Tasting Tijuana: A day trip across the border leaves me craving another round
From coffee to cocktails, our recent food journey highlights some of Tijuana's vibrant dining scene
Any conversation about food in the San Diego region isn’t complete without also discussing the culinary scene in Tijuana.
While I have not spent a ton of time eating around the city, I did have a great experience dining at Mision 19 in February 2020.
Last month, Michelin released its first edition guide to Mexico, which includes nods to four restaurants in Tijuana: Tacos El Franc, Carmelita Molino y Cocina, Mision 19 and Oryx.
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Given the recent honors, my husband and I thought it was time we finally made it back to Tijuana for our first culinary adventure there since before the pandemic. So on Saturday, we woke up early to grab a cold brew and an iced cinnamon latte from James Coffee, then caught the trolley to San Ysidro to spend a day eating our way across the city.
While my personal knowledge of Tijuana's culinary scene continues to grow, I'll share about our Saturday escapade walking across the city to various restaurants and bars.
Although it should go without saying, since traveling to Tijuana means crossing an international border, you will need to bring a valid passport with you. It might not get checked on your way into Mexico (ours weren’t), but it will definitely be looked at when it’s time to go back through U.S. Customs to head home after.
Also to note before you start dining for the day that some of these restaurants are cash-only businesses, so you’ll want to hit the ATM to take out pesos after crossing the border.
Container Coffee Roaster
Av. Revolución 1348, Zona Centro, 22000 Tijuana, B.C., Mexico
instagram.com/containercoffeeroaster
Once we crossed the border from San Ysidro into Tijuana, our first stop was to order coffee and a breakfast sandwich at Container Coffee Roaster on Avenida Revolución.
My mojito mocktail with cold brew, mint mineral water and sugar was a refreshing and well-balanced twist on the classic cocktail, and the breakfast bagel with eggs, gooey cheddar cheese, ham and tomato we shared was delicious.
The cafe was a great place to sit and chat while mapping out our plan for the day using the WiFi, and it had a good atmosphere to read a book or work on a laptop during your visit.
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Tacos Los Paisas
Av. Guillermo Prieto 9770, America, 22044 Tijuana, B.C., Mexico
After breakfast, we took a long walk over to Taco Alley to find our first round of tacos for the day. We walked up and down the alley to check out our options, but as soon as I smelled the fragrant scents of grilled meat wafting out of Tacos Los Paisas, I knew we had found our spot.
My husband and I both got a carne asada taco and an adobada taco “con todo” — Spanish for “with everything,” meaning onions, cilantro, salsa and guacamole.
The salsa had a kick to it without being overly spicy for my New Englander palate, and their adobada was one of the tastiest and juiciest versions I have ever had. I would have liked a little less of the guacamole, but I will still be craving them until I have a chance to go back.
Make sure to have either pesos or dollars on hand, as this is a cash-only restaurant.
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Telefónica Gastro Park
Blvd. Agua Caliente 8924, Zonaeste, 22000 Tijuana, BC, Mexico
telefonicagastropark.com
After our first two rounds of food, it was time to sip on some refreshing cocktails and beers while cooling down from the midday heat at Telefónica Gastro Park.
Telefónica is a one stop shop for anyone wanting to taste the range of food Tijuana has to offer with tons of seating both indoors and out. With neon song lyrics like The Smashing Pumpkins’ “The world is a vampire” adorning the walls, and lots of televisions to watch the sports game of the day.
From smoky barbecue, ramen and tacos to cookies, cocktails and more, there are a variety of food trucks and stands available for guests to order at or by using the Telefónica app on their phone.
Since we had just eaten, we skipped ordering food and instead opted for a couple of drinks.
Peter had the Domo Arigato, a light and refreshing rice lager brewed on site at Cervecería Lírica that is the perfect summer sipper. True to form, I picked items off the cocktail menu, trying the Verano Azul (a very blue cocktail made with rum and blue curacao that I wouldn’t order again), and the Barbie Girl (a delicious prickly pear cocktail that I would definitely go back for).
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Aruba Day Drink Bar
Av. Andrés Quintana Roo 2106, Zona Este, 22000 Tijuana, B.C., Mexico
arubabar.mx
The day before the day trip, our friend Joseph — a bartender who is frequently found slinging drinks at Cantina Mayahuel on Adams Avenue — suggested we visit Aruba Day Drink Bar, and I am so glad that we made it in.
The bar is around the corner from Telefónica and was recently honored as one of North America’s 50 best bars, an honor it is more than worthy of given its creative and delicious craft cocktails and friendly staff.
Aruba’s elaborate cocktail menu is adorned with colorful drawings of the drinks, each of which is equipped with tasting notes and a song pairing.
My favorite cocktail at Aruba was the Feel it Bby, served up in a coupe Cascahuín Blanco tequila with Damiana, orgeat, celery bitters, egg white, matcha and hoja santa. The hoja santa — an aromatic herb — lent the cocktail notes of anise, eucalyptus, black pepper and mint, while the egg white and orgeat gave it a wonderfully creamy mouthfeel.
In the Espresso Float No. 3, a mixture of cold brew, croissant and Cocoa liqueur are topped with a heaping layer of vanilla foam for a dessert-inspired spin on a carajillo cocktail.
The Spicy Jams — a mixture of Di Battista Bitter, strawberry serrano shrub, pineapple juice and serrano bitters served on the rocks — had a blend of sweet, bitter and vegetal chile flavors that made each sip a delight.
I also really liked the refreshing Mint & Beats — a combination of mezcal, mint-coconut syrup and grapefruit served over a large ice cube.
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Tacos El Franc
Blvd. Gral Rodolfo Sánchez Taboada 9257, Zona Este, Tijuana, 22010, Mexico
tacoselfranc.com
Having spent 14 years working in the restaurant industry, I have eaten a fair number of meals in kitchens and storage rooms in between shifts. Our lunch at Tacos El Franc on Saturday, however, was the first time I have eaten in a storage room as a customer.
Possibly due to a new rush of customers after being recognized in the new Michelin Guide for Mexico, there was already a long line of patrons and a full house when we arrived soon after the restaurant opened on Saturday.
As the line steadily moved along, a server asked if we would mind sitting in the back if it meant we could be seated right away. So that’s how we found ourselves sitting cloistered away from all other patrons near dishwashing sinks and bags of onions.
We ordered the carne asada, lengua, adobada and suadero tacos, and I washed it all down with a refreshing glass of horchata. The lengua surprised me by how tender the chopped beef tongue was, but my favorite was the adobada piled high with a hefty portion of red chili sauce-marinated pork, chopped onions, cilantro and guacamole.
Note that Tacos El Franc is also a cash-only business.
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Beers at the TJ Rock and Grill Fest
Avenida Revolución
After Tacos El Franc, we walked around the TJ Rock and Grill Fest, a street fair that spread across several blocks of Avenida Revolución last Saturday.
We listened to some incredible live music while sipping on the Golden coffee stout from Barbaján Cerveza and the Combi Mexican Ale from Casco Cerveza — two beers produced in breweries about an hour and a half south of Tijuana in Ensenada. While walking around we looked at all the different stands and watched as street vendors grilled kebabs and mixed cocktails.
While we didn’t plan to go during the festival, it was a pleasant and fun surprise for the day.
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Dandy Del Sur
Flores Magón 8274, Zona Centro, 22000 Tijuana, B.C., Mexico
instagram.com/dandydelsurcantina
Would any trip to Tijuana be complete without stopping in at a dive bar?
After so many rounds of food, we needed to take a little break from eating before venturing over to our last dining stop of the night, so we popped into Dandy Del Sur to order a paloma and a margarita, both made with mezcal.
While they did not have the creativity of the craft cocktails at Aruba, they were both well balanced palate cleansers that got us ready for our final round of food for the day.
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Restaurante Caesar’s
Av. Revolución 8190, Zona Centro, 22000 Tijuana, B.C., Mexico
grupoplascencia.com/caesars
As San Diego Magazine reported last month, the 100th anniversary of the Caesar salad is coming up in July, so we made sure to end our day by ordering it at Restaurante Caesar’s on Avenida Revolución.
Because we were there during the ongoing street fair out front, we had to wait about 30 minutes for our seats at the bar, but sinking my teeth into the famed salad was well worth it.
Prepared on a tableside cart, our server artfully used two wood paddles to whisk together the dressing, made with anchovies, lemon juice, egg yolk, fresh cracked black pepper and grated parmesan cheese before tossing in whole leaves of romaine lettuce. Once plated, he topped it with more parmesan and two large, round croutons before presenting it onto the bartop for us.
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We also had an order of patatas bravas — fried potatoes with olive oil and Cayenne pepper — and while they weren’t as crispy as I prefer, they had a very rich, delicious flavor with just the right amount of spice. Throughout our meal, we sipped on a mango margarita and a carajillo, a cocktail made with Licor 43 and shaken with espresso and served over ice.
We capped our night off with an order of flan, which had a lusciously smooth consistency and deep caramelized flavor that could make anyone a fan of the creamy dessert.
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After chatting with our bar neighbors for a few minutes, we checked out, walked down Revolución and made the long trek back through customs to catch the trolley home to San Diego.
Our first cross-border culinary adventure since the pandemic reignited our love for Tijuana’s vibrant food scene, and I am eager to return soon for another delicious day trip.
Beautiful photos!