Momentos Cafe

The food was delicious remind me of tex-​mex, great service as well. I will be coming back.

Amazing foods and excellent customer service. I’ve ordered a number of food there and all of them were delicious.
I especially loved their ceviche and sopes. They’re worth trying. Besides, they have 3 choices of salsa and those are pretty fresh. I loved them as well.

The place: The ambiance is tranquil and never rushed! It is never busy and you can have a quiet peaceful meal after a day of errands in Grossmont center. The food: The food is very flavorful and has the «authentic» feel of Mexican food. The sopes are very filling and you can get a combination and try out all their different meats. I really enjoyed their adobada, carne asada, and shrimp burritos! The platters are good sized portion and you can choose between 1 or 2 tacos depending on how hungry you are! I can’t wait to come back and try some of their other menu items such as the chilaquiles and the tortilla soup! Thanks for filling up my tummy with yummy food Momentos!

This place is so good. Plus the people who work there are so friendly. I go there on my lunch breaks. I often bring my family for breakfast on the weekends. The chilaquiles are bomb!

This is a late review but better late then never. The service here was great. Family owned and you got that feeling. They came out to give recommendations and they turned out really good. I had the sopes. They were good. The flavor of the Carne Asada is really good. Also they bring out three different salsas for your table. Tried two of the three and had great flavor. Not really a green salsa type of guy. Have to go back and try a couple more things. But for salsa, service and 1^st try I’ll give a 4.

Amazing food in a fast casual space. Family owned and super friendly service! Must try if you’re in the area. They have 3 salsas that are all seriously delish.

Have been here a couple times & have enjoyed everything i ordered. This is a family run restaurant. Prices are a little higher than a taco shop but food is worth it.
Food is fresh & authentic.
Plus they have chilaquiles for breakfast that were great with the café de olla.

Upon walking in, the woman who greeted us and took our order was very pleasant and friendly. It was difficult making a decision as everything on the menu sounded so delicious. What helped in choosing were the photos of each dish on the computer screen.
My husband ordered the milanesa torta while I chose the birria street tacos.
When my husband took his first bite, I thought for sure he was having a foodgasm. He described it as just like his mother made it. He wasn’t wrong when I tried it. The breaded steak was thin and not chewy at all. The bread was lightly toasted and the queso fresco was mmm mmm.
As for my tacos. There are no words. Not soggy, perfectly portioned and the tacos were dipped in the sauce. A nice touch was the birria on the side (the soup served in a bowl).
We will definitely return as there are so many tasty items to try!

Pros:
–Healthy food with fresh ingredients and a taste that leaves little to be desired
–Very tasty salsa trio
Cons:
–Very slow cooks, expect to wait
–The entire back half of the restaurant smells consistently like sewage and cleanser
–Rarely opens on time (9:00)
All that said, I still come here. Just remember to call in your order for pickup.

Fish tacos. Amazing fish tacos! You know how a very tiny rock in your shoe has such a leveraged impact on your comfort? Well, these fish tacos have a leveraged impact on the quality of life. They are so damn good, a chain of events are kicked off in the mind:
«Why did I only order two?»
«When can I come back for more?»
«When I change jobs, I’m going to want my new job to be close enough so I can go eat fish tacos every day!»
«The next house I buy has to be close to the Momentos Café! Any longer drive than a 30 minute drive is a deal breaker.»
«Is it possible to eat too many of these things at one setting. I dunno, let’s try!»
Momentos Café is in this big mall. I hate malls and I would not think one could get anything this tasty in a mall. Malls cater to «food for the masses». These tacos are food for the refined:
the fish is moist, fresh and tasty
the fish seasoning complements the taste of the fish
the grated cheese on the fish plays upon the fish and the seasoning
the fried corn tortilla has the subtle taste of fried corn
Momentos Café tacos offer a symphony of flavors that are both unforgettable and addictive. I doubt if I could ever eat a taco that has such flavor.
I asked the guy at the register hopefully, «Is this place a chain?»
He said, «No, we are one of a kind.»
One of a kind. There is some sadness in that because here is a food that needs to be replicated!
My last meal on earth? I could well see myself saying, «A dozen Momentos Café fish tacos please.»

Had to check this place out because I live nearby and I’ve read some great reviews. Momentos Café is somewhere between a taco shop and sit down restaurant, it’s almost like the Panera of Mexican joints. Order at the counter, find a seat, and your food is brought out to you.
The whole place is very clean and service is excellent. I want to give a shoutout to our cashier, the young girl with glasses. She was very friendly and prompt! She also ran our food to us and brought us fresh chips and a salsa sampler. Tip: be careful with the orange sauce, it’s seriously hot.
My friend and I both ordered 1 each of the fried fish ($ 3.89), adobada ($ 2.19), and carne asada ($ 2.19) tacos. A little steep for a fish taco, but it was amazing — hot, flavorful, and a decent size. Adobada and carne asada tacos were good, but nothing outstanding.
Another thing about this place is that it really tastes fresh. It’s not your typical taco shop where everything is dripping in oil. Our tacos were brought out at separate times, showing that they make each item to order and serve it immediately. Even the tortilla chips were freshly fried! They were practically still sizzling when we got them.
Is it the most authentic? No. Have I had better tacos? Yes. But what makes this place stand out to me is the freshness, cleanliness and customer service that you don’t typically see at a taco shop. If Panera served Mexican food, it would be Momentos Café.

This is the first Tex-​Mex joint I have ever been to, so. please take my review with a grain of salt. Momentos Café is a Texan-​Mexican fusion restaurant that is connected to a Walmart that is located in an outdoor shopping center called Grossmont Center. They serve stuff like soft/​crunchy tacos, tortilla soup, burgers, burritos, ceviche, pancakes, rolled tacos, quesadillas, etc.
I ordered a tortilla soup and two rolled tacos (one beef and one chicken). My boyfriend ordered a carne asada plate that came with a few tortillas and half a plate of salad with ranch/​buttermilk dressing. The tortilla soup and chicken rolled taco were great. My boyfriend says the carne asada was well flavored. Our cashier/​server was very attentive. When I asked for more tortilla strips, he immediately went to get some for me. Overall, nothing was spectacular. If you’re already in the plaza, I say this is a solid choice to have lunch. If not, you can skip it.

Tucked away in a small corner of the plaza is an amazing Mexican restaurant [the name wouldn’t exactly imply that it’s a Mexican place].
I personally ordered the Momentos torta, which came with avocados, some lettuce, ham, carne asada, some pickled jalapenos, on 2 delicious buns. The bread is wonderfully soft, but a tad bit too thick. Sometimes I felt like I got a mouthful of bread, but carne asada was so delicious, I can excuse the bread. The salsas that are given are also delicious. The habanero salsa has a great kick to it, and I think I ended up using much more than I should have. The ceviche here looked divine, and I will be getting that the next time I come by.
Seating could potentially be a problem because the place isn’t too big, but when I came, that was not an issue. Since it’s in a large plaza, parking shouldn’t be a problem. It’s also right across from the hospital and next to a bunch of other things, so if you’re in the area I highly recommend stopping by. I’ll certainly be coming back.
I’m waiting to come a second time before I upgrade my review to 5 stars.

My boyfriend and I came here right after watching a movie. I read some awesome reviews on the place and wanted to try it out.
We were greeted warmly by the lady working at the front counter. We placed our orders and got it pretty quickly. The food was awesome! It tasted fresh and was very filling. I had to take the rest of mine to go because I couldn’t finish everything.
The place is clean and comes with a good selection of foods. The only downside is there isn’t a lot of seating.

It was like a fresh fiesta exploding in my mouth! I love that it’s tucked into a corner in the mall and it’s a family establishment. I felt like I was at their house eating since the young daughter was taking our orders answering our questions and yelling dad who was on the grill to ask him one of our questions. My husband and our son stopped by (starving and eager to eat) and it was our first time here for lunch on a Sunday. I only had 30 minutes to spare. She explained the menu to us and told us what was popular there. She informed us that the sopas and ceviche are the most popular on the menu. So I ordered the shrimp ceviche that comes on 2 tostadas with 1 crispy extra tostada served on top.
The presentation was very clean. The food came out quickly served on white plates and silverware and nice white napkins. The shrimp taco came with a lime wedge and of course their original 3 salsas with tiny spoon servers. My first bite was so FRESH. The shrimp was excellent. I couldn’t get enough shrimp so I ordered the shrimp ceviche tostadas. With ceviche, depending on location or country it’s a 50% chance I would instantly get sick. Not here… the ceviche was so delicious and fresh I thought we were in a fishing boat getting served after it was caught. This is my new ceviche spot! My husband ordered the fish taco and it was so tasty and fresh until he put all the spicy hot sauce on it. I like to taste my food. We also ordered a fruit salad plate for junior. He ate the chopped strawberries, watermelon, pineapples, cantaloupe, honeydew, honey, cottage cheese, and raisins and we ate the granola and almonds. Its something I would make at home but it’s nice to have someone else do it for a change. Their Jamaica drink was so fresh too in that clear cup with ice. When we left, we always say thank you, and the dad was very sincere when he said thank you so much have a great day guys. Very nice family restaurant with high chairs and a restroom in back and perfect for when you’re in a pinch for time. Our food came out very fast. We sat where the tv was and they had the football game on. I would totally recommend it if you’re in the area for light delicious Mexican food.

I came here a while back and must have forgotten to write a review. The previous visit I got my food to go, but during my most recent visit, I was able to dine in.
This little café is located in Grossmont Center right next to Wal-​Mart. They are in the space that Schlotzsky’a Deli used to occupy. So I had passed by this place many times, but decided to finally try the food just recently.
The service here is great at this family run establishment. The servers are attentive and friendly. The place is very clean.
The food is also delicious. The carne asada and (grilled) shrimp tacos were flavorful and fresh. Both seasoned well with nice tasty toppings (onion, cilantro, cabbage, guacamole, tomato, and so forth).
They bring a small assortment of their salsas out to your table (in order weakest to strongest): mild salsa (red), salsa verde (green), and habanero based salsa (reddish-​orange). I tried both mild and habanero, both very good. Habanero is strong, I recommend trying a little before you heap it on.
So far I’ve only had their tacos, but look forward to trying more items on their menu.
4.0 — 4.5/ 5 — Food
⁵⁄₅ — Service
⁵⁄₅ — Atmosphere
Momentos is consistent in all the categories!
4.5+ Overall

This isn’t a high end Mexican restaurant but it isn’t a taco shop either.
It’s like walking into your Tia’s kitchen and having a home cooked meal set in front of you.
This family knows what they’re doing.
They add their own little twist to traditional Mexican dishes.
The huevos rancheros are made on tostadas with bits of meat chopped up and mixed in with the salsa.
The tortilla soup has bits of avocado and cheese blended in giving it a very unique taste.
I especially enjoy the tortas and Mexican burger.
If you were mislead by the name and thought it was going to be a regular coffee shop, that’s okay too. Try their café de olla. I don’t know how they do it but taking a sip of the café de olla here is like taking a trip to your abuelitas in Mexico.
&they have a selection of pan dulce to go with it too.
The family that owns this place are very nice and welcoming people. From the moment I walked in, the same week they opened, I knew I’d become a regular.
And the many people I’ve invited to eat here agree too!

This is a family-​run homestyle Mexican food restaurant. I was absolutely happy with my delicious chicken enchilada and shredded beef sope. I have not been able to find that elusive flavor that my Nana’s food had and now I’ve found it. Outstanding!
Hubby had the steak and egg burrito and a carne adobada taco. He said they were great. They serve breakfast all day. Since they didn’t have a combo platter, I was free to make my own combo. That’s cool! Thank you Amy for your sweet smile and great service! They told me they can make green sauce enchiladas too. Bottom line, they are bending over backwards to please their customers. This is located in the old Schlotzky’s deli next to WalMart.
Those who said said that it must be family members writing the other positive reviews need to look and see that it is long-​time Unilocalers giving our opinion. And, in my opinion, you should patronize this for all the right reasons.

I love this little place!
We were trying to find something new and delicious close to our house and this suddenly popped up on Unilocal.Intrigued, we made our way to the mall in search of Momentos Café. We quickly realized it was in the old location of that weird deli with the name I can never spell. Long story short, it’s right next to the Walmart.
It’s very clean inside and I love the uncomplicated menu. So many times I go into a Mexican restaurant and get completely overwhelmed by all the «specials» and random menu items plastered all over the walls. Mementos has a simple and clean menu with all options clearly explained.
For our first visit I ordered the cheese enchiladas platter and my husband had a carne asada mulitas and one each of the sopes. Both were amazing and we will keep coming here to eat.
Give it a try!

Muy rico la comida la atención exlente limpio muy familiar y relajado siempre que vamos pasamos un muy buen Momento ;)

Wow! 5 stars all across the board! I just came home from eating here for the first time. I consider San Diego to have a lot of very good Mexican food, both at the taco shops and the restaurants, so it takes a lot to impress me and I admit I was slow to try this place out in spite of the excellent reviews. But today my friend and I had just come from a yarn shopping binge that included Walmart and instead of going to the food court I suggested we stop in here to try them out because I remember them having such good reviews on Unilocal.Boy was I glad we did!
I got the ceviche tostadas (two) and she got a combo plate with cheese enchiladas and chicken enchilada that had sides of rice and french fries. My friend kept saying how good her food was, and mine was certainly delicious. The ceviche was wonderful and I was highly impressed with both the crispy tortillas it was served on and the side of chips I requested to scoop up the delicious fish mixture. It’s very rare to find tortilla chips so light and crispy and perfectly salted. I would go back there just for the chips.
I tried all three of the hot sauces placed on the table and all were a bit too spicy for me personally but tasted like very good quality and would be highly appreciated by anyone who likes their hot sauce hot. All the ingredients seem to be top quality as well as the food preparation being spot on. This place may have shot to the top of my favorites list in one visit. I hope to get back soon to try more items.
Last observation – the tables were clean and the service was friendly and efficient.