Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Tijuana's Chiki Jai goes bye-bye

Temporary closure was planned for famed restaurant, fire was not

Future site of a 19-story condo building
Future site of a 19-story condo building

I never had a meal at the famed Tijuana restaurant Chiki Jai, and now I never will. The restaurant burned down on January 19th.

The fire is said to have begun in the hotel above the restaurant.

Founded in 1947, Chiki Jai (“little party” in Basque) was a Tijuana landmark where supposedly Ernest Hemingway sat down and wrote. Despite its history, its attractive blue tile walls, and its heavy wooden door, the place never enticed me. Like the curio shops that still cling to “La Revu” (Avenida Revolución) Chiki Jai seemed old and musty. But some tijuanenses and visitors appreciated its glamorous Hollywood past and gave it legendary status.

Sponsored
Sponsored

“The chef cooked for the kings of Spain in Cancún once, it was his career high,” says Dardin Coria, a tijuanense artist best known for his keyboard work with Tijuana No! and Sonidero Travesura.

“The best thing for me was the filete a la Madrileña,” continues Dardin. “Two beef medallions cooked with red wine on a bed of fried potatoes. It was succulent. They marinated the lamb overnight in white wine and they had crispy chistorra [sausage] with blue cheese. Prices were half of that of Caesar’s, and the place had over 70 years of history. Every city mayor went to eat there and left a plate behind. But honestly, the best was the price, cheaper than many pero comías como un campéon [but you ate like a champ].”

The January 19th fire started above the restaurant at Hotel Express, spread to the neighboring curio and leather shop, down to the empty old Rubik’s ’80s Club, and to La Cantina de Manolo in the back. This is the third fire on Avenida Revolución in less than a year. Between 4th and 5th streets, three local businesses burned to the ground last year, one fire in March and another in October. The ashes of a curio shop, restaurant El Artesano, and a cyber café remain.

The closure of Chiki Jai was well known before the fire. Cosmopolitan Group, owned by business magnate David Saúl Guakil, announced they had acquired the corner and were looking to erect a 19-story luxury apartment complex called “Sie7e” (as in “Seventh”). The famous street corner will be the site of downtown’s tallest building by late 2019 if things go according to plan.

In an agreement with Cosmopolitan Group, Chiki Jai is to reopen temporarily a block away and come back to its original corner after the construction of Sie7e. Weeks before the fire, the restaurant, hotel, and cantina were evicted due to the planned construction. Rubik’s ‘80s Club relocated to Calle Cuarta a month before. Business owners in the area witnessed how malvivientes would enter the empty building to consume drugs. The cause of the fire remains unknown.

“Junkies aren’t exactly cautious,” says Luis Durazo, founder of Teorema, a three-year-old craft brewery located two doors down from the fire. “[Grupo Cosmopolitan] already owned the corner; they have no reason to start a fire. Thankfully, the fire didn’t spread and no damage was done here. If my place burnt down, I don’t think I could rebuild. As for what [Grupo Cosmopolitan] are building, I welcome it.”

In just a few years, several of Tijuana’s landmarks have been turned into dust. Puerta Mexico, also known as “The Shell,” was demolished to make way for extra lanes at the border. Mexicoach, the old bus station with stained glass, was also demolished. Other buildings, like the corner of Sara and Hotel Lafayette, were fully refurbished and new buildings have popped up quickly.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Reader Music Issue short takes

Obervatory's mosh pit, frenetic Rafael Payare, Lemonhead chaos, bleedforthescene, Coronado Tasting Room
Next Article

Didja know I did the first American feature on Jimi Hendrix?

Richard Meltzer goes through the Germs, Blue Oyster Cult, Ray Charles, Elvis, Lavender Hill Mob
Future site of a 19-story condo building
Future site of a 19-story condo building

I never had a meal at the famed Tijuana restaurant Chiki Jai, and now I never will. The restaurant burned down on January 19th.

The fire is said to have begun in the hotel above the restaurant.

Founded in 1947, Chiki Jai (“little party” in Basque) was a Tijuana landmark where supposedly Ernest Hemingway sat down and wrote. Despite its history, its attractive blue tile walls, and its heavy wooden door, the place never enticed me. Like the curio shops that still cling to “La Revu” (Avenida Revolución) Chiki Jai seemed old and musty. But some tijuanenses and visitors appreciated its glamorous Hollywood past and gave it legendary status.

Sponsored
Sponsored

“The chef cooked for the kings of Spain in Cancún once, it was his career high,” says Dardin Coria, a tijuanense artist best known for his keyboard work with Tijuana No! and Sonidero Travesura.

“The best thing for me was the filete a la Madrileña,” continues Dardin. “Two beef medallions cooked with red wine on a bed of fried potatoes. It was succulent. They marinated the lamb overnight in white wine and they had crispy chistorra [sausage] with blue cheese. Prices were half of that of Caesar’s, and the place had over 70 years of history. Every city mayor went to eat there and left a plate behind. But honestly, the best was the price, cheaper than many pero comías como un campéon [but you ate like a champ].”

The January 19th fire started above the restaurant at Hotel Express, spread to the neighboring curio and leather shop, down to the empty old Rubik’s ’80s Club, and to La Cantina de Manolo in the back. This is the third fire on Avenida Revolución in less than a year. Between 4th and 5th streets, three local businesses burned to the ground last year, one fire in March and another in October. The ashes of a curio shop, restaurant El Artesano, and a cyber café remain.

The closure of Chiki Jai was well known before the fire. Cosmopolitan Group, owned by business magnate David Saúl Guakil, announced they had acquired the corner and were looking to erect a 19-story luxury apartment complex called “Sie7e” (as in “Seventh”). The famous street corner will be the site of downtown’s tallest building by late 2019 if things go according to plan.

In an agreement with Cosmopolitan Group, Chiki Jai is to reopen temporarily a block away and come back to its original corner after the construction of Sie7e. Weeks before the fire, the restaurant, hotel, and cantina were evicted due to the planned construction. Rubik’s ‘80s Club relocated to Calle Cuarta a month before. Business owners in the area witnessed how malvivientes would enter the empty building to consume drugs. The cause of the fire remains unknown.

“Junkies aren’t exactly cautious,” says Luis Durazo, founder of Teorema, a three-year-old craft brewery located two doors down from the fire. “[Grupo Cosmopolitan] already owned the corner; they have no reason to start a fire. Thankfully, the fire didn’t spread and no damage was done here. If my place burnt down, I don’t think I could rebuild. As for what [Grupo Cosmopolitan] are building, I welcome it.”

In just a few years, several of Tijuana’s landmarks have been turned into dust. Puerta Mexico, also known as “The Shell,” was demolished to make way for extra lanes at the border. Mexicoach, the old bus station with stained glass, was also demolished. Other buildings, like the corner of Sara and Hotel Lafayette, were fully refurbished and new buildings have popped up quickly.

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

2024’s Best Bitcoin & Crypto Casinos – Play BTC Casino Games Online

Best Bitcoin Casinos (2024): Top 10 Crypto Casino Sites for BIG Payouts
Next Article

San Diego Reader 2024 Music & Arts Issue

Favorite fakers: Baby Bushka, Fleetwood Max, Electric Waste Band, Oceans, Geezer – plus upcoming tribute schedule
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.