At Mesa Agricola, a taqueria that recently opened in Escondido, the restaurant’s ethos isn’t merely farm-to-table. Chef Juan González and farmer Megan Strom are actually growing the crops, preparing the food, and occasionally posting about it on social media (although Strom says that last part is by far the hardest).
“We’re just trying to keep the concept super simple, so that we can do what we’re best at, which is farming and cooking,” Strom explains. She and González, who are married, originally launched Mesa Agricola in 2022, hosting farm dinners up and down the coast before settling into a residency at Vino Carta in Solana Beach a year later. They always had their eyes open for a space of their own, all while catering, raising a young daughter, and working a small plot of land on Mike Reeske’s farm in Valley Center. (Yes, those are all full-time jobs.)
Last fall, when Reeske (AKA the Bean Man) decided to retire, he approached the couple and offered them all five acres, plus his heirloom bean collection of 20-plus years. They were staggered by the generosity, Strom says, and it pushed them to plant more and plant sustainably. But with so much already on their plate, what made them decide to do all that and open their own restaurant?
“That had been Juan’s goal all the time,” Strom explains. “He’s a restaurant chef—he thrives off of that adrenaline.”
When they saw a turnkey space in an area not yet overdeveloped, they jumped on it. Mesa Agricola opened a few weeks ago, offering guisados, or stewed dishes. “It’s got that comfort-food feel,” Strom says. González taught himself to cook in his hometown of Rosarito, Baja California and has worked in kitchens and done restaurant consulting for years. Still, without the social media cache of celebrity chefs in an industry where fame is often tied to an existing fortune, Strom says it’s hard to get people’s attention. But slowly and surely, they have.
Chef Travis Swikard of Callie and the forthcoming Fleurette is a friend and the only chef in town with whom Strom shares her produce (besides González, of course). “If I have extras after Juan uses it, Travis just says, ‘I’ll take whatever you’ve got,’” she notes. When Swikard posted on Instagram about Mesa Agricola’s grand opening this month, it drew crowds from all over the county to come try their unique take on Mexican comfort food, she adds.
Mesa Agricola’s concept is simple: Step up to the counter and choose either a burrito or a taco, each wrapped in a housemade tortilla—flour for the former and corn for the latter. (Know that these burrito norteños are smaller than the typical super-sized American versions, so you might want one or two of each.) Options vary, depending on seasonality and the chef’s whim, but they range from veggie-stuffed vegan choices to seafood and meat (like the slow-cooked cochinita pibil or turkey mole). The menu may expand to include items like tortas and features agua frescas and some coffee beverages, as well.
The restaurant’s prices reflect the neighborhood and the couple’s ability to eliminate most of the middlemen producers by just growing what they cook themselves. “Tacos are $4 and burritos are $7. I want to make it accessible … We don’t just want to bring people from the coast out there,” Strom says. “[Opening the restaurant] has been a grind, and it’s been humbling. [But] the people who get it, get it.”
Mesa Agricola is now open at 707 South Escondido Boulevard from Wednesday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events
A Free Event… In La Jolla?
For art lovers feeling the pinch of inflation, tariffs, and the generally ridiculous price tag of life in Southern California, I’ve got good news for you. The 17th annual La Jolla Art & Wine Festival is coming back to Girard Avenue on October 11 and 12 for two full days of arts and crafts (including a juried exhibition of over 160 artists), food (from vendors like Mariposa Ice Cream and Isola Pizza), furry friends (find a new family member with the onsite pet adoptions), live music, STEAM activities for kids, and more. Yes, you have to pony up for booze and bites, but it’s for a good cause (fundraising for local public schools).
Beth’s Bites
- Valley Farm Market is on the cusp of opening its third location, this time in Del Mar. The market and surf-and-turf restaurant has been in the works for quite a while, so I’m sure the Del Martians are as ready as the rest of us to get our meat on.
- When it comes to coffee, there are days when I need caffeine fast (drive-through) and others when I prefer to luxuriate over my cup (dine-in). Tierra Mia Coffee in Oceanside will offer both when it opens at 1420 Mission Avenue with its menu of traditional and signature coffees, pastries, and other early morning goodies. If it’s good enough for Jonathan Gold, it’s definitely good enough for me.
- I’m not an accomplished enough cook (yet) to be a Le Creuset devotee, but I’m familiar enough with the brand to know the cookware line has a rabid following. For the brand’s 100th anniversary, it’s relaunching its partnership with Secret Supper for a three-city series culminating in San Diego on October 16. Want to know more details? Sorry, can’t tell you any—the location and chef aren’t announced until 24 hours before the event.
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