UNO Restaurant Tijuana - Cutting Edge Culinary Arts

It's funny how sometimes you have a great restaurant right under your nose and you don't even know it. Yesterday the wife and I were driving around Tijuana down the street from some property her family has owned for over 30 years when we past a new restaurant that brought me to a screeching halt. The sign that caught my eye "UNO cocina artesanal de vanguardia". I had remembered Chef Benito Molina recommended this place to me a few months ago but we never ironed out the details.



It was very unfortunate that at the time we stopped, we were already stuffed with some tacos from down the street, but that didn't stop us from wanting to try some of Unos fine offerings. Entering the restaurant you are embraced by its casual elegance. Wines showcasing the best of Baja are proudly displayed.



Things started perfect with a nice house red wine, housemade bread and butter, and Rib-eye amuse bouche. For the first course I ordered the queso. The sweetness of the honey blended perfectly with this fine artesanal cheese, I would have been satisfied with just the cheese but we pressed on.

Quesitos con miel de abeja en panal


For course two, we decided to go with the duck stuffed ravioli. 3 ravioli stuffed with duck topped with bacon and pinenuts. At this time I was pretty full but the juicy duck was so good no morsels were spared.

Ravioli de pato en tres


Course three hmmmm???? Well I was going to throw in the towel at this time but some of the menu items sounded so interesting I could not resist. I decided to order a very interesting Rib eye Tartare, this was definitely the highlight of my visit. The presentation on this dish was so nice I just stared at it for a few minutes.

Tartare de Rib eye con emulsion de aceite de oliva



I really wanted to try one of the main courses but It was just not possible after the days events. I skipped the main course and ordered some dessert to share with the family and it was on par with the rest of my meal, divine.

Opera Deco


The service here was outstanding, when we were finished with our meal the chefs were kind enough to come out and chat with us. It turns out Chefs Ricardo Hiroshi Uno and Diego Hernandez Velasco worked with Chef Benito Molina for years at the old Manzanilla Resturant in Ensenada. They were kind enough to take me on a tour and I was excited to see they have a custom underground pit in the back for traditional Barbacoa De Borrego, slow-cooked lamb over an open fire. The mesquite grill was also very cool to see.

I'm definitely coming back soon to get beyond the appetizers and desserts, I'm particularly interested in the lamb. UNO is located very close to Agua Caliente Racetrack about a 15 min ride from the border.

Av. de Las Ferias #5202, Col. del Bosque C.P. 22o34 Tijuana, B.C Mexico.
Reservations (664) 681.3203