San Diego's Michelin-Recognized Tuetano Taqueria Reopens In South Bay After Year-Plus Closure

Tuetano Taqueria, the beloved Michelin-recognized taco shop, has reopened in San Diego's South Bay after more than a year of closure.

Chef Priscilla Curiel launched Tuetano Taqueria in 2018 in San Ysidro, a border town in San Diego's South County. A graduate of the Art Institute of San Diego's culinary program, Chef Curiel grew up immersed in the restaurant industry, working in her family’s eateries on both sides of the border: Talavera Azul in Chula Vista and La Espadaña in Tijuana.

In its brief tenure, Tuetano Taqueria has gained widespread acclaim. It has been praised in publications such as Food & Wine, featured in GQ’s "Best New Restaurants" list, and recognized as one of California’s "25 Delicious Discoveries" by the Michelin Guide. It was also named one of the "Best Mexican Restaurants in San Diego" by the same guide. In late 2020, Chef Curiel expanded her vision with Mujer Divina, a Mexican coffeehouse and burrito shop in National City. She later closed Tuetano’s original San Ysidro location in October 2021, relocating the concept to the Old Town Urban Market food hall in central San Diego.

In late 2023, Tuetano Taqueria departed the Old Town Urban Market as Chef Curiel secured two storefronts in Chula Vista, near the historic Vogue Theatre on Third Avenue. This move allowed her to bring both Tuetano Taqueria and Mujer Divina to the same block, with plans for a new brunch concept under the Mujer Divina brand that will debut soon.

The menu at Tuetano Taqueria centers around slow-cooked, fall-apart beef birria de res, with the option to add the shop’s signature roasted beef bone marrow (tuetano) to any taco, torta, or dish. Meanwhile, Mujer Divina serves a variety of Mexican-inspired coffee drinks, including the popular cinnamon-infused Café de Olla, alongside traditional "Hilera-style" burritos—flour tortillas filled with slow-cooked, stewed meats.

Both Tuetano Taqueria and Mujer Divina are now open at 216 Third Avenue in Chula Vista. For updates, follow Tuetano Taqueria on Facebook and Instagram.

Originally published October 13, 2024.