The vibe, the action, the grit, the fun, the tacos. Follow along as Sherry Spitsnaugle, the latest writer to join the RealFoodTraveler.com team, takes us on a tasty journey, day tripping in Tijuana.

The view from a brewery bar onto Avenida Revolucion, the main thoroughfare in Tijuana.

Day Tripping in Tijuana: TJ outing offers a taste of taco bliss

Cars whiz past a few feet from our crowded, noisy sidewalk table and the smell of exhaust mingles with the aroma of fresh tortillas as I tuck into a pork taco smothered in cilantro and guacamole. I am in the heart of Tijuana, Mexico, on a six-hour food/beer/crafts excursion with a group of six others. A smidgen of juicy salsa goodness dribbles down my hand as I savor each messy, glorious bite, and think to myself: we have discovered the holy grail of street tacos.

It’s the final stop on a daytrip with Club Tengo Hambre, and the jam-packed Tacos El Franc is exactly my type of place: locals line up in front of a bustling kitchen; customers happily sit or stand wherever they can find a place and servers deliver plates of steaming-hot, spicy-hot tacos.

The day began at 11:30am at the San Ysidro/Tijuana Metropolitan Trolley stop where I met my guide and group, just a 15-minute Uber from my hotel in the San Diego Gaslamp Quarter.

Several of my friends and family were not as thrilled with the idea of visiting TJ–as the locals call the border town—as I was.

“But, you can get the same food in San Diego,” one friend said. “Why would you want to go to the trouble? Is it safe?”

For me, the language, culture, chaos, and yes, the fiery tacos, are what make the experience. One friend—who did approve—expressed it like this: “If I could go to Bangkok 15 minutes from where I live in Denver to eat Thai food, wouldn’t I?”

Our guide, Violeta, a bubbly, 30-something who works full-time as an architect in TJ and leads trips on the side, greets me like we’ve known each other for years. There are two women from Texas, a newly married couple from northern California, two gal pals from the Los Angeles area, and me, the only solo traveler.

The group, getting to know each other and digging into tacos at Tacos El Franc.

Getting into Mexico is easy. We show our passports and walk across the border where we meet our driver, Javier, and hop into a white van. First order of business: Violeta pulls out a bottle of mezcal and small cups to pass around, adding a word of advice, “This is probably best to sip rather than shoot.”

Patricia and Charlsie, the women from Texas who have been besties since college 20 years ago, lead the toast as Charlsie takes a gulp of the smoky liquid. Patricia wisecracks, “Hey, everyone, Charlsie can drink like she’s still in college!”

Javier maneuvers the chaos of TJ streets with the ease that only a local can, and pulls over at a street food stand where we hop out for our first taste of Mexico. Violeta gives air kisses to the staff at El Tecolote and seems to know everyone. We stand while we dive into cachanilla tacos made with ribeye, cheese and chiles, topped with sour cream. The spicy creation and the unfussy setting, brimming with the sights and sounds of Mexico, are exactly what I came for.

Day Tripping in Tijuana: “Exactly what I came for.”

Our next stop, Mercado Hidalgo, is typical of what you would expect for a busy Saturday market. Mariachis croon as we maneuver our way through the densely packed stalls of T-shirts, hot sauce, spices, piñatas and shoppers. We walk a short way to El Conchal, an outside food stand, where servers smile as they deliver crispy tostados, piled high with shrimp, snail and octopus ceviche. I’m not in love with the slightly rubbery texture of the octopus, but still, I devour every bite.

Seafood tacos with shrimp, snail and octopus ceviche at El Conchal.

The atmosphere at our table, complete with seven choices of hot sauce, is casual and comfortable. I feel like I’m with like-minded travelers, and by now, we know one another’s professions, hometowns and bucket lists.

By the time we are sampling cervesa at Border Psycho, we are planning a reunion. “We can all meet here and rent a VW van,” says Violeta, holding up her glass to toast.

“Hey, Javier can be our driver again!” someone else chimes in. We clink our glasses to salute the idea, and one of the women from LA starts searching on her phone for hotels, since the grand scheme now includes an overnight and, no surprise, wine-tasting.

Javier delivers us to Ceverceria Transpeninsular, where we sit on the balcony, under the shade of an umbrella, overlooking the busy street of Avenida Revolucion. We sip more beer and share stories of recent travels to Morocco, Zimbabwe and Tokyo. As someone always looking for the next place to explore, I feel right at home.

Radishes and cucumbers are accompaniments at the table.

Day tripping in Tijuana: The day comes to a reluctant end

Our day ends at Tacos El Franc, the noisy, bustling, save-the-best-for-last sidewalk café. Over adobada (pork) tacos with salsa, guacamole, onion and cilantro and carne asada (beef) tacos with salsa and beans, we agree this is the darling of the day. With plates of fresh cucumbers and radishes on the long table which we share with a couple of families, we feast on one delectable taco after another. The complex flavors of the spices and the moist meat carved before our eyes create the perfect combo.

Writer, Sherry Spitsnaugle and her tour group of fast friends in Tijuana.

For the final time, we board the van, and as Javier finesses the clogged streets, Violeta says, “Well, this is it. I’m kind of sad. I don’t want to say goodbye.” At our stop near the border, she hugs each of us, and off we go, minus our vivacious host after our wonderful time day tripping in Tijuana.

The border crossing is stress-free and just like that, we are back in the U.S., full of beer, new email addresses, selfies, salsa and the glow of a day dedicated to finding a bit of taco bliss.

— Story and Photos by Sherry Spitsnaugle

Hungry for more? If you love food tours (and they are a great way to get to know a destination, after all), you might like these articles about food tours in:

St. Louis, Missouri, Hong Kong, and Prince Edward Island.