Old-School Favorites
Enjoy classics like Caesar salad and chateaubriand prepared tableside by seasoned waiters at El Rey Sol (Avenida López Mateos 1000). Established in 1947 by Doña Virginia “Pepita” Geffroy, who studied at Le Cordon Bleu, this Five Star Diamond award-winning restaurant pays homage to French culture and cuisine. El Rey Sol’s sidewalk café calls for espresso, lattes, or fine teas to accompany the flaky, melt-in-your-mouth Parisian-style pastries. For juicy steaks, fine wine, and stellar service, head to Sano’s Steak House (Km. 108, Tijuana–Ensenada Highway). Diners can also share small plates and sip craft cocktails on the firelit patio.
Progressive Cuisine
Ensenada’s coolest food scene can be found at Rupestre GastroTruck (Obregón Ave. #480) with the heavenly smoked tuna tostada—Grandma’s recipe—or heaping piles of barbecue pulled pork on the Rupestre fries. The game-forward menu also offers pheasant, venison, and delish duck tacos. Enjoy great local wines and cervezas on the patio bedecked with colorful art by local talent Vango (Raul Carillo). An oceanfront beauty, Planta Baja (Carretera Tijuana-Ensenada No. 7321) dazzles with gorgeous design and inviting patio lounges overlooking the sea. Its expansive menu features grilled octopus, crab cakes, duck confit, rib-eyes, and more.
Casual Eats
Everyone is talking about newcomer Ryerson 51 (Ave. Ryerson 51), for gourmet tapas in an edgy, innovative ambience with birdcage light fixtures, chandeliers, torso sculptures, plant walls, and recycled woods. The brewpub Cerveceria Wendlandt (Blvd. Costero #248) impresses with its gourmet flatbreads, pork-belly sliders, and excellent IPAs. El Callejón Colectivo Culinario (Floresta #320, Fracc. Acapulco) is a festive open-air courtyard of walk-up eateries where diners can savor crêpes, pizza, salads, sushi, sangria, and live music.
Culinary Scene
Cervecería Doble C
Breweries
Local twin brothers Omar and Alan Celis teamed with a brewmaster from La Jolla Brewing Company to create Cervecería Doble C. Set on the hill overlooking Playa Hermosa, Ensenada’s main beach, Doble C is a mighty fine spot to sip their six beers, like Saison, with notes of lemongrass and coriander, or a refreshing American wheat. Take a tour of Cerveceria Wendlandt and taste their hops-forward, award-winning beers, or head to AguaMala for a tasty oatmeal stout or elegant amber craft beer with notes of peaches and honey.
Culinary Scene
Rupestre GastroTruck
