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    Café La Especial

    4.4 (34 reviews)
    ModerateMexican
    Open 8:00 am - 10:00 pm

    Café La Especial Photos

    CAFÉ LA ESPECIAL ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Good for kids
    Good for groups

    Recommended Reviews - Café La Especial

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    Complimentary chips & salsa
    Anu M.

    When my husband and I came here for dinner on a Sunday we got seated immediately. It wasn't overly crowded, but there were a few patrons. For drinks, we ordered a margarita and a freshly squeezed orange juice. Both were good. We were served complimentary chips & two varieties of salsa. The salsas were good, one was spicy and the other was milder. The chips were way too oily though, didn't like them. For entrees, we ordered #5 (tacos al vapor with beans and guacamole) and #1 (enchilada, Taco and tamale). Both the dishes were just okay. The tacos were too oily. Overall, decent food, but nothing that will make you wanna come back for more.

    What dinner for two cost.
    Estebam F.

    The arracheta special is the way to go. The meat is so juicy and so good. It's only like $9.00.

    Sopes
    G. G.

    This was the anchor restaurant, down the stairs, from the taco take out window on Ave. Revolucion from 1952 to 2009 ( See YouTube, Adios Café La Especial ). It was always one of my favorite restaurants in T.J. and I was very disappointed when they closed. I tried the new location today, owned by the same family, and it is still very good and inexpensive. The Mexican food at the old location was always consistent and good and it tastes as I remember it. Typical Mexican faire, they also serve breakfast and offer full bar.

    Eddy I.

    Best spot to eat in Tijuana. The tacos so vapor are a must try. This spot gives you a high end restaurant experience without breaking your wallet

    Queso Fundido

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    8 months ago

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    2 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Food is delicious and the service is very friendly and attentive. The ambiance is old style Mexico with live music in the afternoons

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    10 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    10 years ago

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    12 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    11 years ago

    !Los mejores tacos dorados en la Zona Gastronómico, ese! ¡Viva la corazón de Tijuana!

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    10 years ago

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    11 years ago

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    10 years ago

    This place has terrific food feel as if your grandmother is in the kitchen cooking again excellent.

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    Café La Especial Reviews in Other Languages

    Review Highlights - Café La Especial

    I still remember the tacos al vapor from those days--they were unforgettable!

    Mentioned in 5 reviews

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    People searched for Mexican 201 times last month within 15 miles of this business.

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    La Espadaña - Budín de Pan

    La Espadaña

    4.4(303 reviews)
    0.3 km
    $

    This is our favorite place to eat in Tijuana. It can get crowded and I don't know if they take…read morereservations. I had someone call from our hotel and we got right in and there was a line outside. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. It is all great. Their breakfast goes from American eggs and bacon with the best potatoes to wonderful burrito type breakfast items. Their menudo is great and they have great Mexican meats as well. Lunch and dinner is about the same. They make Mexican style fish and steak that is just perfect every time. All of their Mexican dishes are just wonderful. You can't go wrong. They even have bottled water--never drink the water there, just don't. They have the best rice and beans. The service is great. They make you feel right at home and even if you don't speak Spanish, most speak English and you will figure it out because they will help you. The prices are fair for what you get. At dinner I consider it fine dining. It is all good and you will be happy. The place is also clean and super comfortable.

    I conducted extensive homework to find a place to have breakfast, in Tijuana. I settled on La…read moreEspadana. It has an old spanish mission look on the outside and walking in, you can immediately recognize that it is an impressive and popular place. The decor here is something to write home about. Beautiful wall fixtures, and well crafted local pottery and other artifacts, all around, everywhere. There is ample seating, that is well spaced out. Perfectly pitched Mexican music permeates the atmosphere. There is attentive staff that is so courteous, and welcoming. I wanted to eat lite, and I wanted to eat Mexican, so I chose the Yucatán Tamales. It comes as one pork and one chicken, both slim, wide rectangles, each baked in a banana leaf. They both had their subtle and distinct flavors. Comes with refried beans. The complementary salsas, the rojo and verde, were fresh and tasty. Service was outstanding. Another memorable restaurant in Tijuana, that needs to be filed into the "excellent" and "must go" folders.

    Photos
    La Espadaña - Interior seating

    Interior seating

    La Espadaña - Steak

    Steak

    La Espadaña - Front entrance

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    Front entrance

    Los Arcos

    Los Arcos

    4.5(298 reviews)
    0.3 kmLa Chapu (Chapultepec)
    $$

    Nice place to grab lunch! Fast we walked in just two of us and got a table right away but don't…read moreexpect that if it's more I think we got lucky. Either way looked fast paced got people in n out so shouldn't be a wait. A bit loud inside with TVs and music playing. The food was pretty good I liked the cooked camarones they had the best and the mescal drink. The churros were nice nothing to crazy on flavor but presentation wise if fun and attention seeking so plus plus if you usually order fajitas and like the eyes on you. The jicama taco is pretty interesting fresh and taste great not a usual thing but good. Our server Gerardo Rodriguez was awesome the whole time he made sure we have everything we need and still check on us the entire visit

    Le doy una estrella porque no puedo dejar menos. Después de…read moreaños de no ir a este restaurante decidimos volver para celebrar el cumpleaños de mi hijo. Todo iba bien hasta que le llevaron una rebanada de pastel y le cantaron las mañanitas, le cantaron la clásica mordida y mi hijo no quería, pues le atascaron el pastel en la cara y el betún y gran parte del pastel se le metió en la nariz, mi hijo estaba muy enojado y la verdad es que se sintió como una humillación, uno sabrá lo que hace en su casa, pero en un lugar público y gente que no te conoce esto es de muy mal gusto y hasta humillante. Pero eso si, el mesero exigiendo la propina, hablé con el gerente y me dijo que tratan de evitar eso, pero la verdad yo no vi que trataran de evitarlo, al contrario, está de sobra decir que no regresaremos.

    Photos
    Los Arcos - The entrance

    The entrance

    Los Arcos - Taco and ceviche

    Taco and ceviche

    Los Arcos - Sangria

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    Sangria

    Restaurante Caesar's - Cesar Salad

    Restaurante Caesar's

    4.5(745 reviews)
    2.8 kmZona Centro
    $$

    The best Caesar Salad you will ever have is here. They invented it. They serve it table side with…read morethe freshest ingredients. If you like a great salad, this is a must for you. The place itself is super pretty and very clean and comfortable. It is not cheap, but it is fairly priced. I put this in the fine dinning category. The service is perfect. Everyone is so very nice. You will be happy here. They have some of the best Italian pastas I have ever had. We love their PENNE A LA ARRABIATA and their FETUCCINNI CARBONARA. You might think you are in Italy. It is just so good. Their fish dishes are also great. We love the RISOTTO DE MARISCOS and their SALMÓN WELLINGTON. You just can't go wrong with anything you order. Their desserts are the bomb. They have a great corn cake and a wonderful chocolate mousse. At least one is a must. Have the best time.

    Caesar's in Tijuana is worth visiting for the history alone, and the atmosphere is fantastic. The…read moreoriginal Caesar salad lives up to its reputation--easily the best part of the meal. The rest was mixed: * Penne Arrabbiata had decent flavor but was a bit dry. * Salmon Meunière was good, though the mashed potatoes were dry. * Pescado Fiorentina was very good and the standout among the mains. The full bar is great, but the wine selection is limited. A memorable stop with some highs and a few misses.

    Photos
    Restaurante Caesar's - Outdoor Seating

    Outdoor Seating

    Restaurante Caesar's - Ensalada Caesar's ($165 pesos)

    Ensalada Caesar's ($165 pesos)

    Restaurante Caesar's - Inside Vibes

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    Inside Vibes

    Café La Especial - mexican - Updated May 2026

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