Ruta del Vino & Valle de Guadalupe
In a region known for its superlative dining, this restaurant is our uncontested favorite. The setting is rustic-chic, with family-style seating at…
Must-see restaurants in Northern Baja
Tijuana
At the edge of the city's industrial zone perches this collection of food trucks helmed by the city's most innovative rising chefs. Each has a specialty,…
Ensenada
Sabina Bandera’s award-winning seafood stand dates from the 1960s and attracts long lines with its outstanding juicy ceviche (seafood marinated in lime…
Northern Baja
This delicious taco stand with an outdoor grill is so popular that it often closes early when the ingredients run out. Get in line before 4pm if you don’t…
Tijuana
With sunsets and sea creatures painted on the walls, and ferns, cacti, driftwood and fairy lights throughout, this indoor warehouse restaurant feels like…
Ruta del Vino & Valle de Guadalupe
Good luck not having fun at this warm-hued, adobe-walled, sand-floored restaurant with the grill as aflame as the wine-drinking diners' spirits. Run by…
Ruta del Vino & Valle de Guadalupe
Our favorite of celebrity-Mexican-chef Javier Placensia's restaurants, this laid-back place looking out over the vineyards has a cracking oyster bar and…
Tijuana
Taking Av Revolución to chic new standards, this cosmopolitan rooftop bar and restaurant serves insanely good and unusual tacos like cured mackerel with…
Ruta del Vino & Valle de Guadalupe
Everyone's favorite breakfast in the valley. Doña Estella's is a welcome slice of traditional Mexico with huge egg dishes including the house specialty…
Tijuana
Step inside and you are transported to the 1950s. Sepia pics of Hollywood movie stars line the walls, while the dark-wood decor oozes elegance. The…
Tijuana
Delicious, innovative contemporary Mexican cuisine plus traditional dishes such as sopa Azteca with avocado and tortilla strips, crepes de huitlacoche …
Tijuana
Star Mexican chef Javier Plascencia's ode to revitalizing his hometown, Mision 19 is the city's poshest address with sparse black-and-white decor and…
Tijuana
Locals in the know flock to this clean-cut, semi-outdoor joint decked out in white and red. Tacos include the normal suspects like asada and pastor …
Ensenada
Set within an elegant building's sumptuous interior, replete with flocked wallpaper, chandeliers and stained glass, this landmark restaurant dates from…
Tijuana
The narrow-lane approach provides a taster of what’s to come with its hip small boutiques and cafes; the Colectivo comprises nine small restaurants set…
Tijuana
Like stepping into a Mexican grandmother's home, this warm cafe is our favorite breakfast stop with chicken emolades (layered meat and tortillas)…
Ruta del Vino & Valle de Guadalupe
Just want a quick bite between wineries or maybe want a budget meal in the land of upscale dining? Fortunately celebrity chef Javier Placensia offers this…
Northern Baja
You can't miss the vine-covered, wagon-wheel-decorated frontage of this steakhouse in the center of town. And the atmosphere continues with exposed brick…
Ensenada
You can’t go wrong at any of the seafood stalls across from the mercado de mariscos (fish market), but this popular one has plenty of seating and a superb…
Northern Baja
Owner Susanna dishes up delightful plates of tasty fare based on fresh seasonal produce spiked with Californian pizzazz. Light salads with innovative…
Ensenada
A great barn of a place, rightfully famous for its birria de chivo (goat stew), but also serving excellent tacos and charcoal-grilled meats. Popular with…
Ruta del Vino & Valle de Guadalupe
Come here for a laid-back lunch with Spanish flair. A few picnic tables are shaded under umbrellas on a brick patio between rosemary bushes. Tapas include…
Ensenada
Paper streamers, murals, painted tables and sherbert-colored furniture give a festive atmosphere to enjoying great enchiladas, quesadillas, burritos, agua…
Ensenada
Creamy risottos, pasta and fresh seafood are a draw here, but it's the setting under the trees on a deck with lights strung up above that make it taste…
Ensenada
Right on the marina, this place looks like a hole in the wall but on closer inspection you'll see a sophisticated crowd savoring artistically presented…
Ruta del Vino & Valle de Guadalupe
Right in the middle of the vineyards and set on a little hill, this is a fabulous place to enjoy fish, asada (grilled beef) or lechon (roasted suckling…
Tijuana
Good coffee (including espresso drinks) and yummy breakfasts from Benedicts and pancakes to particularly good chilaquiles make this an early morning no…
Ensenada
Enjoy authentic, cheap antojitos (typical Mexican snacks) and friendly service in a family atmosphere. Stewed meats are the specialty and the menu often…
Ruta del Vino & Valle de Guadalupe
Join the locals for absolutely superb (and massive) flour quesadillas filled with beans, cheese, excellent guacamole and carne asada (marinated grilled…
Mexicali
This real-deal place services the best tacos and sincronizada (tortilla-based sandwich) in town; the latter filled with grilled Oaxaca cheese, salty ham…
Mexicali
Dating from 1977, this beloved seafood chain restaurant is Mexicali’s most popular dining establishment. The culichi shrimp (shrimp in a creamy green…
Ruta del Vino & Valle de Guadalupe
The restaurant looks out over picturesque rolling vineyards and hillsides, and the juxtaposition of rough-hewn timbers and starched tablecloths fits the…
Ensenada
Vintage photos and clapboards separate this place from the coffee mega-chains. Pastries, pies, bagels, sandwiches and rich coffee are all worth ducking in…
Northern Baja
If you insist on visiting Puerto Nuevo, a fishing village (and tourist trap) best known for its affordable lobster, at least do it right. One good option…
Tijuana
Tiled walls, a painted ceiling and a mounted traje de luces (traditional bullfighter's garb) make this atmospheric and historic restaurant stand out. The…
Tijuana
Bear in mind that this restaurant fronts the so-called mariachi square, so whispering sweet nothings to your sweetheart may be tricky. Aside from this, El…
Tijuana
Dine in a faded yet upscale courtyard setting, complete with bubbling fountain and canaries in cages. This is truly old school, down to the large, Mexican…
Tijuana
For years this cozy Italian restaurant has been serving generous portions of reasonably priced pizza and pasta. Head to the back and you’ll feel like the…
Tijuana
Restaurant serving upscale Mexican fare and hearty traditional-style breakfasts, beloved by folks crossing the border since the 1950s (although it changed…
