Fresh Mxn Food

I MISS SANTANAS!
Quality of ingredients has completely gone down hill. Its not the same at all!
Got a california burrito and I can totally taste the difference (even after hours of drinking).
Friends got what they used to get at Santanas (asada fries, bean burrito, quesadillas) and nobody was happy.
I give them 1 star for their late hours and 1 star for the food. :(
I am one sad gringo.

Used to eat here but they haven’t been open the last two times I have tried to call in an order. They are apparently 24 hours but not lately

this is definitiely one of the worst MXN locations I have ever eaten at… I’ve eaten at this location over 10 times because it is close to my work. All other MXN locations are superior to this one. The service is horrible and I’ve had some very mediocre/​bland burritos here. I’ve waited over 15 minutes for a California Burrito before at this location.
I don’t know why this particular location has poor food/​service… most likely because they have high traffic from the Waterfront next door and therefore do not feel an incentive to maintain MXN’s normally excellent comida mexicana

Great California burrito. Exceeded my expectations (which were low). Green salsa was terrific.
I would go back.

Had the Caesar Chicken Burrito that they were promoting on their poster. Probably wasn’t the best choice in being a good indicator of the food at Fresh Mxn.
I wasn’t a big fan of the Caesar Chicken Burrito. The combination of ingredients (romaine lettuce, cheese, grilled onions, and creamy tomatillo sauce) was a bit too mushy for me. My tortilla was soggy from the sauce, so I didn’t really enjoy the texture of the burrito. I actually think they should eliminate this from their menu.
I’d give Fresh Mxn another shot.

Stopped by last night after the Padres game. It’s right next to the always busy Waterfront Bar, so it was pretty dead inside. Ordered the California burrito just like I’ve done for the past 10 years. Their tortillas are large, pack a lot of flavor and are slightly flakey. Fries and carne are cooked to perfection. Guac and cheese add the gooey goodness to this meat-​lovin masterpiece.
Note: make sure you’re not planning on operating heavy machinery post-​consumption. California burritos are known to induce couch-​potatory.

This place is a train wreck after last call on a Saturday. Worth the trip just for the lulz.
Parking can be a little nutty and service is SLOWWWWWWWWWWWWW during their rush after 2am, but its close by and the same mexican fare you can expect at other chain locations.

With so much incredible Mexican food in San Diego I really have no idea how this place survives. Actually I take that back… This place survives between the hours of 1:00 am and whenever they decide to close. I say 1:00 am because that is when the Waterfront’s kitchen closes for the night and all the drunkies need their Mexi-​fix.
Now that I think about it these people may be brilliant. Here is a conversation the owners could have had before opening up MXN Little Italy.
(Assuming there is more than 1 owner)
*Remember, I am making this conversation up…
Owner 1: Let’s open a Mexican food restaurant!
Owner 2: No way! It’s such a competitive market in San Diego.
Owner 1: Well let’s think about this. Who likes Mexican food the most?
Owner 2: Drunk people?
Owner 1: Exactly, and when does ANY kind of food taste best?
Owner 2: When you are drunk?
Owner 1: Si Señor! Sooooo… Where do people get the drunkest in San Diego where there is no Mexican food nearby?
Owner 2: The Waterfront in Little Italy?
Owner 1: Yep, and their kitchen closes at 1:00 am. All we do is stay open later than them.
Owner 2: We are going to be rich! Let’s do it!
*Once again, I made that conversation up and it probably never happened, but maybe it did. Who knows?
In all seriousness I have eaten here several times both sober and after a night of drinking. I have no idea why I keep going back sober but with a few cocktails in me it usually is the only option at the end of the night. The food has never been any better than decent at best but there is one really nice girl who works the counter on some weekend nights. She truly is a saint for putting up with all the chaos that happens there in the early morning hours.
I know I just gave this place two stars but I will be back. it’s simply inevitable.

What a joke! What a waste of calories. I was not told until after I paid for my order and it was ready, that they did not have any red hot sauce. I mean, REALLY? A Mexican restaurant without red hot sauce? That is surely an Oxymoron. The potato taco had absolutely no taste, which hot sauce would have come in handy. The girl behind the counter, who did not know what she was doing (that’s obvious), said that she had to make some. Uh, yeah, okay so it is noon and you have not made any? Again, REALLY? They are surely the laughing stock of Mexican restaurants. They are located in a VERY busy area, yet, there were only a few people there. And this would be why. They need to go, and a real Mexican restaurant needs to open. I will never be back to this location again. The food sucks. The service sucks. Then End.

MXN on Kettner is under new management. Jaime used to manage the store on Washington in Hillcrest for ten years and now has his own store! The food here is amazing! We ordered a carne Asada quesadilla and a bean burrito and everything was so fresh. There is a bar right next door. Perfect place for dinner and drinks!

First time customer, so I went with the basics and ordered rolled tacos with guacamole. I wasn’t let down — solid! Great hot sauces too. Good food.

I like this place a lot. It used to be Fresh Mxn Food but it’s better now as Araceli’s. The portions are larger, the presentation is the best of any small hole in wall place. They use real metal forks and ceramic plates which is nice. I recommend it over the normal run of the mill Mexican places. Think of it as the Burger Lounge of Mexican food places but the prices are comparable to most hole in wall Mexican places. So it’s a win-​win.

Arcelia is a former cook for Santana’s /​Fresh MXN who bought out the Kettner location and is putting her little spin on it. I’d say it’s better — less corporate, and with more generous portions. They’ve retained the Fresh MXN menu, but added a few new options that I have yet to try, such as burgers and sandwiches.
San Diego Unilocalers such as myself are presented with a plethora of hole in the wall taco shops that I’m sure are excellent, but Arcelia’s is just down the block, so why would I drive all the way down to National City or IB if they’re only marginally better? It’s saying something that Arcelia’s is my baseline when deciding whether or not to get in the car.
The staff is also VERY friendly and always greets me with a smile. I dropped a cup of salsa there today, and the lady behind the counter couldn’t have been nicer about it. When I first moved to Little Italy I was against the idea of eating at Santana’s because of old drunken Cali burrito memories, but Arcelia’s healthier options converted me, and I am now a regular because of their breakfast burrito, fish burrito, and well-​stocked salsa bar.

Went here last night cause I was in the area. I got to order a half and half of pollo asado chips and fries; no beans. I did like that it had pico de gallo and not just guacamole and sour cream. And they served it in a pretty big for here plate. My friend and I couldn’t even finish it all. The chips side was delish, but the fries were extremely thinly cut that it was crispy. It wasn’t bad nor good. What I really liked was the condiments bar. They had little for here saucer cups for hot sauce and such. So I felt like I wasn’t wasting a bunch of to go cups for hot sauce. What I also liked is that they have guacamole sauce in the condiments bar. So for me people like me that like a lot of guacamole can go cray cray. So if you’re in the area and craving some fast food mexican food, Arcelia’s mexican fresh food is pretty legit.

I was weary of this place because of all the negative reviews but my friends and I were pretty hungry so we went anyways. The food was absolutely delicious and very fresh. The service was outstanding and the woman was polite and very helpful. I will definitely be going back.

This little place is filled with Mexican goodness. Everything is made to order, the portions are large, and the prices are inexpensive. It’s turned into the easy go-​to place when you’re not in the mood for cooking.
I’m currently obsessed with their Quesomush, which is their variation of a quesedilla with mushrooms. Mmmmmm!

I love Santana’s, I think they have excellent pollo asada nachos.
However, I HATE this Santana’s because the staff and service. They are RUDE and SLOW. The only reason I still go here is for convenience. I used to think it was because I’d only come after a night of tossing em back at the Waterfront, but I came here sober and had the same rude treatment. And STINGY. Do they really think one little salsa cup is gonna feed 4 hungry beasts? UGH My blood is starting to boil just writing about it. Regardless, don’t be suprised if you see me there next friday night at 2:15 am. arrrgggh!!!

I’m super into this place. I don’t care if it is a chain. It is sooo good! I love the fish tacos, they are huge! I am also obsessed with their guacamole salsa. I always get like like 3 little cups full! The only bummer is that they use sooo much styrofoam! Even when you order in, they give it to you in styrofoam. I wish they would consider their contribution to the landfill. Also, I really wish they sold beer. When I sit outside I can’t help but stare longingly at the people drinking in front of the Waterfront!

Located next door to The Waterfront, in a small location that has been 2 other eateries in the past 2 years. There are a few tables on the sidewalk for outdoor eating. The inside was clean and the menu was the standard Santana’s offerings. I ordered carne asada tacos, which were tasty. Their carne is one of the best. The lady working at the counter seemed distracted (on her phone) and the food was slower than I expected.
Good place for lunch in Little Italy.

Coming down from LA, our first stop was Santana’s.
When we arrived, I looked at the menu and had that «this looks good, so does that, so how much of a pig do i want to be» moment.
Like their other locations, this is a place to get your fill of some good but not great mexican food. I went with the 1lb California Burrito. Seemed like more food than actually was when I got it. Though, one of my friends didn’t even finish it so not to my surprise, I eat more than the usual person. I was not full but satisfied.
We also got an order of Carne Asada fries. For me personally, these were just ok. An abundance of toppings and sour cream covered the fries. The fries were the skinny fries, and were a little soggy.
Well since its a chain at least I know what I can expect if I go to a different location.