This is later post as it has been a little busy around here lately. Another favorite of ours is Carnitas’ Snack Shack in North Park. It seemed like yesterday when Michael and I used to go to lunch before there was any substantial seating in the back. Now they have a second location in Del Mar, with parking! That is one of the best things I was looking forward to before I drove up to this location.
Anh and I had planned on ordering the standard burger and tacos but specials always tend to ruin my well laid out plans.
While the original location boasts a neat hog on the roof, the hog theme here is strong throughout the restaurant. There’s a lot of indoor seating with a spacious layout.
The Marty Burger had all the ingredients to make my day. Much to my dismay, it just didn’t live up to the awesomeness of their regular burger. We came at an off time so maybe that had a little bit to do with how things were prepared. Everything was a bit stale. Nothing on the plate came out hot or fresh. Even the corn salad on the side was not right. The corn was pasty and the ratio of ingredients were off. There was no crunch that we are accustomed to getting from the jicama at the North Park location.
It actually doesn’t look bad but the meat was a little bit over and it was a little disappointing. Bummer. We never have had a bad meal at the North Park location and we have gone many times. 
The Carnitas Tacos were a little bit better, but still not at the level of the other location. The meat was dry and also not very hot. I can’t help but feel a little cheated. Ever been on an online date and the picture looks nothing like the person you end up meeting? Yeah, that feeling isn’t good is it? The good thing is you can try again and hopefully it will turn out closer to reality the next time. That’s what I hope for Carnitas’ Snack Shack in Del Mar anyways.
Carnitas’ Snack Shack
12873 El Camino Real, Ste M4
San Diego, CA 92130
http://carnitassnackshack.com/del-mar/
I feel the same way about the Del Mar location as you. I only ate at the north park location once (and also first) and a couple of Del Mar visits have not lived up to the first. The parking and short wait is the biggest benefit to this location. I gotta try North Park again but am scared of the line. 🙁
I hate to be quick to judge it from only one visit, but that is interesting you had the same experience the times you have gone. I guess you gotta find an off time to go to the NP location to rekindle the magic.
The horror… My online dates were as advertised. I gonna stay the course as I haven’t had a bad experience so far and I don’t like long lines.