News

Located in the trendy Hillcrest neighborhood of San Diego, Ortega’s Restaurant is a Mexican bistro in the style of Puerto Nuevo lobster restaurants. It’s an upscale venue for casual chic couples looking for intimate locale. They have three spaces couples can reserve…

Just south of Rosarito in Mexico is the lobster village of Puerto Nuevo, where visitors can eat fried or grilled spiny lobster with a side of cold beer, rice, beans, and flour tortillas. Ortega’s is one of the best restaurants in Puerto Nuevo, and luckily for us, it’s…

Ortega’s was named a 2018 winner in Best of Gay San Diego for Best Margarita and Best Mexican Cuisine. Read More

That renaissance also includes the Mexican dish queso fundido. At Ortega’s, A Mexican Bistro, in San Diego, the queso fundido, made with baked Oaxaca cheese, comes in an oversized skillet, dressed to the nines with chorizo, chiles and caramelized onions, and…

This Hillcrest restaurant boasts a quiet, rustic ambiance that sets the mood for romance. (Ninth restaurant listed of the nine.) Read More

Voted Best Margarita and runner up for Best Mexican Cuisine by the San Diego Uptown News readers. Read More

Each time I am seated right away upon arriving at Ortega’s (which is every time), I’m amazed I didn’t have to make my way through a crush of people waiting to get in. I can only assume this is because I tend to go during the day — that perhaps it’s much more crowded…

Voted Best Mexican Cuisine and Best Margarita by the San Diego Uptown News readers.

Seafood lovers have long flocked to Puerto Nuevo, the “lobster village” just south of San Diego in Baja California, Mexico… Read More

Ortega’s, A Mexican Bistro serves original specialties from Puerto Nuevo, Mexico including Banana Crusted Huachinango with red snapper, ripe plantain and crispy corn chips. Read More

National Guacamole Day is Tuesday, Sept. 16. Here’s where to bow down to the greatest green dip ever in San Diego. Read More

Warm-water lobster takes a delicious turn when cooked Puerto Nuevo-style at this Hillcrest restaurant. Read More

Located in San Diego’s trendy Hillcrest Neighborhood, Ortega’s, A Mexican Bistro brings an authentic Puerto Nuevo dining experience to the heart of this southern California city. Read More

Get ready to dance. Ortega’s, A Mexican Bistro hosts an incredibly weekly live music series that has the locals a buzz. Read More

Keep the party going with some chips, guacamole and of course, margaritas! Open daily ‘till midnight, University Avenue’s Ortega’s, A Mexican Bistro takes Mexican food to a whole other level… Read More

One local hot spot in the heart of Hillcrest is mixing up masterful concoctions with the liquor we all know best. Read More

The quaint fishing village of Puerto Nuevo lies along the Pacific Coast in Baja California, Mexico, located about an hour south of downtown San Diego. Read More

Ortega’s is hosting latin-inspired groups every Thursday night through July so expect the trio to bring some of that rhythmic inspiration to their set. Read More

Mexico’s answer to donuts are churros, and you don’t need to head south of the border to find them. Read More

The origins of the traditional recipes served at Ortega’s Bistro date back 60 years, to the tiny fishing village of Puerto Nuevo, Mexico. Read More

Experience soulful, Latin-inspired sounds with Puerto Nuevo tastes and sips at Ortega’s in Hillcrest. Read More

Eat your heart out. Ortega’s Mexican Bistro offers up a Puerto Nuevo-style lobster breakfast that will put any hearty American breakfast to shame. Read More

Readers of Gay San Diego have named Ortega’s Mexican Bistro a 2013 gold recipient for “Best Mexican Cuisine” and “Best Happy Hour”.

LocalEats.com has named Ortega’s Mexican Bistro a 2013 award winner for “Best Mexican in San Diego” and “Top 100 Restaurant in San Diego”.

“Besides its whole lobster dish, Ortega’s serves a wickedly good tableside guacamole” — Jennifer Croshaw, SignOnSanDiego.com Staff Writer. With numerous awards to its credit, Ortega’s is consistently rated one of the best restaurants in San Diego County,…

“The Food is Brilliant and Fantastic… Everything was delicious! The Flan was AMAZING.” — Gordon Ramsay, Celebrity Chef

“Californians have long flocked to Puerto Nuevo, the ‘lobster village’ south of San Diego in Baja California, so when a member of the family that operates several Puerto Nuevo restaurants opened Ortega’s, it became an instant sensation…” — Fodor’s Travel Read…

“ORTEGA’S, A MEXICAN BISTRO, the Hillcrest rice ‘n’ beanery co-owned by a member of the family that built Puerto Nuevo into Baja’s celebrated ‘lobster village,’ has regained its status as best upscale Mexican house (good mom ‘n’…

“You don’t have to cross the border to savor the authentic flavors of Mexico. From mimosas made with freshly squeezed orange juice and champagne to handmade flour tortillas, Ortega’s offers diners high quality, fresh ingredients at affordable prices…” — Susan…

“Starting with five generations of experience and a gracious, warm, attentive waitstaff, Ortega’s Mexican Bistro has been serving award-winning, Baja-inspired cuisine to an appreciative audience since day one.” — San Diego Home/Garden Lifestyles Magazine

“I used to love driving down to Puerto Nuevo a couple of times a year for spiny lobster and margaritas, but given the chaotic traffic on my last couple of return trips, I have lost my taste for it. But right in the heart of Hillcrest at Ortega’s Mexican Bistro,…

“Muy delicioso” dishes mark the menu of this “gourmet” Hillcrest Mexican celebrated for serving the same “incredible” Baja California-style lobsters and flour tortillas popularized by the original namesake in Puerto Nuevo, Mexico; “exceptionally warm”, “rustic” décor…

“The made-to-order guacamole and the filled one-and-quarter-pound lobster explain why this 60-seat restaurant commenced an expansion to add some 150 seats when it was barely six months old.” — David Nelson, Westways Magazine

“At Ortega’s, Hillcrest’s hip Mexican eatery (of South-of-the-Border lobster fame), the table-side guacamole does not disappoint, especially when paired with the house pomegranate Margarita.” — Abe Opincar, Gillian Flynn, Dan Triemstra and Sara Digregorio,…

“We couldn’t quite put our finger on the comforting smell that greeted us when stepping inside the new Ortega’s Bistro. The air was pleasantly warm, faintly spiced, as though we had entered the house of a relative who cooks the family’s favorite meals all day…