Best Latin American Restaurants in Chula Vista / Bonita

My husband and I went to Casa Gabriela with our toddler shortly after 6:00 on a Friday night, so it was fairly busy. We had a reservation and arrived 15 minutes early, thinking we would not find parking as quickly as we did, and they were able to sit us within five minutes. The staff were quick to take our orders and the food was out quickly, considering the quality. Speaking of the quality, everything was excellent. My husband raved about his quesadilla, and he is a hard man to impress. My picky eater of a child scarfed down most of a bean and cheese burrito, which was a sight to behold. I had the seafood enchiladas and they were delicious, although I was way too full of the equally good ceviche we had first to finish them. I have a wheat allergy and love that I can safely eat here. We will definitely be back!

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.