La Costa - San Jose

4/5 stars

UPDATE :)

Been back multiple times since my first visit ... I'm a huge fan of their quesadilla. Their quesadilla isn't flat, it's more like a gordita. The flour tortillas are pillowy, more like flatbread (my favorite part) and filled up nice and thick with cheese and your choice of meat (+ avocado, if you pay extra).

La Costa's quesadilla + sangria + tanning by the pool with a friend = awesome summer days.

***

Mexican. Check!
Fast. Check!
Authentic. Check!
Cheap. Check! Check! Check!
Taco Bell, it looks like you've got some competition. Actually, this is probably where Mexican people go when they want fast-food.

ATMOSPHERE: We parked, walked around the corner, and blinked. Where was the inside part? To my surprise, there is no inside. The colorful restaurant is outdoor dining only. They've got a good number of tables though - probably better in the summer. It was kinda cold, but oh well. When in Rome... The menu was hand-painted on the wall, nobody spoke English, and there was Mexican music blasting out of the speakers. I had a big silly grin on my face. This is gonna be fun!

FOOD: SO CHEAP! Dirt cheap. Almost everything is $5 or less. Score! I ordered the chili verde plate and the bf ordered the "talked about" shrimp ceviche and a carnitas burrito. Food came out nice and hot. My chili verde consisted of huge chunks of pork, rice, beans, tortillas, tomatoes, radishes, and lime wedges. I also got extra sliced fresh avocado for a dollar. Yum. The pork wasn't too fatty and very tender. The sauce wasn't as savory or as flavorful as I would have liked it, but hey, I got this whole package for 5 bucks so I can't really complain. Beans were really runny, but decent. Didn't like the rice at all - way too dry. The bf loved the shrimp ceviche, and for $3.50, they weren't skimpy on the shrimp! His burrito, for $3.75, was solid - more squat and wide than long. I took a bite and it was tasty - though way too spicy for me. If you don't like spicy, don't get the salsa added to it.

IN A MOUTHFUL: Cheap, super friendly, and good - I don't really see any problem with that!

(2008)