RESTAURANT LA ESPECIAL

Go to every time I'm in TJ. Friendly, clean, and yummy. Drinks are good, and as a ➕️ if you don't feel like sitting at restaurant and want to do La Especial Tacos... Go across (caticorner) parking lot. Also very good 👍

Absolutely the best tacos de vapor in all of Tijuana! Been going for 50+ years

Very delicious, authentic Mexican cuisine. I had pollo con mole(chicken mole, with rice and beans), it came with a gentle clear broth soup with perfectly cooked vegetables. It was outstanding. Send day I had a carne plater.

This is a cozy place and is highly recommended if you plan to visit Tijuana. They serve authentic Mexican food and beverages. The staff are very friendly and accommodating, willing to make sure that your stay is awesome. The price is also affordable and the place is just near the border. This place is famous in Tijuana so it would be easy for you to locate it even if you will just ask the locals.

Liked the food, went on a Saturday 🌅 morning, had chilaquiles and beer 🍺, wifi had breakfast Huevos Rancheros. And string Pina colada. Very 👍🏽.

This place is an authentic Mexican restaurant. You can get enchiladas, tamales, tacos a vapor, Mexican soups, quesadillas, guacamole, tostadas and much more. They follow COVID-19 safety measures and the personnel are attentive. The pricing is very fair and this restaurant has been around since for over 20 years and brings to life the Mexican folklore. Come with your family, with your friends or with your spouse for a great time. There is even live karaoke singers from time to time.

Its an excellent place for Mexican food. Highly recommended. I would only ask for chairs a little more comfortable and improvement on disability access.

If you are a REAL Mexican you are NOT gonna like this place, the food is not even handmade there, must be from package (Frijoles isadora, if you know you know) bought on the store, the service don't feel welcoming to mexican people, if you are an american who likes flavorless mexican food with any spice/spices you may like this place. and the specialty (Tacos al vapor) is gross. UN ASCO LA COMIDA.

Cafe La Especial has great food. Great service and great employees. It's a great atmosphere and environment to take the family if you're in Tijuana and just want to have something to eat. I recommend the tacos and Bistek Arrachera. I prefer the salad.

Fantastico, Muy Bueno! Which means 5 stars baby, I love everything about this restaurant. Been coming here for years now & one of the main reasons why I come to TJ & my favorite restaurant in TJ. The customer service is always good from the hostess, waiters & cooks they are all very attentive, fast & friendly. The place is very clean & has a good vibe to it as they play good calm Mexican music as you eat. Portions are very generous & prices are very affordable & it's very family oriented. The food, well everything I've eaten here has been great & I've eaten almost everything here no lie. Now if you can eat like a real man like me than get the Tablita, it's over 2lbs of meat, 2 people can share this, I rather not, I finish it myself. Now for regular men the Carne Asada plate is very good & filling as is the Milanesa & T-Bone steak plate. For the ladies I recommend the Filete steak, it's very soft & tender & the enchiladas are fire just how your Nana Consuelo from Oaxaca makes them. Now you have to start with a taco or two De Vapor, best tacos De vapor I ever had in my VIDA (for my white friends that means LIFE) they are truly orgasmic I think I blushed when I bit into one. Also get a little cup of bean soup it's really good or the vegetable soup which taste like Caldo De Res without the Res only veggies, the broth is amazing. And if you ain't full yet don't leave without a slice of real Mexican Flan, it's delicious. So over all this was an easy 5 stars. I love coming here, I look forward to coming here & get excited to come here. In a city like TJ where there is a lot of good Mexican restaurants this to me is one of the best & I highly recommend this restaurant. Keep up the great work amigos & I'll see you soon!

Delicious tacos Al Vapor. We always stop here before we drive back home. Everyone is always so kind and attentive. It's old school vibe.

Food is delicious and the service is very friendly and attentive. The ambiance is old style Mexico with live music in the afternoons

When I was a kid, this was the go-to restaurant to take out-of-town family and friends when we would got to Tijuana. Eventually their restaurant location on Ave. Revolución closed and I thought the only option we had was eating their super delicious tacos a vapor from the remaining taco stand. By the way these tacos travel super well across the border since all you have to do is re-steam them. And their sided of pickled carrots, radishes, green onions and salsa are amazing! Fast forward a few decades, and the nostalgic fantasy of having their carne asada plate (it's what my parents would order) was ever-present. When my bf renewed his passport in 2019, the first thing we did was to go look for the current location. We ordered the carne asada plates and a side of their tacos. With an adult palate now, I must say that the soup, salad, beans, guacamole, and fresh tortillas were just as good, if not even better than I remembered. The wait staff is super courteous and professional, exactly what you expect from traditional Mexican hospitality. On the occasion that we brave the border crossing wait times, we make it a point to dine here or at least bring tacos back with us. We have returned during the pandemic, and are in awe of their protocols to keep their customers safe. We have since tried their arrachera plate, the chicharrón and bean tacos, and their flan. Everything is always so delicious.

When my husband and I came here for dinner on a Sunday we got seated immediately. It wasn't overly crowded, but there were a few patrons. For drinks, we ordered a margarita and a freshly squeezed orange juice. Both were good. We were served complimentary chips & two varieties of salsa. The salsas were good, one was spicy and the other was milder. The chips were way too oily though, didn't like them. For entrees, we ordered #5 (tacos al vapor with beans and guacamole) and #1 (enchilada, Taco and tamale). Both the dishes were just okay. The tacos were too oily. Overall, decent food, but nothing that will make you wanna come back for more.

I started eating at Café la Especial in 1964, my favorite tacos in the world, until their close in 2009 on Revolution blvd. I was a regular, I Used to purchase 50 to 100 tacos every time I was there, that was about every two weeks. I now am lucky to get them 3-5 times a year..... I have such a craving as. Type this, wish I was eating a few now.. If you get the opportunity to try these steam tacos, do it....

The arracheta special is the way to go. The meat is so juicy and so good. It's only like $9.00.

This was the anchor restaurant, down the stairs, from the taco take out window on Ave. Revolucion from 1952 to 2009 ( See YouTube, Adios Café La Especial ). It was always one of my favorite restaurants in T.J. and I was very disappointed when they closed. I tried the new location today, owned by the same family, and it is still very good and inexpensive. The Mexican food at the old location was always consistent and good and it tastes as I remember it. Typical Mexican faire, they also serve breakfast and offer full bar.

Best spot to eat in Tijuana. The tacos so vapor are a must try. This spot gives you a high end restaurant experience without breaking your wallet

Diego who was our sever was excellent. Great English. Attentive but not hovering and great recommendations. Food was quite good. Chips and salsa and marinated veggies free. You can get a hotter salsa if you ask. Queso fundido you can have peppers instead of meat.

If you find yourself in Tijuana with a crazy taco craving, but you're also in the mood to try something new-ish, you should come here. If you're down to try out one of the city's most traditional restaurants, you should come here. If you don't know what a "Taco Al Vapor" is, you should come here. Shoot, just come here and eat already! The menu is packed with variety. For breakfast I've had the chilaquiles in salsa verde with scrambled eggs and a side of beans. It even came with a free orange juice! (ask the server which breakfasts come with free juice on your visit here) But, what you absolutely have to try here are the Tacos Al Vapor. They are quite unique in taste, there are only 3 types, so be sure to try them all (carne, frijoles & chicharrón.)

The steamed tacos are the best! We usually take at least 30 home to San Diego every trip we make here. My friends n family love them also. Cant get them like this anywhere else!

Tacos al Vapor!!!!! De res (beef) Riquisimos!! So damn delicious that we're going to miss them when we go back to Los Angeles! They're so yummy with very thin hand-made tortillas! Must try them!

Standard Mexican fare. The chips and salsa were very good, and the fresh tortillas were simply fantastic. The grilled chicken dish was a little fatty, and the guacamole was a little bland. Good service. They had a live singer perform during dinner. They take credit cards, which is convenient. Valet parking.

!Los mejores tacos dorados en la Zona Gastronómico, ese! ¡Viva la corazón de Tijuana!

I enjoyed my meal here very much. Everything was tasty and well-prepared. I understand they used to be downtown and their restaurant there was very attractive. Too bad they are not downtown anymore.

The tacos al vapor (steamed tacos) are so delicious, they never disappoint . La Especial is a Tijuana classic staple, even though its original location has changed the taste of the delicious tacos remains! Definitely recommend

This place has terrific food feel as if your grandmother is in the kitchen cooking again excellent.