Telefonica Gastro Park

Telefonica Gastro Park opened on Boulevard Agua Caliente in Colonia Aviacion in 2013 and is generally credited with changing how Tijuana eats out. The format was new to Mexico at the time: a gravel lot filled with converted trucks, shipping containers and permanent stalls, ringed by communal picnic tables under strings of lights, with a central bar pouring craft beer. Rather than a food court of concessions, it was assembled as a launch pad for young cooks who could not afford a restaurant, and several of the kitchens that started here have gone on to open their own dining rooms across Baja California. Around a dozen kitchens operate at any time and the roster changes, but the constants are strong: charred octopus tostadas, birria ramen that crosses Tijuana's Japanese and Jalisciense influences, wood-fired pizza from a permanent oven, Baja fish tacos, smoked meats, arepas and dessert stalls. The on-site brewery and bar carry more than thirty taps drawn from Tijuana, Mexicali and Ensenada breweries, along with valley wine by the glass and micheladas. Nothing is formal. Diners order at each window, pay separately at each kitchen, and carry trays back to shared tables where strangers sit alongside each other; the noise is high, the crowd is young and local, and children and dogs are both common. Most dishes fall between 90 and 250 pesos, which makes an ambitious multi-kitchen meal cheap by the standards of the city's restaurant scene. No reservations are taken and none are needed, though tables fill from around 7PM on Friday and Saturday and the park is closed Monday and Tuesday. Cards are accepted at most windows but cash speeds things up. The site is a short taxi ride from the Zona Rio hotels and from the Agua Caliente racetrack, and it is the single most efficient way for a visitor to sample the breadth of the city's contemporary cooking in one sitting.