El Carrito Restaurant

Historic Streetcar Restaurant Returns To Barrio Logan | Eater San Diego

Housed in a narrow, 600-square-foot trolley car that once transported riders along the street it now sits on, El Carrito has existed on Logan Avenue since the 1940s and has long served as a neighborhood gathering place; the family who owns the property are descendants of early Barrio Logan community leader Al Johnston. Its new proprietors, Carolina Santana and Milo Lorenzana, have refreshed the trolley car to mint condition and want to continue the restaurant’s tradition as a local meeting hub. Santana and Lorenzana were part of the original team behind the 2015 launch of Logan Avenue standout Salud Tacos and opened the popular coffee house Por Vida down the block the same year; Santana’s parents, Luis and Sandra, are partners in the restaurant, with Sandra contributing her own recipes to the menu. The all-day offerings feature classic Mexican breakfasts — including huevos rancheros and eggs with pork machaca — and five variations on chilaquiles that can be topped with carne asada, soyrizo, shrimp, and more; there are also build-your-own omelettes, pancakes, and on weekends menudo served with hand-pressed tortillas. Lunch includes tortas, burritos, sopes, and tostadas, and the coffee pros brew café de olla. El Carrito is currently open 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, with plans to expand to dinner service offering small tapas-like bites as well as micheladas and sangria, and additional patio seating expected within the next month. - Candice Woo