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All 1,842 San Diego Restaurants »

Mama Testa Taqueria

1417 University Ave, San Diego, CA 92103
(619) 298-8226
Ranked #391 of 1,842 restaurants in San Diego
4.0 of 5 stars 21 Reviews
Cuisines: Mexican
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Restaurant details
Dining options: Lunch, Dinner
Neighborhood: Uptown/Balboa Park
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21 reviews from our community

80% Recommend
    10
    6
    1
    1
    3
Rating summary
    Food
    Service
    Value
    Atmosphere
Date Rating
Buzipadilla21
Los Angeles, California, USA
Contributor
14 reviews
19 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed December 22, 2011

The food is fantastic! The menu provides a great selection of tacos. I have tried most of them and all I've tried are well executed and tasty. I drive from Los Angeles to SD just to get some tacos, and then drive back! I recommend the Atasco, Aleman and the fish tacos. The salsa bar also has unique creations, all... More

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TravelingTexan63
New Braunfels, Texas
Senior Reviewer
10 reviews
2 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed November 28, 2011

This little hole in the wall was better than I expected. The salsa bar was great, lots of mild to extreme salsas to choose from to add some heat to your meal. The selection on the menu was overwhelming, and I have eaten in MANY Mexican restaurants! I ended up with a recommendation from the girl behind the counter and... More

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Dave75714
Chesapeake, Virginia
Senior Reviewer
10 reviews
4 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed November 20, 2010
1
person found this review helpful

Driving to the airport with a little time to kill. I was hungry and heard their advertisement on the radio: "If it's good enough to Throwdown with Bobby Flay, it's good enough for you" or something to that effect. It was the middle of the afternoon after the lunch rush. The girl behind the counter (sorry I didn't get her... More

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DPD123
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Contributor
15 reviews
7 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed October 6, 2010
1
person found this review helpful

We've eaten Mexican food all over - domestic and international. This is some of the bes I've ever eaten. The fish tacos were so, so good. Beans and rice were yummy. The best variety of sauces (salsas?) and really unusual (like a sesame seed based one) and served on a cold cart with spicy marinated carrots and charred light green... More

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twp007
Victoria, Canada
Contributor
20 reviews
15 helpful votes
1 of 5 stars Reviewed April 2, 2010

undercooked scallops (I know you don't want them overcooked but these were barely warm ) and very greasy catfish and taco shells. The flavor was weak too. the only redeeming food offered was the salsa. More

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ASSGirl
San Diego
1 review
1 helpful vote
1 of 5 stars Reviewed March 4, 2010
1
person found this review helpful

All I can say is "BARF". I was EXTREMELY disappointed at this place. Saw they on Bobby Fla's Throwdown and went totally out of my way to try their food. Parking SUCKS. I had to pay $1.25 for parking just so I can take 5 minutes to get my food to go. All I wanted to try was fish tacos... More

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DiningDiva619
San Diego, California
Senior Contributor
24 reviews
32 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed December 30, 2009
1
person found this review helpful

Okay, let's get this part out of the way early. Ever since Mama Testa was featured on Throw Down with Bobby Flay, they've been slammed and the food has suffered. It's been 5 months now and the hype is beginning to slow down. Don't let this put you off going to Mama Testa. There's more to MT than fish tacos... More

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travlingal51
Lake City, Florida
Top Contributor
100 reviews
48 helpful votes
2 of 5 stars Reviewed October 27, 2009

We had heard about this place, knew that Bobby Flay had done a throwdown here and decided to try it. We are from Florida and were on a quest for fish tacos. First of all it was almost unbearably hot in the restaurant, when I told the waitress that it was, she said "tell me about it". Then we went... More

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KD_N_KD
Vacaville, CA
Contributor
14 reviews
4 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed September 14, 2009

After watching Bobby Flay we decided we had to go, we had taken four days for a vacation and driven seven hours just on a quest for fish tacos!! I was reluctant after finding out that they are make with catfish and after we arrived I tried to get my husband to forget about it and leave because the place... More

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SALMEX
WEST COVINA
Reviewer
3 reviews
9 helpful votes
1 of 5 stars Reviewed September 14, 2009
2
people found this review helpful

After watching Bobby Flay throwdown w/Cesar the owner & Cesar winning the fish taco throwdown my wife and I decided we had to try these tacos. We totally letdown with the quality and the price that we paid for these tacos. I ordered the famous fish tacos with rice and beans, wish the plate came to $12. The tacos had... More

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