Things to do in Tijuana
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Villa Saverios
Villa Saverios takes the concept of 'Baja Med' to absurd heights. The results? Try beef cheeks stuffed with ancho chilies; mesquite-grilled quail; tuna sashimi; gourmet burritos; sliced raw lobster with a chile vinaigrette; filet mignon carpaccio; or abalone served in its shell and smothered with chipotle cream sauce (gulp). Classical music tinkles over a fairly formal dining room, so dress appropriately.
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Vittorio’s
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 Godfather in the plush leather booths with dim lighting. Daily specials cost only M$80.
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Museo de Cera
Most of the motley crew at the Museo de Cera look mildly constipated, but it’s fun anyway. Madonna appears to have had open-heart surgery, Michael Jackson looks creepy and John Lennon, yep, appears appropriately stoned.
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Club Extasis
Tijuana's biggest and some say best gay dance club - complete with male strippers and karaoke - is right on the border. It's famous for its male dancers and 'dark room' area where no lights means much more than dancing goes on.
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Caguamamas
Thursday is karaoke nights, and Friday through Sunday it hosts the somewhat legendary Amanda's Show, featuring trávesti (transvestite) performers. It's next door to Club Extasis, right near the border.
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La Estrella
Just off La Revo, this is a great spot to sip cheap beers, dance some salsa, or belt out karaoke tunes.
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Museo de las Californias
The Museo de las Californias chronicles the history of Baja California from prehistoric times to the present. The exhibit kicks off with replica cave paintings, then covers important historical milestones, including the earliest Spanish expeditions under Hernán Cortés, the mission period, the Treaty of Hidalgo, the Chinese immigration, the irrigation of the Colorado River delta and the advent of the railroad. It's an excellent introduction to the peninsula and should not be missed.
Displays in glass cases mix with scale replicas of ships, missions, other objects and fairly realistic dioramas. All explanatory paneling is in English and Spanish, and touch-screen terminals…
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Plaza Fiesta Mall
What La Revo is to gringos, Plaza Fiesta mall is to locals. The dozen or so bars and restaurants here are great places to knock back a few tequilas and hear the local rock and DJ talent thrash (or spin) it out. It's unique because you can take your pick simply by walking door to door.
The bars include Sambuca (a Brazilian-themed place), Monte Picacho (live rock en español - Spanish-language rock - Sunday through Thursday, DJs Friday and Saturday), Callejón del Ambiente (great for '80s music and the diverse crowd), Bar Sótano Suizo, El Bunker, Indestruckt (for the industrial and garage scene) and Pancho Villas ('tequila, tacos & rock-n-roll!').
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Frontón Palacio Jai Alai
Oddly baroque in style, the striking Frontón Palacio Jai Alai is a Tijuana landmark fronting nearly an entire block of Av Revolución. Construction began in 1926, but wasn't completed until 1947. For decades it hosted the fast-moving ball game of jai alai - a sort of hybrid between squash and tennis, originating in Spain's Basque Country. Unfortunately, a strike by Mexico City players combined with the game's obscurity and lack of attendance forced the owner to close down the operation.
The building now hosts cultural events including music and theater performances, and you can usually get in to take a look at the courts and lobby area.
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Av Revolución
Virtually every visitor to Tijuana has to experience at least a brief stroll along raucous Av Revolución, also known as 'La Revo'. It's a mishmash of nightclubs, bellowing hawkers outside seedy strip bars, brash taxi drivers, tacky souvenir stores, street photographers with zebra-striped burros, discount liquor stores and restaurants.
If you're walking north to south but find the sensory assault from high-tech sound systems too overwhelming to return the same way, try the more conventional shopping street of Av Constitución, paralleling La Revo one block west. It has a far more local flare.
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Cervecería Tijuana
If you're a beer-drinker, make a pilgrimage to this microbrewery, which opened in early 2000. Owner José González Ibarra's vision was to make a potent brew in the tradition of pilsner beer, which originated in the Czech Republic. He imported all the technology from that country and a young Czech brew master whose efforts have clearly paid off.
Sold under the brand name Tijuana, this is a superior and full-bodied beer that easily measures up to some of Europe's finest. It is best enjoyed in the atmospheric, timbered brewery pub, about 3.2km (1.5 miles) south of downtown.
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El Lugar del Nopal
This sophisticated café-bar-cum-restaurant-cum-cultural center is a fervent supporter of local artists and an enchanting place at that, especially in the garden patio. It's known as a café cultural (cultural café). These places are probably the best way to experience Tijuana's independent arts and music scenes. It's tucked away in a residential area and is a bit hard to find but well worth the effort.
It offers music and art classes, and live music Wednesday through Saturday nights. It's also a super place to eat.
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Casa de la Cultura de Tijuana
Housed in an imposing neoclassical brick building (the former Escuela Alvaro Obregón, built in 1929) the Casa de la Cultura de Tijuana presents lectures, art exhibitions, film festivals and concerts. The center is located about 1.6km (1 mile) west of Av Revolución. Take any blue-and-white taxi (marked 'Colonia Altamira') westbound from Calle 3a (Carrillo Puerto) or walk up Calle 4a (Díaz Mirón); instead of the busy street, go up the hillside staircase for fine city views.
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Lucha Libre
Not sure how to kick off your Friday night? Treat yourself to the spectacle of Lucha Libre at the Auditorio Municipal Fausto Gutierrez Moreno, Tijuana's municipal auditorium. See two oversized masked men with names like 'The Mystic One', 'Blue Panther' and 'Heavy Metal' throw each other about a boxing ring in a theatrical display of freeform wrestling. There's nothing quite like it. Matches are held every Friday night. Rates depend on the match.
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La Querencia
Considering the astoundingly imaginative menu, fair prices and great atmosphere, La Querencia deserves every bit of its trendiness. You can pop in for a light meal of tuna-fin stew, marinated duck tacos or a salmon sandwich and keep to your daily travel budget; or go for broke devouring divinely seasoned octopus, sashimi or a Mongolian-style New York steak. Deer heads and antlers adorn the walls and a colorful fish tank livens up the back bar.
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Arte 256
It's well worth the slog to find this fabulous gallery owned and operated by Tijuana native Joly Lacarra. The revolving exhibitions are generally outstanding. To get there, head out Blvd Aguas Calientes, and up Tapachula, past the Hipódromo. After Tapachula veers left, hang a right (at the big black building). This streets merges with Mérida which you follow up to the gallery.
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Cien Años
One of Tijuana's temples of alta cocina, Cien Años is well worth a splurge. The chefs have dug deep into a box of ancient Mexican recipes, some going back to the Aztecs and Mayans, and have come up with some rather unusual - but by all accounts, delicious - concoctions. It's a formal place, so dress well for dinner. Breakfast & lunch are more casual.
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El Toreo de Tijuana
El Toreo de Tijuana. Spring bullfights take place at El Toreo, which has room for 12,000 spectators. In July or August, corridas move to the ring in Playas, which holds up to 25,000 people. This may change, as there has been talk of demolishing the Toreo de Tijuana ring, in which case all corridas will take place at Plaza de Toros Monumental.
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Balak
Masquerading as a giant Mayan temple about 10 minute's walking distance from the border, Balak is Tijuana's biggest, loudest most state-of-the-art disco, featuring international DJs, a multi-million-dollar sound system, wildly festooned performance dancers and an always-packed dance floor. Pay extra to take advantage of the barra libre (open bar).
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Dandy del Sur
For something more down-to-earth than many La Revo watering holes, hit this Tijuana classic. The sort of nostalgic dive that would make Tom Waits proud, it's been around since 1957, and the charreada (Mexican rodeo) photos, vinyl barstools, mixed clientele and eclectic jukebox make it one of the most interesting places downtown.
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Multikulti
One of Tijuana's newest entertainment-cum-cultural venues, Multikulti occupies a burned-out old theater that's been gutted and turned into a sort of urban amphitheater, showcasing music, media and cultural events. It's well worth catching an event here if you're in town at the right time. Great for punk shows.
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Gypsy's
This lively tapas bar has an eclectic décor inspired by Spanish artists Miró, Gaudí and Dalí. Make a meal out of the tapas or dig into more substantial main courses like paella or Spanish-style octopus. Live flamenco music after 22:00 on Fridays really gets things going.
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El Rincón de Xochimilco
In a residential area just north of Blvd Agua Caliente, this family eatery serves a range of delicious antojitos, including flautas, sopes, huaraches and gorditas (all variations on the meat- and cheese-loaded tortilla) prepared Mexico City-style.
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La Diferencia
Behind a tuxedo shop, La Diferencia specializes in alta cocina (haute cuisine), serving exotic Mexican dishes like crocodile fajitas, crepes de huitlacoche (corn fungus crepes) and ensalada de nopal y chicharron (cactus paddle and pork crackling salad).
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Mercado El Popo
El Popo is the most colorful downtown market, with stacks of fresh cheeses, sweets, wooden spoons, piles of dried chilies, kitchenware, herbs, incense, santeria, candles, love soaps, stacks of bundled cinnamon sticks, bee pollen and fruit all pushing you toward sensory overload.
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