Puerto La Boca Restaurant

This past weekend I went with my boyfriend to San Diego for the weekend.
Puerto la Boca is an Argentinean restaurant located in downtown San Diego in little Italy.
It has great collection of wines and meats, it also serves Italian food.

We asked the server for a recommendation, since both my boyfriend and I love Argentinean food. The waiter was very knowledgably and friendly, and after discussing the menu for a couple of minutes we agreed on a Empanadas to start and a Parrillada “El Conventillo” for the main course. A Parrillada is a traditional Argentinean dish; it is a combination of several meats and cuts. It usually consists of beef, pork, chicken, ribs and chorizos (Sausages), commonly served for more than one person. While waiting for the food to arrive, we were served bread accompanied with garlic butter with vegetables, chimichurri (finely chopped parsley, minced garlic, vegetable oil, white vinegar and red pepper flakes) , and black olives in oil with white vinegar. Just based on that I was enjoying the restaurant, the mood was somewhat bohemian. The decorations were inspired by Argentinean culture with a more modern décor. One of my favorite details were the painted glass that were used as windows, not too over the top, just enough color too lighten the place. The music was playing a traditional tango in the back, while people at the bar were enjoying the soccer game that was playing. The place was small, but not too crowed. After a couple of minutes we were served the empanadas that we order. I ate a Spinach and Cheese Empanada, which was a little bigger than I had expected. The spinach was nice and tender, with melted cheese in the middle and a crispy crust on the outside. Just as I had expected it was delicious. Soon after, the Parrillada arrived; it was served in a metal container that was heated from the bottom to keep the meat hot. The meat consisted of two 6oz beef skirt steaks, 6oz chicken breast, beef and pork short ribs, 6oz pork steak, deep fried kidneys, one Argentinean chorizo and one Argentinean black sausage accompanied with steamed vegetables. It was more than enough food for both of us. All the food was delicious except for the kidneys that tasted like deep fried pieces of fat, and the black sausage, which had a sweet greasy texture. As for the rest it was great; the meat was juicy, longed marinated, tender and well seasoned.

Overall both the food and the service were excellent. So far the best Argentinean restaurant I’ve tasted in a while. I defiantly recommend this restaurant if you happened to go to San Diego.

Puerto La Boca
2060 India St
San Diego, CA 92101
(619) 234-4900
http://www.puertolaboca.com/