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Inside Bar  - El Sueño, San Diego, CA

El Sueño

4.1
4.1
193 Reviews
$30 and under
Mexican

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2 people
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
7:00 p.m.
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At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Booked 29 times today
  • Great for creative cocktails
  • Great for outdoor dining
  • Good for special occasions
Coming Soon to Open Table!

Vibrant Mexican Food and Craft Cocktails.

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Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Mexican, Sushi
  • Hours of Operation
    Mon–Thu, Sun 11:30 am–10:00 pm Fri, Sat 11:30 am–11:30 pm Happy Hour Mon, Wed–Fri 3:00 pm–6:00 pm Tue 11:30 am–10:00 pm
  • Phone number
    (619) 501-9813
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Business Casual

What 193 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.1
4.1 based on recent ratings
  • 4.2Food
  • 4.1Service
  • 4.4Ambience
  • 4Value

NoiseModerate

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
El Sueño enchants with its "amazing food" and vibrant atmosphere, perfect for celebrations and date nights. Guests rave about the "delicious" Enchiladas Suiza and "fantastic" spicy margaritas. The restaurant's friendly staff and lively music create a memorable dining experience. While service can occasionally be slow, the overall charm and quality shine through.
193 Reviews
  1. Miriah

    New Mexico

    4 reviews

    5.0

    4 reviews

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    When walking up to El Sueño I knew that it was going to be good! The vibe was phenomenal & our waiter was awesome. I can’t remember his name, but he had a little bit of salt & pepper hair & made us laugh. I ordered the Al Pastor tacos that were heaven. My partner had the street tacos with Carne Asada that she said, “are the best!” That rice also was amazing, the flavor profiles were on point! I don’t know how they marinate the meat, but I hope they don’t change it. The ambiance was just what we needed for a chill night & some bomb tacos! Don’t sleep on El Sueño! Haha.

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  2. Cindy

    San Diego

    3 reviews

    4.0

    3 reviews

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Food was good. Waiter was attentive. Even the manager was helping out to make sure all our needs were met. Overall a fun date night. We would def go back!

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  3. Richard

    VIP

    New York City

    4 reviews

    5.0

    4 reviews

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Excellent … really enjoyed the food and service. The patio is beautifully lit with heaters and the music was energetic but you could still have a conversation!

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  4. David

    San Diego

    5 reviews

    1.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on February 1, 2025

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Boring uninspired food at high prices. $13 to $18 margaritas in a tiny tiny glass full of ice. Fish tacos with a tiny sliver of hard over cooked fish and tons of lettuce. This place good credentials but does not deliver.

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  5. Maria

    San Diego

    4 reviews

    4.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on January 26, 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Cute place! Loved the music and ambience. The warm flour tortillas were delicious and our server was super friendly. However the drinks were okay and the food overall was alright. The queso fundido is too watery. The corn appetizer needs to be softer and missing something.

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  6. cassie

    San Diego

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined on January 25, 2025

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 5
    Food was not the best for the price. The corn tortillas had the texture of play dough. The service was alright but not what you would expect for a restaurant like that. We kept having to ask other workers to help us since our waiter kept disappearing (it was not busy). You pay for the vibes definitely not the food.

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  7. Maggie

    Atlanta

    1 review

    2.0

    1 review

    Dined on January 25, 2025

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 2
    Server was rude from the start. She answered our questions with attitude. She did bring my table bday shots which was nice but overall our experience was awful. A photographer comes to your table , says it’s free and then tries to get you to pay for the pics which are about 10-40 in price. I think that’s insane lol. The food took 30 , almost 40 minutes to get. Our server barely checked on us during that time. The food and drinks were good but it’s not worth the wait for food or attitude from the server.

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  8. Tom

    Portland

    13 reviews

    4.0

    13 reviews

    Dined on January 18, 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Ate outside music was too loud for our taste but was good music. Took a while for service to begin but once water and chips arrived things moved along. Our server was great as was the food and drinks.

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  9. Connie

    Charlotte

    8 reviews

    4.0

    8 reviews

    Dined on January 12, 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    We had a great time at El Sueno. Our hostess and server were kind and accommodating, the food and drinks were excellent, and the prices were fair. One thing I will say is that I did ask for indoor seating when booking with OpenTable (it was an option as part of the booking process) yet we were seated outside. I did not plan for this and wore a dress with open toed shoes and no tights! It is the middle of January and even though there were heat lamps, we were not seated at one and I did get pretty cold. I wish I would've been told that the entire restaurant would be seated outside that night, so I could have dressed accordingly. Other than that, lovely time.

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  10. Toni

    VIP

    San Diego

    6 reviews

    5.0

    6 reviews

    Dined on January 12, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    As always, El Sueno did not disappoint. The service was excellent, the food fantastic, and the atmosphere lively. It was our daughter's 21st birthday and they brought to our table a delicious dessert with a cone of sparklers on it. Very festive. I recommend El Sueno for a night out, a family celebration, or drinks, as they make a delicious spicy margarita.

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FAQs

El Sueño is rated 4.1 stars by 193 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation


Find next available

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Booked 29 times today
Google Map for El Sueño

2836 Juan St, San Diego, CA 92110-2713

Additional information

  • Neighbourhood
    Old Town
  • Hours of Operation
    Mon–Thu, Sun 11:30 am–10:00 pm Fri, Sat 11:30 am–11:30 pm Happy Hour Mon, Wed–Fri 3:00 pm–6:00 pm Tue 11:30 am–10:00 pm
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Mexican, Sushi
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Parking details
    None
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Additional
    Beer, Cocktails, Full Bar, Wine
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