A heap of crisp french fries, smothered in carne asada, melted Jack cheese, guacamole, pico de gallo and sour cream. Eaten with a plastic fork at the counter; invented in San Diego's Chicano taquerias in the 1990s.
Carne asada fries are a San Diego invention attributed to Lolita's Mexican Food, whose owners say a tortilla distributor suggested loading fries with carne asada and toppings in the late 1990s. The dish spread fast through the city's -bertos taquerias and became Chicano San Diego's house plate. Wikipedia and the LA Times trace the dish's origin to San Diego specifically; you can now find it at every late-night taco shop from Chula Vista to Pacific Beach, with regional debates about whether sour cream belongs.
5 editor picks for Carne asada fries in San Diego, ranked by editorial score. All San Diego signature dishes · Carne asada fries across every city.
Tacos El Gordo ★ 4.7
chula-vista · 689 H St, Chula Vista, CA 91910
Tacos El Gordo in Chula Vista is the Tijuana-style trompo taqueria on H Street and Broadway, with the city's canonical adobada al pastor sliced fresh from the vertical rotisserie.
Lolita's Mexican Food ★ 4.3
clairemont · 7305 Clairemont Mesa Blvd, Ste A, San Diego, CA 92111
Lolita's Mexican Food in San Diego is the Clairemont Mesa Boulevard Chicano taqueria chain founded by the Lolita Garcia family, the originator of carne asada fries in the late 1990s.
Lucha Libre Gourmet Taco Shop ★ 4.2
mission-hills · 1810 W Washington St, San Diego, CA 92103
Lucha Libre Gourmet Taco Shop in San Diego is the Mission Hills Mexican-wrestling-themed taqueria on Washington Street, the Diners Drive-Ins and Dives stop with masked-luchador decor.
El Comal ★ 4.2
north-park · 3946 Illinois St, San Diego, CA 92104
El Comal in San Diego is the North Park family-owned Mexican kitchen on Illinois Street, a longstanding interior-Mexican counter known for carnitas, chilaquiles and Sunday mole.
La Puerta ★ 4.0
gaslamp-quarter · 560 4th Ave, San Diego, CA 92101
La Puerta in San Diego is the Gaslamp Quarter Mexican kitchen on Fourth Avenue, the after-bar carne asada fries and Taco Tuesday institution that anchors downtown's late-night Mexican map.