A typical day of Tijuana taco hunting usually consist of about 4-5 stops. Out of 5 stops I typically get 1 place I'm inspired to write about. Although Im not on chow.com much these days I finally made it out to Taqueria Franc which I initially found through a post on Chow. I'm kicking myself for not checking this place out before.
Unfortunately Taqueria Franc was the last stop on a June Taco Hunt so needless to say I was pretty stuffed when I rolled up to the bar like seating. Even with all the stops on the Tijuana taco hunt I could not resist the succulent looking Al Pastor. Nothing quite like spit roasted juicy marinated Pork shaved off into a tortilla.
Its especially good when the pork is shaved right into a fresh warm handmade tortilla.
And of course topping the hot crisp pork with some onions, cilantro and rich and creamy guacamole adds a perfect balance of textures and flavors.
The tacos Al Pastor at Tacos Franc have definitely earned a spot on the upper echelons my my tacos list. The flavor of the pork alone is hard to describe, I would love to find out how they marinate the pork. A special blend of chilies, spices, and herbs bring the perfect amount heat while I also detected some sweet infusion.
I feel like I committed a crime not going through some of the other offerings of Suadero, Cabeza, Tripa, Cabeza, Chorizo, Lengua, and Carne Asada. The smell from the Carne Asada over the grill was very tempting. I most certainly will be reporting back when I sample more goods and this will be my first and only stop.
In addition to tacos you cheese fans can order mulitas or quesadillas. Judging from the pictures it looks like they go through mounds of fresh cheese in one night.
The service was very fast and friendly and I would describe the atmosphere as vibrant. Taqueria Franc is conveniently located at the corner of Sanchez Tobado and Miguel Hildago placing it within very close proximity to the Border. They are open from Monday - Thursday 4pm to 1am and Friday and Saturday from 4pm to 4am making it a perfect choice well into the wee hours of the morning. .
If your around the Playas De Tijuana area be sure to check out Tacos El Frances which is affiliated with Tacos Franc. I'm about a month behind on my writing but stay tuned my early July Tijuana Street Food hunt turned out a few gems I hope to report on soon until then Provecho!
I have my wife to thank for guiding me to some of my favorite spots in the Tijuana communities of La Mesa and Hipódromo. My wife grew up around the area and when we were dating back in the mid 90s she took me to all the local taquerias. I’ve always loved tacos but this is the period of time that my love was solidified. Recently we decided to go to some of our old favorites most notably Tacos El Poblano.
The owner of El Poblano hails from the small town of Chaucingo Puebla Mexico and established his business in Tijuana back in 1974. The original location was located a few blocks up the street and they upgraded to the new location in 1993. If you travel throughout Baja you may have noticed several different El Poblanos and Los Poblanos. They are all independently owned by different family members so I can only speak for the quality of this original location that started it all.
In a city brimming with taquerias what makes Tacos El Poblano worthy of your hard earned dollar? Over the course of 35 years they have perfected the process. They start with three different cuts of meat, pecho, lomo, and chuleta selected from the owners very own carniceria. The three choice cuts are then coated with a special blend of seasoning. I was fortunate enough to receive a generous amount of the seasoning from the nice owner to try at home. Anyone want to come over for carne asada at the house?
Once seasoned together the blended cuts are grilled over open flames of crackling carbon.
The hot and juicy blended cuts are then placed on a wood block and chopped with a cleaver.
The carne is then nestled inside two griddled corn tortillas and topped with a very fresh salsa fresca and rich guacamole. The guacamole is very tasty and the perfect complement but I asked for no guacamole so the carne asada could be displayed in this photo.
Tacos El Poblano serves up some enticing carne asada tacos, and they are the main purpose I love this place. In addition to carne asada they also have adobada and birria. I have yet to try birria because it is only available in the mornings. If you looking for some crunchy texture you can order a tostadita which basically is a mini tostada with your choice of topping.
Tacos El Poblano is located at 7813 Boulevard Diaz Ordaz in the Tijuana community of La Mesa. If you’re unfamiliar with the city of Tijuana its about a 20 min Taxi ride from the border and well worth it. Those of you from San Diego will be pleased to know the owner plans to expand his operation into San Diego stay tuned.
Ive been craving a torta (Mexican Sandwich) since Kirks (mmm-yoso) post on San Diegos Torta factory, I have not made it out to The Torta Factory yet but, I recently decided to do some torta hunting in Tijuana.
I had a few places on my Tijuana Torta hit list. Wash Mobile Tortas, Tortas Javier, Tortas Cubanas, and Tortas Ranchito. I had been to Wash Mobile Tortas, Tortas Ranchito, and Torta Cubanas many times in the past, but its been quite some time. Tortas Javier was a place my wife remembered as a child so we decided to check that out as well.
After eating a torta at all of the spots we both agreed the best of the day was Wash Mobile Tortas. Many years ago a car wash co-existed alongside Wash Mobile Tortas, the car wash is long gone but the tortas are still rocking after 45 years!
First off the staff is very friendly, they kept us entertained while we sank our teeth into the messy goodness. The tortas start with some marinated pecho de res (beef brisket). The beef cuts are grilled over glowing hot mesquite coals adding a nice rich, smoky flavor.
The secret behind a good torta is the bread and Wash Mobiles is perfect. The bread is toasted a la plancha, on the griddle, alongside the carne asada. Nice and hot, toasted and crusty on the outside, and soft and doughy on the inside
The beef is then finely chopped and ready to be placed in the sandwich. Their spicy citrus marinade is quite unique and I could not detect all the ingredients. I tried but failed to get the secret.
Mayo is spread on the fresh toasted bread and the carne asada, tomatoes, crushed avocado, red onions, and salsa roja are added. You can dress the torta yourself or order it con-todo.
The final product was very good all the different flavors and textures balanced out perfectly. Part of a my enjoyment eating here is was mingling with the taqueros and locals, Wash Mobile totally represents the Tijuana Experience.If you want more detail on Wash Mobile Tortas I found a cool write-up here.
Wash Mobile is located on Calle Jalisco just west of boulevard Agua Caliente. The hours are from 830pm until they run out of bread (which is usually around 300pm). They serve only Carne Asada Tortas.
For late night Tortas I would recommend Tortas Ranchito. Tortas Ranchito was one of my regular late night spots years ago. Whats funny is this torta spot is also connected to a car wash.
I always get the Torta de Lomo (loin) at Ranchito. The execution of the torta at Ranchitos is very simple. Juicy lomo, soft warm bread, avocado, tomato, and a awesome house made chipotle.
Torta Ranchito is open 24hrs and is located off Calle Salinas right next to Pemex. Its a straight shot from the Grand Hotel de Tijuana. We also hit a Torta Cubana truck and a location on Calle Segunda I will post about in the future. Im sure thier are many great torta spots in the city, if you known of any drop me a line. Tortas Ahogadas, Pambazo,Cemitas. Etc.
In March the Committee of Tijuana Tourism published a list of 120 things to do in Tijuana and I realized their was one place on the list of suggested eateries I had yet to try...... "Tacos El Mazateno"
Tacos El Mazateno is located close to the Otay Area of Tijuana and is about a 25 minute taxi ride from the Border. I paid 8 bucks for the ride from a Taxi Economico and it was well worth the trip. Stepping out of the taxi and into Mazateno I felt like I was transported to Mazatlan. The place reminded me so much of the open air restaurants in Sinaloa minus the ocean air.
Mazateno is always live and bustling, on any given day its not uncommon to see hundreds of local diners in the place. You have a choice to eat at the stand on the corner or sit down at one of the many tables. As you are seated you are brought a bag of some tostaditas, salsa fresca, limes, cabbage, and consommé.
Tacos El Mazateno specializes in Mariscos and they are best known for their spicy shrimp taco (Camaron Enchilado). Generous amounts of succulent, plump, spicy shrimp placed on top melted cheese folded in two crisp light tortillas. This honestly is one of my favorite tacos and it will blow your mind.
The shrimp ceviche is also a hit, and I'm sure anything you try here is going to be amazing.
Ive met some friendly locals here enjoying these treasures in the masses, many of them also recommend the soups from the menu, but usually I'm so full from the Camarones Enchilado tacos I have no room to spare, perhaps next time. These tacos are some of the best Mariscos tacos I have had and I highly recommend this place.
El Mazateno is opened 7am to 7pm seven days a week and is located at Calzada Tecnologico (Corner of Technologico and Popotla) NO.473 Tomas Aquino Tijuana, B.C. Mexico. Most taxi drivers can guide you here.
On my way to Ensenada this weekend I stopped at Fitos Tacos in Tijuana for my ritual morning snack of Birria de Res (Beef slow-Braised in rich chile rub). There are many two-wheeled tented vendor kitchens in the city but this one works wonders.
The menu is fairly simple at Fitos. You can choose Tacos Birria de Res,Tacos Tripa de Res, or Birria consommé. The tacos here are top notch. Corn tortillas are crisped over the grill and dipped in the juices from the birria. The juicy beef is chopped up, and the broth and salsa is then ladled over the beef and garnished with chopped onion and cilantro. Squeeze some lime, lean over and enjoy.
My favorite thing to order is "campechana", which is a mix of tripa and birria . If you never tried this mix its wonderful. The crispness of the tripa married with the tender juicy Birria is a sheer delight. Something else that’s a delight is watching the assembly of your taco. The taquero masters here will blow your mind with their efficiency. Words cant describe this so I put together a video of the taco mastery. Note:This video was not sped up.
I cant thank streetgourmetla enough for guiding me to this place. Tacos Fitos is opened from 5:30am to 1:30pm 7 days a week. It’s located just 5 min from the border at Fransisco Javier Mina #14 Zona Rio. Fitos is next to Tacos El Gordo and directly across from Mercado Hildago. Mercado Hildago is an amazing central market which I will cover soon.
Founded back in 1960 Las Ahumaderas is a series of six taquerías, all linked together. Tacos El Paisa, Tacos Los Paisas, Tacos El Paisano, Las Quince Letras, and Las Tres Salsas. With all the different mesquite grilled meats, the billows of smoke permeating through the street can be intoxicating. Grab a seat at a counter and soak in the vibe.
Besides the usual tacos, tortas, gorditas, mulitas, quesadillas you can order some interesting menu items such as Pelliscadas and Vampiros (Vampires).
On a recent trip I grabbed a stool at Tres Salsas and ordered the Chorizo Pelliscada. The taquera grabbed a slab of masa from a huge masa-mound and started forming the shape. The masa was then placed on the comal and cheese was spread on top. She then covered it with a bowl for a minute or so until it was perfectly formed . The taquero took the soft warm masa and topped it with guacamole, chorizo, onion ,cilantro, and a dash of smokey salsa roja. The end result resembled a huge sope, and it was pretty filling.
Curious about Vampiros? On a Vampiro the tortillas are griddled, dried out and start taking a form of their own. Here is a bowl of them ready to go at Quince Letras
Vampiros are similar to a tostada but the shells are more firm, hold more, and don't fall apart when you bite into them. I ordered mine with Carne Asada con todo. Melted cheese, carne asada, salsa, cilantro, onions, and guacamole. I don’t think I will be replacing my tacos with Vampiros, however they are definitely worth checking out.
I've had some very good adobada tacos at El Paisa and Las Tres Salsas. The adobada at both locations was spiced, sweet, juicy, and packed with flavor
I have also had some very good house made chorizo at El Paisa. The chorizo was topped with guacamole, the guacamole was subtle and complimented the spice of the chorizo well.
The tacos are only 12 pesos, at the current exchange rate that's a whopping 81 cents!!!! Prices are painted on the wall at all the stands.
They have live entertainment at night and a good variety of antojitos to choose from. I've had better tacos on my city wide taco quest, but if you hit the right spots at Las Ahumaderas you will get some pretty good stuff, and some entertainment.
One thing I like about Las Ahumaderas besides the variety is the hours. Las Ahumaderas seems to never close, on my next trip I will get the exact hours and report back. Las Ahumaderas is located at Gob Balarezo and Agua Caliente Boulevard(The Blvd). Just follow the billows of smoke.
If you want to see the video action of the making of a Pelliscada you can watch here.....
Masa (MAH-sah) Spanish for “dough,” Masa is the traditional dough used to make corn tortillas. Follow me on my Culinary Excursions in Baja California Mexico and beyond. We will also take you in our Kitchen and showcase Regional Mexican Cuisine and occasional Cuban Cuisine. Provecho!
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