Life Tossed Together: Carnitas' Snack Shack: Restaurant Review

Brandon here...

The Zagat Guide recently released its list of the “10 BestRestaurants in the San Diego Area” for 2013. This, of course peaked my interest and since Elizabeth’s parents are in town, it was the perfect opportunity to try one of them out. We love taking Lucas to the park so we decided on the number eight-ranked establishment, Carnitas’ Snack Shack. We chose it because it is very close to Texas Street, which leads right into beautiful Balboa Park.

If you don’t know what you’re looking for, this little treasure can easily be missed. It’s right between Oregon Street and Villa Terrace on University Avenue in North Park. We immediately knew we were in for a good experience because there was a line of about 10 people ahead of us.

Elizabeth and her mother Ann ordered the Short Rib Flautas that came with roasted red bell pepper, Jack cheese, spinach and a tomatillo-avocado sauce that Elizabeth later described as “tasty-licious.” Elizabeth’s father Mike ordered the Carnitas’ torta that came with pulled pork, bacon, pepperocini and the “shack aioli”. Finally, I ordered the Shack BLT that came with crispy ham, bacon, lettuce and tomato and also had the “shack aioli”. We also had a couple orders of the seasoned fries to share.

After we ordered our food at the window, we walked around the corner and discovered a lovely sitting area with several tables and plenty of shade. It was somewhat unusual, as we did not have a traditional waiter, just someone who brought us our food. The rest was up to us to obtain flatware, napkins and water, which was all self-serve.

It took a reasonable 15 minutes for our food to be brought to our table. It was all freshly made and the serving size was very satisfying. Ann mentioned that she liked the fact that the flautas were made with flour tortillas instead of corn. Mike described his sandwich as very good and I had to keep myself from devouring the BLT, as I knew I wanted to write this review afterward which would require me to actually eat at a normal person’s pace. If you know me, you know this is not an easy task for me. The bread was toasted and yet soft. The bacon was perfectly cooked and I have yet to find out what is in this mysterious “shack aioli” but it was a lovely accompaniment for this delicious sandwich. As for the seasoned fries, again the serving size was enough for two orders to be generously shared amongst four diners. As a condiment, instead of ketchup, they came with another mystery red sauce that left a little to be desired. Not that it was bad…I actually thought it was pretty tasty, but Elizabeth thought it was a little on the bland side. Overall the food was outstanding and the price was reasonable (about $12/person) we all agreed that Carnitas’ Snack Shack deserved its spot on the Zagat list.

In conclusion, don’t let the name (snack shack) fool you. This fine establishment serves much fancier and better-prepared food than one would be led to believe by the name alone. Just a few small observations if this review has piqued your interest at all. 1. Parking could be a minor issue. We were able to find street parking around the corner on Oregon Street, but we arrived just after they opened. I was not able to discern any dedicated parking. 2. The place got crowded very quickly. Yes, obviously another great sign of the quality, but as we were leaving there were several people waiting for tables to be clear. And 3. We cleared our own table. I’m not sure if this was a requirement, but I just saw other patrons doing it so I just followed suit. It was just a little odd for me because not 5 seconds later another couple were sitting at our table without waiting for it to be wiped down. I am sure someone came around later, but as a little bit of a germaphobe, I was secretly judging the couple rather than the shack for sitting at an unclean table.

Rating: 4 / 5 sporks. Here are a few pics to give you a better idea of the food quality. Please let me know your thoughts if you decide to check this place out. Also let me know if you find out what is in that awesome "shack aioli"!