For my birthday, my wife surprised me by giving me a food tour in Mexico featuring Puerto Nuevo Lobster. I was delighted to receive this because I love lobster and I’ve been wanting to experience Puerto Nuevo lobster.
After crossing the border to Mexico, we walked to the designated meeting point, the taxi stand near the border. Our guide, Albert Chan, is a young Asian man. He gave us a warm greeting and asked us a few questions to get an idea of our experience level of Mexico.
Inside our taxi
We boarded a commuter taxi that was the size of a large van. Many of the locals use these taxis like a conventional bus and move from suburb to suburb. Our first ride was to downtown Tijuana. We walked a couple of blocks to the pickup location for Rosarito. Once in Rosarito, we boarded our final taxi to the oceanfront town of Puerto Nuevo.
The entrance to Puerto Nuevo
An archway with the name Puerto Nuevo marked the entrance to the town. Puerto Nuevo is known as the lobster village of Baja California. As we walked down Renteria, Albert pointed out the local favorite, Puerto Nuevo #1. We strolled by a number of different restaurants before we entered La Casa Del Pescador.
We had a choice of eating inside or outside and I’m glad we experienced al fresco dining. The roof of the restaurant has a patio-like enclosure with glass windbreaks to shield diners from the wind. It was noticeably brighter upstairs, but what I enjoyed the most was the fact that you could hear the waves break.
View from their upstairs patio
As I walked upstairs, a waiter followed me. A fellow employee photo bombed my pic!
Tortilla Soup
A complimentary tortilla soup was served and was immediately followed by delicious margaritas. This really set the tone for the remainder of the meal as I was excited to enjoy my lobster dinner.
We each ordered different items. Albert selected Lobster Ranchera because he didn’t feel like shelling his lobster. My wife favors turf over surf and selected the combination plate. I’m usually of the opinion, “When in Rome…” and I selected their Lobster Especial.
Lobster Ranchera
Combination plate with chile relleno, enchilada and carne asada steak
Lobster, Puerto Nuevo Style
Many musicians played that evening
I had a taste of Albert’s Lobster Ranchera and I was surprised that it was tastier than it appeared. Fresh garlic and onion nicely enhanced the tomato sauce I and felt it was the ideal dish for a chilly evening. The chile relleno on my wife’s plate was prepared in the traditional way – a fluffy omelet surrounded the chile and melted cheese. My lobster was succulent and I enjoyed it with the handmade flour tortillas and beans.
Our tour leader, Albert Chan
Our tour was led by the owner of Wild Foodie Tours, Albert Chan. He combines many years of experience in exploring Tijuana and Rosarito on his own and assesses restaurants on the basis of taste, quality, and consistency. I was thoroughly impressed by how we traveled from the border to Puerto Nuevo just as a local would. It was a thoroughly enjoyable evening of food, sights, and culture.
After dinner, we strolled around the vendors in Puerto Nuevo. As we pointed out items, Albert quickly answered what it was and how it tasted. We sampled candied nuts and ended up purchasing some candied pecans to take home. A bottle of pure Mexican vanilla was a good deal at $9 and so we purchased that as well.
If you enjoy travel and food, I highly recommend trying Wild Foodie Tours. Albert does a great job to make sure that you have a terrific time on your foodie adventure.
Wild Foodie Tours, 858.951.7470
wildfoodietours.com