Puesto Mission Valley: The One With the Brewery, and Two Happy Hours

Overview

Puesto was built by the Adler and Lombrozo brothers, first-generation Mexican Americans who describe the restaurant as coming straight out of their own story. It has grown into ten restaurants across four regions, plus stands at Petco Park, Levi's Stadium and Indian Wells — and the thing holding it together is the tortilla.

Every Puesto tortilla is blue corn, made from organic non-GMO masa and hand-pressed to order. They source heirloom blue corn through Masienda, and they'll tell you why it matters: blue corn is floury and higher in protein than yellow, and Pueblo peoples were growing it as far back as 1540. On top of that goes the thing Puesto is actually famous for — a layer of crispy melted cheese, griddled onto the tortilla, under almost every taco they make.

Here's the one thing to understand before you go, because it's what separates this location from the rest: the Mission Valley Puesto is the Cervecería. It's the brewery.

Puesto Cervecería opened here in 2020, at what was then the company's seventh location, brewing Mexican-style lagers, pilsners and IPAs on site. The beer is not a sideline — it's won awards at the California State Fair and at the Great American Beer Festival, which is the most serious beer competition in the country and not a thing most taco restaurants have on the wall.

And the schedule is built around it. Happy hour runs daily, 3 to 5 p.m. — every other San Diego Puesto is Monday through Friday only. Then there's a second happy hour at the bar, Wednesday through Sunday, 8 p.m. until late. No other San Diego location runs both.

What to Order at Puesto

• Three tacos for $27, mix and match. That's the house deal and the right way to order — don't get three of the same thing.
• The Filet Mignon taco. Crispy melted cheese, avocado, pistachio serrano salsa. The one the restaurant is known for, and the one to order if you only order one. Contains nuts.
• Surf & Turf Héroe. Filet mignon and Maine lobster with crispy onions, under the cheese layer. Absurd in the correct way.
• Chicken Al Pastor. Hibiscus and chipotle tinga, avocado, piña habanero pico. The classic, and the best value in the taco list.
• Short Rib Quesabirria with Jalisco salsa and guacamole, or Carnitas with tomatillo salsa — the two for anyone who thinks the filet is doing too much.
• Mushroom taco (vegetarian) with stone fruit serrano salsa. Vegetarians get the same cheese layer, not a consolation prize.
• Start with guacamole, and not the classic. Puesto Perfect adds Parmigiano-Reggiano. Nogada brings pomegranate, mango pico and walnuts. Steak Chicharrón puts filet mignon and chile güero on top. There's a three-guac sampler if you can't pick.
• The Salsa Flight — pistachio serrano, creamy habanero and salsa macha. Chips and salsa are free, which at this price point is a genuinely nice gesture.
• Ceviche, served on blue corn tostadas. Bluefin tuna Zarandeado, kampachi in tomato aguachile, or passionfruit and mango shrimp.
• Esquite — grilled corn with chile, lime, Cotija and crema. The side nobody regrets.
• Dessert is two things and both are good bets: Cookies & Cream Tres Leches, or a Churro Sundae with cajeta and pistachio.
• Worth knowing: Puesto says its kitchen is 100% seed oil free, and names Wayne Farms and Salmon Creek Farms among its suppliers.

How to Visit Puesto in Mission Valley

• Address: 5010 Mission Center Road, San Diego, CA 92108
• Phone: (619) 333-2167
• Hours: Sunday–Thursday 11 a.m.–9 p.m. · Friday–Saturday 11 a.m.–10 p.m.
• Happy hour #1: Daily, 3–5 p.m. Dine-in only. The every-day part is unique to this location in San Diego.
• Happy hour #2: Wednesday–Sunday, 8 p.m. until late, at the bar. Dine-in only.
• Taco Tuesday: Half off all tacos, 3 p.m. to close. Dine-in only. Combined with the 3-to-5 happy hour, Tuesday afternoon is comfortably the cheapest good meal in Mission Valley.
• Reservations are available, along with takeaway, delivery and group dining.
• Come for the beer, not just the tacos. It's the Cervecería. Ordering a margarita here is fine, but you're skipping the only thing this location has that the others don't.
• The other San Diego Puestos: La Jolla at 1026 Wall Street, The Headquarters at 789 West Harbor Drive, and Puesto Taco Bar at 9955 Barnes Canyon Road — the last of which is weekdays, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. only.

The Takeaway

Go on a Tuesday at 3. Half-price tacos, happy hour running at the same time, and a beer brewed about forty feet from your table.

What makes the Mission Valley location worth singling out is that it's the one where the restaurant does something besides cook. Any Puesto will hand-press you a blue corn tortilla and griddle cheese onto it, and that's a genuinely good taco anywhere in the chain. Only this one brews beer good enough to win at the Great American Beer Festival, and only this one will pour it for you at 3 in the afternoon seven days a week and again at 8 at night. The tacos are why Puesto exists. The beer is why you'd drive to this one.

For more San Diego spots worth knowing, browse our Local Picks — and if you're looking at the area itself, our Mission Valley neighborhood guide covers it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Puesto in Mission Valley? At 5010 Mission Center Road, San Diego, CA 92108. The phone number is (619) 333-2167.

What are Puesto Mission Valley's hours? Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

When is happy hour at Puesto Mission Valley? Twice a day. Daily from 3 to 5 p.m., and again Wednesday through Sunday from 8 p.m. until late at the bar. Both are dine-in only.

Does Puesto have Taco Tuesday? Yes — half off all tacos every Tuesday from 3 p.m. to close, dine-in only.

What is Puesto Cervecería? Puesto's brewery, which opened at the Mission Valley location in 2020. It brews Mexican-style lagers, pilsners and IPAs on site, and its beers have won awards at the California State Fair and the Great American Beer Festival.

What should I order at Puesto? Three tacos for $27, mixed and matched. The Filet Mignon taco is the signature; the Surf & Turf Héroe adds Maine lobster. Start with the Puesto Perfect guacamole and the salsa flight.

Why are Puesto's tortillas blue? They're made from heirloom blue corn sourced through Masienda, using organic non-GMO masa hand-pressed to order. Puesto says blue corn is floury and higher in protein than yellow corn.

Who founded Puesto? The Adler and Lombrozo brothers, first-generation Mexican Americans, with Eric Adler as co-founder.

How many Puesto locations are there? Ten restaurants across San Diego, Orange County, the Bay Area and Nashville, plus stands at Petco Park, Levi's Stadium and the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.