When I was planning my wine-ing and dining trip to Valle de Guadalupe, I knew there are couple of side trips I had to make. Just as a stop in Tijuana was a must as part of my itinerary to Valle de Guadalupe, so was a day in Ensenada.
I’ve spent time in Ensenada on previous visits to the North Baja, but they’ve been short stints where I’ve only scratched the surface. There’s enough there that I wanted to return to plus more that I want to discover. Even though I knew on this visit I would again just have a sampling,I was excited nonetheless.
While the idea of street eating seafood might be too “adventurous” for some, I know that in Ensenada, if you’re choosing the right places, it’s safe. It was tough to choose, but I’d narrowed my choices down to 3 street stands for this daytrip to Ensenada. Tacos Fénix was first for their incredible fish taco.
Fénix is a bit outside of the tourist core and was packed with locals when we arrived, validating my choice. An order of a Baja-style (fried) fish tacos comes totally undressed, so you can add your fixings to your heart’s delight. I wanted to keep mine simple to taste the flavours of the fish. I’m glad I did. It was one of the most delicious fish tacos I’ve ever had.
Next was La Guerrerense, made famous by Anthony Bourdain’s visit in 2013 on No Reservations. I’d been to La Guerrense’s sit down Sabina on a previous visit to Ensenada, but was happy to pull up to the original cart. There were so many great options to chose from but I had to have a sea urchin & clam tostada.
Having a sufficient base in my stomach, the next stop was Hussongs, the birthplace of the margarita. Hussongs started in as a stage coach has been around since 1892 and where the margarita was created in 1941. Considering the margarita is one of my favorite cocktails, no trip to Ensenada is complete without paying homage to Hussongs.
I had Mariscos El Güero planned as my last mariscos bite in Ensenada but my bearings were off and didn’t realize that the place I’d walked by 3 times while wandering the streets of Ensenada was actually the place I was looking for and by the time I’d realized this, I was too far to return. I missed out, but know for my next visit what I’m looking for.
As I planned my visit to the North Baja, I hummed and hawwed about going to Cuatro Cuatro’s Bar Bura for sunset. From one of my previous visits I remembered that the view was absolutely incredible. I hesitated when I looked into returning for this trip when I found out that to reserve a seat on the outside parameter to have a prime view of sunset, it came with a $2000 minimum spend (CDN $160) which seemed a bit ambitious for a mid-day drink. But as I started building my itinerary, it seemed a shame to not go seeing as from my memory, it was one of the most glorious places to watch the sun dip into the ocean.
Arriving at Cuatro Cuatros, I was a bit disappointed because the clouds had moved in. I was fearful that all of my planning would result in a cloudy no sunset late afternoon. But I remained optimistic that we’d get slivers of sunlight between the clouds. Those are actually my favorite sunsets as there’s more texture and moodiness in sky, so I kept my fingers crossed.
Gettingg to Bar Bura as you enter Cuatro Cuatros is a trip in it of itself. As tiy enter off the road you hit 2 check point as you drive in and then are guided to a parking area. From there you check in and hop on a bus that you have to pay $200pp for. Thankfully, the bus ride includes a pony beer which adds to the adventure.
A bumpy 10 minute ride winding way uphill on a dirt road rewards you with the most incredible destination which feels so secluded. I love a great view bar, and this is the one of the premier views from a bar that I’ve ever been to.
It was a cloudy afternoon but I loved the moodiess of it and I still held out hope for a sunset. I needed a pick me up so I started with an espresso martini. From there, I started getting peckish so we odered ceviche & lamb with naan and some more drinks.
In the end it wasn’t hard to spend the minimum and the premium view seat was definitely worth it. A trip to Bura Bar at Cuatro Cuatros isn’t a must for every visit to the area but it’s definitely a must to check out at least once.
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