San Diego Reader

David Dodd Nov. 18, 2009 @ 11:30 p.m.

A Tijuana landmark for over seventy years, the first impressions include quaint surroundings, limited seating, and a bullfighting motif - after all, it's a Spanish restaurant. Fresh bread and cheese will be delivered along with salsa, and the menu, though limited, offers some excellent choices. While paella is the signature dish, it often disappoints slightly, lacking a good amount of sofrito in the rice mixture. The early afternoon is the best time for it and the morning or evening leaves the least favorable impression. I was hoping for rabbit in the cast of ingredients, and there was none; chicken, Spanish chorizo, and assorted seafood round out the dish.

One of the best surprises is the camarones in mojo de ajo or shrimp in garlic-butter which arrives sizzling, along with a plate of rice on the side. Another good dish is squid cooked in its own ink. There are also selections of fresh fish cooked in various ways, including steamed in foil. They serve beer and wine, the best of the latter being one of several Chilean selections.

If you find yourself hungry at three in the afternoon in downtown Tijuana, it's worth a visit and quite affordable and full of history. Corner of Avenida Revolución and Calle Siete, just north of the old Jai Alai building.

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