HILLCREST – Its fate hangs a little in the air. Yet for now, the long-revered Jimmy Carter’s Mexican Cafe at 3172 Fifth Ave. in Hillcrest remains on steady ground a year after the restaurant’s namesake founder passed away at age 82.
Jimmy Carter was the glue to a staff of devoted employees, none of whom have left their jobs since Carter died in August of 2025. He supported them through the pandemic years and often mingled affably with customers as they savored homey dishes ranging from breakfast enchiladas and egg scrambles to scratch-made chile rellenos, taco salads, and slow-roasted meats used in various presentations.
The menu hasn’t changed a speck. And the operation today resides in the hands of four esteemed managers who Carter entrusted to carry the torch.
Baltazar Mojica is one of them. He started working for Carter a few years after the restaurant’s launch in 1991. He began as a busboy before eventually ascending to manager.
“It was Jimmy’s wish to delegate me and the three others to run the restaurant. He worked with a lawyer to make that happen, and he completed the process of turning the business into an LLC right before he died,” said Mojica.
Carnitas plate with rice and beans. (Photo by Frank Sabatini Jr./Special for Times of San Diego)
His concern when looking ahead, however, is whether the restaurant might have to someday change locations, should the landlord decide to sell out to encroaching developers.
“We don’t own the building. So, my big wish is to see things keep going nice and smoothly,” he added.
Having visited three times in the past 10 months with various dining cohorts, our only complaints were directed at the house margaritas. They seemingly contained subdued measures of tequila.
Perhaps the loose pours of yesteryear at Jimmy Carter’s ended because of tariffs, which has hit the tequila industry with a 25 percent clobber. Or maybe these were flukes. Otherwise, the restaurant maintains genuine consistency in both its food and service, which is becoming increasingly rare in our inflated economy.
Carnitas and carne asada among the top sellers. I often preface either with house-made jalapeno poppers, which are stuffed with the same creamy Oaxaca cheese used in the chile rellenos. Served four to an order, these breaded beauties can be upgraded with the pork on the inside or swathed in bacon on the outside.
Traditional pork shoulder is used for carnitas. It is slowly roasted onsite with garlic and seasonings. The shredded meat is reliably juicy and tender, and it is always generously portioned no matter how you order it — in tacos, burritos, salads, or in plate-form with rice and beans.
The large carne asada salad. (Photo by Frank Sabatini Jr./Special for Times of San Diego)
For the carne asada, the kitchen still sources the beef from Central Meat & Provision in Barrio Logan. The wholesale butchery dates to 1912, and Carter maintained a close friendship with one of the owners since childhood. The meat is marinated at the restaurant in citrus juices and is generally tastier and suppler than what you’ll chomp into elsewhere.
I recently learned that Jimmy Carter’s re-fried pinto beans are lard-free, which came as a surprise given their unctuous, savory quality. Ditto for the nicely seasoned black beans.
Other standouts include the menu’s longstanding chili Colorado, which uses a novel trick for adding texture to the robust pepper-rich sauce. Mojica said it comes from one of the restaurant’s established cooks, who soaks tortillas in water before blending them into the chilis.
The recipe offers a decent level of flavor complexity, much like dishes involving mole sauce, which Mojica said is made in-house “with at least 16 ingredients” including dark chocolate.
House-made jalapeno poppers. (Photo by Frank Sabatini Jr./Special for Times of San Diego)
Lunch and dinner also give way to comforting tamales, hearty seafood enchiladas, and lamb simmered in chile de arbol sauce.
If sauntering in for breakfast, the egg scramble with house-made “soyrizo” is no less flavorful as the regular chorizo. Or if you prefer nopalitos in your eggs, the menu abides. Better yet, we’ve found that even during morning visits, customers are still provided with complimentary table chips along with house-made red and green salsa. Both are feisty. And like all of the food served here, leave lasting impressions on the palate.
For more information, call (619) 295-2070 or visit their website.