El Indio

El Indio is a Mexican restaurant on India Street in San Diego's Middletown area, run by the Pesqueira family since the 1940s and credited with coining the word taquito for the rolled, fried taco.

History

Ralph Pesqueira Sr. began making corn tortillas by hand in 1940 near Grape and India streets while also working in aerospace, and the family dates the business to that year. According to San Diego Magazine, he opened the restaurant itself in 1947 at the corner of India and Winder streets, at the foot of Washington Street, and around 1945 began selling a smaller version of the flauta that he called a taquito, at 18 cents apiece. Los Angeles partisans make a rival claim for Cielito Lindo on Olvera Street, and writers generally credit both businesses with popularizing and naming the rolled taco rather than inventing it. El Indio shipped taquitos to troops during World War II and the Vietnam War.

The shop later expanded into the storefront next door and keeps its original patio across the street. Ralph Pesqueira Jr. ran it before stepping back early in the COVID-19 pandemic, and his daughter Jennifer Pesqueira now leads the third generation.

Menu

Taquitos filled with beef, chicken or potato are the top sellers. The menu also includes mordiditas, cut taquitos topped with nacho cheese and pickled jalapeños, along with tamales, tostadas, enchiladas and fried tortilla chips that go into chilaquiles and nachos. The restaurant has appeared on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and as a clue on Jeopardy!.

Reviews

See also

• Cielito Lindo

References

1. "El Indio: 86 years and still rolling". Coronado Times. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
2. "The 40 Best San Diego Tacos to Try Right Now". San Diego Magazine. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
3. "SDSU Foodies". SDSU Magazine. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
4. "Review: El Indio Restaurant, The Birthplace of the Taquito". San Diego Magazine. Retrieved 2026-10-10.