Restaurant Mr. Tequila, located in Plaza Viva Tijuana, in Tijuana, Mexico...

The San Ysidro-Tijuana border crossing is the world's busiest border crossing, logging over 60 million crossings each year, and many of those folks crossing the border walk across, to save the hassle of returning back to the U.S. via car, which I refuse to do, as its that bad! (I return to the U.S. at Tecate or Mexicali...) After you cross into Mexico, to through the first turnstile and walk past customs and the Tijuana Chamber of Commerce booth, most folks turn to the right, walk the 100 yards, go through the second turnstile, and emerge on to the street, and you find that you're really IN MEXICO at Av. De La Amistad, to be greeted by a sea of yellow taxis, street food vendors, and a very prominent farmacia. As much as I enjoy Tijuana street food, I haven't taken to opportunity to sample any of the vendors along Amistad, as the timing just hasn't worked out. Anyway, if you're the typical tourist, you're headed for downtown Tijuana, so watch out as you cross Av. De Las Amistad, for the sometimes relentless traffic, take a left, and after you pass McDonald's restaurant, take another right. You're entering Plaza ¡Viva Tijuana!, which is filled with small shops, selling everything you can imagine, and you're on your way to the tourist Mecca of Ave. Revolución, but if you're hungry or thirsty, you will want to make a stop at Mr. Tequila, as they feature delicious cheap eats, and $.99 Victoria beer. ¡De Verdad!

Photo: Restaurant Mr. Tequila mostly caters to gringos, and it's a convienient watering hole between the border and downtown Tijuana. My waiter, Paco, is wearing the cowboy hat, and stands in the right-center of the photo.

Mr. Tequila is the first restaurant that you'll encounter, after passing McDonald's (who would ever want to eat at McDonald's while visiting Tijuana?) and as the plaza opens up, the restaurant will be on your right. As you stroll toward your destination of downtown Tijuana, you'll be greeted, or dare I say... hustled? ... by the "friendly" staff of Mr. Tequila, telling you about their delicious tacos, their wonderful tequila, and the $.99 beer. At this juncture, they don't tell you that the only beer that's priced at $.99 is Victoria... hoping that you'll order another brand, which costs dollars more, and at that time will sheepishly inform you that the only dollar beer is Victoria. More on the hustlers later in the article...

I had the pleasure to be greeted by friendly Paco, who speaks perfect English, as do all of the staff at Mr. Tequila, as their business caters to gringos, pure and simple. During the many trips that I've taken to Tijuana, I've never seen a local patronize this restaurant, but that's actually not an issue, as the restaurant serves surprisingly delicious, authentic food. At the time of my visit, it was about 3 O'Clock in the afternoon of Friday, January 18, 2007, and I hadn't eaten since I'd left the airport in Sacramento, about 6 hours previous, so I was in the mood for a beer or two, so I ordered a Victoria. Naturally Paco attempted to upgrade me to a Corona or a Pacifico, but I stuck to my guns and ordered a $.99 Victoria, as I always like to patronize a loss-leader. Kids, I didn't just fall of the turnip truck!

Photo: Paco and another of his companions stand ready to "greet" potential customers, and show them the gateway to $.99 beer heaven, as they troll the Plaza ¡Viva Tijuana!, on the way towards downtown Tijuana.

It appears that the wait staff at Mr. Tequila are paid on commission, and how many customers they can entice into the restaurant. If the waiters are not catering to the needs of their customers, they are out on the plaza and doing everything possible to invite you to the restaurant. Once you have been snared by "your waiter," you are the property of your waiter, as if you ask another waiter a question, he will ask you, "Who seated you?" and if you don't know the guy's name, he'll ask you for a description, and then he'll summon your waiter, from the bar, the kitchen, the plaza, or wherever his happens to me. At times you may feel like you're being hustled, but the service is outstanding.

Photo: My order of a fish taco is placed on my table, next to a couple of Victoria's that I'm working on.

Mr. Tequila features lots of outdoor seating, with many tables protected from the sun, under a very spacious canvas canopy. The inside of the restaurant, so to speak, features little more than a full-service bar, a few tables, the kitchen, and the restrooms. Oh yes, in the custom of Mexico, restrooms are free to paying customers, but forbidden for the use of outsiders, so even if all you order is a $.99 Victoria beer, use the restroom! Since Tijuana enjoys a generally dry, Mediterranean climate, about 98% of the patrons dine on the spacious patio, at the front of the restaurant, which enjoys a gorgeous view of Plaza ¡Viva Tijuana! and if you're a people watcher, this is a wonderful place to relax, enjoy cheap beers, and enjoy the view.

Well, I decided to do the deed, and order a fish taco, for the price of $1.50, in U.S. dollars, which is priced at about 50% more than you'd enjoy at a street taco stand, in Tijuana's famous Zona Norte, a mile or so to the west of me. But, I was hungry, as I hadn't eaten anything since I'd chocked down the dreadful, and overpriced fare that I'd endured at the Sacramento International Airport for breakfast, so I took a chance, and ordered a fish taco, and another $.99 Victoria beer to help the taco go down the hatch. "My" friendly waiter Paco was only too happy to take my order, and suggest that I have a shot of tequila with it; I was tempted, but I know they charge $4.00 for a shot that arrives in a glass that magnifies the amount, and makes it look HUGE, well, it's only a little over a standard shot of tequila. So I passed on his "generous" offer and ordered another Victoria beer, and a fish taco.

Photo: Paco graciously agreed to smap my photo; I gave him dollar tip for his efforts. Hey mom! I'm really in Tijuana, enjoying a few beers and a fish taco!

Well, by golly, I have to admit, Mr. Tequila makes a pretty good fish taco, and if you'd close your eyes and ignore your fellow gringo diners, you'd swear that you were under a palapa in beautiful Bahia de Los Angeles, enjoying a delicious fish taco, until you notice the shredded lettuce that is contained in your taco. Shredded lettuce in a taco is quite rare in Baja California, but you will find it placed on tacos in Tijuana, especially taco joints, like Mr. Tequila, who cater to gringos, who are used to enjoying lettuce placed on their bell-style tacos. All in all, Mr. Tequila produces a decent fish taco, sort of a commercial variety taco, aimed at gringo tastes, yet is very acceptable to the palates of the locals... If you factor in a couple of the cheap Victoria beers, which in a candid moment, my friendly waiter Paco admitted that the beers are a loss-leader at the restaurant, Mr. Tequila is a pretty good place to stop and enjoy a beer, or many more, and a taco, on your way to your shopping nirvana in downtown Tijuana.

Paco was gracious enough to snap my photo. For the price of admission, it was a mere $3.50 for the fish tacos and the Victoria beer, but I tipped Paco $1.00 for taking my photo, to bring the total price to $4.50, for an hour of guzzling beer, people watching, and enjoying a delicious fish tacos, albeit, among the company of gringos.

Photo: Considering the fact that Mr. Tequila caters primarily to the tastes of gringo tourists, this fish taco was very authentic and delicious.

As a hilarious aside, after I finished my meal, I decided to venture into the restaurant, and take a couple of cover shots of the kitchen, the bar, and the staff in action. I walked in and placed my camera to my face, and the bartender placed a towel over his face and announced that he didn't want his photograph taken. Ok, cool, as I can respect their wishes... so I took a couple of photos inside as the guy held a towel up to cover his face. At this point in time, a short, stocky fellow approached me and announced that he was the manager of the restaurant, and that it was against the custom in Mexico to take photos inside the restaurant, and he implied that I was breaking some sort of law. When you're a fee lance photographer, you have to prepare for this kind of stuff, as occasionally you will meet resistance when you take photos; I told this dude what I was doing, in that I was taking photographs for an article on the Internet, and ultimately, an article for the book that I plan to write about Tijuana food. I mentioned that this is actually a good deal for him, as it will result in lots of free publicity, due to the many folks who visit this web site, and purchase the book that I may write some day. I've been doing this sort of stuff for many years, and I knew this guy was jving me b.s. about the desecration of Mexican culture...

His tone moderated somewhat, and he asked to see my drivers license, which I promptly showed him. Again, he mumbled that I was violating Mexican culture by taking photos, but I mentioned that I had paid for my beers, and my fish taco, and as a customer, I had the right to take photos. Then he started to whine about the fact that the Victoria beers are a "loss leader," and the fact that they actually loose money on each of them. I let him whine on until about his losses, and how the recent bad publicity had hurt business, until suddenly he asked me how old I am. "55," I replied, as he looked at my drivers license. "52" he said. What? He replied, "Well, you were born in 1952, so that makes you 52 years old!" Ok with me, as he gave me back my drivers license with a smile.

Photo: The dreaded kitchen and bar photo, with the bashful waiter in the center who didn't want his photo taken. The guy in the extreme left of the photo is the manager, and he's the guy that gave me the third-degree for taking this very innocent photo.

OK, I got my photos, and I got enough information about the place to publish an article on this web site, and someday, my book. Mr Tequila certainly serves a credible fish taco, and you can't beat the price of the Victoria beer, and they are conveniently located halfway between the border and Av. Revolucion, or the honky tonks of the Zona Norte. To this day, I still wonder if the guy that questioned me about photos is actually real, or if he was just having a bad hair day, or didn't get laid the night before.

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