Tacos El Nuevo Poblano in Tijuana

25 Great Tacos In Tijuana With A Taco Map 2025

ByPaul Hudson Posted on Updated on
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Are you looking for the best tacos in Tijuana? Aren’t we all?

Tijuana has some of the best tacos in Mexico representing a lot of regional styles. People come from all over the world to party and eat tacos in Tijuana. It is a legendary experience that you aren’t likely to forget. 

Interestingly, Tijuana is the largest municipality in Mexico with more than 2 million people. Tacos are an integral part of the culture and local identity of the city. A sense of community is formed around local taquerías (taco shops) and a good deal of the population eats tacos several times a week. 

Even though I have lived in Guadalajara for over a decade, I grew up in San Diego and learned Spanish in Tijuana. I have been looking for great Tijuana tacos since I was 15 years old. Tijuana is a great city that is misunderstood by people who have never actually been there.

I hope this article encourages you to get a passport and go on a taco tour to Tijuana. There are some world-class culinary experiences for those willing to cross the line.  

An Overview Of The Tijuana Taco Scene

Adobada taco with cilantro and guacamole on a bright blue plate.

Tijuana is one of the most diverse cities in Mexico. The geography of the northern border is a defining factor in the development of the city. 

Tourism has been an important part of the local economy since the 19th century. The wildly successful novel Ramona, published in 1884 by Helen Hunt Jackson sparked a wave of interest in traveling to Mexico and Tijuana just happened to be down the street. 

The prohibition of alcohol in the United States during the 1920s turned Tijuana into the second most important gaming center in the world. The entertainment industry brought people to play but also to work. To this day, the economy in Tijuana brings Mexicans from across the country to work. Many of them can cook too. 

In my opinion, Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Tijuana are the three best taco destinations in Mexico because of their diversity. You can find Mexican cuisine from just about every corner of the republic in one place. Just look at the names of the taco stands, El Poblano, El Mazateño, and El Tapatío, among many other regional distinctions. 

Tacos Fitos taco stand and taqueros

Best Tacos In Tijuana

I hope you are hungry because this list is full of the best tacos in Tijuana.

It is a generally accepted fact about Mexican cuisine that tacos are king.

Make it a point to try something new. Don’t get me wrong, the carne asada tacos at Tacos El Franc are delicious but try to mix it up and order something that you haven’t tried before. 

A great way to do this is with a campechano taco. Campechano is a mixture when referring to tacos or cocktails. Ordering a taco campechano is often a mixture of half beef and half chorizo sausage. At Tacos Fitos, the campechano is a mixture of beef birria and tripe, which are the two most popular tacos at the taquería.

1. Tacos El Franc

Start here. If you are just planning your first trip to Tijuana to eat tacos, start with Tacos El Franc. It is a great example of the style of tacos that Tijuana has become famous for. Tacos El Franc is the best taqueria to get your feet wet and test the waters of tacos in Tijuana. I imagine that someone who has never visited Tijuana before crosses the border, gets tacos at el Franc, and instantly falls in love with Mexico. 

Tacos El Franc is constantly packed and there is a party atmosphere. There is no alcohol sold here but a lot of people are coming and going from the local bars. It gets loud. 

They are hard to miss on a Friday night. They set up some tables on the sidewalk, the right lane of traffic becomes a drive-thru, and the viene-viene parking helpers span the entire block. There are usually some musicians working for tips on the sidewalk outside. It is a party and even the people waiting in line are excited and talking to one another. 

The carne asada taco at Tacos El Franc is legandary. People come to Tijuana just to eat here and then head to the border line. They use an interesting marinade of orange juice, garlic salt, cinnamon, and oregano but the quality ingredients make all the difference.

Each table gets a little plate of cucumbers, radishes, and limes. The cucumber comes peeled and the fluorescent green color signals a fresh, crisp flavor. They pay extra for the freshest ingredients from avocados for the guacamole to the meat for the tacos. 

In May 2024, Tacos El Franc was listed in the Michelin Restaurant Guide along with Mexico’s first entries to the list. There were only two taco shops mentioned and 13 other fine dining establishments.

  • Tacos Address: Blvd Sánchez Taboada 9257, Zonaeste, Tijuana
  • Tacos El Franc Hours: Monday-Thursday 4 PM–1 AM, Friday & Saturday 3PM–3AM
  • What To Order: Carne asada taco and a campechano de tripa taco
  • Pro Tip: Get there early because the lines can be intimidating at peak hours 

2. Tacos El Nuevo Poblano

I had a crazy flashback eating these tacos. I heard they were good but I wasn’t expecting this.

That whipped guacamole and spicy adobada marinade brought me back to my youth eating tacos on Avenida Revolución for the first time. Isn’t it crazy how tastes and smells can evoke memories?

This is easily one of the best tacos in the world. The restaurant is so simple they only sell two types of meat: carne asada and adobada. They only have one salsa on the table but the tacos are already dressed with that one salsa they don’t need anything else. Maybe just some lime.

I was interested to learn that the people who own this taco shop and many of those who work there are from a small pueblo near Guasave, Sinaloa.

Every piece of this tacos is perfectly done but I want to highlight the tortilla. They are individually pressed by a tortilla lady and cooked on the comal. The adobada really paints the tortilla red and impregnates it with spicy flavor. These are some of the better tortillas in Tijuana.

The Buena Vista neighborhood is just your average blue-collar Tijuana area that is busy during the day but maybe a little sketchy after dark when all the businesses have shut down. It is very close to the Vía Rápida borderline. The Las Americas Bridge and Calle Ojeda Robles is far enough back that you can almost always get in line from here.

Tacos El Nuevo Poblano has a bathroom which makes it the perfect stop before you get in the borderline. Try it next time.

3. Tacos Fitos

Tacos Fitos is one of the finest examples of Baja California-style birria. They are so good, that they have creative rivalry between fans of Jalisco-style birria and Baja-style birria. 

Tijuana-style birria is made with beef while most authentic Jalisco-style birria is made with goat meat. And that isn’t the only difference. Tijuana-style birria uses stewed and shredded cuts of meat and a broth with a higher fat content. 

The tortillas are dipped in the birria broth before being warmed up on the comal painting them red. The oily broth adds a ton of flavor to the birria. It is added to the tortilla beforehand, it is added to the taco, and you need to get a small cup of the broth to dip the tacos into. The broth is incorporated into every stage of the taco. 

The taco guys (taqueros) put on a show throwing a ladle full of broth into the air and catching it in the taco while they wrap it up in paper.

This is one of the best places to try a tripe taco for the first time. The tripe is mild and tastes more like the broth than like tripe. The campechano taco comes with half beef birria and half tripe. 

The tripe is the perfect complement to the beef adding an element of umami. Tripe is actually quite mild and takes on the flavor of the birria spices and adds texture. 

Tacos Fitos is located across the street from Mercado Hidalgo. Getting tacos and exploring the market is one of the coolest things to do in Tijuana.  

4. Tacos de Mariscos Los Compadres

I left this street stand thinking that my life would never be the same. Tacos de Mariscos Los Compadres makes some of the best tacos in the world. This is a prime example of why the tacos in Tijuana are absolutly out of this world.

Tacos de Mariscos Los Compadres have a few locations but the 20 de Noviembre taco cart is the original and the best. It isn’t much to look at but the tacos make up for the humble furnishings.

I was not accustomed to seafood tacos shops putting guacamole on their tacos but I went with it and I now advocate for the style.

Make sure to try the camaron enchilado (spicy shrimp) and then try the Titan Taco with octopus, shrimp, and bacon.

The 20 de Noviembre neighborhood is a food rich center of Tijuana culture. You need to check this place out if you love tacos.

5. Tacos Salseados

Very, very, very good tacos. Tacos Salseados serves a style of tacos that many folks from north of the border may not be familiar with. They use a lot of melted cheese on their tortillas and even wrap up the taco ingredients in a cheese crust. Then, as the name would suggest, they are bathed in salsa.

I recommend starting with the specialty tacos at the bottom of the menu. The New York with shrimp comes wrapped in a crispy cheese envelope, layered with avocados, and dressed with two mild salsas. If you want some fire, there is habanero sauce on the table.

Surf and turf is something that Tijuana does particularly well. Northern Mexico is famous for carne asada and Tijuana has excellent seafood. The thinly sliced New York steak is a perfect pair for the shrimp.

This is a long-standing, local favorite Tijuana taco shop. Gael García Bernal raved about the place in the 2016 romantic comedy, You’re Killing Me Susana. He spent some time in Tijuana in the mid-2000s while filming Babel. The owners said that he used to eat there when he was in town but had no idea that he was going to mention them in the film.

I think this place is well worth a stop. It is a little out of the way on a busy street with no parking. Remember not to leave any luggage or bags in your car when parking on the street. I thought the neighborhood was a nice, middle-class area but just to be safe you never want to leave a laptop, or something that could be confused for a laptop, in the car.

6. Taco-N-Todo

Yes, I will jump on the bandwagon for a little bit. Taco-N-Todo was featured on the Netflix series, Las Crónicas del Taco with good reason. It is a fine example of street tacos that can compete with the best tacos in Hermosillo, Chihuahua, and Monterrey (cities famous for great carne asada).

These guys operate the night shift on a busy corner in front of an Oxxo two blocks from the old Agua Caliente Casino water tower. They call this neighborhood Júarez but it feels more like La Cacho with nice restaurants lining the streets.

I love it when taco shops do more than one type of meat. Carne asada is great but there are so many other great cuts to enjoy. Taco-N-Todo is famous for its beef ribs. You can get picaña and a few other boneless cuts but people come for the ribs.

There is something about grilling the meat on the bone that imparts flavor. The taco is served off the bone but you see the taquero cut it up in front of you.

Another reason that I loved this place so much is the salad bar/salsa bar. It is a thing of beauty that needs to be experienced over the course of many visits. The total number of combinations of tacos and salsa is staggering, to say the least.

The Mexican street taco cart is a treasured institution because of places like this. I want to be a part of this community. It is pretty amazing.

7. Tacos La Pasadita De La 20

Tacos Pasadita De La 20 serves some of the largest and tastiest tacos in Tijuana. It is not a touristy destination but a local favorite that is packed to the gills midweek. I can only imagine what it is like on the weekends.

They do two types of meat here: carne asada and adobada.

8. Tacos El Vaquero

With the price of tacos in San Diego, it is hard to believe what taco shops can do just a few miles away. When you order your tacos, they throw it on the grill. The ribeye is served medium and has a little fat on the side that crisps up nicely. This is a taco for steak lovers.

  • Tacos El Vaquero Address: Calle Gobernador Ibarra, America, Tijuana
  • Tacos El Vaquero Hours: Monday-Saturday 4:30 PM–11:30 PM
  • What To Order: Ribeye and bone marrow

9. Tacos Chava

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  • Tacos Chava Address: Calle Catorceava 720, Libertad, Tijuana
  • Tacos Chava Hours: Monday-Saturday 4:30 PM–11:30 PM
  • What To Order: Campechanos during the week and tripe on the weekend

10. El Tío Pepe – La Catedral de la Torta Ahogada

In 2024 I spent six months working as a substitute teacher in Chula Vista. A lot of kids are dual citizens who live in Tijuana and cross the border every day to study in the US. El Tío Pepe was the best recommendation that I got from the locals.

I had a great deal of nostalgia while eating here. The restaurant is a testament to Guadalajara. The towers of the Guadalajara Cathedral are in the logo and their specialty is the popular Jalisco-style torta ahogada.

While the torta ahogada is great, I prefer the Jalisco-style tacos dorados with carnitas, cabbage, and tomato sauce. It is the same preparation as the torta ahogada but with tacos rather than bread. On a side note, El Tío Pepe buys their birote salado bread from a bakery in Guadalajara and they arrive three days a week.

Eating at El Tío Pepe really made me miss Guadalajara. If you know Guadalajara and are looking for Jalisco-style food, I would highly recommend visiting El Tío Pepe.

  • El Tío Pepe Address: Gobernador García González #9925, Gabilondo, Tijuana
  • El Tío Pepe Hours: 7 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Wednesday to Monday, Closed on Tuesday
  • What To Order: Tacos dorados con carne and 1 kg of carnitas to go.
  • Pro Tip: Parking is tight so ask the viene-vienes to get you a space.

11. Erizo Marketo

Sea urchin and quail egg shot in Tijuana

Erizo Marketo has evolved and grown into one of the best seafood restaurants in Tijuana. It was opened in 2009 by Javier Plascencia as a simple testiment to the Baja-style street vendors selling shells, ceviches, and tacos. 

Erizo is a very comfortable restaurant to visit. Sonora Street has plenty of parking because of the Chapultepec mall so if you can’t park in front of the restaurant you can park a half block away at the mall. The restaurant is beautiful and there is even a view of the country club golf course. 

This is the restaurant that convinced me to try a taco with tripe in it. 

The Taco Goloso is a mixture of white fish, cecina de res (salt-cured sheets of beef), and crispy tripe. It is garnished with radish, avocado, and some chiles toreados. Tripe is just a mild complement but it really works well with the surf and turf combination taking on their flavor but adding texture.

The Taco Tijuanero is the picture garnished with pico de gallo salsa (cilantro, onion, tomato). That is grilled octopus, spicy shrimp, and cecina de res on a bed of beans and cheese. The surf and turf thing gets me every time. I love the combination of the salty cecina with the seafood. It just works. 

Javier Plascencia throws some fun parties at his restaurants. A food festival or a party is coming up all the time. They invite chefs from all over the place to cook and have a good time. Follow his social media profiles to see what is in the works. You can always find a great taco at a Javier Plascencia event. 

  • Erizo Marketo Address: Calle Sonora 3808-2, Chapultepec, Tijuana
  • Erizo Marketo Hours: 11 a.m. to 9:40 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday
  • What To Order: Taco Goloso and a sea urchin shot
  • Pro Tip: If there is no parking in the spaces in front of the restaurant I park in the Chapultepec Mall parking lot.

12. Tacos El Gallito

Back in Guadalajara I’m not used to seeing these really large taco restaurnts with so many different taco options. Not only do they have a lot of different types of tacos but they are done really well. 

Suadero is one of my favorite types of tacos. It is cooked like carnitas is cooked in a cauldron of park fat. There are a ton of different cuts of meat simmering in the pork fat just sharing all the juices. Suadero is a very traditional style of tacos from Mexico City but they are done excellent at El Gallito. 

One thing to keep in mind when ordering adobada tacos is that al pastor and adobada are two different things. Look at the color of the adobo and the thickness of the choice of meat on the trompo. I can’t find the quote, but Lalo Villar of La Ruta de la Garnacha on YouTube is the person who brought to my attention the differences between Pastor and Adobada. They are similar but they are not the same thing. Eat the tacos de pastor in Mexico City and then eat the tacos de adobada in Tijuana and tell me they are the same thing. There is a night and day difference. 

Make sure to try the taco de adobada at El Gallito. It is a classic Tijuana style that is hard to find outside of Baja California. El Gallito has one of my favorite tacos de adobada. The adobo marinate is flavorful and a delight to the taste buds. Their tortillas are some of the best fresh tortillas I tasted in Tijuana and the slice of nopal is cooked perfectly. It makes the perfect garnish both visually and palatably. 

Tacos El Gallito is located in food rich Otay Constituyentes neighborhood on a lateral street of Blvd. Lázaro Cárdenas. That is the east side of the airport on the road that goes to Tecate. 

  • Tacos Address: Blvd. Lázaro Cárdenas 606, Otay Constituyentes, Tijuana
  • Tacos El Gallito Hours: 1 p.m. to 2 a.m. Monday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 12 a.m. Sunday
  • What To Order: Tacos de adobada or a California burrito
  • Pro Tip: Stop here to eat before getting in the Otay Mesa borderline

13. Tacos Mike

Tacos Mike is a quintessential Tijuana experience that is a little ways off the tourist track. They serve tacos guisados from a street stand underneath a small canopy in front of a mechanic shop. People are double parked all up and down the block but not in front of the mechanic’s entrance.

The first thing that got my attention was the line substantial line of people waiting for tacos. Don’t worry about the line, it moves fast. What got my attention was the diversity of clientele. From wealthy older ladies with designer purses to construction workers in hardhats, lots of people love these tacos.

I saw these tacos for the first time watching the Mark Weins’ Tijuana Taco video. Open up their Google Maps page too. They have some unreal reviews.

Tacos Mike serves huge tacos. They cover a tortilla with rice and beans before laying down a huge piece of something. It could be chicken milanesa or beef milanesa. If you get there early it could be a chile relleno or a big piece of carne asada. Then, they finish the taco with some stewed means. The beef ribs in green sauce is always popular. There are three or four to choose from.

There are no tables and very little shade. You eat standing up or take it back to your car. The tacos are messy so I wouldn’t want to eat in the car.

14. Mariscos El Mazateño

Mariscos El Mazateño needs to be on the list of travelers who want to get off the tourist track. It is situated in a located in a blue-collar, middle-class neighborhood and is wildly popular. There is a very large tianguis street market on Saturday and parking is very difficult. 

It is so worth it to schedule around the busy times because the food is so good.  

La Mazateña taco from Mariscos El Mazateño is easily one of the best tacos in Tijuana that is worth crossing the border for. Beautifully butterflied shrimp are fried and passed through a chile sauce that uses chile de arbol but isn’t as spicy as one would expect. It has more flavor than raw heat. They are served quesadilla style with a mild white cheese melted on the comal. 

Each taco costs $90 pesos but comes with generous portions. 

​Something that everyone remembers about El Mazateño is the little cup of seafood broth that the servers put on the table with some chips. It is one of the richest and most flavorful shrimp-based broths that I have tried in my life. It is perfect to dip your shrimp taco into like it were a salsa. 

If I lived in Tijuana, I would work Mariscos El Mazateño into my weekly routine. Two big tacos make a perfect lunch. 

  • Mariscos El Mazateño Address: Calz del Tecnológico 473, Tomas Aquino, Tijuana
  • Mariscos El Mazateño Hours: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday thru Sunday
  • What To Order: Camaron enchilado (chile shrimp)
  • Pro Tip: Be aware that on Saturdays there is a large tianguis street market with very limited parking

15. Tacos Al Vapor Gil

16. Tacos de Mariscos Walter

I had not had tuna fin tacos since I was in Mazatlán a few years back. Sure enough, there is a retro picture of Mazatlán on the wall and the waiter said they cook Sinaloa-style seafood.

My mechanic is a block down and I have been spending a ton of time around here recently. The 20 de Noviembre neighborhood is one of my favorite places to eat in Tijuana and Walter has been a longtime favorite.

Make sure to try their fish broth, the seafood flautas (marlin or shrimp), and try the tuna fin tacos. They are a special treat. You won’t see these tacos very often.

17. Xolo Tacos

Xolo Tacos is famous for birria and bone marrow tacos. The birria broth is intensely flavorful and deep red color. The broth is used to hydrate everything that goes into the taco. The tortillas are dipped in the broth painting them red before they are heated up. The taco gets a spoonful of broth ladled on top. The beef bone is dipped in the broth before the marrow is scooped out into the taco. It feels like a gluttonous, over-the-top experience.

The restaurant group has a small chain of good restaurants in odd locations. I know of one brick-and-mortar taco shop in Downtown Tijuana but the Otay location is a palapa and the Loma Blanca is an open-air food cart. Every one of the locations is super comfortable with the red plastic tables and chairs covered by a shade awning.

18. Kokopelli

These guys are absolute taco legends in Tijuana. They operated a trailer in Downtown Tijuana for a decade building up a cult following for serving delicous, exotic tacos with funny names. Kokopelli is the god of mischief and their tacos feel mischievious.

Today, the taco is just called the gringo. Back at the old taco stand, it was called something like ‘gringo en tuxedo de vacaciones.’ It is chile relleno taco with shrimp dusted in chile powder. The taco is called a gringo because the chile relleno is made with chile California AKA chile Anaheim.

The other taco that people go crazy for is the kraken. It is a grilled octopus taco in a Mexican basil pesto.

The newest incarnation of Tacos Kokopelli is called Tras Horizonte. It is a full on, huge restaurant with ample parking that serves Sunday brunch and Friday night cocktails. While the tacos are the star of the show, there is a deep menu of unique recipes.

19. Titos Mariscos

Titos Mariscos is a local favorite that doesn’t get as much international press as it deserves. I am always asking for restaurant recommendations from locals when I am exploring a new neighborhood and I heard about Titos from both a money changer and a coffee shop.

What really sold me on the place was the look on the lady’s face at the money changer when I asked her for a seafood recommendation. She lit up and started raving about the place giving me perfect directions. As I was walking out the door, the guy waiting in line behind me gave me the thumbs up and said Titos was a good choice.

Titos has several locations but the Playas de Tijuana location is huge and constantly packed. I went for the tacos but I will be going back to try more of their specialty dishes.

The service is professional and the waitresses know the menu well. I got good recommendations for tacos that I probably wouldn’t have ordered if I hadn’t asked. I love good waiter recommendations.

Make it a point to try this place. It is worth the trip to Playas de Tijuana just to come eat here.

  • Mariscos Titos Address: There are multiple locations but Playas de Tijuana is awesome. Paseo Estrella del Mar #605, Playas, Tijuana, B.C.
  • Mariscos Titos Hours: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Sunday
  • What To Order: Taco Trucha is a breaded New York steak with shrimp, cheese, avocado, chipotle sauce, and pickled red onions. It is over the top.
  • Pro Tip: Everything here is HUGE!

20. Taquería Las 3 Salsas ‘Las Ahumaderas’

There are a lot of good tacos de adobada in Tijuana and Las 3 Salsas certainly has one of the best. What they do better than anymost anyone is the grilled beef tripe taco.

Las 3 Salsas is the last taquería on a row of taco shops called Las Ahumaderas because of all the smoke their grills put out.

I thought that Las 3 Salsas was the best taco shop in a alley of great tacos.

21. Mariscos Los Chilos Food Truck

Los Chilos is a simple food truck with a small menu serving one of the best fish tacos I have tasted in my life. This taco is the reason that I do not like fish tacos in the United States.

From the moment you pick up the taco, you will notice the tortilla is a Mexican corn tortilla made with good nixtamal and no maseca. You can feel the texture of a good tortilla.

The irony is that this taco is so simple. The fish is lightly breaded and fried. The salsa Mexicana (pico de gallo) is finely chopped and so is the cabbage. Even though it is a fried taco, it feels light.

I know there are better fish tacos in the area but you are going to have to look hard. These fish tacos are a quintessential Baja experience.

22. Tacos El Paisa ‘Las Ahumaderas’

Tacos El Paisa is one of the most famous taquerías in Tijuana. This is where Anthony Bourdain ate the night he was rolling around in a pink limosine. That same pink limousine that broke down in the 6th Street bar district, blocking traffic, and needed a jump start there and then.

Las Ahumaderas is a mandatory stop if you are looking for a through Tijuana taco tour.

23. Tacos de Birria “El Sabroso”

Birria is always a great way to start the day. I have an article about the regional styles of birria in Mexico and El Sabroso was a new one for me. The owner of this street stand is originally from Oaxaca. She has blended an Oaxaca-style birria with a Tijuana-style birria to great fanfare.

While I was eating, another patron was asking the taqueros what style of birria they serve. They told her it was Oaxaca-style birria but she thought they were joking. Oaxaca-style birria isn’t common in Northern Mexico. The lady kept asking and the taqueros kept reiterating that the lady who owns the taco stand is from Oaxaca and they serve Oaxacan-style birria.

Parking is really difficult on this street corner. I had to walk over from a parking lot on Avenida Revolución. It is totally worth it. The neighborhood is full of great food and coffee.

24. Los Arcos

Los Arcos is the first restaurant that I got really excited about visiting in TJ. My friend’s parents would always hype it up. If they knew you were going to Tijuana they would ask if you were going to Los Arcos. It was almost expected that if you were going to Tijuana for any other reason, you had to just stop at Los Arcos while you were there.

Originally from Los Arcos restaurant group, the taco gobernador even has a trademark on the name. The Los Arcos restaurant group is from Sinaloa and they made the taco for the governor in the 1990s, Francisco Labastida Ochoa, just like his wife used to make. The governor loved the tacos so much he named them the taco gobernador.

The taco gobernador is a shrimp machaca quesadilla with rajas of chile poblano and onion. The corn tortilla is cooked on the grill which gives it a smokey taste.

The taco gobernador is really just the beginning of the extensive menu at Los Arcos. I am a sucker for the whole fish at Los Arcos to make tacos out of. You get a huge stack of tortillas, salsas, garnishes, and a big, beautiful red snapper or pargo to ‘taquear.’

After Sinaloa (Cuiliacán and Mazatlán), Tijuana was one of the earliest restaurant locations. Expanding to anther state is complicated but Tijuana fell in love with Los Arcos. To this day, Los Arcos Tijuana is one of the most important restaurants in the portfolio.

25. Tacos El Francés

Tacos El Francés is owned by the same people who run Tacos El Franc. El Frances has been around longer than Franc has.

This place is a cult favorite for local families that live in Playas de Tijuana. Tacos El Franc is like a street party while El Francés is a little more family-oriented.

The tacos are excellent and the neighborhood is different from what most visitors would expect to find in Playas. If you like Tacos El Franc (Who doesn’t?) you will love Tacos El Francés.

Tijuana Taco Map

Sometimes it is easier to plan your taco tour around a neighborhood. The traffic in Tijuana can be challenging especially at rush hour so planning to stay in one geographic area can save some time.

I would definitely look up the best tacos in Playas de Tijuana before hitting the beach. You will want to know who closes early and who opens late so you can arrange both.

Frequently Asked Questions About Tacos in Tijuana

I see these questions come up all the time when people start talking about tacos in Tijuana.

Is Tijuana safe?

No, not particularly. Tijuana has a complicated history of security. Travelers need to take some basic precautions to maximize their enjoyment.

I recommend taking a look at the full 6,000-word article on safety in Tijuana to learn how to avoid the most common risks and scams.

How do I get to Tijuana?

Tijuana is easily accessible from San Diego. I consider San Diego and Tijuana one metropolitan region spread across two countries.

I prefer to drive to Tijuana from San Diego but I have been driving in Mexico for my entire adult life.

If you prefer not to drive in Mexico, there is plenty of parking on the US side of the border in San Ysidro and you can walk across the border in a few minutes. Taxis and Uber are plentiful once you cross to the Mexican side of the border.

Many people use the Cross Border Xpress bridge to access the Tijuana Airport from San Diego. If you arrive at the airport a few hours before your flight and have some time to kill, Otay Mesa has some great tacos just a short taxi ride away.

Final Thoughts About The Best Tacos In Tijuana

Tijuana has a long history as a tourist and taco destination. The entertainment industry has over a hundred years of history and the city is one of the most diverse places in Mexico.

There are so many great tacos in Tijuana that you need to go in with a plan. The Tijuana taco tour planning is on line with the Mexico City taco planning. There is a lot of traffic and getting from Playas to Otay can take a while.

Make it a point to choose a neighborhood two or three taquerías that are all open at the same time within walking distance. Downtown, Playas, and Otay all have dozens of great options if you want to plan out a delicous taco tour.

I highly recommend that you make sure your passport is valid and plan a trip to Tijuana. I am going to be putting out a bunch of content about Tijuana because it is such a fun and exciting destination that is often misunderstood. Get to know the real Tijuana starting with the tacos.

Paul Hudson is a food, travel, and surf enthusiast who writes about Mexico on his blog Playas y Plazas. Originally from Southern California, Paul has lived in Guadalajara since 2009. He has a BA in Global Economics from UC Santa Cruz (Go Banana Slugs!) and speaks English and Spanish fluently. He can often be found exploring the Pacific Coast of Mexico looking for isolated beaches, fun waves, and exotic foods.