I have noticed that most of my daily activities seem to occur within a five-mile radius. I feel like our homes are like the hub of a wheel and the spokes are the places we frequent: work, the grocery store, our children’s school, the gas station, and a smattering of our favorite restaurants. For 17 years, our radius of living encompassed Encinitas, Leucadia and the southern tip of Carlsbad. I was a creature of habit and drove a two-mile loop on El Camino Real like a Hot-wheels car on a plastic track.
When we moved to Rancho Santa Fe, you would have thought we moved 100 miles instead of five. I was buying gas at a different place, shopping at another market, and venturing over the La Granada bridge was now an infrequent errand. The strangest realization was that our favorite taco shop also seemed too far away. Like everything else, we started looking for a new haunt.
Now I had driven by Tony’s Jacal with their arched adobe building and vintage wooden buggy in Solana Beach’s Eden Gardens neighborhood for years, but had never been inside. Their Yelp reviews had me intrigued. Loyal patrons – many who had been eating there for decades – spoke of their turkey tacos and cabbage salad with such affection, I had to see what the buzz was about. Including the giant aviary of birds that purportedly sing their greetings as you enter the bar.
When we moved to the Ranch 11 years ago, my 14-year-old son and I found ourselves on our own for dinner and headed to Tony’s Jacal. “Jacal” is Spanish for “old building or shack” and this place was anything but. Papel picado was strung up throughout the dining room along with multi-colored Christmas lights. The Mariachi band was weaving around the tables singing traditional and current favorites. If there’s a wait (and there usually is) the adjacent bar is the place to go. It rivals the dining room with its cozy fireplace, teal blue leatherette banquettes, and framed little league sports teams and autographed pictures of storied horse jockeys lining the walls. I was dumbfounded. In the 17 years we had lived in North County, how had we missed this?
According to the Yelpers, The Cadillac Margarita was something not to be missed, so as an easily-influenced consumer, I ordered one with my turkey taco. I wasn’t prepared for what arrived. My margarita – filled to the brim – came with a side shot of Grand Marnier. Was I supposed to make my own cocktail? Sip it with my drink? Drink it as a chaser at the end? I quickly sent out a group text to my family asking for instructions. And possibly a ride home.
Tony and Catalina Gonzales opened Tony’s Jacal in 1946 on his parent’s property on Valley Avenue and their food and hospitality became so well-loved, locals and the seasonal horse racing crowd have been dining there ever since. Giant poster boards by the hostess stand have signatures from four generations of patrons. They started as dinner guests, but soon became family.
As my son tucked into his queso fundido and I continued to navigate the Grand Marnier, I was decidedly smitten. Everyone seemed to know one another and the ebullient chatter reminded me of meals with out-of-town family. Specifically my out-of-town family. My mother’s sister had married a man from a large Mexican family who warmly welcomed us into the fold. Sitting in the middle of the dining room at Tony’s took me back to my childhood in Northern California where we celebrated weddings and holidays with “Aunt Mary and Uncle Leo” and a whole group of pretend cousins.This was a collision of home and all the best parts of Christmas. And with both my parents now gone, I was feeling all the feels. And maybe a bit of tequila.
The spirit of generosity doesn’t end in the dining room. Tony’s Jacal has been a giving force in the community for years. They have sponsored local softball, soccer and football teams, and have hosted numerous fundraising events to benefit our community. In 1970, Catalina was one of five business owners concerned about the growing number of high school students of Mexican descent who were not attending college. Students with solid grades were opting to work after graduation instead of pursuing a college education – often to financially help their families. So the business leaders launched the Mexican American Educational Guidance Association (MAEGA) which to date, has given more than $1.8 million to help local youth attend college.
Tony and Catalina passed away in 1974 and 2000 respectively, and their two daughters Catalina (Liza) Salgado and Teresa Rincon along with their children worked to continue serving quality food and warm hospitality in their parent’s tradition. Liza worked in almost every position at the restaurant; cook, hostess, and waitress before overseeing the bookkeeping. The entire community mourned her passing in 2021.
Teresa has been the smiling face at the hostess stand every day for years. She seems to know every guest that walks in and I was heartened when she would frequently comment how our son, now 24, had grown so tall. Just like a beloved aunt. Today, Teresa is mostly retired but lucky guests will periodically find her graciously greeting them at the door followed by her melodious, and iconic voice over the speaker telling them their table is ready. It feels like a warm hug.
We’ve only been dining at Tony’s for eleven years – newbies by all accounts, but I’ve decided this place is more than just a vibe. It just might be consecrated ground. Blessed, if you will. We even introduced our pastor and his wife to Tony’s turkey tacos to check our theory. I believe that whether they knew it or not, Tony and Catalina Gonzales created a legacy of good food and hospitality enveloped with a spirit of generosity. In return, they reaped a loyal following that considers themselves more than dinner guests, but family. Generosity begets generosity.
As the rancor within the world (and daresay our community) has hit a fever pitch, we would do well to remind ourselves that there is more that unites us than divides us. In this case, a turkey taco, a margarita and a group sing-along of “Bésame Mucho” would go a long way to bring back the love.
Kelli Hillard is a Covenant member and Vice President of the Art Jury.