CREATE UNFORGETTABLE MEMORIES ON THIS FULL DAY GUIDED EXPLORATION OF TIJUANA'S VIBRANT CULINARY SCENE!
TJ BITES is a curated and guided foodie bucket-list tour of Tijuana's vibrant culinary scene. This full-day tasting tour visits gourmet restaurants, world-famous taco stands, locals-only street carts, a Mexican craft brewery, the birthplace of the iconic Caesar Salad, and Tijuana's famed outdoor produce market. You’ll eat the best tacos and sip amazing craft beers and cocktails. 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!
ONLY $199 - BOOK THIS TASTING TOUR NOW
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TIJUANA BITES TOUR ITINERARY - FRIDAY, JUNE 5TH
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, a succulent pork carnitas torta, 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 to Avenida Revolución
12:30-2:30pm: 2nd Stop: Visit the home of the Caesar Salad (eat Caesar salad; drink a glass of Valle de Guadalupe wine); Visit a Mexican microbrewery (drink: 4-beer taster flight of Mexican craft beer)
2:30-3:00pm: Drive across town to our second stop at "taco alley"
3:00-3:30pm: 3rd 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)
3:30-4:00pm: Drive to a chic gourmet taco joint that boasts Tijuana's only "experimental gourmet taco menu"
4:00-5:00pm: 4th Stop: Visit Tijuana's hippest taco spot (eat gourmet tacos and drink a craft beer, a craft cocktail, or an agua fresca)
5:00-5:30pm: Drive to Tijuana's premier chocolatier
5:30-6:00pm: 5th Stop: Visit Tijuana’s Premier Chocolatier (eat a Mexican-inspired handcrafted mezcal, tequila, or wine-infused chocolate truffle)
6:00-6:30pm: 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
6:30-7:00pm: 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)
PRICE & BOOKING INFO
$199 per person - purchase now below. Space is limited. Inquire for group discount for six or more people. Price is per person. Book early to confirm your participation - our tours are reserved and confirmed on a first-paid basis, and often sell-out well in advance. When scheduling conflicts occur, priority is given to the customer who pays first. This particular culinary tour is designed for meat eaters, and is thus not advised for strict vegetarians or vegans. Our scheduled group tours are not appropriate for bachelor/bachelorette parties - please book a private tasting tour for your wedding celebration group. BTK tours are 100% non-smoking/non-vaping. Tours run rain or shine. Must be 18+ years old to participate - minors will not be allowed to participate. Participation requires valid passport and if applicable, a valid multiple-entry U.S. Visa or U.S. Resident Card. Consult our Payment Terms & Conditions before purchasing.
WHAT'S INCLUDED
Guided foodie tour package includes all food and beverage 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 | All itinerary times above except the start time are approximate, and vendors may be substituted based on their availability | Tour guide gratuity is not included
WHAT WE LOVE ABOUT THIS TOUR
This comprehensive foodie dream tour will introduce you to Tijuana's best bites, extending our shorter Taste of Tijuana Market & Street Food Tour, and kicking it up an epicurean notch with an extra stop at one of Tijuana's highly-rated chic gourmet restaurants, where you'll sit down for a more sophisticated taste of Baja California's modern-Mexican cuisine. Did you know that the world-famous Caesar Salad was invented in Tijuana in 1927 during prohibition in the U.S.? Even if you did know that, you probably didn't know that during World War II, some of the key ingredients for this iconic salad became hard to find, prohibitively expensive, or unavailable, prompting Caesar's competitor, the now-defunct Victor's Restaurant, to create an all-Mexican ingredients version of the salad. On this tour, we'll do a "salad showdown," where both salads are made table-side while you watch, and you'll choose the winner! All of our culinary tours will leave you stuffed, but for this tour, we advise participants to wear their stretchy pants. As you'll be eating and drinking all day long, there's no need to make other dining plans for the day of your tour... So what are your waiting for?
TOUR DEPARTURE LOCATION & ADDITIONAL PICK-UPS
For participants joining this tour from the U.S., you'll meet your culinary guide on the U.S. side of the border at our designated border meeting point in San Ysidro, California (the San Diego to Tijuana border crossing). It's an easy drive to this border meeting point (with paid secure parking nearby), or take public transportation (San Diego Trolley), taxi, or Uber. Additional meeting point in Tijuana available for those staying in Tijuana.
TAKE NOTE BEFORE BOOKING & PAYING
This public group tour will run as scheduled when four or more paid participants are registered for the tour. While most of our tours sell out in advance and will run as scheduled, in the rare case that less than four paid participants register for the tour, we reserve the right to cancel your tour reservation with 72-hours written notice (via email), in which case we will issue a full refund of your tour fees. Every tour participant must be at least 18 years old and carry a valid passport. Everyone in your group must agree to and sign the Baja Test Kitchen Participation Agreement (release of liability) at least three (3) days prior to departure. Please read our FULL Payment Terms & Conditions and Tour Policies before purchasing this tour. Your payment for this tour constitutes your full acceptance of the Terms, Conditions, and Tour Policies found on the Baja Test Kitchen website. Once paid, there are no refunds for this public group tour and rescheduling is subject to the policies and provisions for rescheduling found in our Payment Terms & Conditions. Failure to arrive at the designated meeting point on time will constitute your cancellation without refund, credit, or rescheduling allowance. This tour is not available for bachelor or bachelorette parties; wedding celebration groups must make separate arrangements to reserve a private tour vehicle (additional conditions and costs apply to private tours).
BOOK THIS TASTING TOUR NOW
Before purchasing this tour, see important booking notes above.
CLICK TO JOIN WAITING LIST IF SOLD OUT
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WHAT OUR CUSTOMERS SAY…
TRIP ADVISOR CERTIFICATE OF EXCELLENCE AWARDS IN 2017 , 2018, & 2019!
“BTK knew THE BEST places for tasty food and good brews. Taking care of the parking, ordering, paying and leaving us to simply enjoy the food and the locations we stopped at... knowledgeable about local history, the culinary history of the region, as well as being very friendly, I can’t recommend BTK tours enough!! Even if you think you know the area, they will have places that will blow your mind and their handling of all the unfun parts of travel (transportation, logistics, etc) is well worth the affordable price.”
James and his friends from Southern California called these Tacos de Birria “the best damned taco I’ve ever eaten!” Tijuana is the taco capitol of Mexico, so the only downside of booking this tour of Tijuana’s vibrant street food scene is that we might just ruin you for tacos north of the border!
“It was a marvelous 4-5 hours with a very knowledgeable tour guide about Mexican street food, especially the Baja region. We visited a number of food stands that offered a variety of soft and hard tacos from fish to pork to vegetarian that you wouldn’t easily find in the U.S. It is an easy way to discover Tijuana and enjoy Mexican hospitality!”
Tony’s wife, Monette, enjoying a succulent street taco that’s been prepared “dorado” style, grilled until crispy and charred. Your BTK gastroguide not only knows where to go, but what and how to order when you get there… so that just leaves the eating part to you!
GROUP QUOTE, COUPON OR GIFT CERTIFICATE REDEMPTION, JOIN WAITING LIST IF SOLD OUT, & MORE INFO REQUEST FORM...
Groups of 5 or less, please purchase this tasting tour above. If you have a coupon or gift certificate code, if you are a group of 6+ paying together on a single invoice, if this tour is sold out and you'd like to join the priority waiting list, or for more information about this group tasting tour on June 5th, 2020, please complete and submit the inquiry form below before making your purchase...