Mariscos El Mazateño

I had a wonderful meal, and the food was absolutely delicious. The octopus, in particular, stood out as excellent.

I truly enjoyed the meal here; the food was absolutely delicious. Just a heads-up for future visitors, they operate on a cash-only basis. However, I did find the overall cost to be quite steep; my order of one Super Mazatena, one marlin con enchilado, and one taco de pescado à la plancha – all served in flour tortillas – came out to $29 USD, which felt rather expensive for what I received.

To get ahead of the inevitable crowds, we made sure to arrive for breakfast around 8:15 AM, shortly after they opened their doors. After selecting our table, a friendly waitress promptly took our order. My selections included both the Shrimp Enchilado and the Shrimp and Meat Enchilado, accompanied by a refreshing Horchata, which truly stood out as one of the finest I've ever tasted. It's a thoughtful touch that they provide a generous spread of cabbage, red salsa, green salsa, and chips to start. While we waited for our main dishes, we enjoyed some warm Consume. Both the Shrimp Enchilado and the Shrimp and Meat Enchilado were delicious, though I particularly favored the one with meat. This truly is a fantastic breakfast destination, and I'm so glad I experienced such an iconic Tijuana eatery.

My recent visit was truly a culinary delight, with the food being absolutely incredible. The shrimp, in particular, truly shined as the star of the entire meal; every dish, from the zesty cocktail to the comforting soup, the vibrant ceviche, and the savory tacos, was simply delightful. The tacos themselves were wonderfully juicy and offered a pleasant spicy kick, but if you're not a fan of heat, the fish tacos are a great alternative. The cocktail was perfectly cold and invigorating, while the soup arrived piping hot and incredibly flavorful, featuring clams that were so fresh and wonderfully bouncy right in their shells. There was a bit of a wait, and our specific waitress was quite slow and didn't check on us at all, though I must say the other staff members were friendly and very helpful. I'm already planning to go back next week and will update on the service then, hoping it was just an off day. I highly recommend trying their dishes.

Our visit to this restaurant was prompted by Mariscos Los Wicho’s being closed, and I had previously heard some positive remarks about El Mazateño. I opted for the Marlin Tacos, but I found them quite disappointing; the tortillas had noticeably hard edges, which really took away from the enjoyment of the meal. The agua chile we tried was merely acceptable, nothing special. Furthermore, it felt incredibly strange for a Mariscos place, especially in Tijuana, to not offer beer – there’s truly nothing better than pairing a delicious Michelada, complete with ice, lime, salt, and your choice of beer, with seafood.