Muelle Tres

Muelle Tres takes its name from the third pier of the Ensenada fishing port, a few minutes from its door on Boulevard Teniente Azueta, and the connection is literal: the kitchen buys directly from the boats and writes its menu each morning according to what has been landed. It is a small, chef-run restaurant with an open kitchen, a handful of tables and a counter, and it has become one of the most respected seafood addresses in Baja California without ever becoming formal. The daily blackboard is the menu. Fish of the day arrives grilled, roasted or raw depending on the species; scallop and clam tostadas draw on the same Ensenada tradition that produced La Guerrerense a few streets away but are plated with more restraint; and a clam chowder made with local pismo and chocolata clams runs year-round and is the dish regulars order without looking. Aguachiles, ceviches, smoked fish, mussels and shellfish rice appear as the catch allows. Portions are moderate and the cooking is clean, letting the raw material do the work rather than burying it in chilli and lime. The wine list is short and almost entirely from the Valle de Guadalupe half an hour inland, weighted towards the crisp whites and rosados that suit the food, with beer from Baja breweries alongside. The dining room is bright, casual and busy, with hard surfaces that make it moderately loud at peak lunchtime; dress is entirely casual. Most plates fall between 180 and 400 pesos, with whole fish charged by weight. Service runs Wednesday to Monday from midday to 6PM, closed Tuesdays, which reflects the seafood-in-daylight convention of the Pacific coast. Reservations are worth making by telephone for weekend lunch, when the small room fills with visitors down from Tijuana and San Diego; on weekdays walking in is usually straightforward.