From Tacos to Seafood: 10 Delicious Rosarito Beach Restaurants

Rosarito Beach restaurants have come a long way since I first visited in the nineties. Whether you’re a seafood lover, a taco enthusiast, or seeking a fine dining experience, get ready to indulge your senses and discover the gastronomic wonders at these Rosarito Beach restaurants. Here are 10 of A Gringo in Mexico’s current favorites, in no particular order…

10. Los Portales de Garcia

Los Portales de Garcia is a three-story brick structure dramatically perched atop a cliff above a small bay in Primo Tapia, just south of Rosarito Beach. The menu offers a delectable array of grilled steaks, seafood, and more. Start with one of their sublime craft cocktails. And finish with a tasting of house wines, whiskeys, or artisanal mezcals in their cava. Location & Hours

9. Make Taco

Make Taco is easy to miss in their low-key beach shack just a block off Blvd. Benito Juárez. But don’t miss their sublime seafood tacos. The Costa Azul is the star here. A generous portion of bacon-wrapped grilled shrimp is served with a round of melted cheese on a pillowy corn tortilla. House made salsas and agua frescas are a great accompaniment. Location & Hours

8. Tacos El Sureño

Rosarito’s casual visitor probably doesn’t know this spot. It’s a bit off the tourist path. But locals and true taco connoisseurs beeline to Tacos El Sureño for their southern Mexico style tacos. The best here are the tripas (fried small intestines)–served “wet” like they do in old Mexico City–and the succulent, flavorful CDMX style suadero (stewed and fried “brisket”). Location & Hours

7. Mariscos la Estrella

Popotla is a controversial destination. People either love it or they don’t. For those in the former category, Mariscos la Estrella is ground zero for some of the best seafood dishes in this small fishing village. Here, Lorena Lopez serves the classics—pescado zarandeado (marinated grilled fish), local jaiba (small crabs), seafood coctels, and gargantuan fried spider crabs slathered in spicy salsa diablo. Location & Hours

6. Birriería El Cuñado

While the original birria–made of chivo (goat)–is pervasive in central Mexico, birria de res (beef) is king in Baja California. Birriería el Cuñado arguably makes some of the best in Rosarito. A folksy menu painted on the interior wall indicates how one may enjoy their birria here: as tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and more. Our recommendation—order a bowl of the stuff, dress it with the requisite cilantro, white onion, and salsa and load it up in one of their house made corn tortillas. Location & Hours

5. Carnitas Los Panchos

Carnitas Los Panchos has been cooking what many consider the best carnitas in Rosarito for over 70 years. You can order all your favorite bits of fried pork from this charming family-owned spot. Favorites include the chamorro (leg) and costillas (ribs). Corn and flour tortillas are made in-house—by a sweet little lady who’s been doing it here for over 50 years. Location & Hours

4. Hacienda de Badu

Hacienda de Badu is right next door to Carnitas Los Panchos—and owned by the same family. Traditional cook Josefina Sanchez­ helms the kitchen in the impressive two-story brick restaurant. They roast some of the most succulent barbacoa (pit-roasted lamb) in Baja. It’s served with supple house-made corn tortillas and best drizzled with their zesty salsa tatemada. Location & Hours

3. La Casa de Langosta

La Casa de Langosta is one of the classic Rosarito Beach restaurants in the Puerto Nuevo lobster village. Its matriarch, Rosa María Plascencia, was one of the first to fry the crustaceans in 1954. Today, her family still serves Puerto Nuevo style lobster with the requisite sides of rice, beans, and oversize flour tortillas. For something different, try the delectable fried lobster chimichanga. Location & Hours

2. Tacos el Yaqui

Tacos el Yaqui makes regular appearances on foodie top 10 lists for good reason. Their Sonoran style tacos perrones are worth waiting in line for. Beefy morsels of savory charcoal-grilled arrachera (skirt steak) are heaped into large, house made flour tortillas and topped with beans, salsa, and lots of creamy guacamole. So good, a former Yaqui taquero opened the new-ish Taqueria 2000 to tempt and compete. Location & Hours

1. Colectivo Surf Tasting Room

Colectivo Surf Tasting Room is the spot for fresh seafood served as sushi, tacos, or ceviches. They also grill a sumptuous burger of lamb sourced from a local ranch. To wash all that good food down, one can choose from house crafted beer, local wines, crafted kombucha, or a tasting of Mexican spirits including mezcal, sotol, raicilla, and more. Location & Hours