Tijuana: A Paradise for the Hungry Cyclists

Annika in Food Heaven

Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico, May 2016

Tijuana: A Paradise for the Hungry Cyclists 

There is a lot to say about Tijuana. Many of those things might hurt our pride, but there is one thing that whoever visits this south of the border town agrees on: food here is delicious.

Just ask the people form Tijuana. When you leave town what so you miss the most? They will all answer in unison The Food!

The Passion of Cooking

Now imagine coming from the north after 80 km of cycling. You cross the border and you only have 5 USD on you, because you have not been to the bank. Here in Tijuana instead of asking yourself, “What can I buy for 5 USD?” You will ask “Where should I spend my money on”, because with that kind of money here eating delicious, abundant and healthy has so many possibilities.

Here in Tijuana you can eat world class restaurant quality food in the street. The greatest example of them all are the Tortas Washmobile. Founded in 1964 by brothers Juan Manuel and Jesus Hernandez Padilla from Guadalajara, Jalisco they started making carne asada tortas just outside a wash mobile place, hence the name of their stand. The stand became famous and it is now a small but prosperous family owned business run by their sons. These tortas or sandwiches are pretty well known in the city.

Tortas Washmobile

Bare with me here, carne asada cooked on a grill, then cut and cleaned from any chewy piece, then submerged in this delicious secrete recipe marinade to rest for a couple of minutes. While that takes place, the rolls are heated in the grill then anointed with a thin layer of mayonnaise, a thick layer of guacamole, the right amount of spicy sauce, onion and tomato. Finally the meat with all the juices are carefully places inside the rolls and then made sandwich. This is some serious cyclist food here. The best of all will be the service, Juan the eldest of the son´s who also happens to attend the place will always receive you with a smile and passion. I know that because I have been going there for years.

And so like Tortas Washmobile I could enlist dozens of places where your 5 USD will get you amazing food, specially after you bike. From the great offer of food we recommend the carne asada tacos, adobada tacos, shrimp tacos, fish tacos and the list goes on. Tacos here have had a great international influence. What happens when you put a Japanese fish tempura in a tortilla with vegetables, guacamole and salsa? Voila! You have the Fish Taco!

Fish Taco

On the other hand take a quesadilla filled with shrimps marinated in a chili sauce, you get the Gobernador taco the true Baja signature taco that you will be able to find almost anywhere they sell seafood. It is important to mention that all of this food is very affordable, so do not worry about scarifying your budget to eat delicious. So we invite you to grab your bicycle and do the street food tour. To help you with this we recommend you to visit a taco guide that you will be able to use to locate the best taco stands in town while you cycle.

Food Truck Parks

Enjoying the Food Truck Parks in Tijuana

Now if you want to take it up a nudge in terms of experimental cuisine and still make your 5 USD worth then we recommend you to visit our Food Truck Parks. Most of them where founded by students that graduated from the Culinary Arts Center in Tijuana, a landmark by it´s own. In these food trucks you will be able to try international cuisine proposals in the Tijuana style: Greek, Chinese, German and of course regional. Vegetarian? Vegan? Not a problem, here you will find everything for every dietary requirement, with most of the products fresh from the fields of our great state. Did I mention you can also try craft beer? Tijuana is the capital of Craft Beer in Mexico over 100 brands all of them brewed in town. So imagine eating wonderful food under the sun with a beer in your hand! Sounds delicious right? The best of all is that most if not all the Food Truck Parks in the city have a bicycling parking area where you can leave your bike in a secure location while you eat your way through nirvana. Of all the Food Truck parks we recommend you the one located at La Telefonica and Blvd. Sanchez Taboada. What combo great food, beer and bikes!

Caesar Salad

“Street Food” in our country and in our city has a great history and tradition, but so does high end restaurants. Many people would argue that the start of this great culinary culture in Tijuana was born in the famous Caesar´s situated in the world famous Ave. Revolución of our beloved city. Founded in 1927 by a migrant form Italy Caesar Cardini, this place became the birthplace of the world renowned Caesar Salad. I invite you to watch this video, because it explains it way better than me.

Baja Med Cuisine

One of the many reasons me and many other fellow Tijuanenses insist on cycle tourists and tourists to stay and enjoy our city is to able to try our own take on food Baja Med cuisine. There are two restaurants founded by two of the most emblematic Baja Med cuisine in the city, El Taller Baja Med by chef Miguel Angél Guerrero and Misión 19 by Chef Javier Plascencia. These restaurants serve authentic Baja Med food, a fusion of Mexican cuisine, with fresh ingredients grown in the mediterranean climate of the Baja, with international influence such as Chinese, Russian and Europe. Among the products that flourish in the region we also have wine, 95% of the wine produced in the country comes from the Baja California region. So if you are that lucky cycle tourist that arrived in this city with hunger and thirst consider yourself lucky. These restaurants are expensive but definitely far from being impossible to pay, the most of the dishes they will serve you will be under 20USD. Stay here in Tijuana for the food and for the people it is really worth it.

Tijuana: A Paradise for the Hungry Cyclists 

The reason that Tijuana offers such a broad and delicious gastronomy relies on the fact of it´s rich cultural diversity. This city is home to inhabitants from all over the already diverse and culturally complex country (Guerrero, Chiapas, Sinaloa, Oaxaca, Edo de Mexico etc) you name it. This northern Mexican city is also home to many immigrants from all over the world, China, Korea, Rusia and South America to name a few. All of these cultures have contributed to enrich our gastronomy offer, that for some is the best of the country and that is saying a lot. So cycle tourist friend we invite you to visit our city.

Our People Welcome You

There is a lot to eat and do. It never stops, there are always new places opening and new proposals happening. The best thing you can do is mount your bicycle and discover your favorite food, the best thing of all is that all the places are conveniently located at at a relaxed cycling distance, so that you get more hungry when moving form place to place. Oh and I did I mention there is this place called Plaza Fiesta? More than 50 craft beer pubs where you can spend charming night while talking to the locals. All of this in Zona Río the best place to cycle, it even has a designated cycle lane (not the best in the world), what more can you ask?