CULINARY TOURS SUSPENDED: due to the effects of the global pandemic on our operations, we are not able to offer OUR CULINARY tours at this time.
A curated exploration of Tijuana's famous street food scene and central produce market, this guided tasting tour will have you eating at some of the world's best taco stands, visiting locals-only food carts, and tasting some of Mexico's top craft brews or wine. You'll start the day by exploring Tijuana's famed outdoor produce market where you'll learn the background and history of the ingredients that make up Mexico's vibrant culinary movement... and you'll end the day visiting an uber-hip gastro-park where some of Baja California's best young chefs prepare succulent bites served from highly-stylized food trucks. As you and your guide wind through Tijuana's barrios on this comprehensive culinary tour, you'll be walking (and tasting) right in the footsteps of Anthony Bourdain, Andrew Zimmern, and Chef Rick Bayless. From TJ's best street food to Baja California's innovative farm-to-fork modern-Mexican cuisine, this foodie tour will stimulate your taste buds and inspire your imagination!
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TASTE OF TIJUANA TOUR - SAMPLE ITINERARY
Booking Notes: This tasting tour is not well suited for strict vegetarians and is not advised for vegans; all itinerary times below except the start time are approximate, and vendors may be substituted based on their availability the day of your tour.
9:30-9:45am: Meet your bilingual culinary guide and driver at the designated meeting point on the U.S. side of the US-Mexico border in San Ysidro, California (the San Diego to Tijuana border crossing). Your guide will walk the group across the border, through Mexican Immigration and Customs, to our tour vehicle awaiting on the Mexico side. It's an easy drive to the meeting point, or take public transportation (San Diego Trolley), taxi, or Uber
9:45-10:15am: Cross the border on foot with your guide, through Mexican Immigration and Customs, to our tour vehicle waiting on the Mexico side
10:15-10:30am: Drive to our first stop at Tijuana's central produce market
10:30-12:00pm: 1st Stop: We'll lead you on a curated walking tour of Tijuana’s famed produce market, stopping in at various vendor stands to learn about the history and culture of Mexican cuisine by examining its wide range of unique and tasty ingredients. You'll make various stops to eat street-style birria tacos, the freshest tamales you've ever had, Sonoran-style carne asada tacos, fresh-cut fruit sprinkled with lime and dusted in chili powder, and drink an agua fresca or licuado, as we taste our way through this colorful market and its adjacent taco stands, some of the most famous in Mexico
12:00-12:30pm: Drive across town to our second stop at "taco alley"
12:30-1:00pm: 2nd Stop: Visit "taco alley," a favorite amongst locals where a row of neatly organized food stands offer up some of the best street-style tacos in Tijuana. You'll eat a freshly prepared "al pastor" taco, where the marinated pork is carved right from the hot spit into your hand-made tortilla that's still warm from the griddle (quesadillas are available for those who don't eat pork)
1:00-1:30pm: Drive to our final stop at Tijuana's uber-hip gastro park
1:30-2:30pm: 3rd Stop: Explore this eclectic collective of highly-stylized food trucks surrounding a Mexican microbrewery where you'll drink a Mexican craft beer on us (or a glass of Valle de Guadalupe wine for non-beer-drinkers); food at this stop is up to you and not included because most people are already stuffed by the time we arrive! But feel free to find a little more room in your belly for some of Tijuana's hottest young chefs, because they will certainly tease you and your taste buds with their innovative takes on Baja California's farm-to-fork modern-Mexican cuisine (this is our last stop, however, if you're having too much fun to end the day now, you may elect to stay a little longer and Uber or taxi back to border on your own - about 15-minutes by car)
2:30-3:00pm: Tummy full, and pleasantly buzzed, sit back and enjoy the colorful drive back to the U.S. border inspection station in Tijuana, Mexico (your guide will drop you off at the entry gate to the pedestrian border crossing where you will cross back to the U.S. on your own via foot) – END OF TOUR
3:00-3:30pm: After clearing U.S. immigration and customs, hail Uber or taxi, take Trolley, or walk back to your car parked in San Ysidro, CA (actual arrival time in San Ysidro is highly dependent on actual border wait time, which varies - BTK has no ability to affect actual border wait time, but participants with a valid U.S. Passport usually cross in about 10-15 minutes)
WHAT'S INCLUDED
Guided foodie tour package for two or more people | Group discounts & private tours available | All food and beverage included as described in the itinerary above - you'll leave Tijuana stuffed! | Round-trip transportation in our well-appointed air-conditioned tour vehicle | Our bilingual culinary guides are knowledgable ambassadors of Northern Baja California's culinary scene | This particular culinary tour is designed for meat eaters, and is thus not advised for strict vegetarians or vegans | Tour guide gratuity is not included
WHAT WE LOVE ABOUT THIS TOUR
Anthony Bourdain put Tijuana's street food scene on the culinary map, and this tour visits some of his favorite TJ bites. An abbreviated version of our world famous Tijuana Bites Tour, this shorter market and tasting tour is the best gastronomic introduction to Tijuana's famous culinary scene available for those on a tighter timetable and budget. And while this tour is timed perfectly for cruise ship passengers visiting the Port of San Diego, those with a little more time can opt to leisurely extend their experience on the last stop, soaking in more of Tijuana's uber-hip gastro park before hailing an easy Uber ride back to the border (if you don't have that kind of time, don't worry, your ride back to the border at 2:30pm is included). When it comes to laying claim to the best street tacos in Mexico, there's a heated rivalry between Mexico City and Tijuana... On this curated tasting tour, we'll make our case for why Tijuana wins that epicurean battle, hands down! So what are you waiting for?
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REQUEST A PRIVATE TOUR
If you enjoy meeting other like-minded foodies, you may view available public tour dates and book this tour itinerary directly via our website now. Or you may submit the form below for more information about a private Taste of Tijuana Tour experience for two or more people. Click here to view our complete calendar of upcoming scheduled public group tasting tours.