by Bryan Jáuregui | Culture, Food, Travel Industry
By Todos Santos Eco Adventures
For a town of just a few thousand people Todos Santos boasts a remarkable assembly of chefs and cooks from throughout Mexico and the world who have been inspired by the town to stay and make their contributions to Baja cuisine. The result is an incredible selection of restaurants that range from funky roadside taco carts to elegant garden dining rooms, serving everything from traditional Mexican fare to exotic Asian cuisine. No matter your tastes or budget, the Todos Santos restaurant community has something to tempt your taste buds and please your palate.
This guide is divided into 7 categories, with restaurants presented in alphabetical order within each category. The sample menus shown with each restaurant are literally just a snapshot from our last visit; menu options and prices may naturally evolve over time.
Presented here:
Category One – Great Food, Great Chefs, Great Atmosphere
Category Two – Wonderful Food in a Beautiful Garden Setting
© Copyright Sergio and Bryan Jauregui, Casa Payaso S de RL de CV, 2014
Check our blog for our other categories including: Killer Local Joints and Taco Stands; Charming Cafes with Great Breakfasts and More; Fun Spots with Live Music/Live Theater/Live TV; Healthy Fare, Pizza and Burgers.
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Category One: Great Food, Great Chefs, Great Atmosphere
Café Santa Fe
- Overview: The Café Santa Fe is consistently hailed as one of the best restaurants in Baja and truly, every meal there is wonderful. The secret seems to be the dynamic teaming of fabulously fresh Baja ingredients, Chef Ezio Colombo’s Italian sensibilities, and co-owner Paula Colombo’s New York savvy. Lovely
atmosphere with both inside and garden dining. The Café Santa Fe was created by Ezio and Paula in 1990.
- To Die For: Tuna carpaccio, lobster ravioli, caprese salad with buffalo mozarella
- Service. Wonderful. Most of the staff has been working there since they were teenagers and take great pride in the restaurant and in their work. English spoken.
- Rating: Fabulous! It’s one of our favorite spots for celebrations, and we always recommend it to our guests.
- Hours: Open 12:00 to 9:00 PM, every day but Tuesday. Closed September 1-October 31, 2014.
- Contact: Tel: 612-145-0340 Location: No. 47 on Journal del Pacifico Map
- Cafe Santa Fe Menu
La Casita Tapas and Bar
- Overview. Mazatlan native Chef Sergio Rivera gave up a career as executive chef on the yachts of the rich and famous to establish La Casita in Todos Santos in 2011 – and now we all get to dine like wealthy yacht owners! Chef Sergio started out serving tapas (little Spanish-style dishes) but quickly moved into entrees that feature the wonderful ingredients of Baja and his native Sinaloa. Sergio’s seafood dishes are spectacular and he now has a sushi chef who prepares a beautiful line of sushi entrees. He’s branching out into a wider variety of meats and always features fresh organic produce from local farms. Very relaxed, very charming atmosphere.
Chef Sergio of La Casita
- To Die For: Ahi Tuna Tartar Tower, Coconut Shrimp, Pork Ribs. Just ask him to feed you if you can’t make a decision!
- Service: Sergio and his darling Aury are almost always on hand to greet guests and their wait staff is very helpful and attentive.
- Rating: Incredible! We include a meal at La Casita in almost every Todos Santos Eco Adventures week that we offer and we often have our own family and corporate celebrations here.
- Hours: 12:00 to 10:00 PM every day but Monday. Sunday hours 4-10 PM.
- Contact: Tel: 612-145-0192 Location: No. 115 on Journal del Pacifico Map
- La Casita Tapas & Wine Bar Menu
Michael’s at the Gallery
- Overview: Todos Santos artist and sculptor Michael Cope puts on his chef hat each weekend and what a fantastic treat for the town it is! He specializes in Asian-fusion cuisine, with some recipes coming from the family of his Japanese-American wife Pat. Everything that Michael prepares is indescribably delicious, and he cooks it up with love and flair in the open air kitchen where guests can observe. Dinner is served in the lovely sculpture garden, with numerous firepits around to keep off any chill night air. Michael’s is only open on Fridays and Saturdays and reservations are strongly suggested as the restaurant is very popular with the local community. Michael’s has been open since 2006.
Erick and Michael of Michael’s at the Gallery
- To Die For: Vietnamese Crab Cakes, Seared Tuna with Wasabi/Butter, and Filet Mignon with Shiitake Cream Sauce. And everything else on the menu. Seriously.
- Service: Michael’s wife Pat and his fellow artist Erick Ochoa take excellent care of all the guests, and Michael comes out to greet people and chat as much as his cooking demands allow. It’s a lovely experience.
- Rating: Fantabulous! We include a farewell dinner at Michael’s at the Gallery with many of our Todos Santos Eco Adventures gtrips, and often go there ourselves for meals with friends and family celebrations.
- Hours: Fridays and Saturdays, 6-9 PM. Closed during some months in the summer.
- Contact: Tel: 612-145-0500
- Michael’s at the Gallery Menu
Santo Vino Eclectic Bistro and Wine Bar
- Overview: Santo Vino is Hotel California Executive Chef Dany Lamote’s love letter to Baja. Chef Dany, a Congo-raised Belgian chef who came to Baja via Canada, is a long-time proponent of the slow food movement and prepares truly inspired and delicious Mexican dishes featuring the wonderful produce of Baja. Meals are best enjoyed when you ask him to pair each course with his terrific selection of Baja wines, tequilas and beers. Santo Vino dining is not just a gift to the palate but a feast for the eyes as well, with each dish beautifully presented. Housed in the same building as the Hotel California but in a completely separate space, the atmosphere of Santo Vino is warm and charming. Chef Dany is the author of The Hotel California Tequila Cookbook and also has his own line of flavoured sea salts.
Chef Dany of SantoVino
- To Die For: Avocado Tequila Milkshake, whatever Dany recommends. Menu changes regularly so just chat with Chef Dany about what he suggests during your stay. You won’t be disappointed.
- Service: Very attentive, knowledgeable and helpful.
- Rating: Magnifico! We include a meal at Santo Vino in many of our Todos Santos Eco Adventures trips and go there regularly for meals.
- Hours: 7 days a week, 5-10 PM. Closed June 15-October 31, 2014.
- Contact: Tel: 612-145-0792 Location: No. 63 on Journal del Pacifico Map
- Santo Vino Menu
Tre Galline at Caffe Todos Santos
- Overview: Italian Chef Angelo Dalbon and his wife Magda opened Tre Galline in 2003 and have been serving favorites from the old country to travelers seeking an alternative to Mexican fare ever since. They bought Caffe Todos Santos in 2012 and have now consolidated the two restaurants into the Caffe Todos Santos space, serving the Tre Galline menu at dinner. The place has a wonderful atmosphere with both indoor and garden dining. A nice wine list makes it all the more enjoyable.
- To Die For: Spinach Ravioli with Cheese and Butter Sauce, Mediterranean-Style Fish
- Service: Angelo and Magda make a special point of making every visitor feel welcome and well looked after.
- Rating: Favoloso! We don’t get to Tre Galline as often as we’d like, but thoroughly enjoy it when we do.
- Hours: 12:00 – 10:00 PM daily except Sunday
- Contact: Tel: 612-145-0274 Location: No. 30 on Journal del Pacifico Map
- Tres Galline Menu
Category Two: Wonderful Food in a Beautiful Garden Setting
El Gusto! at Posada La Poza
- Overview: El Gusto! is definitely one of the most elegant dining venues in Todos Santos. The restaurant features floor-to-ceiling windows on three sides, essentially placing diners in the spectacular gardens that the owners created from scratch a decade ago. Beyond the garden you see the beautiful freshwater
lagoon and its attendant bird life, as well as the ocean. Truly lovely. There is also a wonderful roof-top bar overlooking the lagoon that is perfect for a sunset margarita (great margaritas!). Swiss owner Juerg Wiesendanger mans the kitchen with Mexican and German sous chefs, producing a delightful “Swissmex” cuisine that combines the Italian, French and German sensibilities of Swiss cooking, with the ingredients and culinary concepts of Mexico. A very pleasing result for all!
- What Will Make You Happy: Shrimp Al Gusto, Arrachera Steak, Zuri Geschnetzeltes (a pork favorite from the old country)
- Rating: Lovely!
- Hours: 11:30 AM – 9 PM daily. Closed Thursdays. Reservations only.
- Contact: Tel: 612-145-0400 Location: No. 156 on Journal del Pacifico Map
- El Gusto Menu
El Mirador
- Overview: Absolutely spectacular views so always best to plan your visit with time to enjoy the sunset. There is a very limited dinner menu each evening, but the food is generally quite good. There is frequently live music.
- Overview: Absolutely spectacular views so always best to plan your visit with time to enjoy the sunset. There is a very limited dinner menu each evening, but the food is generally quite good. There is frequently live music.
- Hours: Daily 3:00 – 10:00 PM
- Contact: Tel: 612-175-0800
Landi’s Restaurant 
- Overview: Owner/cook Landi Ortega serves up truly delectable home-style Mexican cuisine in the laidback but beautifully elegant restaurant just off the town square. There are lovely views out over the palm oasis and if you time it right you can catch a sunset on the horizon. Landi’s father, Benito Ortega, is a famous local sculptor and some of his wonderful work is on display at the restaurant. Landi’s is a quick walk from the Sky Deck at the Guaycura Hotel, a lovely place to have a drink before or after dinner.
- What Will Make You Happy: Ensalada de Nopales, Cochinita Pibil, Ataxcon, Chicken with Mole
- Service: Friendly and efficient.
- Rating: Delicious! We include a meal at Landi’s in most of our Todos Santos Eco Adventures weeks and often recommend it to our guests.
- Hours: 9 AM – 9 PM daily. Closed Sundays.
- Contact: Tel: 612-176-1275
- Landi’s Menu
Los Adobes
- Overview: Los Adobes serves high Mexican cuisine in a lovely desert garden setting.
Los Adobes Restaurant
- What Will Make You Happy: Chiles en Nogada
- Service: Friendly and efficient.
- Rating: Very nice dining experience.
- Hours: 11 AM – 9 PM daily. Closed Sundays.
- Contact: Tel: 612-145-0203 Location: No. 43 on Journal del Pacifico Map
- Los Adobes Menu
© Copyright Sergio and Bryan Jauregui, Casa Payaso S de RL de CV, 2014
by Bryan Jáuregui | Culture, Food, Travel Industry
by Todos Santos Eco Adventures
You may have noticed a certain remarkable phenomenon that occurs when you take visitors to dine at La Casita Tapas and Wine Bar in Todos Santos: Chef Sergio comes over to greet you; he politely inquires where your guests are from; then, seemingly no matter what place your guests claim as home, Chef Sergio tells them how much he enjoyed his time in their city. And in more cases then not, he’ll tell them about the time he lived in their city, describing neighborhoods, restaurants and, claro, girls he dated. We’ve heard this happen with visitors from all points of the compass in the USA: from Phoenix, AZ to St. Paul, MN; from New York, NY to San Francisco, CA. Never fails! But how could such a thing be? How could a poor boy from Mazatlan have visited – let alone lived in – so many places on and around the American continent? Surely it must be some sort of charming restauranteur’s parlor trick? Some sort of travel magazine savant’s tomfoolery?
Turns out it’s no trick at all. “The boats I worked on got progressively larger. I started off on an 87-footer, then moved to a 95-footer, a 106-footer and finally a 180-foot yacht. That thing had a $40,000 stove. When I finished the contract they gave me a week on St. Martin, a week in Panama, a week in the Dominican Republic and a week in Mexico City. Very nice people.”
And that’s just the last four years before he moved to Todos Santos. Sergio Antonio Rivera Velazquez has been cooking up one side of the Americas, down the other and at points in between for years. And like many a Todos Santeño before him, the drive to ride the waves was behind his choice of careers. “My main goal when I was in high school was to be a doctor. But then I did the entrance exam for medical school, and let’s just say that the results indicated that I was far better suited to traveling and surfing than practicing medicine. And the only industry I had skills in that would let me do that was the restaurant business.”
So in 1990 the 20-year old left his home in Mazatlan and headed to Cabo where he landed a job at the Hotel Cabo San Lucas – the kind of place where guests arrived in their private jets. He’d surf El Tule each morning then go to work each afternoon. Nice joint, but couldn’t stick around long. He returned to Mazatlan where he met an American family from Bend, Oregon. He took them up on their invitation to come visit for a while. A year and many great memories later, they finally decided to drive him back down to Mazatlan – stopping in Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon and many other points of interest along the way. Once back in Mazatlan he promptly met a girl in a restaurant and moved with her to St. Paul, Minnesota where he worked, naturally enough, in an Irish pub. A year and many great memories later, the Bend, Oregon family decided to move to Cabo so Sergio joined them. He surfed in the morning and worked in the evening at a restaurant called the Giggling Marlin. A year and many great memories later he returned to Mazatlan where he met a girl – but stayed in Mazatlan anyway.
The years in New York left Sergio a die hard Yankees fan
Now when Sergio was a kid growing up in Mazatlan his mother ran a small restaurant on the weekends and he had always enjoyed helping around the kitchen and entertaining the customers. So when he returned to Mazatlan in 1996 he’d literally spent a lifetime working in and around restaurants, but he’d never actually learned to cook. He decided that needed to change. He was working in a restaurant called Jungle Juice, and asked the owner/chef to teach him to cook on the job – for no pay. It was an offer the owner couldn’t refuse and Sergio was put in charge of the outdoor barbeque. His skills improved so dramatically that before long an entrepreneur visiting from New York invited him to move to the U.S. to design, build and manage a Mexican restaurant. So at the age of 27 Sergio moved to Suffern, NY and Olé! was born. He ran the kitchen for 6 years and loved the work, but he missed the spirituality of being close to the ocean. So when friends from Santa Cruz, CA invited him out, he bid good-bye to New York and moved to California, where he surfed in the morning and worked in the evening at the Paradise Beach Bar and Grill. Stints in Arizona, Iowa, Mazatlan and New York (again) followed until 2004 when a friend started introducing him to the 1%, many of whom – you won’t be surprised to learn – own remarkable yachts. A four-year career as the private chef on some incredible boats ensued, with Sergio running the kitchen on boats such as the Flying Dutchman, the Adventure More, the Illegal and the Boardwalk, all while exploring ports of call throughout Mexico, the Bahamas, Costa Rica, Panama, Columbia, Aruba, Curacao, the Dominican Republic… a much broader education than medical school could ever have provided!
Sergio and Aury with Baby on the Way
In 2008 Sergio was vacationing in La Paz when he met a woman named Kim Gianotti-Keltto who had a dream of opening a restaurant in Todos Santos. Todos Santos – a surfer’s paradise, a food lover’s haven. In short, heaven for a surfin’ chef like Sergio. Sergio and Kim pooled their resources and on November 23, 2010 La Casita Tapas and Wine Bar opened and began serving up the fabulous food for which it has won a truly devoted following. In fact, almost every Todos Santos Eco Adventures adventure week includes a meal at La Casita. And seemingly no matter where our guests are from, Chef Sergio has spent some time in their town…
When Sergio leased the building for La Casita everyone told him that the place was cursed and that he no doubt would be too. If this is what being cursed looks like then Sergio is ready for more. He bought Kim’s share of the business when she decided to return to the States, so at the age of 42 the peripatetic boy from Mazatlan finds himself the owner of a thriving business, stepfather to a beautiful 4-year old girl, and father to a son to be born in October. “I’m living such a happy life here, and can’t imagine a better place to be. The tranquility, the weather, the spirituality of Todos Santos. I am so thankful to the community of Todos Santos for showing such great support and loyalty to us. It really is heaven here.” Another little slice of magic in our pueblo magico.
© Copyright Sergio and Bryan Jauregui, Casa Payaso S de RL de CV, 2012
by Bryan Jáuregui | Adventure, Culture, Food, Travel Industry
By Todos Santos Eco Adventures
The festival scene is exploding here in Todos Santos! The talented, creative and energetic people of the town have organized a wonderful array of festivals to celebrate the many things that make Todos Santos such a great place to live and visit: food, wine, music, art, ranchero culture and more. Following is a list of festivals currently planned for 2013. For more in-depth coverage of these events, their organizers and other Todos Santos happenings, be sure to check out Wendy Rains’ weekly radio program Todos Santos Today, as well as Janice Kinne’s magazine, Journal del Pacifico.Visitors – time to start planning your 2013 trip to Todos Santos! Locals, if you have updates to the information or know of more festivals being planned, please let us know. We’d love to get the word out!
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Peter Buck & Friends Play the Palapa Society. Photo by Vivian Johnson
Todos Santos Music Festival
- Date: January 10-26, 2013
- Organizers: Peter Buck of REM and the Hotel California (and Todos Santos Eco Adventures is a sponsor!)
- Benefits: The Palapa Society, helping the children of Todos Santos
- Why it’s fun: Peter Buck of REM recruits his famous musician friends to come jam in Todos Santos over three weekends to raise money for an excellent cause. It’s awesome!
- Inception: 2012
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Todos Santos Art Festival / Festival del Arte de Todos Santos
- Date: February 13-17, 2013
- Organizer: Jorge Barajas
- Why it’s fun: It’s a week-long celebration of Mexican culture that typically features live music, dance and theatre performances, painting and drawing exhibitions, lectures on local environmental and social issues, piano and poetry recitals and lots more. Artisans from different parts of Mexico also set up shop next to the church to sell their crafts. Diverse, fun and engaging.
- Inception: 1997
- Special Note: The Todos Santos Open Artist Studio Tour will be held on February 10, just before the art festival. 31 studios participated in 2012 and mediums included oils, pastels, watercolors, mixed media, encaustic, ceramics, sculpture and photography. Proceeds go to the Children’s Art project of the Palapa Society.
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Artist Jill Logan’s painting of Mexican actress Maria Felix
Todos Santos Film Festival / El Festival de Cine de Todos Santos
- Dates: February 20-25, 2013 (Todos Santos) February 26-28 (La Paz)
- Organizer: Sylvia Perel, director of the San Francisco Latino Film Festival and the Latino Festival of Redwood City, California.
- Benefits: Youth in Video program, teaching the children of the Todos Santos area about film making.
- Why it’s fun: This fantastic festival brings together a terrific selection of feature films, documentaries and shorts from across Mexico and Latin America that many folks would otherwise never have the opportunity to see. Many well-known film directors attend to present their films and lead audience discussions. Great event!
- Inception: 2004
Todos Santos Own Sierra Laguna Vintners Zach and Kristianna
- Date: May 4-5, 2013
- Organizers: Perla Garnica and Mac Sutton of La Bodega de Todos Santos
- Benefits: Silent auction to benefit thethe bomberos – the firemen – of Todos Santos
- Why it’s fun: It’s a wonderful celebration of the food and wines of Baja California – and you get to indulge in plenty of both! It’s a great opportunity to get to know local chefs from Todos Santos (and their food) and winemakers from both Todos Santos (yeah, we got that!) and Baja’s Valle de Guadalupe wine-growing region (and their wines). Terrific live music performances throughout the day. It’s fabulous!
- Inception: 2012
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Escaramuza Riders at Todos Santos Horse Festival
Todos Santos Horse Festival / Festival del Caballos de Todos Santos
- Date: May 12, 2013
- Organizers: Arturo Geraldo and Kaia Thomson
- Why it’s fun: It’s an exciting celebration of Baja ranchero culture that starts with a cabalgata, or parade of horsemen, and features the colorful escaramuza female show riders, trick ropers, barrel races, dancing horses and expert horsemanship.
- Inception: 2012
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Festival del Dia de Nuestra Señora del Pilar / Todos Santos Foundation Festival
- Date: October 10-13, 2013. There will be lots of sporting events like baseball, football, chasing a greased pig, climbing a greased pole and bicycling, as well as lots of great food and dancing. The first half of the cabalgata, or parade of horsemen, is October 12, and the second half when they ride into Todos Santos is October 13.
- Why It’s Fun: It’s a celebration of the founding of Todos Santos and our patron saint, Pilar. Lots of music, dancing, regional foods, arts and more. Great time for the whole family.
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Other Festivals
There is also an annual Chili and Strawberry Festival in late March/early April in Pescadero, an annual Baja Reggae Festival at Los Cerritos Beach in April (or so), a Mango Festival in July and there’s even a Shark Festival in November. And that’s just the festivals! Please feel free to contact us to learn more about the many interesting/exciting/engaging events organized in town each year – and to plan your adventures to accompany them. Todos Santos Eco Adventures.
© Copyright Sergio and Bryan Jauregui, Casa Payaso S de RL de CV, 2013
by Bryan Jáuregui | Culture, Food
Would it make you feel any better about vacationing in Mexico if you had a federal agent serving you all your meals? Then come on down to Todos Santos because Café Brown has the solution for you! Owner/Chef Iker Algorri worked as a federal agent for the state of Baja California Sur for 12 years before hanging up his badge and picking up a spatula to turn out some of the best home-cooked Mexican food you can find anywhere.
It was the agent’s instinct for survival that led him to cooking in the first place. “My mother hated to cook, so at our house we had the eternal picnic. Sandwiches, tuna salad, peanut butter. So I started cooking just to have something besides picnic food. The more sandwiches she made the more I applied myself in the kitchen. Seeing how serious I was, she finally relented and hired a cook. But not just any cook. She hired a Tlaxcaltecan woman – someone with absolutely no Spanish blood in her – who really knew how to make the great traditional dishes of Mexico. I learned an incredible amount from her, then later got the confidence to modify and create and really make things my own. It’s this blend of traditional Mexico and experimentation that I love to serve our guests at Café Brown.”
Iker grew up in Mexico City and moved to Baja in 1983 to start a career that took him all over the peninsula. In addition to his 12 years as a federal agent, Iker also worked as a translator for the court (like many Mexico City kids, he was fluent in English by the time he graduated from high school), an official with the Registry of Motor Vehicles, a Mexican ATF agent, and as a Customs officer. He even got a law degree and worked as a lawyer. In short, Iker served as all those people that you love to hate, which makes it all the more amazing that Iker and Café Brown together are two of the most-loved institutions in town.
While Iker’s mother indirectly got him interested in cooking, his father directly got him invested in Café Brown. When visiting Iker in La Paz in 2000, his dad took a side trip to Todos Santos and promptly announced, “Now I know where I’m going to die.” (Todos Santos often has that effect – ask all the residents who now have extended family living here!) Iker finished up 20 years with the government, took early retirement, and opened Café Brown with his dad in 2003. It was one of the first arts-oriented cafes in town, and has always featured live music/great recorded music, works by local artists, drumming circles, Spanish-language movies, lots of dancing and of course, cooking classes and the Cooking Adventures Week with Todos Santos Eco Adventures. That there is fabulous food is a given. Iker’s motto is “Happiness is only real when it’s shared” and sharing happiness is what the Café Brown experience is all about. And of course, it’s all perfectly safe with Federal Agent/Chef Iker running the show!
Chef Iker Algorri with Portrait at Cafe Brown
© Copyright Sergio and Bryan Jauregui, Casa Payaso S de RL de CV, 2011
by Bryan Jáuregui | Culture, Food
by Todos Santos Eco Adventures
Todos Santos has a well-deserved reputation as a food lover’s paradise, with our many fabulous restaurants, cafés and wine bars. But what you may not know is that Todos Santos also has some pretty darn good taco stands. In fact, our official, self-appointed, Mexico City taco snob has reviewed the taco scene in Todos Santos and has pronounced our town’s taquerias to be right up there with the big-city greats. We interviewed 4 taco stands in town to find out about the people behind the tacos and to answer that burning question: what makes a great taco, a great taco?
El Pastorcito
- Best for: tacos al pastor and carne asada
- Hours: 7:00 AM to 1:00 AM daily. Except maybe some days in summer.
The 2 Lucias who run El Pastorcito have been offered significant sums of money to reveal the secrets of their tacos al pastor, but they’re not selling or telling. “We get the pork in from Cabo San Lucas then do all the preparation here. It’s a secret recipe of the owner. But we do use the traditional pineapple on the top and bottom of the meat, or sometimes an onion on the bottom. That’s all we can tell you!” When asked what makes a great taco a great taco, they said it’s all in the preparation of the meat and the salsas. “Salsas must be prepared fresh everyday with fresh ingredients. We buy all local Todos Santos produce for the salsas and it makes a nice difference.” For vegetarians El Pastorcito also serves papas rellenos and quesadillas. Beer, soft drinks and water for sale. El Pastorcito was started 3 years ago by Alejandro Fuerte, a 20-year resident of Todos Santos who moved here from Michoacan.
Taco George’s
- Best for: fish tacos
- Hours: 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM every day but Thursday
Taco George’s
This taco cart on the side of the road is a celebration of Baja California Sur’s great contribution to Mexican cuisine – the fish taco! Started 10 years ago by the original “George” Jorge Ramirez Rodriguez of La Paz, it is now run by George Jr. who moved to Todos Santos 2 years ago to take over management of the stand from his father. He’s done pretty well by the old man – in high season he moves 300 to 400 tacos a day from his cart. George buys his fish from the local fishermen at Punta Lobos and is proud to be serving a Todos Santos-sourced meal. When asked what makes a great taco a great taco he plays his cards close to the chest. ‘Oh, nothing special. That I can tell you about.” Soft drinks available for sale.
Barajas Tacos
- Best for: carnitas con cuero and chicharron
- Hours: 8:00 AM to Midnight, every day but Tuesday
Ruben at Barajas Tacos
Started by La Paz resident Jorge Barajas in 1995, Barajas is a long-time favorite with residents and visitors alike. When asked what makes a great taco, Esmeralda and Ruben – both of whom have worked at Barajas for 11 years – said it all comes down to the people who prepare the pork for the carnitas. As it happened, the new carnita supplier for Barajas was there during our meal (the old supplier went on vacation and never came back) and he explained “It’s all about the correct combination of time and heat, and knowing how to get this right takes years of practice. We cook the meat with onion, garlic and orange – and maybe a few other things too.” Vegetarians in the crowd? Barajas also serves papas rellenos (stuffed potatoes) an assortment of quesadillas, and fish/shrimp tacos. Only soft drinks and water available for drinks, but you can bring your own beer or wine.
El Tacos y Mariscos Sinaloense
- Best for: smoked marlin and shrimp tacos
- Hours: 7:00 AM to 2:00 AM every day except Monday. Tacos during the day and mariscos (seafood) at night.
Jose Luis at El Sinaloense
Looking for a more peaceful environment, Jose Luis Ibarra Grimaldi, his wife Maria and their children moved to Todos Santos from Mazatlan four years ago. But they retain their Sinaloa ties and buy their shrimp and smoked marlin from there (Jose Luis reminds us it’s all the Sea of Cortez!). When asked what makes a great taco a great taco, Jose Luis doesn’t hesitate. “There are really 3 main factors: 1. The product – what you put into it. We only buy the best. 2. Spices and salsas. We take great pride in our salsa bar. 3. Service.” El Sinaloense also serves a variety of meat tacos, papas rellenos and quesadillas. Soft drinks, orchata and water available.
This list is just representative of some of the taco joys you can find in our pueblo magico. Got your own favorite taco joint in Todos Santos? Tell us all about it!
© Copyright Sergio and Bryan Jauregui, Casa Payaso S de RL de CV, 2011
by Bryan Jáuregui | Culture, Food
by Todos Santos Eco Adventures
This piece on Chef Dany is the first in our series The Saints of Todos Santos, which focuses on those residents of Todos Santos (All Saints) who help give the town its most magical, mystical and memorable qualities – and whom you’d be most likely to meet on one of your adventures with us.
Chef Dany Lamote moved to Todos Santos from Canada, where he had been very much involved in the slow food movement, a practitioner of “think global, eat local”. When he was operating the Latin-fusion restaurant Mescalero in Calgary, this philosophy put such eclectic fare as elk burritos and salmon ceviche on the menu. Now that he is living between two oceans here in Todos Santos, Dany’s eat-local focus brings out fabulous seafood dishes, complemented by a wonderful variety of fruit. “Here in Todos Santos we have fresh, tree-ripened star fruit, tree-ripened mangos and lichees, and vine-ripened passion fruit. There simply is no equivalent in Canada. These fresh-off-the-plant fruits are great for making salsas for the fish, and of course we also use them to make drinks, margaritas and desserts.”
Chef Dany at Santo Vino
Dany moved to Todos Santos in 2002 as the Executive Chef of the Hotel California, a job which he still holds. He also has his own restaurant now – Santo Vino – which is dedicated to showcasing food and drink produced in Baja. “Baja’s wine country in Valle de Guadalupe is in full swing now, it is very dynamic. Most of the people making wine in Baja are very small producers, and we showcase a lot of these wines here at Santo Vino.” Having Dany pair Baja wines with his Baja dishes is one of the great joys of a meal at Santo Vino. Dany also features Baja-brewed beer!
In the cooking classes that he runs as part of Todos Santos Eco Adventures’ Cooking Adventures Week in Todos Santos, Dany focuses on sharing what he has learned through almost a decade of deep immersion in Mexican food culture. “When people come to my cooking class in Todos Santos I try to give them the opportunity to work with ingredients they’ve never used before – or maybe never even heard of before. I want them to leave with the satisfaction that they’ve gained a much deeper understanding of the culture than they ever could have gained from eating in restaurants only.”
Dany is a graduate of the CERIA Culinary Institute in Brussels, Belgium. He immigrated to Canada in 1979 where he eventually settled in Calgary. He was a partner in many successful restaurants and an inventive influence in the movement that put Calgary on the international culinary stage during the 1988 Winter Olympics. After moving to Todos Santos in 2002 Dany published the colorful The Hotel California Tequila Cookbook which reflects his love of discovering a beautiful new place to live.
© Copyright Sergio and Bryan Jauregui, Casa Payaso S de RL de CV, 2011
