Tony's Jacal: 80 Years in Solana Beach, and the 1946 Dishes Are Still on the Menu

Overview

In 1946, Tony Gonzales came home from the war and his wife Catalina had an idea.

In the restaurant's own telling, she "persuaded him to allow her to open a Mexican restaurant right in his parents' home." It opened only at weekends and seated just 26 people. Catalina cooked. Tony helped serve.

Word got out about the chiles rellenos and the turkey tacos — eventually, the family says, as far north as Los Angeles — and people "would line up outside for long periods." The hours expanded. The building was "enlarged several times." Jacal, which the family glosses as "old building," stuck as the name.

Tony died in 1974. Catalina died in 2000. The restaurant is now run by their two daughters, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and this year it's "celebrating 80 years together."

Here's the thing that makes ordering here easy, and it's the best fact about the place.

The two dishes that made it famous in the 1940s are still on the menu. Not as a nostalgia item or a special — chiles rellenos and turkey tacos, right there, eighty years on. Order what the Los Angeles drive was for.

And the practical warning before you go: they're closed Tuesdays, and they close in the afternoon. Weekdays run 11 a.m.–2 p.m., then shut until 4:30 p.m. Turn up at three and the door is locked.

What to Order

The 1946 dishes:

• Chile Relleno — $10.75 à la carte. The dish that built the reputation
• Tony's Soft Turkey Taco Platter — $16.25 for one, $27.00 for two. The other one
• Tony's "Original" Combination — $27.00. A taco and an enchilada, which is as close to the founding menu as a plate gets

The signature the menu names itself:

• Soft Taco de Carnitas — $20.25, described on the menu as "Our Signature Pork, Cilantro & Onion"

To start:

• Guacamole Dip — $13.50 · side of guacamole $5.50
• Catalina Sampler — $17.75 small, $28.00 large. Named for the founder
• Nachos — $17.25 small, $23.75 medium, $32.50 large (add shredded beef or turkey, +$6 / +$8 / +$10)
• Queso Fundido — $12.25 · Cheese Crisp — $10.00 · Stuffed Jalapeños — $13.00
• Mini Taquitos — $10.75 for four, $16.15 for six, $21.50 for eight
• Shrimp Ceviche — $12.50 small, $23.00 regular · Aguachile Verde — $26.75 · Calamari, Mexican style — $23.50
• Elote de la Mexica — $7.75 plain, $9.00 Mexica style

Soups — and the menudo is the one to know about:

• Menudo — $14.75 small, $19.25 large
• Chicken Tortilla — $8.50 / $11.75 · Albondigas — $8.00 / $11.25
• Turkey Broth — $5.25 / $8.00 · Vegetable — $7.25 / $10.50

The traditional plates, which is where this kitchen is strongest:

• Pork Chile Verde — $24.50 bowl, $30.00 plate
• Nopalitos con Pork Chile Verde — $28.50 / $34.00
• Beef Chile Colorado — $24.50 / $30.00
• Chicken Mole — $30.00 · Green Chicken Mole — $30.00
• Steak Ranchero — $34.50

The bigger plates:

• Carne Asada — $29.75 · Carne Asada Burrito — $20.75
• Carnitas — $28.00 · Enchiladas Rancheras — $29.50
• Tostada Suprema — $27.25 (half, $19.75)
• Chimichanga — $22.50 · Burrito — $18.25 · Veggie Burrito — $15.50
• Fajitas — vegetable $29.25, chicken $29.50, shrimp $32.75, steak $35.25, any two $35.25
• Mexican Combination — $30.50 · El rey — $31.00 · El Vaquero — $31.00 · Anniversary Combination — $28.00
• "As You Like It" — $16.25 for one item, $27.00 for two, $34.00 for three

From the sea:

• Fish Taco — $11.75 one, $23.50 two · Shrimp Taco — $12.50 / $25.00
• Chīlpoctli Lime Shrimp — $28.75 · Camarones en Chile Verde — $33.75
• Grilled Salmon with Mango Salsa — $29.25

Eggs, served all day:

• Machaca — $19.45 · Nopales con huevos — $19.45
• Huevos Rancheros, Chilaquiles, Chorizo con huevos, Spanish Omelet — $16.95 each

À la carte, if you want to build your own:

• Taco $10.75 · Enchilada $9.75–$10.75 · Tamal $10.75 · Chile Relleno $10.75
• Bean Burrito $7.25 regular, $8.75 large · Flour Quesadilla $7.00 · Corn Quesadilla $5.75
• Rice or beans — $2.75 half, $5.50 full

Sides worth adding: hot carrots $4.50, salsa fresca $4.00, tortillas 50¢ each, chips to go $2.50.

Drinks: aguas frescas $4.50 with free refills (horchata and jamaica), soft drinks $4.50 with free refills, Mexican Coca-Cola $5.25, Topo Chico $5.25, hot Mexican chocolate $7.00, domestic beer $6.00, Mexican beer $7.00.

Wine by the glass and bottle: Riva Ranch Wente Chardonnay $17 / $64, Southern Hills Wente Cabernet $15 / $56, Meiomi Chardonnay $13 / $48, South Coast Sauvignon Blanc $13 / $48, sangria $12 / $44.

The Margaritas

They won "Best Mexican Food and Margaritas" in 2025, and the list is long. Prices aren't published — ask when you order. The ones worth knowing by name:

• Ray's Millionaire — Maestro Dobel Diamante, Cointreau, black salt rim. The house showpiece
• The Spicy — 1800 Reposado infused with serrano chiles
• The Skinny — Azuñia Reposado, agave, soda
• Tony's House Mezcal-Rita
• Margarita de la Casa — Montezuma, triple sec, their own mix
• Frozen fruit — tamarindo, mango, strawberry, raspberry or peach

There's a Monday-to-Friday happy hour, though the times and deals aren't published. Worth asking about when you call.

How to Visit

• Address: 621 Valley Avenue, Solana Beach, CA 92075
• Phone: (858) 755-2274
• Hours:
  • Tuesday — closed
  • Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday — 11 a.m.–2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.–9 p.m.
  • Sunday — 12 p.m.–8:30 p.m. (straight through, no afternoon break)
• Closed Easter Sunday, July 4, Thanksgiving, December 24 and 25, December 31 and January 1
• Reservations by phone for parties of ten or more. Smaller groups: turn up
• Private parties can be booked through the request form on their site
• Curbside pickup — call the restaurant
• There's an outdoor patio

Good to Know

• Sunday is the easy day. No afternoon closure, straight through from noon to 8:30.
• The 2:00–4:30 gap is real. It's the single most common way to arrive at a locked door here.
• Closed Tuesdays, with one exception the family publishes: they open on the two Tuesdays before New Year.
• Order the chiles rellenos at least once. It's the dish people drove down from Los Angeles for in the 1940s and it's $10.75.
• Free refills on the aguas frescas, which is not a given.

The Takeaway

Go on a Sunday, order the chiles rellenos and a turkey taco, and have a Ray's Millionaire.

What makes Tony's Jacal worth the drive isn't that Solana Beach has good Mexican food — it's that a woman opened a 26-seat restaurant in her in-laws' house in 1946, and her great-grandchildren are still cooking her recipes in the same spot. San Diego County loses places like this constantly. This one made it eighty years, and San Diego Magazine's line about it is hard to improve on: "In North County, Tony's Jacal is legend."

For more spots worth knowing, browse our Local Picks.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Tony's Jacal? At 621 Valley Avenue, Solana Beach, CA 92075.

How old is Tony's Jacal? It opened in 1946, founded by Tony and Catalina Gonzales, and is celebrating 80 years in 2026.

What are Tony's Jacal's hours? Closed Tuesdays. Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday 11 a.m.–2 p.m. and 4:30–9 p.m. Sunday noon–8:30 p.m. with no afternoon break.

What does "jacal" mean? The restaurant translates it as "old building."

Who runs Tony's Jacal now? Tony and Catalina's two daughters, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

What is Tony's Jacal known for? Chiles rellenos and turkey tacos — the dishes that built its reputation in the 1940s and are still on the menu — along with its margaritas.

Does Tony's Jacal take reservations? By phone, for parties of ten or more. Smaller parties are walk-in. Private parties can be arranged through their website.

Is there a happy hour? The restaurant advertises a Monday-to-Friday happy hour but doesn't publish the times or deals. Call to ask.

Does Tony's Jacal do takeout? Yes — curbside pickup, ordered by phone at (858) 755-2274.