El Comal Is Crazy for Carnivores

If you’ve lived in Poway for any length of time, you know that off Poway Road has been around for quite a while. I knew about it long before I moved here thanks to my in-laws, who would rather eat at El Comal than anywhere else in the county (yes, really).

So I walked in already knowing what to expect. I just wish I had more room in my stomach to accommodate my latest visit. 

Honestly, there’s nothing at El Comal that you can’t find at most other sit-down Mexican restaurants. The food is good, portions are huge, prices are low, service is OK and the chips and salsa are plentiful.  Another thing you can count on? Lots and lots of meat! 

This came as no surprise to me, but what’s funny is that when I reviewed their menu for the different meat selections—and their menu is very extensive—it was hard to find something without meat. Poway Patch Editor Hoa Quách also visited . Yes, pretty much anything can be made vegetarian, but if that’s not what you’re into, then this is the spot for you.

The front of their menu is sectioned according to protein: beef, seafood, pork and chicken. The back lists their combos and sides, all of which are different combinations of standard, meaty Mexican fare. It was a little hard to read their menu because we were seated near the bar area where there isn’t much lighting, but having been there before, I knew what they offer.

Again, there’s not much I haven’t seen at other Mexican restaurants. Since I’m five months pregnant, I was strictly interested in something that appealed to me at that very moment.

There’s really no need to order appetizers when you get an endless basket of chips and salsa, so my husband and I skipped the starter course. I’m a big believer in having breakfast for dinner, so I settled on their enchiladas del sol with green sauce ($10.45) because it had an over-easy egg on top. Before you ask—yes, this made for amazing breakfast leftovers the next day.

My husband had one of their combo meals (all are in the $10-$12 range) with a beef taco, chicken enchilada and cheese quesadilla, rice and beans. Did I mention the portions are huge? They are. After eating so many chips before dinner, I barely got halfway through my plate before I had to admit defeat. The food won.

Both dishes were solid. Being Hispanic, some dishes were like what I’ve grown accustomed to, whereas others were quite different. However, I know a lot of differences in Mexican food have to do with the variation among regions.

Do I like all Mexican food? Not really. There are plenty of people who dislike what I like, so it all evens out. I really like El Comal’s chips, enchiladas, tacos, quesadilla and beans. The salsa and rice weren’t my style at all, but that’s just me. I’m looking forward to eventually trying their margaritas, which I hear are excellent.

On my meat-friendly scale, El Comal is a 11. I mean, seriously, if you can’t find something meaty on their menu, you’re doing something wrong. With such large portions, it’s pretty easy to spread a $10-$12 selection over two meals. In this day and age, that’s a huge win!

They definitely have something for everyone, even the kids. There are plenty of large tables, so it’s easy to accommodate groups. It gets really busy on the weekends, so get there early. If you don’t like to wait, then a mid-week visit is your best bet.

After one visit, you’ll understand why El Comal stays so busy!