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

Food Garden cultivates Baja Med cuisine

New food court in Tijuana hand-picks vendors to help their businesses grow

Declared as the "first of its kind created in Mexico," Food Garden Gastronomic District opened just three weeks ago in Tijuana (at the corner of Blvds. Sanchez Taboada and Misión Santo Tomás). Ricardo Nevárez, the business man behind this more modern version of a food court, pointed to a painted phrase on one of Food Garden's windows, "Keep Tijuana Tasty," and said, "I want this to be our catchphrase."

http://www.sandiegoreader.com/photos/2013/apr/08/43393/

Food Garden is an indoor/outdoor food court with a very specific vision. Each of the vendors is hand-selected by Nevárez. In order to even be considered, a vendor must already have one established location. It doesn't have to be a building -- many of the vendors are known for their street stands. It's more about having a known, quality food product. And he doesn't want vendors who already have several locations -- Food Garden should be a gourmet food purveyor's second, not first or third. The impression I got from speaking with Nevárez is that he's looking to help develop small food businesses, which he feels is best accomplished by assisting them at this crucial juncture.

http://www.sandiegoreader.com/photos/2013/apr/08/43394/

For example, Tacos Kokopelli is already famous for their gourmet street tacos. But prior to Food Garden, you could only find these tacos at street fairs or in the small lunchtime window during which their temporary stand is set up. Now, they have a second, and more permanent home at Food Garden.

http://www.sandiegoreader.com/photos/2013/apr/08/43395/

I'd heard a lot about Kokopelli's high-end, low-cost tacos, so of course I couldn't stop by their new digs without sampling them for myself. David and I shared two, the shrimp, pepper, and avocado, and another, with sole ceviche with squid ink.

http://www.sandiegoreader.com/photos/2013/apr/08/43397/

http://www.sandiegoreader.com/photos/2013/apr/08/43398/

We were encouraged to sample the spicy toppings, and this is where I should have remembered what country I was in. "Oh yeah, I like it spicy," I said, almost as a challenge. I went for a salsa that was second to spiciest on the counter, and put a huge dollop of it in my mouth. For the next 15 minutes, my eyes watered and my tongue burned so hot I tried to hold it outside of my mouth like a panting dog, and all this while trying to maintain conversation with Nevárez. I'm not proud. By the time the white-hot burning had tapered into a merciful ache, any remnant of makeup on my eyes was either smeared or gone.

http://www.sandiegoreader.com/photos/2013/apr/08/43399/

I'm going to have to go back soon to try the goods other vendors have to offer. At Los Chilaquiles, they offer upwards of 20 variations of the classic Mexican dish. There's Creperie La Luna, where they make their own caramel, and the Spanish-inspired Etxeverri Tapas y Pintxos.

http://www.sandiegoreader.com/photos/2013/apr/08/43400/

http://www.sandiegoreader.com/photos/2013/apr/08/43401/

There's one more aspect that makes this Food Garden different from most other food courts -- you order whatever you want from each vendor, but you can only get beverages and pay at one register that is shared by all vendors. I'm undecided as to whether I like this or not. It makes tipping more complicated, that's for sure. I guess I'll just have to try it a few more times before I make up my mind. You know, for research.

http://www.sandiegoreader.com/photos/2013/apr/08/43402/

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

Previous article

Live Five: Andrew Peña, Frankie J, Beat Farmers, Jesse LaMonaca, Puddles Pity Party

Latin, roots rock, and pity parties in Mission Beach, Little Italy, El Cajon
Next Article

A history of the house on the hill at Ivanhoe Ranch

From Apolinaria Lorenzana to Jane Goodall

Declared as the "first of its kind created in Mexico," Food Garden Gastronomic District opened just three weeks ago in Tijuana (at the corner of Blvds. Sanchez Taboada and Misión Santo Tomás). Ricardo Nevárez, the business man behind this more modern version of a food court, pointed to a painted phrase on one of Food Garden's windows, "Keep Tijuana Tasty," and said, "I want this to be our catchphrase."

http://www.sandiegoreader.com/photos/2013/apr/08/43393/

Food Garden is an indoor/outdoor food court with a very specific vision. Each of the vendors is hand-selected by Nevárez. In order to even be considered, a vendor must already have one established location. It doesn't have to be a building -- many of the vendors are known for their street stands. It's more about having a known, quality food product. And he doesn't want vendors who already have several locations -- Food Garden should be a gourmet food purveyor's second, not first or third. The impression I got from speaking with Nevárez is that he's looking to help develop small food businesses, which he feels is best accomplished by assisting them at this crucial juncture.

http://www.sandiegoreader.com/photos/2013/apr/08/43394/

For example, Tacos Kokopelli is already famous for their gourmet street tacos. But prior to Food Garden, you could only find these tacos at street fairs or in the small lunchtime window during which their temporary stand is set up. Now, they have a second, and more permanent home at Food Garden.

http://www.sandiegoreader.com/photos/2013/apr/08/43395/

I'd heard a lot about Kokopelli's high-end, low-cost tacos, so of course I couldn't stop by their new digs without sampling them for myself. David and I shared two, the shrimp, pepper, and avocado, and another, with sole ceviche with squid ink.

http://www.sandiegoreader.com/photos/2013/apr/08/43397/

http://www.sandiegoreader.com/photos/2013/apr/08/43398/

We were encouraged to sample the spicy toppings, and this is where I should have remembered what country I was in. "Oh yeah, I like it spicy," I said, almost as a challenge. I went for a salsa that was second to spiciest on the counter, and put a huge dollop of it in my mouth. For the next 15 minutes, my eyes watered and my tongue burned so hot I tried to hold it outside of my mouth like a panting dog, and all this while trying to maintain conversation with Nevárez. I'm not proud. By the time the white-hot burning had tapered into a merciful ache, any remnant of makeup on my eyes was either smeared or gone.

http://www.sandiegoreader.com/photos/2013/apr/08/43399/

I'm going to have to go back soon to try the goods other vendors have to offer. At Los Chilaquiles, they offer upwards of 20 variations of the classic Mexican dish. There's Creperie La Luna, where they make their own caramel, and the Spanish-inspired Etxeverri Tapas y Pintxos.

http://www.sandiegoreader.com/photos/2013/apr/08/43400/

http://www.sandiegoreader.com/photos/2013/apr/08/43401/

There's one more aspect that makes this Food Garden different from most other food courts -- you order whatever you want from each vendor, but you can only get beverages and pay at one register that is shared by all vendors. I'm undecided as to whether I like this or not. It makes tipping more complicated, that's for sure. I guess I'll just have to try it a few more times before I make up my mind. You know, for research.

http://www.sandiegoreader.com/photos/2013/apr/08/43402/

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

Top 13 food/drink stories of 2013

Good imbibations
Next Article

Cheap tacos in the Courtroom

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.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader