Week 13: Casa de Pico

Living in San Diego means that good Mexican food isn't hard to find.

I live right by Grossmont center, where a mediocre mall shares a parking lot with a Target (<3!) and a couple random restaurants. One of those random restaurants is called Casa de Pico, and I hadn't given it much thought until this week. Usually I would just drive straight past it while on one of my many (very necessary and crucial to my existence) Target missions.

A big Welcome archway

I decided to give Casa de Pico a try, mainly because I really did not feel like going through the daily gauntlet of picking something to make for dinner, actually cooking dinner, and having to clean up after cooking... Hey, sometimes you gotta pick your battles.

The restaurant itself was massive, with a huge patio space and even more tables inside. I'd estimate that 300 people could be comfortably seated, both inside and outdoors, if the restaurant was at full capacity. I'd pray for the servers if that ever actually happened, but they seemed like a well-oiled machine.

Inside, there were paintings on the walls and sculptures on every non-essential surface. The bright colors and traditional Mexican decorations were beautiful and incredibly over-the-top. I wondered whose job it is to dust everything. Every surface I saw was dust-free, so they must do a hell of a job.

The hostesses were wearing traditional dresses, the ones that fall off the shoulders and are embroidered in bright colors. The dresses didn't look very comfortable as a work uniform, but for the hosts' sakes, I hope they were. The workers were all friendly, and I could tell they laughed together when not immediately seating a table or clearing dishes. It is always nice when people are smiling at their jobs, especially behind the scenes. Anyone can have a client-facing smile, but it's even more important to smile with your coworkers.

I thought it was fantastically extra that even Casa de Pico's napkins were branded. They were the good kind of napkins too, not the paper-thin ones that dissolve with the slightest bit of moisture. I figured the Casa de Pico people must be doing alright, noting the caliber of napkin, apparent multiple locations (Old Town and La Mesa), and steady flow of customers on a random Tuesday night.

Casa De Pico's napkins were pretty high quality. Very absorbent.

By the entrance, there was even a little area behind some glass with information about traditional Mexican food preparation.

I wasn't sure what to order, because the menu was pretty big, but my friend and I eventually decided to share a taco plate and a chimichanga. They were both delicious, reasonably priced, and even provided me with leftovers for my next lunch.

A bad photo of some good tacos

A decent photo of an outstanding chimichanga

All the décor and uniforms did feel a little kitschy, and overall, Casa de Pico definitely screamed tourist destination. However, despite all that, the place was poppin'. And the food was great. I'm pretty sure most of the clientele were locals, anyway. It is always telling when you go enjoy a specific cuisine and the people there are all white. This wasn't the case at Casa de Pico, which made me feel confident in the menu even before our food arrived.

While we ate, multiple trays of margaritas flew around our heads, carted to different tables alongside massive platters of food. The music and chatter that filled the restaurant made for a fun and lively Tuesday night.

Bonus: the sunset from the parking lot was great! This photo definitely does not do it justice, but it made the Target sign glow and look even prettier than normal.

Sunset over Target

I'm glad I tried this place for dinner, especially because it is right around the corner from my apartment. Once it gets warmer out and the days get longer, I will definitely walk there for another random weekday dinner.

See you next week.