Local Gems In Ensenada Downtown
Looking for Quirky things to do in Ensenada while on a cruise or just hanging around downtown? scroll to bottom!
Since I live here and frequent traveler - occasional cruiser, this is my take on Ensenada, and this is what I tell the massage and tour clients.
I list the Easy Touristy Option and my ‘Local Gem’ option.
Hey, sometimes you want the easy, and sometimes you want the Gem with a bit of effort and less polish.
Always under construction, just like life . .. .
Go for a walk: to town along Primera, along the marina (Malecon), or grab shuttle.
Grab the Shuttle Las Dunas goes to Three Head’s Park/McDonalds, or Misioneros goes to Pueblo Antigua.
Eat Tacos, Churros!
Churros:
Popular: Cafe La Churreria. A clean sit-down place with a coffee shop vib and lots of options.
Local Gem: Street food cart on Malecon (harbor walkway) between the cruise ship and Mercado Negro fish market.
Mexican Candy:
Local Gem: around the corner from Hotel Santo Tomas is a great stand with coconut candies, all the local traditional sweeties you might like.
Easy Tourism: Just pop in Oxxo or 7-11 to see the kinds of local sweets.
Diner food:
Local Gem: Super simple locals working mans place Buen Provecho Cafe. I love the buffet and juice options here at Villa Mexicana next to El Portero Viejo
Easy Tourism: Hogaza Hogaza salads and sandwiches and coffee on La Primera.
Best Taco:
Fish Taco
Local Gem: Makos taco one block south of Cruisport, go to main street, turn right, its on the right Mariscos: Pez Urbano
Easy Tourism: Bullos on La Primera crispy, with beer packages.
Meat Taco
Best Easy: Ranchito Fenix. A block from Tacos Fenix has sit down
Local Gem: El Paisa on 20 de Septiembre and 10th.
Carnitas Riviera when you want pork taco.
Seafood: Mariscos:
Easy Toursim: La Guerrerense street cart made famous by Anthony Bourdain is the go-to. Always a line and right on first street. Tons of interesting flavors. They have sit-down place now too.
Local Gem: La Dona behind CEArte, near Riviera Cultural Center, is locals’ fav for street mariscos. And on same block as Carnitas Riviera taco street stand too. Just 3 blocks from port security.
LOBSTER
Easy toursim: Mariscos Bahia
Local Gem: Cocedora de Langosta
Smoked Tuna/marlin:
Mercado Negro Fish Market
Go Shopping!
La Primera has formal shops with decent jewelry, clothes, as well as souvenirs. It is built around cruise ships, so lot’s of NFL memorabilia, silly junk people laugh at and buy.
Leather store on the corner of Miramar and La Primera, and across the street.
Specialty food: La Milpa is 3 blocks behind Riviera and has health food, mexican herbs and such, no much fresh refrigerated produce though. El Roble in Santo Tomas has all things vegan and vegetarian, mostly imported products from the US
Los Globos Tiangis. A private tour or uber ride away, this is 5 city blocks of second-hand stores and new shops with a produce spice market. Not nearly as cool as a central market in southern mexico or Guatemala, but it is what we got.
This is fun place to walk and explore rummage sale items.
Avenida Ruiz on the way to our spa has nice local shops for the first 8 blocks before it becomes schools and dentists.
Gastelum walking back from La Primera has local shops, nothing upscale. and on Gastelum and 5th you will see the local guts of the city, the local buses pick up and drop off. Many locals use bus transport.
Macroplaza has shops, and Walmart and Home Depot. Not near cruiseport and nothing particularly mexican about it.
Vanilla:
Mexico has amazing vanilla. Many souvenir places of La Primera have quality bottles.
Cigars:
Local Gem: Habanos Cigar Shop on Blancarte has nice selection. The cuban cigars are legit. When I buy cigars, I buy the hand-rolled Mexcian cigars when you enter on the right. They are budget cigars like 4$, but I like that they are Mexcian and not wrapped in plastic.
Easy tourism: On La Primera is new coffee and cigar place if you want something nice and upscale.
Avoid the wandering guys and cigars inside a souvenir stand.
Jewelry and silver:
Mexcio has great silver.
Easy Tourism:
Avoid getting silver at La Bufadora.
Adult Beverages!
Tequila Tasting:
Mexico invented tequila! Have you tried good stuff? Mango tequila, chocolate tequila?;)
Dona Engracia offers tours and tastings with ample size. The tour is well done and shows the tequila-making process. We offer this after tours to ATV, Horseback, and Zipline.
Tequila Room offers free samples as they hustle you to buy a bottle. It is an institution on First Street. Fun guys. If you are interested in more fun than traditional, be sure to ask for mango tequila and chocolate tequila here or out at Pai Pai and Bufadora.
Mezcal:
Local Gem: Loca Bar Dark cavern in the to Bodega Santo Tomas complex, 7 blocks back from 1st Street. Super cool tasting room - get your coffee and mezcal next door to each other. How many mind-altering chemicals on vacation? lol. Looks like they don’t open till 5, so try AltaBaja Bar upstairs with a rooftop bar. Opens a 3 according to Google, but often is not updated correctly for local businesses.
Easy Tourism: Mitos on Costero Blvd, (the divided road before La Primera) has cool upstairs place for Mezcal and Tequila.
Wine Tasting:
Local Gem: Downtown, Bodegas Santo Tomas is the best place for this. It is 7 blocks back, and nestled in an upscale shopping and cultural center. With great architecture and public fountain, it is a cool place and has the feel of a traditional town center that is common on Mexican cities in the South with more colonial architecture.
Easy Tourism: Most everything is out in the Valle de Guadalupe. Take a Wine Tour to get there.
craft beer:
Phosphorus on La Primera
Margaritas:
Easy Tourism: Bar Andaluz inside Riviera Cultural Center.
Local Gem: Houssongs.
Massage and Facial:
Easy Tourism: Our spa offers cruise port pick up and drop off with tourist levels of cleanliness and international quality of massage. I guess we are the easy tourism option since we are top-rated on TripAdvisor, Yelp and Google. Midweek discounts on larger packages.
Local Gem: Matty’s Spa does great pedicures and manicures and has a small massage space too for an individual. Not for couples or groups.
Watch out for any place that offers ‘shower service’ or has windows you can not see in. Those places offer sensual service. Check TripAdvisor for legit reviews.
Tattoo:
INSTAGRAM CITY Sign: There are two - one at entrance of town at the end of La Primera furthest from port, and on the Malecon, just to the left of the ship dock.
Get some Culture!
Riviera Cultural Center and Bar Anadaluz
CEArte art museum
Regional Historic Musuem
If you do 1-5 in order, it’s a walkable journey from cruise port where carnival and others dock.
1) Capone’s Hideout 2) Funky Furniture 3) Fresh Churro 4) Decorate Ensenada with US Dollar Bill 5) Get Mexifornia Drivers ID 6) Mediation Gardens 7) Hipster Collection of shops 8) Art Museum
Please let me know if any of this info needs updating - things are always changing here and I hope to give accurate, updated info so others can enjoy things to do here in Ensenada.
Riviera Cultural Center by Al Capone and Birthplace of Maragrita!?
1) Explore Riviera Cultural Center for history and beautiful colonial architecture and outdoor gardens. Built by Al Capone as a casino, this building and grounds have great architecture, a mini-museum, and well-kept public gardens. Also hidden Bar Andaluz inside that claims to have invented the Margarita?? . . . .and check out that cool wall mural and public green gardens are best in town. To get there, it’s right off the cruise ship, keep walking straight and a huge white building. It is free to walk around, and the museum has a small fee.
As a bonus on Sundays afternoons at 4 pm (Carnival Imagination is in), there is a group dancing by Golden Agers - 3 pm and after they dance to Latin and a few American oldies. Everyone dance with anyone who asks, so if you are a dancer and would like to move a bit it’s a fun option. I love it because I get to dance and it is a day even, it doesn’t kill my sleep schedule.
Funky Mexican Style Art Furniture
2) Funky design and art at Fausto Polanco Furniture store. This designer-art-furniture place has some cool stuff to browse from the Mexican style. Some of it makes me laugh, some of it inspires new home ideas. On the quiet end of La Primera on corner just over the river/bridge. Redecorating is always fun to get new ideas for your living space.
Now That’s a Churro!
3) Eat fresh Churro. Churros are the Mexican equivalent of Krispy Creme. When they are fresh - Amazing crispy sweetness for your mouth. I love churro shop on La Primera next to Rey del Sol. It’s literally a tiny window sandwiched between bigger businesses.
As an alternative, next to Roma pharmacy on Three Head’s Park and plaza de el Big Flag, there is a Churro guy that is good too. You should see the horse carriages there.
Leave your mark on Ensenada - Post $1 Bill.
4) Post dollar bill in Restaurante Corralito with a message. You pick the message! Could be a wish or a grievance. So it will cost you a $1 or $2. But then you can come back next year and check on the status. It’s kinda like leaving your mark, but not in a tree carving. And you are in Mexico, so defacing government property of $1 is not punishable by Uncle Sam.
El Corralito has a fun atmosphere and is pretty good with some Mexican dishes and some standard plates as well.
Mexifornia Driver’s License!
5) Get a Mexifornia Driver’s Liscense. What better way to confuse your pals than with a weird souvenir from Ensenada. Opps, again not entirely free. Price is $10 and takes Ten Minutes inside Rudy’s Curios, Across from McDonalds on La Primera. Fireworks available too . . .
This place - Rudy’s Curios - is a non descript souvenir place. There are about 10 of theses places along the street selling about the same inventory of oddities, souvenirs, and such. The kind of stuff that is good for gifts for my 5 year old neices that are soo excited to get a gift, and it can be forgotten or destroyed in 5 months.
I will post my Shopping ideas here:
Keiki Statue and Ecological Park for city views
6) Visit a Park:
Easy touristy: Three Heads Park and Flag polse are right on the Boardwalk. The HUGE flag is emblematic of Ensenada and Mexico. Water fountains are nice and a few vendors around with coffees and tacos.
Local Gem #1: Parque Revolution is 5 blocks back from Houssongs. A newly rebuilt bathroom and gazeboo, it is locals park where kids play and retired folks hang out for checkers and walking. Some food stands and next to Boules, my fav outdoor lunch restaurant spot and wine shop if you want to bring back a bottle. Sundays are most active with random things like bands, and vendors selling baloons for kids.
Local Gem #2: Walk/Hike up to Keiki ecological Park offers great views of the city, a botanical garden, and a statue of Princess Tara, a Buddhist sculpture gifted from Nepal in the 80s. You will have to walk here through safe neighborhoods. It is 13 blocks back from Papas and Beer end of La Primera. You could cab it too and spend about 8$. It is a block from our top-rated massage studio and near my favorite meat taco stand.
If you are booking a massage with us, we can give you time before or after a massage to explore these gardens and my favorite taco place two blocks away. Just request early pick-up time, or after the massage, you can walk and adventure in our clean downtown area - authentic Ensenada - not like tourist-oriented First street. We can take you back to the ship after your walkabout since transport is included in our cruise packages.
The gardens have a variety of labeled plants that are endemic to our semi-arid environment. Currently on Sundays once a month, they host a local organic farmers/ craft market. It’s worth a visit if you are tired of the hubbub of La Primera.
If you take the walk, you will also pass a nice park; Parque Revolucion on Sexta and Obregon. It’s an urban park with huge shade trees, some statues, a playground, and authentic local street food - burritos, tortas, random sweets and coffee. On Sundays, it’s pretty lively with locals with their kids. Summertime has public dancing occasionally.
7) Hipster Collection of Food and Lifestyle: Villa Mexicana is a revitalized collection of hip shops just behind La Primera. As a cruiser, the entrance is off the beaten path, but’s is a nice slice of local life compared to La Primera. I recommend it.
You will find cool little bakeries, cigar and wine shops, ceviche places, juice bars, several restaurants, and all in a nice architectural area built for outdoor walking. I like roaming the alleyways seeing what’s open and new. The area is not new so it has a classic feel, but many of the shops are new so I like it. Since it is not built for tourism like La Primera, the people are chillaxed and things are quieter. Yes, it is 100% safe.
The new places are opened with style, modern marketing, and quality. That is to say, it’s not the arguably more authentic, dusty local panaderia built 35 years ago.
To get there for this coolish thing to do, it is bordered on four sides by Riveroll, Alvarado, La Primera, and Segundo. You can’t enter from Primera since there are solid shops, and you can’t drive in. Here is are walking directions from cruiseport
I will be posting Things to do with Artsy, Kids, Walking . .. . . and will link when those are written;)
8) CE Arte State Museum I always appreciate a little extra art in my life, especially when it’s free. I actually bought a piece from the Carnival Art Gallery during my cruise, but mostly because the hype and salesmanship overtook me, lol. For a more relaxed art museum, take 2 block walk from the boat to CE Arte. It’s free with two large exhibition rooms, rotating exhibits. It has a nice cafe with outdoor seating and a bookstore, and an outdoor statue in the center of a huge plaza. There is a performance space and different activities, but usually in the evening.
Check Facebook here for events and location:
Other Useful Blogs:
Best Ensenada Excursions Recommendations
Visit Ensenada Downtown with us on City Tour!
Jesse Atkinson is an Expat from Wisconsin and has lived in Ensenada since 2011, building life Ensenada Massage and Ensenada Excursions and Tours and raising his dogs, Tina and Lola on Playa Hermosa.