Multi-Media Story: Mike has a Brother.
It’s one of the smallest spots in Ocean Beach, yet most locals can tell you that Mike’s Taco Club is an OB favorite. Fitted with a two foot wide counter, one cashier and six tables, the place comfortably holds about 12-16 people yet at any given time they could have between 30-40 customers.
One of those customers is a Point Loma Nazarene University student Dustin Perusse. Living on PLNU’s campus allows Perusse quick access to Mike’s.
“A really good place in my experience, and it’s in an area that I frequent a lot, so it’s convenient,” said Perusse.
According to Perusse the serving sizes are well worth the already small price. With menu items such as various taco and burrito combinations, quesadillas, authentic Mexican Cokes and many drink options, Perusse has yet to have a bad time at Mike’s.
“I’ve yet to find something there that I think is just, okay,” said Perusse.
The retro pink and blue of their signage is known all around town yet directly across the street and about 10 feet inland sits almost the same sign, menu, font, colors and name as Mike’s. In fact, the only difference across the street is one word- Harry.
Harry’s Taco Club sits on the south side of Newport Avenue facing its popular older brother. It features the exact menu that Mike’s does because they are owned by the same person. Being a regular at Mike’s has come naturally to Perusse and upon discovering Harry’s is owned by the same family, he says he wants to give it a try.
Although this concept is intriguing, the place wasn’t too lively when I showed up, which was worrisome. With plenty of outside seating Harry’s could easily hold 20-40 people but only a few lingered. As I looked across the street at Mike’s I noticed a line of at least 15 people waiting to order, and their seating was already full of people enjoying food. I couldn't help but wonder why this was the case but due to thumping music I lost my train of thought and then I realized the music was coming from Harry’s, and there were people inside.
In the same building as Harry's is a bar called Cass St. and they aren’t separate businesses either, Harry’s is half taco shop, half night club. Cass St. also has their own menu including common bar foods like burgers, fries, sandwiches and more. With the taco-side of the building painted blue and the dancing part of the building painted black, it was easy to tell where to go for what you wanted. Bar goers and taco lovers passed each other in the doorway as you could order some tacos, then walk inside and order some drinks. The inside is decked out with a full bar, high top tables, televisions, room for dancing and classic bar games.
Map of Mike’s Taco Club [blue] and Harry’s Taco Club/ Cass St.[pink] as they relate to each other via Google satellite. Mapping by Zach Dinsmore.
For this visit I wanted to compare Harry’s tacos with Mike’s so I stayed on the blue side and ordered my favorite kind of taco- carne asada. I was really impressed with the taste and further confused why there weren't more people lining up to place orders. The staff was quite friendly, especially Adil, who took my order, explained the concept of the place and made sure my experience was worth the stop.
I do see myself going back soon to try a larger variety of their food but as of now, I was quite impressed with the experience as a whole. The tacos were tasty- just as tasty as Mike’s to me. The service was great and made me feel like I was being taken care of, not just handed some food and I don’t know if I can say that about Mike’s but, I do understand that being as busy as them doesn’t allow for much chit chat time.
As of now, I don’t see it fair to make the call of whether I think Harry’s is better. More visits are needed and more food needs to be compared considering I’ve been going to Mike’s for about four years now. However, all things considered, Harry’s gave me a great first impression and if you’re a fan of Southern California’s taco scene, either of these spots could be for you.
