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Inside Bar  - El Sueño, San Diego, CA

El Sueño

3.9
3.9
166 Reviews
$30 and under
Mexican

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2 people
19:00
Booked 20 times today
  • Great for outdoor dining
  • Great for creative cocktails
  • Lively
Coming Soon to Open Table!

Vibrant Mexican Food and Craft Cocktails.

Dining areas

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
    (619) 501-9813
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Business Casual

What 166 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

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

3.9
3.9 based on recent ratings
  • 4Food
  • 3.9Service
  • 4.3Ambience
  • 3.6Value

NoiseModerate

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
El Sueño boasts a "beautiful, hip ambiance" and outdoor seating that enhances dining. While some diners appreciate the "amazing food" and "super great staff," others note inconsistencies in service and food quality. The "cocktails are so good," and many praise the "fantastic" atmosphere, making it worth a visit despite occasional hiccups.

166 Reviews
  1. Peter

    Los Angeles

    3 reviews

    vip
    3.0

    3 reviews

    Dined today

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Fajita was just a steak and shrimps, didn’t look like any fajita we had in our lifetime. Shrimp smelled like a fish and steak meet didn’t taste fresh. The place looks very nice, servers are very polite but the food needs a lot of improvement.

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  2. Merlyn

    San Diego

    1 review

    2.0

    1 review

    Dined on 17 November 2024

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 1
    Host seated us we didn’t get seen till about 45 minutes later because we had to ask when do we get our order and drinks taken or even water. Service was really bad and it’s too bad because I’ve heard really good things about El Sueno just sad we couldn’t have experienced it. Service was horrible for our table of 8! Once we did order food and drinks took another 40-45 minutes to come and check up on us in which we didn’t want to order anything and just wanted to leave.

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  3. Keith

    Denver

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on 17 November 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We cut a narrow path through the menu. She had a spicy margarita, I had the Oh Behave (a horchata/rum concoction that was most yummy). We split the queso fundido, and seriously, we could have stopped there, as we're apparently in our eat-like-a-bird era. But no, we plowed ahead, gorging on lobster tacos and enchiladas del mar--all of it was awesome and we each got down like three bites. These are not huge portions (nor are they small)--it is us, of woefully tiny stomachs. Oh well, go, go hungry. You'll be satisfied.

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  4. Shira

    San Diego

    2 reviews

    3.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on 16 November 2024

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 5
    The food was pretty good, and ambiance was pretty. It was just very cold inside to eat with doors open.

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  5. Maya

    San Diego

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on 10 November 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The food is delicious! Mckenzie was our server and she was lovely!!

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  6. Jeannette

    San Diego

    8 reviews

    5.0

    8 reviews

    Dined on 9 November 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    This was our first time here. Lindsay was our server, she was friendly, and very familiar with the menu. The ambiance was fun and a great date nite place. We had the fajitas, skirt steak and shrimp cooked perfectly. Definitely a place we will revisit.

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  7. Toni

    San Diego

    5 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on 4 November 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    This is our third time to El Sueno, and they did not disappoint. The service is top-notch. The manager and our server came over throughout the evening to check on us. The food is consistently delicious, and the drinks are the best!! We can't wait to bring friends and family when they are in town. I highly recommend El Sueno for a date night or special event.

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  8. sarah

    Los Angeles

    1 review

    1.0

    1 review

    Dined on 3 November 2024

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 1
    Horrible, we came to eat dinner and the waiter let us know that they were out of water, 80% of the foods that we wanted to order they didn’t have .

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  9. Patricia

    Orange County

    6 reviews

    5.0

    6 reviews

    Dined on 3 November 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Saw the restaurant on Tiktok and had to try. This was my favorite restaurant. The drinks were just right. The food was AMAZING. Great flavor, authentic. Corn was so juicy. Queso fundido INSANE! The service was great, friendly and attentive. Must try when in San Diego

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  10. Bradly

    Dallas

    1 review

    1.0

    1 review

    Dined on 3 November 2024

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 5
    Service was horrible. Took an hour to get our appetizer and drinks. We asked several times (multiple people) for chips to go with our guac. Server was very rude to us and could care less if we were there. Food was good but visit was ruined due to service.

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FAQs

El Sueño is rated 3.9 stars by 166 OpenTable diners.

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

Make a booking

2 people
19:00
Booked 20 times today
Google Map for El Sueño

2836 Juan St, San Diego, CA 92110-2713

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Area
    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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