Food in Tijuana

[Jinxx]

Looks good. I've added it to my list, thanks!

I've been to their Playas location. It was pretty good. Didn't know they had one in Centro. From their web site they have one in Zona Rio as well.

Be careful with the Ricardo's at plaza Rio. I paid by debit card and the bastard waiter took my card to the back and cloned it. Next morning I get a fraud alert from my bank a withdrawal was made at an ATM in Mexico City. I had to cancel my card and get a new one which is a pain in the ass. That's how I found out the hard way, in Mexico only pay by card with the machine they bring to your table.

[KC Questor]

I like Villa Marina in Zona Rio for seafood.

Looks good. I've added it to my list, thanks!

Ricardo's in Centro is good all around especially their menudo. It's nice but not fancy. As an added bonus, it's open 24 hours.

I've been to their Playas location. It was pretty good. Didn't know they had one in Centro. From their web site they have one in Zona Rio as well.

[LuvMexicanas]

If you like seafood, there are lots of good options. For fancy you have Lionfish in Zona Rio. For good and classy but not super fancy in el Centro you have Cevicheria Corriente (my favorite restaurant in Tijuana) or Mariscos Loretos.

If seafood is not your thing there are plenty of other choices. Mision 19 is a foodie destination, famous, but fancy and expensive. Caesar's is on Revolucion not far from Zona Norte and is where the Caesar salad was invented. You should go there at least once just for the experience (they have pretty good steaks and pasta dishes). Across the street from Caesar's is Piedra Santa, with good authentic Oaxacan cuisine (not the best in town and a bit pricy because of the location). Also near there is Verde y Crema or La Justina. Both are great local places, nice and a bit pricy but great food and convenient locations.

Tijuana has a huge and growing food scene, so you will find lots of options. This article from Eater magazine has some good suggestions: https://sandiego.eater.com/maps/best...tijuana-mexico.

I like Villa Marina in Zona Rio for seafood. Ricardo's in Centro is good all around especially their menudo. It's nice but not fancy. As an added bonus, it's open 24 hours.

[KC Questor]

Any recommendations on Tijuana restaurants?

If you like seafood, there are lots of good options. For fancy you have Lionfish in Zona Rio. For good and classy but not super fancy in el Centro you have Cevicheria Corriente (my favorite restaurant in Tijuana) or Mariscos Loretos.

If seafood is not your thing there are plenty of other choices. Mision 19 is a foodie destination, famous, but fancy and expensive. Caesar's is on Revolucion not far from Zona Norte and is where the Caesar salad was invented. You should go there at least once just for the experience (they have pretty good steaks and pasta dishes). Across the street from Caesar's is Piedra Santa, with good authentic Oaxacan cuisine (not the best in town and a bit pricy because of the location). Also near there is Verde y Crema or La Justina. Both are great local places, nice and a bit pricy but great food and convenient locations.

Tijuana has a huge and growing food scene, so you will find lots of options. This article from Eater magazine has some good suggestions: https://sandiego.eater.com/maps/best...tijuana-mexico.

[BrotherMouzone]

On the topic of San Diego restaurants, the last time I was in San Diego last month, a restaurant I checked out and really liked before heading down to Tijuana was La Puerta (Gaslamp Quarter area). Excellent margaritas. In particular a spicy margarita they have called Bark at the Moon. And an excellent California burrito. Highly recommend.

Any recommendations on Tijuana restaurants? I'm just now realizing that, other than several taco spots, the only restaurants I've ever been to in Tijuana are the AYCE Churrascaria Do Brasil and Mr. Pampas steakhouses LOL. Will look to expand my horizons on the next trip. Had a girl in the clubs that I'm friendly with recommend Mantequiila and for breakfast Sabor A Mi. Also had a sports celebrity acquaintance (can't reveal name for privacy reasons) tell me his favorite restaurant in Tijuana is La Espadana, which I noticed on my last trip is right down the street from Mr. Pampas. Any thoughts on these or other restaurants are welcome. I'm a "meat + potatoes" restaurant kind of guy, though I don't eat seafood (allergic).

[Captain Solo]

100's seafood buffet, AYCE lobster, crab, shrimp, steaks.

Does not sound like your place.

[Artisttyp]

Artiste.

One of my favorite restaurants anywhere is the 100's Seafood Buffet under the overpass intersection of I805 and route 8.

Their facility is nice, clean, upscale, seafood is abundant, fresh, delicious. Thursday and Friday night you can have AYCE Maine lobster, lobster claws, raw oyster, clams, steaks ect, all for $35, which is an excellent deal. The place is way better than any fancy buffet in Las Vegas at a fraction of the prices, run by a Filipino family. The place was packed; usually have to wait half hour for diner. I drove family and friends to SD just for that sumptuous feast, well, then we head over to Tijuana hehe.

They opened briefly for outdoors dining under the tent in Oct 2020, but looks like they are now closed for good. I called a few times but nobody answered their phone. Most other seafood buffets are also closed for good. The remaining few are struggling with fewer diners and operating at a loss.

Our good life is really fucked by this CoVid bullshit.

My issues with waiters is they don't leave me alone enough and they take your plate away from you too soon. Otherwise they mean well. I get much better food and service in Tijuana than in SD. SD has horrible food and prices are insane.

I wonder if this is the same place I went to in National City. The place was called ACE CRAB. It was incredible. They sell seafood by the pound and you choose the seasoning. They bring it bolted in plastic bags and you wear aprons and eat off a picnic table with paper towels and bare hands. I told the waiter next time I would just show up in a bathing suit so I could hop in the shower afterwards. The dinner was rather messy but good eats nonetheless.

[Captain Solo]

Bayboy.

You may have gone to the wrong school.

The first phrase I learned from Coahuila Universidad was "Cuanto para la cuarto?

[Captain Solo]

Artiste.

One of my favorite restaurants anywhere is the 100's Seafood Buffet under the overpass intersection of I805 and route 8.

Their facility is nice, clean, upscale, seafood is abundant, fresh, delicious. Thursday and Friday night you can have AYCE Maine lobster, lobster claws, raw oyster, clams, steaks ect, all for $35, which is an excellent deal. The place is way better than any fancy buffet in Las Vegas at a fraction of the prices, run by a Filipino family. The place was packed; usually have to wait half hour for diner. I drove family and friends to SD just for that sumptuous feast, well, then we head over to Tijuana hehe.

They opened briefly for outdoors dining under the tent in Oct 2020, but looks like they are now closed for good. I called a few times but nobody answered their phone. Most other seafood buffets are also closed for good. The remaining few are struggling with fewer diners and operating at a loss.

Our good life is really fucked by this CoVid bullshit.

My issues with waiters is they don't leave me alone enough and they take your plate away from you too soon. Otherwise they mean well. I get much better food and service in Tijuana than in SD. SD has horrible food and prices are insane.

[BayBoy]

Bayboy,

Different grades of restaurants operate differently.

In upscale places, waiters should take away plates and utensils after each course to give you a clean table, but should not bring the bill because the clients may be ordering more drinks, deserts ect. Fast food and mom and pop places earn thin margins and they want fast turn over. Some will give you the bill right after you are served.

People in Canada, Europe and South America like to gather, dine, drink and talk. French and Italians would sit all day in sidewalk cafes talking to friends and people watching. Such idle past times are frowned upon in the US. Americans are more hurried and brief in conversations unless they are lobbyists in expensive restaurants, kissing legislators' asses to steal from the public, then they spend big money all night eating, drinking and talking. It was very nice seeing crowds of thousands people hang out on the streets of Montreal and BS As late on warm summer nights, drinking, talking, laughing, enjoying each other's companies peacefully and lovingly. In the US such gatherings would invite fights, crimes, violence.

I have seen large, fancy steak houses in BS As where people eat, drink and talk for hours over dinner. Americans are not that social and they don't usually like anyone that much, including their own families, to spend that much time to dine and talk unfortunately.

One of the first frases I learned in Spanish classes was, 'La Cuenta Por Favor. '.

I've been to Buenos Aires a few times and people really get into it there. They get off work and meet up w friends in cafes, bars, restaurants and talk drink and hang out for hours, and then they have dinner late at night (9-10-11 pm).

Even during the daytime, it always looked like the coffee shops had a lot oif people in there, talking w each other.

I saw it at Chiki Jai restaurant. There were groups of people there talking, drinking beer and wine. Just chilling and BSing. Americans could learn something from this lifestyle / culture. The bill is the last thing from the waiter.

[Captain Solo]

Bayboy,

Different grades of restaurants operate differently.

In upscale places, waiters should take away plates and utensils after each course to give you a clean table, but should not bring the bill because the clients may be ordering more drinks, deserts ect. Fast food and mom and pop places earn thin margins and they want fast turn over. Some will give you the bill right after you are served.

People in Canada, Europe and South America like to gather, dine, drink and talk. French and Italians would sit all day in sidewalk cafes talking to friends and people watching. Such idle past times are frowned upon in the US. Americans are more hurried and brief in conversations unless they are lobbyists in expensive restaurants, kissing legislators' asses to steal from the public, then they spend big money all night eating, drinking and talking. It was very nice seeing crowds of thousands people hang out on the streets of Montreal and BS As late on warm summer nights, drinking, talking, laughing, enjoying each other's companies peacefully and lovingly. In the US such gatherings would invite fights, crimes, violence.

I have seen large, fancy steak houses in BS As where people eat, drink and talk for hours over dinner. Americans are not that social and they don't usually like anyone that much, including their own families, to spend that much time to dine and talk unfortunately.

[BayBoy]

To add my 2 cents to this discussion. You get your check when you ask for it in a restaurant. That's the Mexican way and the way in Latin and South America. It would considered rude for a waiter to bring your check before you ask for it. The theory is they want you to stay in the restaurant as long as you want and relax (chill). No rush.

[Jinxx]

Is it possible that you are more sensitive to poor service because you are in the same profession and so your service standards are higher than the rest of us? Common, we wine about paying $5-10 more for sex with a hottie 1/2 our age. I buy my wine by the gallon and I cook my own chuck steak when the sirloin isn't on sale.

Oh definitely, yes I instinctively judge every little move the staff makes, the look and feel of the place, the organization from the second I walk in the door. But I think it's just bad luck, I've been going to these places that employ young untrained staff, and they're operate understaffed as well so it just is what it is. My strategy going forward is to continue tipping well and be more proactive with instructing the servers what I want and how I want it. Like the putas your experience can drastically improve with repeat visits. The main restaurant I go to there are actually bells on the tables, those ding ding bells things you hit downward with your hand. A US restaurant would never have something so degrading and douchebaggy, and no American server would work at a place with freaking bells on the table. There's a good chance a fistfight would break out if you ring a bell at a restaurant server in the US. That's another "culture" thing I've noticed in Mexico it seems to be socially acceptable to be degrading towards others especially people who are serving you. But hey I'm still learning all this culture stuff.

[Jackie888]

Ruth Chris and Mastro's servers are definitely not "untrained". Slinging $300 tomahawk ribeyes and $500 bottles of Opus is only for the top dogs. There is zero room for error in an establishment like that. I've actually worked with the Mastro brothers and I know their server training program very well. Their server training manual probably weighs ten pounds and most of their servers are certified sommeliers. These guys are some of the best you'll find anywhere.

Is it possible that you are more sensitive to poor service because you are in the same profession and so your service standards are higher than the rest of us? Common, we wine about paying $5-10 more for sex with a hottie 1/2 our age. I buy my wine by the gallon and I cook my own chuck steak when the sirloin isn't on sale.

[KC Questor]

I think they were responding directly to what you wrote when you started this line of discussion. It was as if you were boiling mad that you could not compel Mexican restaurant workers to behave just like restaurant workers in San Diego.

That may be it. He wrote:

"I've worked in restaurants and my plan was always to get your order quickly, get your food to you quickly, and get you your check quickly so I can get you out the door and on to the next paying customer. " -- To me, that's bad service. The customer is not a welcome guest in their mind.

"But in Tijuana restaurants it seems like the opposite. It seems like they don't mind one bit having people just wait and wait and just hangout forever at their table. They don't hurry to take your order. They don't hurry to explain the menu. They don't hurry to check up on you. They don't hurry to ask if you want the check. They don't hurry for anything at all. " -- Perfect explanation of la vida chicana (or tica or brasiliera or espana or italiana or....). They don't hurry. They don't mind having you sit there. The goal is not to turn tables, it's to allow their guests to enjoy themselves.

It's that same "hurry" mentality that Americans bring everywhere. We get mad when the chica is an hour late for a date. I admit, I get this way, when she said she was going to meet me at 6:00 and I message her at 6:15 and she says "Waiting on an uber" and she's 30 minutes away. Drives me nuts. But it's the way they live their lives.

One thing I noticed on my last two trips was restaurants with signs asking people not to stay longer than 90 minutes. I figured it must be a governmental thing, since they all used the 90 minute guide. The hostess made a point to let know that there was a time limit, and apologizing for it. Once, I was being seated at a restaurant that closed at 10:00. It was just after 9:00 and I was already nervous that I would be keeping them past their closing time, and she still told me that I couldn't stay more than 90 minutes.