it marinated with Jasmine or something interesting, free.
And make sure you save room for the flan it was really good, much creamier and less eggy than most, kind of tasted like a Carmel cheesecake! So good!
Inside the place kind of reminds of a Rubios decoration wise. Staff was very friendly and nice.
Try them out when you want to change up your Mexican a little bit. Located in the heart of downtown on Broadway in between 6^th and 7^th.
Good luck parking depending on what time you go, I usually have to park, then hoof it a couple blocks be prepared.
Happy eating!

Great food just outrageous prices man. Tired of paying 8 $ for a burrito and it didn’t come with cheese wtf dude my burrito was 10 $ I cancel the order and got a bean burrito and paid extra for cheese super sad I’ve been coming here since I was 4 years old

we were excited to try it before seeing Gregory Porter at Copley since it was nearby. it also sounded very promising in terms of the carne asada from guadalajara. it could’ve been amazing if they used carbon/​charcoal instead of gas, cause there was no flavor on the carne asada and the strip loin was a little better cause it was the fattier cut. im basing this on its own with nothing added to the asada because if you’ve had killer carne asada you’ll know what mean.
for the best it’s pollo don pepe on coronado ave. yes it’s a pollo al carbon joint but their flap cut asada is grilled over charcoal and it’s so amazing it doesn’t even need any salsas, just the flavor of the beef and charcoal flavors is enough. other notables is salud in barrio logan who also uses carbon, and maritza’s near genesee ave which is closer to pipirins cause they use a gas grill but maritza’s still has tons of charred flavor.
the one thing that was 5 stars was their flan. creamy, firm top with soft innards with no bubbles but could’ve used a little more caramel sauce. id come back for the flan.

Holy moly — this is place is seriously under rated. Everything I had was delicious! Carne Asada, fresh made corn tortilla (and I don’t like corn tortilla), all their salsa, horchata and the flan. And let me tell you I am 100% satisfied without feeling gross and yucky after eating Mexican food. And to top it off — for a two person dinner with drinks and dessert came out to 25 bucks. Can you get that anywhere else in the gaslamp?

Wow. What a start! Sat walked in & it smells wonderful. Quickly we were greeted by a serve with large chips, salsa, & 2 kinds of hot sauce, with one hot & one avocado. And served in the cutest serving ware. So far, so great!
We ordered the Delgado & the mixed skewers… one each chicken & carne asada. Everything is so fresh. I think they must have made the tortillas when we walked in. The asada was lean & the chicken moist. When we finished there was nothing left including the salsas & sauces.
The place is really nicely decorated & is very welcoming. The manager was our server & he seemed excited to serve us. Definitely will be back… It is worth the 2 mile walk from Hillcrest & then you don’t feel so guilty about stuffing yourself.

What a wonderful find! My fiancée (who is from Guadalajara) and I very rarely find REALLY good, authentic Mexican food that is not in the South Bay Area — this is the exception to that rule.
The price points are low (I hope not too low, as I want them to stay in business), the service was friendly and very efficient, and the food was excellent.
They start you off with (free) toasted tortilla chips, salsa, a pico de gallo, and guacamole. We got a large horchata and a regular one (that was free), and had appetizers of two delgados, and a queso fundo with chorizo. All were muy delicioso.
The delgados were simply made, and with the bean broth, reminded my fiancée of her mother’s cooking.
For our main lunch meal, I had the carne asada (which also came with chorizo and pinto beans). Wow. My fiancée had the chicken asado skewers, with chorizo added. She promptly put that into her beans and was in heaven.
We ended the meal with the flan and chocolate cake — both made in-​house, and good. I finalized the deal with a nice café de olla.
Our server, Liliana was wonderful, and the price was great, especially being downtown, near Horton Plaza & the Gaslamp district.
The inside is tastefully decorated and clean — we truly loved this place. I almost don’t want to post, as I want to keep it a hidden treasure.

A new authentic restaurant in San Diego? I’m in!
I came here with hopes and dreams that this is the «new spot» for Central Mexican food. Well the first day I came, the service, the food was amazing! The manager and waiter seated us promptly and gave us our drinks with chips. The guacamole here is to die for, the salsa isn’t too shabby either.
The first time I came I ordered the Filet steak at $ 12.99, got the 7oz portion. The waiter asked how I liked the meat cooked and I said «medium» and it came medium. The beans, meat, and tortillas were amazing!
Fast forward to the following day, I brought my mom here for high expectations. We sat down and seated ourselves. Both days there were only 2 – 3 other patrons eating here (mid day and evening).
We ordered the following:
–Queso fundido: Was over cooked and almost burnt. We ate it anyways as we were hungry. It was decent… but almost unedible.
–Filet carne asada: which this time was way over cooked. My mom didn’t tell me until we were finished eating. It seems that this cook was either rushed or not watching the way he cooked his food tonight.
–Steak kabobs: Again over cooked!
For a place that has a small menu, and their main portion is meat. They failed to achieve their goal of serving a good meal. When I brought it to the attention to the owner/​manager he said «Next time let us know and we will make it again.» Well it was too late… at least offer us a discounted price? Take something off? Nope.
First trip — 5 stars… Second trip — 0 stars.
We might try it again… Hopefully this time not BURNT!

We had a quick late night dinner and it was a complete surprise how wonderful the food tasted! It didn’t look like much from the outside but wow the food delivered. The staff was a bit overwhelmed but they were at least extremely nice.
We had:
Queso Fundido, — which you can’t screw up really, with their fresh salsas and tortillas it was heaven for me
Delgado — a thin slice of beef on a tortilla with beans, cilantro and onion was certainly fresh not over cooked and delicious!
Salad With Chicken Asado — the greens were fresh albeit plain but the chicken was perfectly seared and juicy — for the price I’d probably skip ordering this again and go for a heartier dish
Carne Asada Skewers– meat was tender, fresh, perfectly cooked to my taste and good quality — delicious beef on a skewer? How can you turn that down?
Homemade Flan — it was more like a crème brulée it was so creamy, not too sweet and not too gelatin-​ey honestly one of the best I’ve ever had. I can’t stand the ones that taste like sugary jello.
All in all I loved it and I’d definitely go back even just for the flan :)

Category: latino diner
Great food, service, and atmosphere. We especially loved the chorizo and sauces. Asad is good, too. Amazing prices.

Best authentic fresh Guadalajara/​Mexican food I’ve tasted in San Diego! I’m a native San Diegan; 39 years! I’m a healthy eating person and let me tell you that this fresh grilled food is on point! Awesome customer service very clean establishment. Everything there is handmade. Small menu although the food packs a lot of flavor!
This is NOT a taco shop all. If your looking for that BAD for your health oily, lard «Tacos El Gordo» tasting food, this place is not for you.
Will be hard to find parking just park at Horton Plaza; first 3 hours are free and walk around the block. Don’t forget to validate your ticket at the little black boxes throughout the mall or pay $ 30! Keep up the great food & service «Pipirins»! You guys are on a great business start!

As a true Mexican living in the US, all I have to say is this place is like eating in Mexico, food is tasty, and the Salsas, OMG! I’m glad this is the first time I haven’t had to ask for something hotter If you love the taste of the real Mexican food, don’t look anywhere else, this is the one,
Five thumbs up!

Despite being a city that sits on the border with Mexico, the restaurants in San Diego still tend to treat that country as though it were fairly uniform in terms of food traditions. There some discussion of the Baja region with respect to fish tacos, but that’s about it. Which makes me greatly appreciate Pipirins attempt to disambiguate Mexican cuisine through its focus on Guadalajara.
The disambiguation comes at the cost of being able to adequately judge Pipirin’s product relative to its San Diego peers, but this Guadalajara dilettante generally enjoyed the exposure I found at the restaurant.
The fresh tortillas here really stand out. Beyond the freshness, it’s hard to describe exactly how they are different relative to other local places, but the difference is nonetheless striking. For meat, we ordered both the steak asada and the chorizo. I really liked both on first bite, particularly the chorizo, but eventually the grease did start to overwhelm the flavor. That didn’t spoil the overall experience however.
Other reviews have praised the horchata, but I personally found it tasted rather thin. I don’t know if that style is more authentic, but I couldn’t help wishing it were creamier. The menu advertises that the horchata gets imported – so like 40 miles? – but might it not be better if it were made in-​house?
Summary: Pip-​pip-​hooray!

Interesting atmosphere. Almost cafeteria-​like. Very clean. Bathrooms were a little hard to find, but were pretty clean.
Staff was GREAT. They really looked like they were excited to have this opportunity and were willing to work very hard.
Chips were a little odd, almost like rice-​cakes. Sauces were fairly good, a little spicy. Very, very authentic. Not greasy in the slightest.
Meal was good. Ordered 2 delgados. A little dry, but this may be due to the fact that I have the beans removed, but again, very authentic and non-​Americanized.
All food made right in front of you.
Chips and tortillas in plain view, being freshly made.
Go here for a cheap and healthy meal with great service.

Eating downtown before a show can be tricky. Of course you want good food, but the service has to be speedy to get your butt in those Civc theatre seats before show time!
My date and I picked Pipirins, because we knew that they weren’t going to take their sweet time getting us our food. We walked in and were warmly greeted with a trio of salsas and chips. I’m really not familiar with Guadalajarian food, but the carne asada and chorizo were delicious! It’s hard to describe how they were different from your standard Mexican taco stand, but the food was fresh. I also loved their soft (homemade) corn tortillas!
And of course, we had plenty of time to walk to the Civic to see our 7:30 showing of «Book of Mormon.»

So… This place legit to the max. The Carne Asada is mouthwatering. Not the over cooked, rubbery meat you get at other restaurants. Was the best food I’ve had. Place is clean and the staff is warm and welcoming. This is how a dinning experience should be, simple.
If you are looking for fantastic Guatemalan food you’ve found it. San Diego has themselves a little gem.

Went for a casual dinner that evolved to a casual delicious dinner. What a gem of, simply said, simply great regional-​centric Mexican food. It’s not your rolled tacos Cali-​mex Mexican food; this is a classic joint with really good meats, beans, guac, tortillas and salsa.
Those are literally all the ingredients that comprise their menu (flan, beer and 1 dollar horchata notwithstanding) but they each bring an extraordinary amount of classic Mexican barbecue flavor (known as a parrillada).
To start we were given, on the house, toasted tortillas and a guacamole/​salsa and pico de gallo serving. All were on point, guacamole was especially delicious.
We ordered queso fundido as an appetizer. It is essentially cheese in a clay dish that has been baked so the top is crispy and toasted. It is also absolute gold. Pipirins is not an exception to that. Theirs is top notch.
To eat, I had the carne asada pipirins style (charcoal charred skirt steak) and it was amazing. It was a thin steak, grilled to taco doneness with the classic charcoal char marks — really gave it a rich flavor not likely to be found at any taco joint. It came with beans, and I’m a bean aficionado, that were clearly made in a clay pot. Classic.
My wife enjoyed the chicken skewers. Same effect on the chicken — a delicious char on each piece and the veggies that accompanied it on the skewer. She was also served beans.
All of our dishes we ordered were served with their homemade tortillas. There is an absolute difference in a freshly made tortilla that adds a level of quality to a Mexican restaurant. Pipirins tortillas are fresh, soft and a little chewy. They are white corn, served hot and with each entrée and appetizer.
Lastly, the location is clean, welcoming and very friendly. Staff was very nice and you can tell they take pride in their restaurant — as they should as this is a winner for classic and straightforward Mexican food in San Diego. Doesn’t hurt that it doesn’t hurt your wallet either.
Tip: If you have the pleasure of dining here, I’m sure any menu item is delicious, but as a suggestion: get the queso, get the chorizo asado, and combine the two in a taco for guaranteed deliciousness. That’s my next meal, for sure. #notonmydietbutonmycheatmeal
Disclaimer: I’m Mexican, raised in Northeastern Mexico, not of the border. I’ve been many times to Guadalajara (the region of pipirins cuisine) and I enjoy a good taco and some simple Mexican food. I’m really happy that pipirins was able to deliver on that. I will definitely be back.

Mouthwatering Guadalajaran Food!!! We didn’t know what to expect but Gustavo gave a little history of why they differ from Mexican Taco shops. This place is far from average and will leave you craving to try more from their simple menu.
FOOD:
1. Carne Asada Skewers with Chorizo & beans $ 8.50
2. Queso Fundidi $ 7.00
3. 2 Horchatas $ 1.00 each
4. Flan $ 2.80
They bring out small healthier versions of «baked» tortilla rounds as appetizers with a variety of sides to put on including guacamole, salsa, Pico de gallo and carrots with a great crisp.
They use super tender Rib Eye steaks for their carne asada skewers but be careful! the green veggies on the skewers are actually hot grilled jalapenos cut into squares NOT bell peppers like I thought. Have milk handy to stop breathing FIRE.
Chorizo on the plate was so good! (& Im not really that into chorizo!) Their beans are also tasty & cooked different; Not deep fried… very natural and tastes home made. Queso Fundido was also good although quite heavy for me. Fix your warm fresh corn tortillas with everything mentioned and your taste buds will be thanking you for the explosion of well blended flavors that will have you drooling for the next bite. Even writing this, I’m starting to salivate again lol.
I appreciated their yummy horchatas. Not only were they only a buck, Gustavo mentioned it took awhile for the FDA to approve the syrup shipment into the states. You can taste all the flavors clearly (vanilla, cinnamon, graininess from rice and it wasnt even too sweet).
Their Flan was amazing as well. Only $ 2.80…how can you beat that?! it’s not as dense as the Filipino version or some Mexican Flans out there. This Flan was closer to the Brazillian recipe. Light and creamy. Dangerously good.
The prices are all under $ 10 for complete entrees so not sure why there are two $$ signs. One asada plate with chorizo, beans and unlimited fresh corn tortillas made us BOTH full. For the quality of their food, these prices should be way higher!
The only thing I’m sad about is that they are just across from where I live so Im about to get FAT this year.

Super low prices for really great food!
The menu is tiny but each item is wonderful.
Best carne asada I have had downtown!
Located right downtown, doesn’t seem to be crowded normally and the service is SO fast and very friendly!
Tip: they give you extra tortillas if you order to go!

I just had lunch here with my co-​workers and was pleasantly surprised with a short and sweet menu offering authentic Mexican food. I tried the horchata, delgado taco, and pollo asado. I’ll save room for their flan on my next trip because it looked very good!
I will happily recommend this place to anyone seeking quality Mexican food.

Wow! What an authentic style, flavor and experience at Pipirins! The Queso, Horchata and Flan are the best we’ve ever had anywhere. and we love Mexican food!
Everything is so fresh and healthy. The staff very caring, with excellent service. This is a must try to all SD locals and visitors abroad. makes me want to visit Guadalajara now! Love this place and their fabulous food!

Es el auténtico sabor de Guadalajara súper recomendado! La carne asada los frijoles y él chorizo excelentes ! Qué bueno que ya tenemos a Pipirins aquí en San Diego!

Muy rico y es como estar en Gdl la mejor carne asada de San Diego, se los recomiendo mucho! Tendrán mucho éxito