our story
and we called it...Porkyland
Opening its doors in 1985, Porkyland was an instant success. Located in a small space in Barrio Logan, our menu was sparse by today's comparison. We featured our homemade tortillas,
our (soon to be famous) carnitas and freshly made, authentic Mexican side dishes. Today, thanks to our fans who have followed us over the decades, we have two thriving locations and plan on expanding in the future.
Three Decades of Success
Building Our Company 1985 – 1987
We started out simply making tortillas – and they were very good, we might add. Using a family recipe, we opened a small shop and started the process, making them in the morning and selling them throughout the day. Pretty soon, business was so brisk our customers started asking us why we didn’t make and sell other tasty Mexican treats? So we did.
Building Our Restaurants 1987- 1994
Our first restaurant in Barrio Logan opened in 1987. Just a simple taco shop but a restaurant none the less. And while we had our hopes up high, we didn’t expect the success we achieved. Not only were our tortillas selling out, so were our tacos. And it wasn’t long before the inevitable happened. Customers began asking for a bigger menu filled with more authentic Mexican dishes. We introduced our carnitas first, perfecting our family recipes so they could prepared in large volume. Their overwhelming success gave us the confidence we need to ensure we were on the right track and before we knew it, we were a real-to-life restaurant, with a full menu and a dining room of happy, satisfied customers. Then, in the early ‘90’s we opened our second restaurant in La Jolla and expanded our restaurant in Barrio Logan.
Building Our Reputation 1994 – present
By now, our carnitas had won numerous “best of” awards and had contributed to our reputation of preparing and serving San Diego’s most authentic, best tasting Mexican cuisine. We were becoming “famous” not only within our local community but throughout San Diego as well. The Readers “Best of Poll” continually nominated us as for best carnitas, most authentic Mexican food and best preparation over and over again. Sam The Cooking Guy featured us in one of his segments. Newspaper and trade magazines interviewed us an ran stories. And all the while we maintained one credo – “never compromise on quality, always make fresh daily and without question, provide the best customer service there is.”
As Our Story Continues…
Today, our two stores (one in La Jolla, the other in Hillcrest – we no longer are located in Barrio Logan) continue to be among the best, most popular Mexican restaurants in San Diego. And our fan base? Just as loyal and devoted as ever and we thank them from the bottom of our hearts.
Recent News
Porkyland Featured on NBC San Diego!
Take A Tour of Porkyland in Hillcrest