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    El Encino

    4.1 (42 reviews)
    Open 7:30 am - 10:00 pm

    El Encino Photos

    EL ENCINO ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Classy
    Quiet
    Good for groups
    Good for kids

    Recommended Reviews - El Encino

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    Reviews With Photos

    Cafecito
    Yezy M.

    Quick visit to Puerto nuevo Found this place for breakfast Great and visible location Such a beuty of decor - every thing about this decor had a great touch Food have to be honest... just o.k. Chilaquiles sauce was canned for sure Chicharrón was ham! Maybe I will stop next time for a drink

    Dinner salad
    Sergio A.

    This place is consistently good. Good service, good bar and good food. The menu is very diverse and the number of different dishes I have tried proves the quality is in the kitchen. The latest meal was the dinner salad, garlic mushroom appetizer and shrimp costa azul. Huge flavor in each course. Try it yourself, and find out how special it is.

    Top to bottom: avena, French toast, fruit plate.
    Sharry S.

    The staff is very attentive, they really focus on the clients. When I walked in they immediately stopped their conversation and led me to a table. Also, the food is very good and tastes homemade.

    Chilaquiles sensillos
    Patty G.

    Delicious! Affordable prices and great ambience. Reminds me of a old western saloon with the classic country music.

    Diana B.

    Loved the food and ambience ! Party of 8. And everyone in my party was happy and pleased with their food . I got the ribeye with butter mushroom . Next time I'll keep it on the side as the steak was super juice I didn't need more . Small place Camaron a la diabla diabla.. bomb! I will definitely come back to rosarito just to eat here !!! Also! Every in expensive !

    Sofia A.

    Friday, early evening, not too many people so we got seated right away. Server was really friendly and polite. Chips and salsa came out right away. Drink order and food order was quick. Food came quickly. Food was good. We would come back.

    Kieran Q.

    This is a great place to eat dinner. The food is very different and delicious. Their beef ranchero plate is excellent and plentiful. I really liked their fresh guacamole. My wife had their milanesa and it was wonderful too. The servers are attentive and did a great job of serving us. If you are looking for a break from the norm then this is the place. While the food is the normal suspects their preparation methods and recipes are not.

    Nice look on this restaurant!!!
    Brian B.

    The best breakfast in route to Ensenada the food is amazing and please try the orange juice is the best also the services is amazing

    Cute decor.
    Elizabeth B.

    The restaurant had cool decor pieces. I had ribeye that looked more like milanesa, the biggest disappointment. Beans, rice, eggs, and drinks were good. The tortillas were fresh and tasty. Great location. Service was meh.

    Don't underestimate this place. It's easy to over look it. BUT, the food was fresh and delicious. The service was on point, polite and fast. The decor was Ranchero style and warm. The cowboy steak was flavorful, tender and cooked to perfection. The chicken enchiladas suizas were delicious and authentic. We recently ate at Tapanco just down the street, and enjoyed the food here at El Encino over Tapanco.

    Cranberry or Basil dressing
    Denny B.

    Stop the presses. Wake up your neighbors. Declare a holiday. The best steakhouse in the Rosarito Beach area has been found. Wildly better than El Nido (yuck), hugely better than Restaurant Angus Beef (yuck and gag), significantly better than La Estancia (cough) and decidedly better than the previous holder of the WSF (world steak federation) and ISF (international steak federation) diamond-studded belts - Tapanco. Hail Hail, the new king of the steak places in Baja - El Encino. I will explain. The location is between two favorite establishments just 3 miles south of downtown Rosaito - Gentlemen's Clubs - Bada Bing and Foxy's. With this place nestled (wedged) between those two strip bars (Gentlemen's clubs) gives new meaning to location, location, location. You may need a little time for the significance of that statement to form the correct mental image. Beautiful interior with a grand bar. All done in dark oak and comfortable seats. Lots of space between tables and walking areas. Impeccable wait staff. They serve breakfast thru dinner. We had dinner. Upon entering on a TUESDAY night, there was a trio of acoustic guitar players in the corner near the bar quietly singing romantic songs of Mexico and the US. The menu had some startling appetizers (which we will do next time), typical "Mexican" combination plates (for the sappy Gringos), a massive list of shrimp items, a big list of meats to include pork, beef, chicken, tongue and lamb, fresh local fish and some really cool desserts. In a simple thought, El Encino has it covered regardless of what you want (vegans can eat the plants in the parking lot). To help you choose, what to eat, the staff brings a huge platter to your table where the steaks, fish and other meats are presented along with an explanation of how they are prepared. Such class. We chose the Camarones Costa Azul (deep fried, huge shrimp filled with blue cheese and wrapped in bacon) and boneless Rib Eye steak (see photos) . Surprisingly, the meal started with a flavorful tortilla soup. A bright fresh salad (see photo) followed with our choice of dressings - cranberry or basil (see photo). How is that for classy and different???? Grilled fresh vegetables, including asparagus, was on the plates along with a baked potato. The shrimp had a bed of Mexican rice as well with avocado garnish. Woo-hoo. The steak was an absolute killer of a cut - flavorful and incredibly tender. The shrimp were to die for (with cheese and bacon it was a challenge for the Lipitor to keep up). HERE COMES THE MOST AMAZING PART OF THIS REVIEW.......Drum Roll.....two spectacularly prepared quality, three course meals and four soft drinks with TAX AND 15% TIP COST $40. Pick yourself up off the floor and read it again. $40 for two superb meals with tax AND 15% tip. Check the photos again. Where else can you find this? El Nido, Restaurant Angus Beef, La Estancia, and Tapanco you have just officially had your ass stomped by El Encino.

    Entrance
    Sheree L.

    Wonderful food, great ambiance and service. We went here for breakfast on a Saturday morning. There was plenty of seating and the wait staff was friendly and quick to serve. My husband had the machaca beef and said it was wonderful. I had the divorced eggs with an enchilada. Wonderful sauces on both. We also had a side of chilaquiles...oh so good! I highly recommend this place.

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    5 years ago

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    1 year ago

    Think "Texas meets MX." Country music and authentic Mexican food. On Sunday morning, it was enjoyable. Not too loud.

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Es un restaurante excelente la atención la comida muy buena todo me gustó lo recomiendo mucho

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    9 years ago

    Food and service was amazing!! Will most definitely come back every time were in Rosarito!!!

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    7 years ago

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    7 years ago

    You won't regret coming here. An eclectic menu for everyone even with veggie options. I ordered the shrimp & fish kabobs & they were the !

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    El Encino Reviews in Other Languages

    Review Highlights - El Encino

    I had ribeye that looked more like milanesa, the biggest disappointment.

    Mentioned in 2 reviews

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    Restaurante Mama Mia - Shrimp pasta with the beautiful tomato on top

    Restaurante Mama Mia

    4.4(20 reviews)
    2.4 km

    This restaurant is located in the La Paloma tennis resort and condominiums that were staying at…read more The service was amazing. Our server name was Israel. He sang karaoke with us and treated us great the food was good but unfortunately I did not take a picture of my shrimp Diablo, but it was really good but extremely spicy. My wife had the steak and baked potatoes as you can see in the picture the baked potatoes are different from what we're used to in America but it was pretty good all in all this restaurant is good and convenient, especially if you're staying at the La Paloma the server Israel has great energy and he also recommended a cab service and places to go shopping and eat for our trip for that were thankful and we really enjoyed this place. It's just a small little restaurant on the property, but the food is great. Cooks are good. Service is great.

    We are staying in La Paloma and got in kind of late last night. We didn't want to go far so we ate…read moreat this little restaurant near our hotel room. The service was excellent, I feel like they treated us quite special and it felt like a hometown spot where our friends work. The food was really good! We had the shrimp cocktail, which ended up being shrimp, ceviche, sliced avocados on top chips and crackers, and it was citrusy, very lightly spiced (my partner is a slice wimp!), and super fresh. We Paired that with the shrimp pasta, and that was surprisingly delicious as well. The pasta was cooked a bit al dente, which is how we like it, lots of shrimp, with a really nice marinara sauce. The marinara sauce would not heavy, so it complemented the shrimp in the pasta really well. For Beverages, Daniel made me a special margarita. I don't do tequila very well, so he made a strawberry margarita, light on the tequila, heavy on the grand mariner. It had a little Tajin on the rim, a sliced orange and it was refreshing and delicious. The prices are hotel expensive though. So we ended up spending $50. I do remember Mexico being a place where you can get inexpensive food, but I guess not here. I mean, we got one appetizer one meal and two beverages. But we would come here again, because we had a great time!

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    Restaurante Mama Mia - Menu

    Menu

    Restaurante Mama Mia - Menu

    Menu

    Restaurante Mama Mia - Yummy margarita

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    Yummy margarita

    Restaurante El Nido - Machaca with eggs and nopales,   Potatoes and refried beans with chorizo

    Restaurante El Nido

    3.5(466 reviews)
    3.8 km
    $$$

    About twice a year we go to Mexico and we always make sure to stop by El Nido because it is just…read morethe best! Friendly stuff, great food and a beautiful atmosphere. I always get the mushrooms with a side of tortillas and just make my own little mushroom burrito. Do it as an appetizer, you won't regret it. My only tip is that if you are in a large group to get separate bills and request it from the beginning. Every time we're in a group, it never comes out right with the split - everyone is charged more.

    I've been coming to El Nido since I was 5 years old, that is over 30 years ago so writing this…read morehonestly hurts. We went for Mother's Day and it was beyond the worst restaurant experience I've ever had. Our server Blanco was fine and did his best, but the food was absolutely terrible. Dry meat, dry and flavorless chicken, thick chewy machaca, and a salmon that was supposed to be grilled came out drowning in grease. Even the dishes looked dirty. We spoke to the manager Oscar, hoping something would be done, but he was completely dismissive. Just the typical apology and nothing else. This place used to mean something to our family and we even had a close relationship with the owners, but ever since the previous manager passed away, this restaurant has turned into a tourist trap. The quality has completely fallen apart while the prices keep going up. Extremely expensive for mediocre food and poor management. There are so many better places to spend your money now. Sadly, El Nido is not what it used to be, and after this experience we will never return or recommend it to friends or visitors again

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    Restaurante El Nido
    Restaurante El Nido - Salad

    Salad

    Restaurante El Nido - Salmón

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    Salmón

    El Encino - steak - Updated May 2026

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