For inventive street tacos in La Mesa Village, City Tacos at 8325 La Mesa Boulevard represents the La Mesa outpost of a San Diego taqueria chain founded in North Park in 2014. The original North Park shop launched after the founder emigrated from Mexico City, and the 2017 La Mesa expansion grew from a partnership with the proprietor of Sheldon's Service Station, linking the taqueria to one of La Mesa Village's established coffee concepts. The menu cycles through roughly 20 rotating taco builds spanning traditional fillings — carne asada, carnitas, pollo — and casero “homestyle” preparations like Mayan achiote-pulled pork, slow-braised beef shank, and beer-battered mahi mahi. A custom salsa station lets diners layer heat levels across each taco, and the kitchen maintains a separate vegetarian and vegan line including plant-based protein options alongside the meat program. That build-your-own salsa format and counter-service speed position City Tacos as a quick-turn lunch stop on La Mesa Boulevard, sitting on the same Village block where BMH Italian runs a parallel grab-and-go deli counter. The casero beef-shank taco slow-braises short rib in a guajillo-and-ancho chile reduction before shredding it onto double-stacked corn tortillas with pickled red onion and micro cilantro, producing a fork-tender fill distinct from the standard carne asada char.