Birria Specialist Tuetano Taqueria Brings Soulful Mexican Food to Old Town

Chef Priscilla Curiel officially moved her acclaimed Tuetano Taqueria into a new home over the holiday weekend after closing her original San Ysidro location last month. The counter-service restaurant is the first to open at the Old Town Urban Market, a new 7,000-square-foot, mostly-outdoor venue that will eventually house a mix of retail and food vendors including the locally-owned Por Vida Coffee and Barrio Donas.

A former Congress Street pub has been transformed into a compound of sorts for Curiel, with its own patio dining area, a bar, and a large kitchen dedicated to Tuetano Taqueria and Mar Rustico, the chef’s new Mexican seafood spot that should be launching within the next week or so.

Candice Woo

Curiel has been perfecting her Michelin-honored birria for eight years, starting with catering and pop-ups before opening in San Ysidro in 2018. The stewed beef shoulder, seasoned with cinnamon, cloves, and guajillo chiles, is the focal point of a concise menu that includes quesadillas, tortas, and her most celebrated dish, a birria taco topped with roasted bone marrow. There’s also beer from Mujeres Brew House and Border X Brewing and wine from Escondido’s Speckle Rock Vineyards, with cocktails to come.

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