el rodeo mexican food / city heights

One afternoon Jake and I were running around doing a few errands and needed a quick bite to eat. The first place we tried to go wasn’t open (a new place on University Ave. called Happy Rooster – how awesome is that name?) and Jake picked this second spot – a Mexican place on El Cajon Blvd. called El Rodeo Mexican Food.

el-rodeo-mexican-food-menu

It’s one of the many places that line El Cajon Blvd. and is pretty close to Hoover High School. There was no one else inside that day, just us. We quickly looked over the menu and decided what to get.

adobada-mini-tacos

Jake got an order of 3 mini Adobada tacos ($4.60). I always love the mini tacos because they are chock of full of meat and come with lots of onion and cilantro. Jake left the guacamole on for my sake since he knows I love the stuff. The meat was pretty good – it had a nice flavor to it – a tiny bit on the spicy side. It was tender and it did the trick of holding us over until we had lunch later.

banana-leaf-tamale

I just wanted a little something and I ordered one chicken tamale ($1.99). They only had chicken available that day. It comes wrapped in a banana leaf.

saucy-chicken-tamale

The masa on this tamale was good – though a little bit too much on the “wet” side for me (I like it a little drier than this). The filling was very flavorful from whatever was in the sauce – thought so SPICY. But I kept eating it because it tasted really good, but I would steal some of Jake’s guacamole to cool my mouth down a little. The flavor was pretty intense on this one but luckily it wasn’t a lingering heat. I think my tolerance for spicy food is building a tiny bit… just a little!


All in all it was a great quick little bite. We’ll be back in to explore more of the menu!

El Rodeo Mexican Food
6924 El Cajon Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92115
(619) 466-3244

El Rodeo Mexican Food on Urbanspoon


6 thoughts on “el rodeo mexican food / city heights

    1. I think the banana leaves make them moister/softer. I prefer the drier type but these are a pretty darn good version. I’m always on the hunt for delicious tamales 🙂

  1. cool, i’ve never a tamale in a banana leaf. although the wet texture of the masa might be off putting.

    great deal on those tacos too! yeah!!!! the best places are in the hood. hipster free too.

    1. Hi CC – I also had the banana leaf wrapped tamales at El Salvador Pupuseria – they are different, but not too different. They are a lot moister, that’s for sure! Yeah, there are lots of good places in the hood. You just kind of have to wander around and go in places. The hipster free prices are always a plus!

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