La Jolla / Mission Valley · Best Happy Hour in San Diego
Puesto Review
Last updatedRanked #3 of 8 in Best Happy Hour in San Diego
The best food-forward happy hour value in the county.
Score breakdown
- Drinks88/100
- Value90/100
- Food92/100
- Atmosphere84/100
- Hours80/100
The verdict on Puesto
Ranked #3 of 8 — 88/100 in our Best Happy Hour in San Diego coverage
Puesto's happy hour keeps its signature tacos on the list at meaningfully lower prices, and the margaritas are made with real citrus. It works equally well as an early dinner.
What to drink at Puesto
Puesto appears on more than one of our lists, and the pick depends on which one you are reading:
- Discounted tacos, margaritas — from our Best Happy Hour in San Diego coverage
- Filet mignon taco, crispy melted cheese — from our Best Mexican Restaurants in San Diego coverage
The crispy cheese taco is included in the discounted menu at most locations.
Is Puesto worth the price?
Puesto sits at $6–12 — the budget band for this category. Nothing else we ranked in this category lands in the same price bracket, so the comparison is against cheaper or pricier alternatives rather than a like-for-like rival.
Puesto FAQ
Is Puesto expensive?
Puesto is priced at $6–12, which puts it in the budget band for this category. There is no other option at the exact same price point on the same list, so treat it as its own bracket.
Is Puesto worth it?
It scores 88/100, 1.7 points above the 86.3 average for its list. That's a solid recommendation within the category.
What should I get at Puesto?
We recommend the Discounted tacos, margaritas.
Every list Puesto ranks on
Puesto shows up on 2 of our ranked lists, without a category win so far. Places that hold up across more than one category tend to be the safer recommendation when you are booking for a group with different tastes.
What works
- Strong food — scored 92/100 in our ranking
- Strong value — scored 90/100 in our ranking
- Strong drinks — scored 88/100 in our ranking
- Top-3 finish out of 8 spots we scored in this category
Know before you go
- Hours is the weak point — 80/100, below the rest of its scores
- The crispy cheese taco is included in the discounted menu at most locations.
The full review
Puesto's happy hour keeps its signature tacos on the list at meaningfully lower prices, and the margaritas are made with real citrus. It works equally well as an early dinner.
On our weighted scale it earns 88/100 — good for #3 of 8 places we evaluated for best happy hour in san diego. We drink at the places we rank, pay our own tab, and re-score when a bar changes hands, moves or reworks its list.
What to drink at Puesto
Discounted tacos, margaritas
Typical spend: $6–12
How we scored Puesto
Every score on this page comes from the same editorial rubric we apply to the whole category: drinks, value, food, atmosphere, hours. The criteria are weighted toward what matters most in the category, compared against every other place we ranked in the same list rather than against an abstract ideal. We drink at the places we rank, pay our own tab, and re-score when a bar changes hands, moves or reworks its list. Scores are editorial judgments rather than aggregated user ratings.