Nico's Mexican Food in San Diego, CA

Nico's Mexican restaurant in Ocean Beach. It's just about as real as real Mexican food gets. Sure, your chances of getting good Mexican in California are higher on average than in most other states, but at Nico's you're guaranteed fresh, elemental, basic, amazing food.

I grew up in San Diego and have since suffered through 11 years of living without good Mexican food in NYC. Honestly, is it that hard to serve decent refried beans? Apparently, yes. Yes it is.

The trick to good Mexican is to keep it simple. So many fancy restaurants try to get clever with it, or infuse it with barbecue or spices, or dredge the fat out of it Whole Foods style. (Nothing against Whole Foods, mind you. But there's a time and a place). In this, Mexican food is kind of like Tuscan food; just let the taste of the natural ingredients and the pleasure of the table carry it.

Nico's is unpretentious in the extreme. It's basically a surf shack, a few steps off Ocean Beach. Show up in flip flops, bare feet, or even with seaweed in your hair. They don't care if you don't.

And I dare you to try to spend a whole $20 there. Impossible. (Unless you have 10 kids to feed).

If you have an attitude, or if you expect a "service experience" rather than a gustatory experience, go somewhere else.

For my part, whenever I get home to San Diego for a visit, I always stop by Nicos.

**I took this photo when I was home, overlooking Ocean Beach. Follow the street down.. Nicos is right by the pier you can see to the right.