Restaurant Review: Casa Castillo – New to Point Loma

Restaurant Review

Casa Castillo
Mexican and Guatemalan Cuisine
3334 Rosecrans St.
San Diego, CA 92110
619-432-1922

By Judi Curry

Sometimes you luck out and are in the right place at the right time. This particular night Hugh and I had excellent luck and happened into a new restaurant that has only been opened for a month.  Casa Castillo is the name of the restaurant, and it is just opposite Loma Square shopping center, near the car wash.

And – what’s more, the three managers/ owners – Juan, Carlos and Jesus – were there planning their grand opening this Labor Day Weekend.  They will be offering 15% off the entire tab; there will be FREE APPETIZERS! And there will be music.  The “ribbon cutting ceremony” will take place at 11:00am, and it will be fun for the entire three days.  They are open from 8:00am to 9:00pm Sunday-Thursday, and open until 10:00pm on Friday and Saturday evenings!

So what’s on the menu?  I had never had “Guatemalan” food so I wanted to sample what was available.  While we noshed on an excellent home-made salsa and warm chips, we read the menu. I decided to try the “Guatemalan Enchiladas”, which was a toasted tortilla topped with beets veggie mix, onions, ground beef, Guatemala sauce, egg slice and cotija cheese.  I also wanted to try one of the items on the “Mexican” side of the menu so had the “Street Taco” filled with Carnitas, cilantro and onions.

Guatemalan Enchiladas

Hugh, on the other hand, had seen the special of the evening on the “special board” as we walked into the restaurant and never really wavered from the Mexican Chile Rellenos which were advertised as “one roasted green poblano pepper stuffed with cheese, coated in a fluffy egg batter, topped with chipotle cream, and including rice and beans.”  The special was $7.99, and he said it was the best Chile Rellenos he has ever had.  He said that they had “tenderized”  the chili somehow and it was delicious.

My “enchilada” was unlike any other enchilada I have ever had. The fact that it was made with beets and cabbage was in itself interesting. And to have a slice of a hard boiled egg on top was also different. To me it looked more like a tostada than an enchilada, because the bottom tortilla was cooked quite hard and cracked like a cracker when I went to eat it.  However, it was very, very good, seasoned well, and easy to eat with a fork.

Mexican Chile Rellenos

The street taco, served with 3 small corn tortillas was also very good. I asked for more cilantro and onion, which was brought to me with a smile by Jesus. And I enjoyed the extra flavor.  The green and red sauces that were served with the taco were nicely flavored, and between those and the salsa I was very happy.

Let’s talk about the menu for a minute.  Their breakfast menu offers both Mexican and Guatemalan specialties and really is extensive.  There are also Omelettes, Pancakes, Waffles, Crepes and French toast offered.  The lunch menu offers different kinds of Taco’s, a Mexican enchilada plate, chicken wings, etc.  There is also a kids menu, soups and salads, and a variety of drinks.

“Street Taco” filled with Carnitas, cilantro and onions

As an added bonus we had a wonderful Nutella crepe, replete with fresh strawberries, a slice of orange, and whipping cream.  It was yummy!

Now for the drawbacks – and they hope to rectify each and every one of them as the days go by.  The biggest one is that it is upstairs and at this time there is no elevator.  What they are hoping to do is to convert the downstairs patio into a dining room so that people with disabilities can eat comfortably there.

Presently there is not a menu for vegan or gluten-free dining, but they are working on a vegan menu and expect the gluten-free to follow afterwards.

Nutella crepe. All photos by Judi Curry.

They do not have a beer/ wine license, although they will be applying for it, but both Hugh and I had the ethnic drinks offered – Hugh had a “Agua de Jamaica” – a drink made from Hibiscus, and I had the Guatemalan Horchata, which – although different from the Mexican one I am used to – was very flavorful.

The service was wonderful; Jesus checked in with us many times to make sure that everything was okay.  He kept our glasses filled, be it water or one of our drinks; answered all of our questions, and made the evening quite enjoyable.

Over all we were excited about the discovery of this new restaurant – so much so that we think that we will attend one of the “grand opening events” this weekend.  Will we see you there?