Ortega's Puerto Nuevo

Ortega's is one of the founding family restaurants of Puerto Nuevo, the small lobster village at Kilometre 44 of the old coast highway between Rosarito and Ensenada in Baja California. The village exists because of a single dish. In the middle of the twentieth century fishermen's wives began splitting spiny lobster lengthways, frying it in lard, and serving it with refried beans, Spanish rice, salsa and a stack of hot flour tortillas; the formula proved so popular with Californian visitors driving south that a handful of houses turned into a grid of some thirty restaurants, several of them run by branches of the Ortega family. The plate has barely changed. Langosta estilo Puerto Nuevo arrives split, fried and still in its shell, with the accompaniments brought in bowls to share, and diners are expected to build tortillas at the table. Lobster is priced by size, generally running from around 500 pesos for a small one to well over 900 pesos for a large, and the season for local spiny lobster runs roughly from October to March, outside which the kitchen relies on frozen or imported stock. Beyond lobster the menu covers shrimp diablo in a red chilli sauce, fish tacos, ceviche, grilled catch of the day and a long list of margaritas. The dining rooms are large, brightly lit and family-oriented, with ocean views from the upper floors, mariachi or trio musicians circulating at busy times, and a noise level that rises steadily through a weekend afternoon. Dress is entirely casual and most guests are day visitors from San Diego and Tijuana. Reservations are not usually taken and are rarely needed, though weekend afternoons between 1PM and 4PM see the whole village fill and waits of twenty minutes or more. Service runs daily from 11AM to 9PM. Card payment is generally accepted, dollars are widely taken, and parking is on the village streets a short walk from the door.