I don’t blame you for the question mark in your tone when I tell you that I just got back from Tijuana. You’re thinking spring break or narco violence or fuzzy memories of something to do with a donkey show. I on the other hand had nothing but high expectations for TJ. They were fueled by magazines and friends whispering something about a homegrown food renaissance.
Since prohibition plenty of American tourists have been going to drink and dine in TJ. But after September 11th tourism slowed, and from 2006 to 2009 a turf war between cartels seemed to paralyze the city. Our local friends as they told us stories of coming back from grad school, the streets empty except for government tanks, like something out of Iraq. Restaurants, bars, and clubs no longer felt like safe places to go.
But within the last few years the violence has quieted. The question, then: with the narcos retreating to some mysterious underground and the tourists scared off, who is Tijuana for now? I’d say a bunch of food-loving border kids that are so inventive they make anywhere else claiming food capital status look like a pretentious joke.
“Until the 1980s people wouldn’t even say they were from Tijuana,” said our tour guide Fernando Gonzalez, who recently moved back from China and just started Free Tijuana Walking Tours. “But now people are embracing border culture. The city is claiming its own identity and self-respect, and finally catering to its own people.”
Colectivos (food truck parks and courtyards of food stalls) offering Mexican and international cuisine are just one expression of that. Geographically distant but still part of Mexico, hugging California, and attracting Mexicans from all over the country, it makes sense that Tijuana has a complex food culture— maybe too often overlooked by neighbors or underestimated by locals. Now chefs, young entrepreneurs, and artists are repurposing spaces all over the city for collective use— and for adventurous appetites.
At 3 p.m., after walking across the border, Fernando met us immediately for a customized food tour that didn’t end till midnight, after ten stops, several beers, and all of us full and sweaty under a heavy night sky.
Telefonica Gastro Park
Here more than ten permanent food trucks offer anything from ramen to smoked meats, tacos, local cheeses, burgers and craft beer. Order some food at one of the trucks and they’ll bring it over to you at the beer garden area. Our first bites came from Otto’s Grill, previously an old-time beach shack on the highway from Tijuana to Rosarito. Get the atun sellado, a long plate layered with sesame seared tuna covered with peppers, avocado and scallions with a siracha vinaigrette. A classic here is the roasted poblano chile stuffed with smoked marlin, fried in beer batter, drizzled with crème fraiche and covered with lettuce in a taco.
Colectivo 9
Colectivo 9 is a group of food stalls in a bus depot turned courtyard right off Avenida Revolucion, the main drag in TJ. The Colectivo was started by a group of nine young chefs offering affordable options —global as well— with quirky twists like brownie pizzas, a gyro Tijuaneado, and even a t-shirt shop in the entry way where you can grab that I Heart Tijuana shirt.
What struck me when I walked in was that the black and white modern font on the awnings reminded me of Mercado Roma, Mexico City’s infamous upscale, hipster market in one of the trendiest areas of the city. It’s a pricey place, beautifully curated, and clearly meant for upper class Mexico City residents. But at Colectivo, as with many of the places we visited in Tijuana, the prices weren’t inflated, the crowd was dressed casually, and there wasn’t a hint of pretension.
We stopped at Japanese grill Tatami for an octopus hand roll that came with three bright salsas.
Food Garden
Electric blue walls, hand-painted tiles, and yes more food stalls surround a courtyard of picnic tables at this small food garden. We came for Los Chilaquiles, a local chain that offers chilaquiles thirty different ways, including several unusual suspects like poblano, huitlacoche, and mole salsas. The secret? Chips are put in a circular metal container, covered in queso Oaxaca, and broiled. Order from a food stall and then pay at the window marked “la barra” where you’ll find a selection of drinks, the jicama lime agua fresca was just what I needed on that sunny morning.
Next up: a craft beer mall and other places for beer, mezcal and cocktails.
Telefonica Gastro Park
Av. Ocampo, between Blvd. Agua Caliente and Calle 11. Behind Telnor.
12:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Colectivo 9
Av Revolución 1265, Zona Centro. Between Calle 6 and 7.
Closed Mon. 1-8 PM T, W, TH. 1 PM- 12 AM Fri and Sat.
Foodgarden
Blvd. Sanchez Taboada 10650
Col. Zona Urbana Río
9 AM- 9 PM
In between meals? Head to Pasaje Rodriguez or Gomez for alleyways of art galleries, indie shops, cafes, bookstores and more. We stumbled on a lucha libre exhibit, with a luchador there as well.
