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Inside Bar  - El Sueño, San Diego, CA

El Sueño

4.2
4.2
229 Reviews
$30 and under
Mexican
2836 Juan St, San Diego, CA 92110-2713

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 21 times today
  • Great for creative cocktails
  • Great for outdoor dining
  • Charming
Coming Soon to Open Table!

Vibrant Mexican Food and Craft Cocktails.

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Mexican, Sushi
  • Hours of operation
    Mon–Thu, Sun 11:30 am–10:00 pm Fri, Sat 11:30 am–11:30 pm Happy Hour Mon, Wed–Fri 3:00 pm–6:00 pm Tue 11:30 am–10:00 pm
  • Phone number
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Business Casual

What 229 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.2
4.2 based on recent ratings
  • 4.3Food
  • 4.2Service
  • 4.4Ambience
  • 4.1Value

NoiseModerate

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
El Sueño boasts a vibrant atmosphere with "great food, drinks, and vibes" in historic Old Town San Diego. The restaurant is known for its "phenomenal" tacos, "delicious" enchiladas, and unique cocktails. While service can be inconsistent, highlights include "friendly staff," "beautiful ambiance," and an Instagram-friendly setting.
229 Reviews
  1. Gisselle

    Los Angeles3 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    We came here for birthday dinner and the service was really good. The elote from the appetizers is so delicious. I had the California burrito and it was loaded with flavor. The drinks were strong too and tasty. Only complaint is that we reserved a month in advance but we had to sit outside because they had just seated people inside.

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  2. Blanka

    San Diego5 reviews

    4.0

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Server was fantastic. Food and drinks were okay. This place has a lot of potential, I was surprised it was so empty on a Sunday afternoon. Pricey (in my opinion) for what you get. I’ll give it another try.

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  3. Kevin VIP

    San Diego72 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Cool vibe, great for younger people who like the loud music in background . Most seats are outside so be sure to wear /bring jacket. Food selections /flavors were excellent . Was for my daughters 18th Birthday celebration with her friends so it was a perfect venue!

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  4. Azucena

    Baja California1 review

    5.0

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great happy hour! Only ordered from happy hr menu and it was great. Two skinny margaritas, grilled fish and al pastor taco. I recommend and will be going back.

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  5. Ali

    Kansas City14 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on March 23, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Love this spot so much! Authentic and so San Diego.

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  6. Jionni

    San Diego1 review

    4.0

    Dined on March 23, 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    It was such an amazing experience at this restaurant. The service was great. The food was wonderful and the ambience was perfect. The only thing I would say I didn’t like was the wait time. We walked up and put our names on the list and the origin told us it would be about an hour and a half wait time. We thought well we’re in old town so let’s walk around for a bit and come back. When we did come back, we still were waiting and never actually got called. The only reason we got sat was because I booked a reservation online and they sat us within 10 minutes.

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  7. Debbie

    San Diego26 reviews

    3.0

    Dined on March 21, 2025

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 3
    We were looking forward to trying El Sueno out. Big disappointment. Could not get a reservation inside although it remained near empty the entire time we were there. Waiter was lackluster & not very attentive. Forgot some items & dd not appear to care. Food was just so so. Won’t be back.

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  8. OpenTable Diner

    San Diego1 review

    5.0

    Dined on March 16, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 5
    Service was slow and it was not that busy. Once we received service it was good. The food is great it always is here. The parking situation is a little messy with the valet guy no where to be found for 20mins. Try to get the staff to contact him and nobody was any help with that. Other than that the food was great, the place is amazing.

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  9. Andy

    Unspecified1 review

    4.0

    Dined on March 15, 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Our server was very friendly and attentive. They would check in on us and made sure our table got the proper attention. The ambience was very nice and calming. Definitely a restaurant that is Instagram friendly. The food isn’t too bad but it’s almost unfair to compare it to authentic Mexican food that is just across the border. 

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  10. Daniel

    Unspecified1 review

    5.0

    Dined on March 11, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great food great service great environment, will try again

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FAQs

El Sueño is rated 4.2 stars by 229 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

  1. Home
  2. United States
  3. San Diego
  4. San Diego
  5. Old Town

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 21 times today
Google Map for El Sueño

2836 Juan St, San Diego, CA 92110-2713

Additional information

  • Neighborhood
    Old Town
  • Hours of operation
    Mon–Thu, Sun 11:30 am–10:00 pm Fri, Sat 11:30 am–11:30 pm Happy Hour Mon, Wed–Fri 3:00 pm–6:00 pm Tue 11:30 am–10:00 pm
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Mexican, Sushi
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Parking details
    None
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Additional
    Beer, Cocktails, Full Bar, Wine
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