¡Salud!

¡Salud! was a taquería on Logan Avenue in San Diego's Barrio Logan, opened by Ernie Becerra and closed in 2024, that paired tacos with Chicano art and became one of the city's most celebrated taco shops.

History

Ernie Becerra, whose family settled in Barrio Logan in the early 1900s, left a job as a bank manager to start a taco catering business with a cart bought for $1,500 and a notebook of recipes. His San Diego Taco Company worked birthdays, weddings and gallery events and grew to a fleet of carts before he opened ¡Salud! in the historic Bank of Italy building at Logan Avenue and Sampson Street. Axios dates its role as an anchor of the Logan Avenue corridor to 2015.

The first expansion beyond Barrio Logan came in early May 2018, when a second ¡Salud! opened at 2333 Highland Avenue in National City, next to the restaurant Machete, in time for Cinco de Mayo weekend, according to The Star News. It carried over the handmade tortillas and the Chicano art and lowrider decor of the original.

In June 2024 Becerra announced the closure of ¡Salud! and the neighboring La Bamba Room after about a year of failed lease negotiations, saying the taco business would continue as catering only.

Menu and design

The interior displayed pieces from Becerra's art collection and tags by neighborhood artists. San Diego Magazine named the shop a contender for best taco shop in 2019, pointing to its al pastor taco with avocado crema and its birria tacos. Becerra said the house salsa took roughly two years to perfect.

Reviews

See also

• Tacos al pastor
• Tacos de birria

References

1. "Ernie Becerra: San Diego's King of Tacos". La Prensa San Diego. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
2. "Celebrated Barrio Logan taco spot ¡Salud! closes its doors". Axios San Diego. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
3. "8 Contenders for Best Taco Shop in San Diego". San Diego Magazine. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
4. "#FoodieNews: The heart of National City now has a piece of Barrio Logan: ¡Salud!". The Star News. Retrieved 2026-10-10.