Tuétano Taqueria

Tuétano Taqueria is a taco shop run by chef Priscilla Curiel, opened in San Ysidro in 2017 and moved to Old Town San Diego in 2021, named for its signature bone marrow taco.

History

Priscilla Curiel was born in San Diego, grew up in Tijuana crossing the border daily for school, and studied at the Art Institute of San Diego. She opened Tuétano in 2017 in a former café cottage on West San Ysidro Boulevard, painted bright yellow, and ran it largely herself with part-time help. The bone marrow taco drew wider attention after writer Bill Esparza covered it for Food & Wine, and in November 2020 the Michelin Guide named it one of twenty California "new discoveries" in a year when it published no state edition.

Pandemic-era limits on border travel cut both customers and staff. Curiel closed the San Ysidro shop in October 2021 and reopened Tuétano that November at the Old Town Urban Market, at Congress and Twiggs streets, alongside her new seafood restaurant Mar Rustico.

Menu

The name means bone marrow. Beef birria made from chuck and shoulder is braised for two days in a chile adobo, enriched with marrow and served with consommé; a roasted beef shank arrives beside the tacos so diners can scoop marrow over them with salsa macha. The San Ysidro menu also offered quesabirria, carne asada, cochinita pibil and longaniza tacos.

Reviews

See also

• Tacos de birria
• Salsa macha

References

1. "Destination: Tuetano Taqueria". San Diego Magazine. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
2. "Recipe for Success: Acclaimed Chef Brings Birria Tacos to Old Town After Pandemic Pause". NBC 7 San Diego. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
3. "Birria and bone marrow in deepest San Ysidro". San Diego Reader. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
4. "Eater San Diego: Michelin Guide Recognizes 5 San Diego Restaurants". NBC 7 San Diego. Retrieved 2026-10-10.