tijuana cuisine

Why I Feel Safe as a Visitor to Tijuana

November 17, 2015 // 1 Comment

TIJUANA, B.C. – When I write about an event or restaurant in Tijuana, I avoid beginning stories with rote commentary about the city’s problems with crime and cartels. Or assuring my readers that “…the streets are safer now, come on down and have a taco and some Baja Med!” After all, if I [Read More]

Choosing Chilis: Tijuana’s Festival Del Chile En Nogada

September 4, 2015 // 2 Comments

6th Annual Festival del Chile en Nogada, Cien Años Restaurant, Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico

TIJUANA, B.C. – A block of Avenida Revolución between 7th & 8th streets became the focal point for the 6th Annual Festival Del Chile En Nogada on Sunday, August 30th from noon until 9PM. Here, a gathering of fourteen hopeful chefs and cooks prepared their version of chiles en nogada: a [Read More]

Grand Plans at the Grand Hotel Tijuana

June 24, 2015 // 0 Comments

Grand Hotel Tijuana, Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico

TIJUANA, BAJA CALIFORNIA – One of the things I enjoy about culture, food and travel writing are the comments and responses I get when publishing a new article. After posting a recent piece on the Top 10 Travel Warnings for Baja California, I received a very nice email from Gerardo Delgado, the [Read More]

Navio Seafood and Drinks: Sonoran Blood. Tijuanense Heart.

June 16, 2015 // 0 Comments

Navio Seafood & Drinks, Chef Julio Rodríguez, Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico

TIJUANA, B.C. – “My father is from Chihuahua, but my mother and grandmother are Sonoran,” chef Julio Rodríguez began as he welcomed us into Navio Seafood & Drinks. Navio is a bright, smartly designed restaurant located in an otherwise nondescript strip mall on bustling Agua Caliente [Read More]

Of Boules and Burros in Playas de Tijuana

May 27, 2015 // 0 Comments

Petanquero Bistro, Playas de Tijuana, Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico

PLAYAS DE TIJUANA, BAJA CALIFORNIA – It’s a bucolic, sunny Saturday afternoon in Playas de Tijuana. As we sit in the shade of the patio sipping our cold, house-made sangrias, the clink of metal on metal resounds in the courtyard, followed by an excited cheer from one person and a [Read More]

Mexico’s First Mall-Based “Food Hall” to Open in Tijuana

January 19, 2015 // 7 Comments

TIJUANA, BAJA CALIFORNIA – Food Garden, an operator of culinary spaces, has announced that Mexico’s first mall-based food hall will have its grand opening in Tijuana in April 2015. The new concept will include over 11,000 square feet of space within the city’s prestigious Plaza Rio. The [Read More]

Savoring Tijuana with KPBS’ Su-Mei Yu

November 10, 2014 // 1 Comment

KPBS, Savor San Diego, Season 3, Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico

TIJUANA, BAJA CALIFORNIA – When El Gringo amigo Juan Jose Plascencia of Grupo Plascencia invited me to join KPBS television personality Su-Mei Yu on a location scout of Tijuana’s culinary hotspots for a season 3 episode of Savor San Diego, I jumped at the chance. We enjoyed her [Read More]

Verde y Crema: Farm-to-Tijuana Dining

June 3, 2014 // 5 Comments

Verde y Crema, Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico

TIJUANA – Although his new Tijuana restaurant, Verde y Crema (Green & Cream) is still less than a year old, Hermosillo-born Chef Jair Téllez is no stranger to farm-to-table and use of the freshest, local ingredients in creating a memorable dining experience. His Valle de Guadalupe [Read More]

How to Spend a Perfect Day in Tijuana

January 29, 2014 // 4 Comments

Avenida Revolucion, Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico

TIJUANA – Spending a perfect day in Tijuana is problematic only due to the challenge in narrowing down a list from a seemingly endless amount of events, restaurants, markets, shops, galleries, museums and other possibilities from which to choose. Baja California’s largest city, Tijuana [Read More]

Grupo Plascencia: Tijuana Tastemakers’ Roots Run Deep

December 15, 2013 // 6 Comments

Grupo Plascencia, Baja California, Mexico

TIJUANA – El Gringo paid his driver and stepped out of the cab and into the crisp November afternoon in the Zona Rio neighborhood of Tijuana. Shielding my eyes from the autumn sun, I looked up at the modern glass and concrete business tower that houses Chef Javier Plascencia’s Mision 19 [Read More]