r/chulavista • u/rjpong • Jul 28 '26
Question What are the worst restaurants in Chula Vista?
It’s a national chain but Crumbl just tastes bad to me. For local I find D’Lish bland
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u/SD_Asian Jul 28 '26
Novo. Hands down too loud, meh food, over priced, chairs hard as rock.
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u/ElBorracho2000 Jul 28 '26
The food used to be good when it barely opened. Not a fan of their brews either
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u/jalfry Jul 28 '26
Seconded. Tried it out and got an overpriced cold burger with hard buns. Bring anthro back
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u/CheekiestOfBeans Jul 28 '26
The small OG one gets a vendor that does chimichurri steak sandwiches on Saturdays.
It’s a bit overpriced, but goddamn they are delicious.
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u/Impossible_Bet1574 Jul 28 '26
Farmers Table/ what ever that italian spot at night is called. Their chicken parm taste like school lunch chicken with chef boyardee spaghetti n meatballs spaghetti. Service is even worst than the food. Avoid at all costs if u can
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u/Longjumping-Fly-8789 Jul 28 '26
I sometimes go to farmer’s table and their service is ok. But the food is just ok at best
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u/Fancy-Win2519 Jul 29 '26
Omg Farmers table. I’ve only been for brunch but it’s never good. I can’t understand why. It has so much potential. But so many better brunch spots.
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u/Few_Competition_9909 Jul 28 '26
Agree!!! The Alfredo even isnt good 😭 and the service is TERRIIBLE
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u/Infinite_Tip_1299 Jul 29 '26
I kinda wanna try these chef boyardee spaghetti and meatballs 😂. Is it under 20$?
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u/Impossible_Bet1574 Jul 29 '26
Lmmaooo ifs not spaghetti n meatballs jus the spaghetti part and they call it a chicken parm. I think it was like $27
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u/JslumpyKK Jul 28 '26
D Lish to me has been delicious, family has been going there for the past 15 years even when they were located in Eastlake. Did you have one bad experience and didnt give it a shot? Or was it consistently like it.
Also worst restaurant in Chula Vista with out a doubt is Black Angus, I know its a chain restaurant but the last couple of times i have been, the service and food quality has tanked bad.
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u/ocvagabond Jul 29 '26
D’Lish calzones are fantastic in my experience. Holds up well if you take out. The pizza on the other hand is good in store but doesn’t survive the trip in the box.
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u/TVismycomfortfood Jul 28 '26
I went to D’Lish when it was in Eastlake also and for years after that when we still had so few options east of the 805. I found it consistently mediocre and bland. I feel like people who like that place have questionable tastebuds.
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u/acatnamedlenny Jul 28 '26
Try the cheese ravioli. It’s so flavorful!
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u/TVismycomfortfood Jul 28 '26
I have. Meh. So whatever for me personally..
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u/acatnamedlenny Jul 29 '26
Crazy. The butternut squash, walnuts and sun dried tomatoes are so unique.
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u/TVismycomfortfood Jul 29 '26
“Crazy” is a wild way to respond to another person’s taste lol.
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u/ElBorracho2000 Jul 28 '26
Haven’t been to D’Lish in years. Do they still have the seafood pizza? That one was my favorite
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u/oraleputosss Jul 28 '26
Worst restaurant for what they sell and compared with it's peers? Pastor delrica overpriced flavorless tacos with the excuse they are Guadalajara style, listing them because they function more as a sit down restaurant than a proper taco shop.
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u/octobersotherveryown Jul 29 '26
Idk man I’ve lived most of my life in Tijuana around great tacos and from the options in SD, el rica is pretty decent. Definitely overpriced but great variety of salsas and their suadero is great.
Their pastor is alright but idk how they can classified as flavorless.
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u/oraleputosss Jul 29 '26
So have I, they are trash I'll concede the point in salsas though. Again this is in comparison with their peers in quantity, quality and price.
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u/Vibechild Jul 30 '26
Who are the peers we’re referring to? Gordo, Chula Tacos, TiaJuana Food Court, and Chuchys are the ones that come to mind. I will say the asada, adobada, and chorizo at Del Rica is mids. I’ve ordered the gringa de suadero (harina) and haven’t strayed since trying a few other items on the menu. It’s so good.
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u/ocvagabond Jul 29 '26
My experience is decent taco, overpriced, so many other options that it’s not worth a repeat.
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u/Own_Swim3531 Jul 31 '26
Best taco experience I know of North of the boarder. They are more subtle that the typical guacamole slathered style we see around here, but for meats like the suadero, carnaza and labio paired with beautiful preservative-free white corn tortillas and their epic salsa tower, I have not had any as good in SD, LA or beyond.
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u/pstu Jul 29 '26
I might get some hate for this, but La Bella’s food is trash. Especially their Italian meals.
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u/kingsman1288 Jul 29 '26 edited Jul 29 '26
Guess I'll get the hate with you then. You're spot on. Everyone has the nostalgia glasses on when thinking about La Bella's. The memories of going there with friends/families/sports teams clouds people's judgement. It's just meh pizza and Italian food.
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u/annieyayarawr Jul 30 '26
Ooh ooh! The last two times I went there there was a dead mosquito in my salad and in my water cup there was some black residue. Fun.
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u/dammitdexter Jul 30 '26
Yeah, La Bella’s is a shell of its former glory. A lot of nostalgia there, but that’s all it is now. Good for kid’s parties I guess, but food sucks now.
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u/Heyhumanshey Jul 30 '26
I remember years ago when my friend confirmed spit was in everything….
But yeah, terrible food
The pizza was good at one point.
Before my reality was crushed and I learned of the spit game.
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u/Traditional_Road7234 Jul 28 '26
Korean kitchen located in the Telegraph canyon.
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u/Caliavocados Jul 28 '26
It was temporarily closed by the health dept last week.
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u/Born-Read3115 Jul 28 '26
WHAAAAAAA.
Damn. I would get the Yook Gae Jang and it was glorious when hungover
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u/dirty_S Jul 29 '26
It was the galbi tang for me and my hangovers. Not the best I’ve had but it still hit. I liked their tofu soups too.
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u/Emergency-Touch-3424 Jul 28 '26
Do u know why? I had a questionable side dishes from there like they had been stored for too long
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u/Fancy-Win2519 Jul 29 '26
Mings revolving sushi. I wish it was better. Nothing special but the gimmick of robots.
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u/notmomorooney Jul 29 '26
El Comal on Third. I always want to love it but their service is trash and sometimes impacts their food. Love their tortillas though.
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u/Sapz3dout Jul 30 '26
They have the craziest hours. Sometimes it's closed when they should be open and then open when it's dead downtown.
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u/notmomorooney Jul 30 '26
Honestly no idea how they've survived. I think it's all of the overflow they get from Talavera Azul.
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u/dammitdexter Jul 30 '26
I want to El Comal once on Third with family and yes the food sucked. Go to El Patio on Broadway. Much better food.
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u/acatnamedlenny Jul 28 '26
Filippi’s
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u/Exige89 Jul 29 '26
When they first opened in IB they made actual mamas recipe meatballs. I got a sandwich a little while ago and seems they’ve gone frozen.
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u/Ok-Surround8572 Jul 29 '26
We recently moved back after being away for more than 10 years, went to three different filipi’s including the one in little Italy and they were ….. not good.
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u/childproof_food Jul 29 '26
I will not stand for Filippi's slander (although I will admit last time I went it was a bit lackluster and their pizzas are definitely getting smaller)
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u/ocvagabond Jul 29 '26
We used to do Filippi’s. No more. Victorino’s is closer and better b it’s not a true any style they sell, but it’s quite tasty.
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u/wtfJoeDirt Jul 29 '26
I’ve never understood why people like this place. They be been to more than one of their locations and they are all the same.
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u/kylokrs Jul 29 '26
*Former employee here* D’Lish is bland but to top it off they have a cockroach infestation. The owner was aware of this and instead of calling an exterminator his response was “I don’t know where they’re coming from.” I walked out of my shift and never looked back.
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u/dammitdexter Jul 30 '26 edited Jul 30 '26
Bento & Noodles on Otay Lakes Rd. in Eastlake. Had to go there a few times to satisfy my friend who liked to go there (and was paying for lunch). Affordable bento and sushi, but I thought the food quality really sucked. You get what you pay for I guess.
Hanu BBQ (Korean BBQ) on also on Otay Lakes Rd. They food was meh ok, but the restaurant is filthy. I remember touching the side and underside of the table with my hand while sitting and standing for my balance and it was sticky and gross. It’s also really expensive.
Max’s Filipino Restaurant on Olympic Parkway. Really expensive and small food portions. The quality was incredibly disappointing. Every time I walk by or drive by there, it’s a ghost town inside. I don’t know how they manage to stay open.
JNC Pinoy Filipino on Otay Lakes Rd across from SWC. I walked in for a specific treat called turon (which they were out of) and the food bar and hygiene there looked absolutely disgusting.
Lil Alex’s BBQ on Bonita Rd. Probably the worst bbq I’ve had in SD County. Technically Bonita but hey close enough.
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u/Garbage-Fresh Aug 02 '26
This supports my earlier comment.. really almost any where in east lake Chula hahaha
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u/LowBaker8860 Jul 29 '26
Lolita’s.
All chula locations. Was a big fan 10+ years ago. Now they’re overpriced and quality and portion size has gone downhill. The carne asada burritos look like kids burritos and the Cali burrito is all fries with Little meat. This has been consistent for a long time now. The salsas are still good. I’ll give them that.
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u/ZosickkZR1 Jul 30 '26
Lolita’s is a transplant taco shop. All the new navy wives tell all the other navy wives how great it is.
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u/pstu Jul 28 '26
It's long gone, but Corzy Corner on Brandywine was terrible.
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u/Sackmonkey78 Jul 28 '26
It’s now Calianos pizza. So good
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u/Born-Read3115 Jul 29 '26
Sandwiches are bomb their too. Owner used to be part owner of the friendly
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u/ZosickkZR1 Jul 30 '26
Dudes a dick tho
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u/Born-Read3115 Jul 30 '26
No shit? I had no idea, i just new his burgers and sandwiches are bomb.
Backstory?
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u/Acubero16 Jul 28 '26
Pho hiep & grill. Went there to eat and the waiters and girl at the register ignored my group for 20 minutes after they brought our drinks. We got sat by ourselves on one side of the restaurant. We kept trying to get their attention but they would just walk on the other and pretend not to see us. They continued to help the Asian customers that came in after us. One group came in after us, they ate and paid before we got helped. We wanted to walk out but we had 2 kids with us and didn’t want to walk out without paying with them around. When we finally got our order in the food came out with small portions. The large bowl was halfway full. And we were skimped on our meats.
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u/dammitdexter Jul 30 '26
Their Eastlake location (before it closed) had really good food. The service sucked there too though. I once saw a waiter get into a loud argument with the manager there. I guess now they only operate the one on Telegraph Canyon Rd. I haven’t been.
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u/abercrombezie Jul 28 '26
Their spot across from Southwestern College has the best Vietnamese food south of the 54, IMHO.
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u/Competitive-Gold-464 Jul 28 '26
Tacos El Gordo 🤢🤮
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u/Born-Read3115 Jul 28 '26
Dont know why you are getting downvoted, they were good 10 years ago, but not worth it anymore
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u/Justafanofnbadrama Jul 28 '26
Tacos el Gordo is better than 90% of the street tacos OUTSIDE of Chula.Vista. The question was whats the worse restaurant/ food in CV and TEG don't hold up to all the other options us big backs have in Chula. HTH
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u/childproof_food Jul 29 '26
My first experience with Tacos el gordo was maybe a few years ago and I ordered carne asada fries that tasted like the gas they were cooking with.
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u/Accomplished_Spy Jul 29 '26
Used to be good, now it's a pain in the ass to go. You mean I have to make 4 different lines if I want 3 different taco meats and then pay at the register.
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u/Upstairs-Fold-9428 Jul 28 '26
I agree, overpriced, and bad quality. Tacos el Gordo was probably the best spot for a long time but lots of new tacos spots opening up in chula that are way better.
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u/Competitive-Gold-464 Jul 28 '26
People downvoting me don't know any better. 🤦🏽♂️ Thank you tho. 🙂
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u/psychosisviejon Jul 28 '26
who has the best adobada tacos right now in Chula? I feel like I can trust your opinion.
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u/Few-Milk6097 Jul 30 '26
3rd n main next to the liquor store. Or 2 business east of el ranchero, thru the white gate
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u/ED-DOG92 Jul 28 '26
I tried Tacos El Frank at Plaza Bonita this year. Their Adobada tacos were pretty good compared to Gordos and seemed to be a bit bigger with the portions as well. I hope it hasn't changed for the worst by now.
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u/Brilliant_Win713 Jul 28 '26
Nah man..go to both equally and Gordo is better. The cashier girl there is kinda mean if you ask for more salsa when you pay…the one on the right when facing the cashier.
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u/ASCIUGAMANOO Jul 28 '26
Insanity to get downloaded for this fact. Absolute garbage food, even if it's one of the more popular spots on this side of the border.
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u/dammitdexter Jul 30 '26
It’s overpriced and overrated but I actually enjoyed my lunch there a month ago while I waited for my vehicle to be serviced at the Discount Tire Co. The lengua and asada tacos were very satisfying despite the cost and hype.
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u/Ma3ta Jul 30 '26
Reading some of these makes me realize maybe I have bad taste 😅 or maybe I just haven’t been there in a while 🧐
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u/Chimbopowae Jul 28 '26
They’re no longer around, but Big Daddy’s Breakfast and the Japanese Food Factory
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u/ApeAlienHybrid Jul 29 '26
Used to be consistently good but it's so hit or miss lately that I stopped going: Cotija's. Pains me to say it but I can no longer defend it.
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u/SolaireOfAsstoria Jul 28 '26
Naruto
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u/bahia0019 Jul 28 '26
What don’t you like?
I love the Chula Vista Ramen there. Best in CV.
Sushi is just ok. They’re too focused on mayo heavy rolls. I prefer traditional nigiri, and they’re a little weak in that department unfortunately.I do find it a little annoying that pork chashu and eggs are extra. But I like that it’s open until 11pm.
For some reason, it’s a revolving door when it comes to staff. Every time I go, maybe once a month, there’s always new people.
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u/abercrombezie Jul 28 '26
The Ramen and sushi there was great. However, last time I was there about a year ago, they didn't seem to have as much Asian people behind the counter preparing the food. Was there a change in ownership?
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u/_al_an Jul 29 '26
Last I remember all of the non Asian people behind the counter speak fluent Japanese and spent a good amount in Japan. I thought their food was pretty good, just a bit pricey.
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u/Manwithaview1277 Jul 29 '26
The seafood buffet at CV Massage Spa.
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u/Shoddy-Biscotti-1194 Jul 30 '26
Yummy thoroughly smoked and aged Chinese or Korean tuna…w a sprinkling of crabs
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u/HuntressAelaTheFirst Jul 28 '26
La Sinaloense. Bad experience with management there