Tijuana Week
The Best 13 Tacos in Tijuana, Available Only In Our Printable ‘Tijuana Week’ Pocket Guide
L.A. TACO started out as a DIY online zine covering tacos and street-level art. We are honoring our roots in this printable "TIJUANA WEEK" zine in collaboration with USC Annenberg that you can print out and use as a real-life exclusive taco guide next time you are there. Each taco in the list was curated to better understand Tijuana's amazing taco culture, from seafood to asada and fancy to streetside. Find the link to our pocket guide on the site.
May the Brew Be With You: Craft Beer Meets Science Fiction At Tijuana’s Newest Craft Brewery
"Spanglish" is Farland's Aleworks double IPA beer and it's as complex as the border city itself.
Four Things to Buy at Tijuana’s Largest Mercado For Your Loved Ones Back Home
If you traveled across the border and didn’t lug back a heavier suitcase full of regional goods for loved ones, did you even go at all?
Tacos in the Outfield: Meet the East L.A. Taquero Who Got His Start Selling Carne Asada Inside Tijuana’s Baseball Stadium
Jesus Manuel "Güero" Mendez is the head taquero for Tacos Don Cuco, which has six locations around L.A. and the I.E. But he never forgets his humble beginnings selling tacos outside Tijuana's baseball stadium. A couple times a year, he still makes carne asada for the staff and players as a way to honor that.
The Secret Motorcycle Gang History of Tijuana’s Best Fish Tacos
Open since 1991 and operated by one of the daughters of Tijuana's famous fish taco gem, Las 4 Hermanas. The fish tacos at Alicia's are so delicious that they are charged to a running tab since most people always order more than they thought they wanted. But the portraits of old bikers on the restaurant's walls tell a deeper story.
Tasting Your Way Through Tijuana’s Vastly Underrated Local Cheese Scene and Where to Find It to Bring Back Home
Great cheeses do not only come from Europe. It's time to shine a light on the history and wide variety of cheeses made locally with raw milk in Baja and available in Tijuana, from a jocoque reminiscent of labneh to hard, chipotle-infused Real del Castillo.
How the Caesar Salad’s Tijuana Origins Became the Border City’s Secret Legacy
The Caesar salad, created in Tijuana by an Italian immigrant during Prohibition in the United States, represents hope that a day’s work could eventually result in your own legacy. As Javier Plascencia, the chef and owner of Caesar's Hotel, tells L.A. TACO, the Caesar salad became an icon of Tijuana "by accident." To this day, the restaurant makes an average of 550 tableside salads every day.
The Five Best Coffee Shops in Tijuana
Tijuana is the third most powerful coffee scene in Mexico, behind Mexico City and Guadalajara. These coffee shops capture the excitement of the emerging scene and specialize in Mexico-grown beans from micro lots and small producers.
Twelve Essential Safety Tips While Traveling in Mexico From Tijuana’s Most Famous Security Expert (and Former Cop)
Ed Calderón—known as 'Ed's Manifesto'—has survived attempted 'hits' on him, witnessed kidnappings, the torture techniques of criminals, the execution of snitches, and even rescued a woman who was held captive by pirates for ten years. Still, he says Tijuana is safe to visit—it's just a matter of doing your research and having common sense.
An Egyptian Immigrant Takes on Birria and Border Culture Outside Playa de Tijuana’s Centro Islamico
At Birria de Borrego Playas, Mohammed Gamal reinvents flavors of home for those at the border with Egyptian-spiced lamb birria tacos he describes as “Tijuana-style.”
