On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina 10789 Westview Parkway, San Diego, CA 92126

"Sometimes you're in the mood for the type of Mexican food that's served with healing helpings of Spanish rice and refried beans. They have a dog friendly patio with plenty of seating and heaters, but part of the reason they're only getting 4 stars is the patio stayed kinda dirty the whole time we were there. Near where we sat was clean, but we had to carry our dogs out to keep them from eating all the junk off the floors. The other reason I'm dinging them is the service was a bit lackluster. They forgot to bring the tortillas for my wife's fajitas, and she had to go inside and find someone, even though we told the person who brought the food. It wasn't a big deal, just the whole dinner it didn't feel like we were checked on that often. With the bad parts out of the way, like I said sometimes you're in the mood for the type of Mexican food that is ubiquitous across the country, the type served on bright colored plates with heaping helpings of rice and beans. Who cares if it's authentic or not, because it's really tasty regardless. My wife got fajitas, solid as always. I got the Superior Dinner, which is like a sample platter of entrees. My favorite thing on there was the mini chimichanga, if I could order a whole plate of just those I would. You get unlimited chips and salsa as well, which feels like more of a rarity these days. They have a wide selection of margaritas, we both liked ours. The barrel aged rita was actually quite a bit, they gave me a small glass and the shaker and I got I think 3 refills out of it, so it felt like a good bang for my buck. We will definitely come here again, but only when the weather is warm. It felt kind of dreary on the patio in the dead of winter. San Diego has so many varieties of Mexican food, and this lands solidly on the "rice and beans" list. Our bill was pretty low, even with drinks, so we will certainly give them another chance once the weather warms up and we aren't the only ones using the patio."

"Went with some friends for happy hour. Tried the margarita with beer upended in it, not bad sort of like a slurpee, with a beer finish. After the initial decent service, we had to keep getting up and hunting for our server, or ordering from the bar (not the end of the world but, it wasn't super busy, so just felt less taken care of). Food offerings were decent to good bar food. All were warm, not hot but, tasty. Healthy options were not really available. Overall fine experience, as expected, not amazing."

"Food was ok. Had the Chipotle shrimp tacos but tasted more like sweet bbq. Service wasn't bad. I added a shot to my tequila flight but .... won't go there to drink alcohol.. can't recommend anything unless I go try some other dishes. My companion said the chicken quesadilla was pretty good."

"If you're craving Mexican food and are seeking to dine in at a place like no other, you should definitely consider eating at On The Border Mexican Grill and Cantina. The food served there is excellent and not at all ubitiqious. The chicken fajitas we had were delicious - the chicken and vegetables were well cooked, fried rice and beans perfectly prepared, tortillas like no other. In addition, I appreciated the fact that complimentary chips and salsa were given. Refills were also permitted (for free). Hence, for these reasons, I would consider eating at this restaurant again and recommend it to anyone else."

"OtB brings me back to my past. I remember frequently eating here 20+ years ago when I lived in Arizona. Honestly, not much has changed. Even the decor at this location while a little worse for wear, was quite reminiscent of the AZ location. I guess that’s the beauty of a chain restaurant, consistency. Service was friendly and very efficient. We had margaritas, warm chips and salsa within moments of being sat. House margaritas were definitely on the more powerful side which I loved. Oh and the chips, same as years ago, thin halved corn tortillas fried golden and crispy, salsa, also the same with a mild fresh taste. Apps.. can’t go wrong with their Queso Fundido. Spoon a few tablespoons of creamy melted cheese onto a freshly made hot flour tortilla, game over. Was exactly how I remembered it. Honestly compared to other local Mexican restaurants OtBs version wasn’t greasy and broken; pays to be doing something for a long time. We also had their guacamole, needed more lime and salt but that we an easy fix. Entrees, I had Ultimate Fajita’s, chicken, shrimp, steak and carnitas all served on a bed of peppers, onions and squash. I thought I’d hate the squash but it was pretty darn good dunked in the accompanied hot butter. They came out sizzling hot and delicious. My hubby had the Enchiladas Suizas. I had a few bites, pretty good but didn’t really compare to my fajitas. All in all we had a good time and left very satisfied. Given that we live downtown, I’d be hard pressed to drive all the way there unless of course I was in the area or feeling nostalgic."