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    Rabelo's

    4.3 (19 reviews)
    ModerateSeafood
    Closed 12:00 pm - 10:00 PM

    Rabelo's Photos

    RABELO'S ATMOSPHERE

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

    Recommended Reviews - Rabelo's

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    Reviews With Photos

    Rob P.

    When I read Abel T.'s review that you could get a 4 course meal for under $20, I didn't quite get it. Here I was sitting at Rabelo's because another restaurant's credit card machine was down, and the owner said Rabelo's was his favorite seafood restaurant. But I was staring down a menu that showed one plate being around $15. That's a lot for Tijuana, even for something like octopus! I decided to trust the recommendation and I got my octopus char-grilled, one of many options for how the dish could be prepared. Then the staff just starting bringing things to my table. First, it was the most amazingly fresh chips and salsa, which is pretty normal in Tijuana. Then it was a plate of two giant fried fish sticks. Then it was a soup with some sort of meatball. Then it was a basket of delicious bread. I was filling up quickly, and the one dish I ordered hadn't yet arrived. Finally my char-grilled octopus arrived and it was a very generous portion along with rice and veggies. There was seriously so much food on my table I couldn't even come close to finishing it. I got a large box to take my leftover octopus with me, which I enjoyed later that night. And of course, they brought me some sort of rice milk dessert. Oh man, I was stuffed. Yes, a 4 or 5 course meal for under $20. Good service, free wifi, what more can you ask for?

    Breaded shrimp
    Estebam F.

    This place is hidden. It is very close to one of Tijuana's popular restaurant. With you're a meal. They provide you with a soup that is very tasty. They then give you a couple of fried fish. These fried fish are also delicious. I was in the mood for fried shrimp, so I ordered the fried fish. I was not disappointed. The fried shrimp was fresh and so tasty.

    Tomato-ee/watery bisque soup with 2 Crab Cakes. Squeeze half a lime in there for a whole new, tangy flavor dimension. Sop up with that bread
    Blythe D.

    * * * * Hidden Gem * * * * What a surprise! This tiny little place is overshadowed between Mr. Pampas and The Fairfield Inn by Marriott in Tijuana. The only reason we found it, was by word of mouth. It is tucked into the corner of the "strip mall" beside Mr. Pampas. Definitely go with an appetite, because they give you a few foods before they bring out your main course. The homemade chips are not the best I've ever had, but seriously crunchy. Dipped in the seriously flavorful Pico de Gallo, made me not care that the chips, themselves, weren't very flavorful. ...love that CRUNCH, though... Soon, they brought 4 large fishsticks for the 3 of us. These weren't the minced pieces of cardboard we get from the grocery store. Actual chunks of tender, white fish, cooked in a crunchy batter. Mouth-watering yumminess when dipped into the tartar sauce or red sauce. Then, they brought a cup of soup for each of us. We squirted half a tiny lime into the thin- tomato-based broth. (Reminded me of a watery Bisque). What a different dimension of flavor that created for the two crab-cakes floating in the soup. Ahhhhhh-maz-ing flavor! When the crab cakes were gone, we used the perfectly baked crunchy-outside, soft-inside bread to sop up the last drops of soup. Finally, we each got our main courses. Each was very yummy, and very fresh seafood. At the end of the meal, they brought us a gratis cup of sweet liquid. He told us it was ice cream, milk, a little bit of Kahlua, and cinnamon sprinkled on top. ....heavenly.... Before tip, the cost for 3 of us to be completely stuffed with good quality, tasty seafood, was $42.53.

    Shrimp & octopus tacos. Sooo good!
    Jack H.

    A gem hidden in around the corner. Very friendly staff and the seafood - even better. So reasonably priced and very healthy portions! You'll be glad you visited this one!

    Thats the shrimp entree. Had to ask for ref sauce on the side to add some flavor to the dish. SMH
    Sujeesha V.

    Two stars I've given equals five stars for service. Very attentive and quick turnaround. But... Food for a fine dinning restaurant like this was lower than sub-par. They serve complimentary fish sticks which has more dough than fish. I ordered shrimp entree and all i got was boiled shrimp with cucumber, Seriously?? Shrimp cevice with mango salsa was the only item I liked out of all the things we ate there. Never going back, won't recommend!

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    Rabelo's Reviews in Other Languages

    Review Highlights - Rabelo's

    When I read Abel T.'s review that you could get a 4 course meal for under $20, I didn't quite get it.

    Mentioned in 2 reviews

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    Villa Marina - Marinated Grilled Octopus

    Villa Marina

    (154 reviews)

    $$

    Zona Río

    We stopped at here last minute. We were pleasantly surprised. The seafood is actually excellent…read more Presentation was also excellent. The tuna tartar was yummy! The grilled lobster was delicioso. Luis our server--and all the employees were pleasant and informative. We will definitely come back. *** Note this restaurant serves A LOT of octopus. It can be very hard if you are an octopus lover like me. Be warned & tell your server up front NO octopus on anything please. They are very accommodating.

    My friend @cheftiffanythomas scrolled through a plethora of seafood restaurants here in Tijuana and…read morelanded on this wonderful gem. What sold us was the photo of the Octopus SARTENEADO, & yes it was tasty, soft, & slow cooked in a well seasoned bath of butter. The rice has a hint of saffron, and the vegetables were nicely roasted. The table salsa is excellent and the complementary chips are doused in a bright red savory chili powder. We also ordered the trio of aguachiles, prepared with 3 different chiles; one green, one red, & lastly a dark blackened chili. Our favorite was the black aguachiles. They have plenty of mixed drinks & beer to offer, we had the hibiscus drink with mezcal. Everything is a 5 out of 5, including customer service. Heads up it's a very busy restaurant and parking is valet only. If you happen to have children with you they also have a separate play area for the kiddos; which is great if you happen to have an energetic toddler that needs a temporary distraction. The ambiance overall is very nice. I did notice it's somewhat casual to formal dinning, and very well staffed. It''s a great restaurant & I highly reccomend it.

    Rabelo's - seafood - Updated May 2026

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