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Av. Arguello, in downtown Tijuana, is a that seems to be made for tourists. It starts at the corner of Articulo 123 (First Street) and Av. Revolución, and cuts one block diagonally to the southwest, eventually ending at the corner of Calle 2A (Calle Benito Juárez) and Av. Constitución. The block-long street is closed to vehicles, which makes it very attractive to pedestrians, and on a sunny Saturday afternoon, you'll find the street crowded with both locals and tourists. Av. Arguello is a shopper's and diner's paradise, as it's lined with shops and restaurants, and practically every restaurant has waiters on the street, in front of their particular restaurant, menus in hand, luring in tourists with offers too good to refuse.
Photo: The facade of La Fonda, on Av. Arguello. The cook and the waitress are actually standing on the street, but it's very pedestrian-friendly. Mid-afternoon, on Saturday, March 14, 2009, I found myself heading northeast on Av. Arguello, not particularly hungry, but quite thirsty, looking for a place to enjoy an inexpensive beer. In this part of town, dollar beers only can be found with strings attached, and the string is that you must enjoy something to eat with the beer. After passing several restaurants, and ignoring the "Come and get your dollar tacos and dollar beers" line from various waiters, Restaurant La Fonda Del Patio, located on the east side of the street, in the middle of the block, caught my eye, as the restaurant was decorated with colorful balloons, looked very clean and comfortable, and they had a grill set up in front of it, practically on the street, with two cooks grilling tacos. As I lingered to take a closer look, a friendly waiter by the name of Jorge approached me, greeted me in English, and invited me to have a seat. Before taking him up on his offer, I asked him if they had dollar beers, and he enthusiastically replied that they did, if I ordered something to eat along with it. I noticed that business seemed slow, so I decided to up the ante a little, and request dollar Pacifico (my favorite brand of beer) beers if I ordered something to eat... he immediately replied "OK." So I asked for a table on the street, where I could view the passing señoritas, and watch the cooks at work. Jorge handed me a menu, and disappeared inside to bring me a beer.
Photo: Between customers, the waitresses catch on the latest gossip, and the latest happenings on the popular Mexican soap operas. Photo gives a good idea of pedestrian-friendly Av. Arguello, which is closed to vehicular traffic.
Photo: My friendly waiter, Jorge, gives me the thumbs up, as I snap his photo. The waiter to the right of the photo is in the process of enticing a pedestrian to come off the street, and enjoy a delightful meal at the restaurant. Most restaurants, bars and clubs in downtown Tijuana operate on this format. Restaurant La Fonda Del Patio is very typical of the restaurants located along Av. Arguello, as it offers indoor and outdoor dining, is open to the street, and has a bar, Bar Turistico, on the second floor above the restaurant. The menu features a variety of tacos and Mexican combination favorites, and to me, seemed to be slanted toward the tastes of the many tourists who flock to the area. But as I looked around the restaurant, it looked like the diners were locals, and not a word of English was being spoken, so maybe I was on to something... By the time Jorge returned with my beer, I'd decided to order two tacos de chorizo, with everything on them.... and another beer. After taking my order, Jorge returned with another beer, plus a bowl of chips and a bowl of salsa.
Photo: Jennifer serves two customers an order of corn tortillas. Note the huge Margarita that the gentleman is enjoying, and the variety of merchandise sold on the street. La Fonda had quite a grilling operation going on the street in front of the restaurant. The grill was fired by propane, but used mesquite wood for seasoning, and was attended by two cooks, and various waiters. The cooks were busy grilling carne asada, chorizo sausages, jalapeño peppers, green and white onions, and flour tortillas. Corn tortillas were being heated on a griddle to the side of the grill, and various waiters and waitresses stopped by to chop vegetables which were placed on a large table near the grill. It was quite interesting to observe the crew at work, and very pleasant to relax on a beautiful spring day and sip a beer, and watch the world go by, down Av. Arguello.
Photo: Most of the food is cooked on a grill sitting on the street in front of the restaurant. I was able to watch the cooks grilling the chorizo for my tacos, as I sat and enjoyed a cold beer. Various pedestrians stopped by to observe what the cooks were doing, and the cooks appeared to know many of the locals, as folks would stop and chat for a bit. As per the protocol in most Tijuana restaurants, only Jorge waited on me, as I was "his" customer, as he was the person who had dragged me in from the street; waiters in Tijuana get paid by a combination of commission and tips (always tip your server!), not by salary. I noticed that the cooks had a couple of sausages cooking on the grill, and a few corn tortillas cooking on the griddle; I assumed that I was watching my meal being cooked, before my eyes.
Photo: Grilling food on the street, in front of Restaurant La Fonda Del Patio. A couple more beers and a who lot of people watching happened in the next few minutes, and before I knew it, Jorge placed a plate of two tacos in front of me. Since Restaurant La Fonda Del Patio is a sit-down restaurant, the tacos were served on a real plate, but each taco was wrapped in a sheet of butcher paper, similar to the way tacos are presented by street vendors. Each taco featured two corn tortillas, heated on the griddle until pliable, so the taco doesn't fall apart when you pick it up. The chorizo was almost brick-red in color, and perfectly cooked. I ordered my tacos with everything, and my tacos included diced white onions, cooked jalapeño peppers, chopped cilantro, and were topped with creamy guacamole.
Photo: The cook uses tongs to turn a large piece of chorizo sausage, which later became the main filling in my tacos. Note the vegetables being grilled, and the carne asada that is on the grill, next to the chorizo. I wasn't disappointed when I bit into my first taco. True, La Fonda gets much of their business from gringo tourists, and their menu is very "middle of the road," and features mostly entrées that are well-known to Americans, but my tacos de chorizo were delicious, and as pure-Tijuana as a taco gets... Restaurant La Fonda Del Patio should be proud of the tacos they serve. At the price of U.S. $1.00 each, they're a bargain.
Photo: Jorge give me the thumbs up after placing my plate of delicious tacos de chorizo on the table. Restaurant La Fonda Del Patio is an excellent place for watching people, as you sit outside, sipping cold beer and savoring a delicious taco. I spent over an hour at La Fonda, enjoying the sport of people-watching, sipping beers, munching on chips and salsa, and enjoying two delicious tacos. When I was ready leave I asked Jorge for the check, and the price was only U.S. $7.00 for five Pacifico beers, two delicious tacos, along with the chips and salsa. Anyway you look at it, that's a bargain, especially when you factor in the enjoyment of watching the cooks in action, and the fast and friendly service that the restaurant offers. I gave Jorge a 10-spot and told him to keep the change, and both of us departed with smiles on our faces.
Photo: My order of tacos de chorizo were perfectly cooked, garnished perfectly, with fresh garnishes, and simply... delicious! Restaurant La Fonda Del Patio features fun, patio-style dining, great food, fast and friendly service, and the chance to watch a lot of very interesting people. I'll be back for more during my next visit to Tijuana... Bar
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