I consider myself a fairly smart person.  Fairly.  Like, I know a lot of things about a lot of stuff.  I can list all of Madonna’s albums in chronological order, from memory but I also didn’t learn to properly tie my shoes until I was 23.  So, give and take right?  But few questions will make my head explode faster than “Where can I get a good taco in San Diego?”  Seems like a simple inquiry on it’s surface but I guarantee you every San Diegan who just read that sentence said “wow”.  There’s, like, a million places.  And there are follow up questions to be had.  Not all tacos are created equal.  In a recent episode of The Boy Who Ate San Diego: The Podcast, we even briefly touched on this very subject.  Dan wisely responded with “Well, what kind of taco?  Because I’ll likely have a different place for each kind” and he is not kidding.  It’s a big deal around here. 

While great Mexican food places come in all shapes and sizes, each has their own spin on a particular dish or style of Mexican cooking that makes them special.  Naturally, when I started this challenge, I got roughly a gazillion suggestions of Mexican places to try  so I had to be extra nit-picky when it came to which to try first.  I could seriously do a whole series of just Mexican food in San Diego.  I can’t believe I lived so long on the other coast thinking I had actually had real Mexican food!  HA!  Oh, baby Anthony.  Although I will say, in the years since I’ve seen the light (the “light” in question being the neon glow of the Filiberto’s drive-in sign from the passenger seat of a friend’s car at 2am because I am definitely unfit to drive in this moment), Mexican places in other parts of the country have stepped their collective game up.  Not too long ago, I even let my Brother take me to his favorite Mexican restaurant in Bridgeport, Alabama (no, really).  My expectations were so low, they melted in the face of the Earth’s liquid magma core but I have to say, it was actually pretty good and dare I say kinda authentic?  Who knew?!  We won’t even get to how long it took for me to have actual Mexican food in actual Mexico.  Let’s just say it was well worth the wait.

My buddy Chris suggested Lola 55 to me for this challenge.  I take his suggestions seriously as he is not only well schooled on all things food, he’s been with me for nearly all of the most exciting and noteworthy places I’ve covered on this blog since it’s inception 10 years ago.  Lola 55 is one of many in that it is a Mexican restaurant in San Diego but one of few since it’s Michelin-recognized.  Yes, really.  Located in San Diego’s East Village and Carlsbad, Lola 55 bills itself as a “modern Taqueria” with a focus on the always-delicious Oaxaca region.  This concept holds a lot or promise and expectations were high for me and my taco-loving compadres:

Aimee-Roommate since the 90’s, BFF, allergic to hot dogs and therefore labeled a commie by many

Amy J-Chief science officer, Michigan Football loyalist, a common floozy

Chris-Attorney, lifelong food snob, loves sandwiches.  Like, a lot.

David-Wonder Woman superfan, musical theatre enthusiast, the narrator’s love interest

Located just East of downtown San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter, Lola 55 is just close enough to all the action that you can easily have a pre-game or pre-concert taco (It’s blocks away from PETCO Park, San Diego’s largest sports stadium and the reason I had to leave my awesome downtown apartment in early 2002.  It’s a long story and I’ve accepted that I will absolutely die mad about it, so let’s keep it moving.  Nothing to see here…)  but Lola 55 is also far enough away from the craziest tourist/traffic/downtownness that going there is not a chore.  Navigating Downtown San Diego can be so rough, I know dozens and dozens of people that will automatically veto going there for any reason.  Got jury duty? Guess where the courthouse is…Wanna attend San Diego Comic Con?  Guess where that is… It’s a whole thing.

We arrived in time for Happy Hour, so cocktails were a must.  Aimee had the Red Sangrita, which she found light, refreshing and very fruit forward.  I ordered the Lola Marg (Blanco Tequila, Grapefruit Cordial and Lime with an option to make it spicy.  I made it spicy.).  It was pretty tasty but nothing outstanding.  A solid Marg.  I might go more adventurous next time.  Amy J got the Bidi Bidi Bom Bom (We love a Selena reference, may she rest in eternal peace).  Made with Mezcal, Jamaica Passionfruit Syrup, Pineapple and Lime.  She found it tasty but not her favorite part of the meal.  Chris ordered the Golden State Fizz (Gin, Pamplemousse, Raspberry Cordial, Lemon and Fizz Bitters).  He called it perfect blend of fizz and citrus that paired well with the pork tacos.

For appetizers, I ordered the Masa Fritas.  Puffed masa rounds, pasilla Salt and lime zest served alongside an avocado mousse.  This was the most unique and satisfying part of my whole meal.  They literally ate like fries.  I had to double check that what I was eating was, in fact, corn.  Lightly fried with just the right crisp and fluff ratio.  I would come back for these alone.  David loved the avocado mousse and wished it had come with a bigger ramekin of it. 

We also had some Brussels Sprouts, charred and tossed with Mole Amarillo Vinagrette, cotija cheese and thick cut bacon.  While the sprouts had a nice flavor them, the spicyness of the dressing was a little loud for those in our party sensitive to such things and the bacon was straight up burnt.

Now it was time for the star attraction, the tacos.  Not gonna lie, they weren’t my favorite.  I had 3 very different tacos but ran into the same issue with two of them.  First up was the Squa-Shroom taco (Lions mane Mushrooms, Squash blossom, housemade beet soyrizo, poblano salsa and potato chicharrones).  It was tasty if very unwieldy.  Yes, I know great tacos can be messy but this was served with nearly the entire tortilla covered in large items.  The mushroom cluster and squash blossom were large and hard to eat in a taco but the flavors were good.  Amy J also ordered this taco and found it to be a great combination of flavors and textures.  She liked how the firmness of the mushrooms held up firmly against the softer ingredients. 

Next up was the Mesquite Chicken Taco (Mesquite grilled chicken, chicken chicarron, cucumber, coconut rice, peanut macha salsa and pickled cilantro).  While the mesquite had a nice spice, it was so vinegary it damn near blew out my palette.  The pickled cilantro doubled down on that note and there wasn’t much the cucumber and rice could do about it.  Very unbalanced and also overloaded.  My final taco was the Baja Style Fish (Local fish, remoulade, chorizo-tomato vinaigrette, baby mizuna, pickled serrano and purple basil).  While I will say the fish was great; big, juicy, well fried and seasoned, this was another case of the vinegar shoving everyone else out of the way and taking center stage.  The balance was nonexistent for me.  Aimee, on the other hand, named this taco as her favorite.  She felt the well-fried fish and vinaigrette were a great pairing. 

David and Chris both ordered the Smoked Carnitas Taco (Pork Shoulder Confit, crisped maciza, shaved tomatillo, avocado mousse, picked red onion and cilantro). It was David’s favorite of the night.  The tomatillo added the right amount of zing and a welcomed bit of moisture with an absolutely delicious tortilla (seconded.  Really well made tortillas).  Chris praised the great flavor, tender pork and just the right amount of crisp.  Aimee had the Steak Taco (Mesquite grilled steak, mash, avocado mousse, smoky pasilla salsa, crispy onions and jalapeno toreado).  She found it tasty but the cut of the steal itself was too big and difficult to eat.  She ended up cutting it up into smaller pieces.  She also got the Pork Belly Al Pastor Taco (Achiote pork belly, mesquite pineapple, baby mizuna, avocado mousse, crema and cilantro).  While she describes the flavors as nice, she also said the pork belly wasn’t tender.  One bite and the whole piece “Slid out like a bad onion ring”.  She said she wouldn’t order this one again. 

Our resident pescatarian, Amy J, ordered the Rainbow Cauliflower Taco (charred cauliflower, eggplant bacon, avocado mousse, almonds, golden raisins, morita dulce salsa, cilantro).  While she found it a bit spicier than she normally enjoys, she praised the salsa and how it mixed with the textures of the eggplant bacon and cauliflower. 

Amy J also ordered a side of Lola’s Beans (a food I won’t touch so I was glad to have her input) creamy peruanos with diced red onion.  She calls it a “must-have”; creamy and flavorful.  A bowl of comfort.  David was also a big fan of this dish, claiming he’d never had beans so creamy and loved the zest from the onions.  Love that for them. 

We capped off the night with dessert.  We got the made-to-order churros, served alongside a vegan cajeta dipping sauce.  They were fried a bit darker than I’m used to but they were very tasty with fluffy insides.  The sauce was giving more maple syrup than caramel but it was also very tasty.  We also ordered bowls of all 3 ice cream flavors offered; Dark Chocolate Mole, Horchata and the seasonal offering; Pumpkin.  We were unprepared for the chocolate and horchata to be topped with peanuts (bad news for allergic Amy) but she did get to have the pumpkin ice cream which, instead, was topped with crunchy pepitas.  She found it to be heavy on the Fall spices without being too Pumpkin-y (also a plus for others at the table who don’t love pumpkin but enjoyed this ice cream).  I enjoyed it as well.  I don’t know that I could get through a whole bowl of it but it was very tasty.  

The Horchata Ice Cream was another hit, even for Aimee who doesn’t love the original drink the ice cream is modeled after.  Great vanilla and cinnamon coming through on that one with a rich creaminess.  Chris chose “Best Life Only” options by adding the Cajeta sauce from the churros to the Horchata ice cream, calling it a perfect finish.   For David and me, the clear winner was the Dark Chocolate Mole Ice Cream.  Served with a syrup that hardened like a rich chocolate shell along with the peanuts made for a great crunch on top of a rich, not-too-sweet ice cream.  I will say, had I not been told there was mole in it, I wouldn’t have known.  It just tasted like a rich chocolate ice cream.  A little heat would’ve been nice but for what it was, I really enjoyed it.

While my taco experience at Lola 55 was less than stellar, I will say this place is worth seeking out for a number of reasons: location, value (nothing on the menu is over ten dollars, unheard of for food of this quality) and great small plates.  The Masa Fritas are a MUST.  I will be back to explore more of the menu.  I’m still not eating the beans.  I’m sure they’re wonderful.  The answer is no.  Leave me alone.

Check out my YouTube Channel for this episode! https://www.youtube.com/@TheBoyWhoAteSanDiego

Check out the deep dive podcast for this episode! https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-wbbmi-1580be8

Further Reading: https://lola55.com/