La Nacional Brings Cocktails and Mexican Cuisine to Chula Vista | Eater San Diego

"On a bustling stretch of Third Avenue in downtown Chula Vista, I visited a modern take on a Mexican cantina opened by Eddie Trejo and Joann Cornejo. The bar is centered around cocktails curated by bartender Felipe “Pipo” Lopez, whose list includes a daiquiri spiked with Mexican rum and banana liqueur, a mezcal Negroni, and an agave‑sweetened old fashioned variation with Mexican whisky; it's family‑friendly until 8 p.m. and offers a weekday happy hour from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. with specials on drinks including select tequilas and mezcals. In the kitchen chef Alvaro Hernandez (of local pop‑up Birrieria Don Alvaro) showcases his fall‑apart birria at brunch Thursday through Sunday—served as a quesataco or a birra bowl with consomé and optionally topped with braised tendon—and the dinner menu highlights a Sonora‑style ribeye taco, housemade chicharron and guacamole, chicken flautas, sopita (a comforting tomato‑based noodle soup), and late‑night snacks like Tijuana hot dogs." - Candice Woo