As I first learned on Food is My Favorite, this week is San Diego CityBeat Burger Week (March 7-16). Participating restaurants in San Diego are offering a burger for just $5 and Carnitas’ Snack Shack is one of them.
Carnitas’ Snack Shack is a restaurant that features a pork-centric menu. We’ve enjoyed our past visits and I’d been wanting to revisit Carnitas for a while anyway, so the $5 special burger was an extra incentive. Since Carnitas has gotten increasingly popular and crowded, my plan was to go in for an early dinner and beat the crowd.
Unfortunately, it seemed like everyone else had the same idea. There was a 40 minute wait and a line that stretched quite far down the street.
Still, we were craving Carnitas Snack Shack so we decided to wait. Luckily, the time passed by pretty quickly and we were able to secure seats and get our food within about half an hour.
Pork Belly Appetizer
This is hands-down, my favorite item to order here. It’s a generous serving of thick-cut, melt-in-your-mouth tender pork belly, marinated in a sweet glaze. It’s one of their signature dishes and a constant on the revolving menu.
$5 Pork Burger
The San Diego Burger Week burger is not listed on the menu; it’s a secret special you need to ask for. The ground pork patty is topped with candied bacon, gorgonzola cheese and served on a pretzel bun. The pork patty was soft and moist, the buns nicely toasted. This was quite tasty and a refreshing change from the typical beef burger. At $5, this was quite a steal.
Triple Threat Pork Sando
Bacon, fried breaded pork and pulled pork, this likely reads like a pork lover’s dream. The high-piled sandwich has been a popular entree, though this was my first time trying it. I liked it, but found it a little dry.
Snack Shack Macaroni and Cheese
Classic creamy macaroni and cheese is served with some crumbled bacon.
Overall, we had a good meal here, as always. We love the casual outdoor seating, the ever-changing menu, and emphasis on pork. The staff is always friendly and efficient. You can read my previous post here.
Carnitas’ Snack Shack
2632 University Avenue
San Diego, CA 92104
https://carnitassnackshack.com/
https://instagram.com/p/cyPmK8MZGP/
I was addicted to Carnitas Snack Shock’s pork burger for a while. It’s not one a regular menu. They usually have it as a daily special once a week. The trick is to call and find out and ask them to reserve one for you cause they sold out FAST
is that diff from the $5 pork burger I got?
I’ve only been here once and we only had to wait a couple of minutes. We went late in the evening, after the dinner rush. Maybe that’s a better time to try and go!
Hmm, the line did seem shorter when we left so I guess I should go later next time.
I’ve only had the triple threat once over a year ago and I loved it. And I was disappointed in how your sandwich looked – it did look dry.
So I thought I’d share how my sandwich looked, if you or anyone else wants to look.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/7893847@N02/sets/72157642191438784/
Hmm your photos do look better for the sandwich!
I hate it when I think I’m beating the ‘rush’ and then get stuck in it. Is this place only offering one $5 burger during the Burger Week?
Yes, they only have the pork burger for $5. I think most places are only offering one $5 burger. I’ve seen a few that have another burger special but it’s for $10.
We took some visiting relatives here in the summer, and they loved Carnitas Shack (despite a 30+ minute wait in the late afternoon). On my last visit, we got there before they opened so it wasn’t a very long wait.
I haven’t been back in close to a year so I didn’t realize how crazy the wait had gotten. I’m glad they are doing well though