Tijuana is a large Mexican city located in Baja California at the San Ysidro International Border between California and Mexico. The border is immediately south of San Diego.
We came here along with our children for the New Year’s long weekend. While there may be some places to see here, we mainly came to relax and have some amazing Mexican food, and we were not disappointed.
PLACES TO SEE:
Avenida Revolución: This is the main downtown street in the Zona Centro area in Tijuana, which is very popular with tourists as it is filled with streetside souvenir shops, restaurants, bars, and clubs. We walked down the street during the day and it was quite crowded at that time.
Every street corner had a Tijuana Zebra (which is just a donkey painted with stripes to look like a zebra), but don’t let anyone catch you trying to take a picture on your own because you are supposed to pay to take a picture with the zebra.
This street is home to Hotel Caesar (where Caesar salad was invented). At the start of Avenida Revolución is the Arch of Tijuana which represents the gateway to the city.- Mercado El Popo: This local market is located 2 blocks away from the start of Avenida Revolución on Calle Benito Juárez. It is an extremely crowded and small market devoid of tourists. Many of the products you might see at this market are varieties of cheeses, chilis, spices, toys, chocolates, and pottery.
- Playa de Tijuana: This beach was minutes away from where we were staying and was pretty big and very clean. However, the main attraction of the beach was its boardwalk which had a very Venice Beach (California) vibe with many cafes, restaurants, hookah bars, and street-side vendors. You can also find some beautiful graffiti murals and street art along the boardwalk.
WHAT TO EAT:
As this was a gastronomical trip, food was at the top of our list. So we got some excellent tips from my son’s friend (whose family is from Tijuana) and here are some of the restaurants we went to during our stay in Tijuana along with what we ate:
- “La Choza Maya” – Since we had just reached Tijuana and were very hungry, we quickly googled a restaurant close to where we were staying. So although this place was not recommended by a local, the food was excellent and we highly recommend this restaurant. (FYI: Keep your eyes open, because this restaurant is on a busy road and you can easily miss it. There’s no parking at the restaurant, but plenty of street parking is available). We were given complimentary black corn chips with a spicy, flavorful salsa. It was such a great feeling eating such spicy food that we couldn’t stop. After 3 months of eating South American food which had no hint of chilies, this was a real treat for us. We started our meal with fresh fruit juices and each of us ordered different tacos.
- Telefonica Gastro Park – Blvd. Agua Caliente 8924, Zona Este, 22000 Tijuana, B.C., Mexico: This is an absolute visit on your trip to Tijuana. The entrance is through a small parking lot and is quite unassuming, but when you walk in you enter a food truck paradise.
It consists of a central area with tables and chairs which is surrounded by various food trucks. There is plenty of seating in the center, and there’s also an option to sit upstairs on a balcony near the large “Telefonica” sign. If you go further in, there is a covered area with a brewery and a few more stalls. The following are the food trucks available and what we ordered at each:
- “La Carmelita” – Enchiladas con pollo (Chicken Enchiladas) with roja and borracha sauce
- “Otto’s Grill” – Fish and Shrimp tacos (the shrimp tacos were ah-mazing!)
- “Creta” – Lentil Soup, Portobello Pita with salad
- “Tacos Teno” – Octopus Tacos
- “Azarosa” – Mimosas
The above was just what we had, but there is otherwise a wide array of choices and many more food trucks too. I would like to reiterate that if you do plan to come to Tijuana even for a little while, visiting Telefonica should be at the top of your list. An even bigger plus is that it has its own parking lot.
- Fonda la Finca – José María Velazco 2680, Zona Urbana Rio Tijuana, 2 Tijuana, B.C., Mexico: This restaurant came highly recommended. It is a family restaurant with very authentic Mexican food. It appears to be a restaurant that is mainly frequented by locals, so that’s how you know you’re getting the real stuff. We were given complimentary chips and salsa which was pretty spicy and very good. It was also quite inexpensive given the amount of food we were served. We each ordered a 3-course meal which was around 90-110 pesos ($4-5 USD). It consisted of an appetizer – crema de lote (Cream of corn soup), an entree, and a dessert – Arroz con Leche (rice with milk). We were all craving cheese enchiladas, so a few of us ordered that and also ordered a Chile Relleno and a Bistek Ranchero.
At the end of the meal, even though we were so full, I wanted to try the Champurrado (Mexican Hot Chocolate). It is a chocolate-based drink prepared with cornflour/dough. It was served in an earthen pot and was a very satisfying drink at the end of a long day.
- El Pan Nuestro Campestre – Blvd. Agua Caliente 11300, Aviacion, 22014 Tijuana, B.C., Mexico: This restaurant is known for its breakfast and brunch. The signature dish here is the Chilaquiles, which are chips topped with cheese and various salsas, so that was what we wanted to try. We each ordered a plate of chilaquiles, each with a different salsa, just to get some variety among our dishes. The available salsas were: roja (red), verde (green), mole, chipotle, poblano, and habanero (the spiciest!!). If you aren’t sure what salsa to order, I would recommend ordering the Chilaquiles sampler, which contains all the first 5 salsas that I have mentioned so that you get a little bit of each type. It was definitely worth it. Surprisingly this was the first time we had this dish even after living in California for over 20 years among the myriad of Mexican restaurants at every corner, and we loved it.
After experiencing this sampler of authentic Mexican food, I can’t wait for our next trip to the heart of Mexico. The food here has just the right amount of spice, vegetables, cheese, and bread, and put together in such a masterful fashion, it is a food lover’s dream come true.
