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Puerto Nuevo "Lobster Village"
Puerto Nuevo is
internationally renowned for its restaurants which feature local
lobster, cooked to perfection and served with steaming bowls of
rice, beans, and fresh tortillas. Thousands of lobsters are served
each year to the visitors who come here from all over Baja and
beyond.
But people don't
come only for the extraordinary food. There's also a delightfully
unique atmosphere that puts everyone at ease while enjoying their
meal. Musicians wander in and out of all of the restaurants, and
will serenade you with romantic ballads, upbeat norteño rhythms and
even mariachi music.
More
than one hungry soul has driven down here from Southern California just for such
a treat, and habitués have their favorite places in which they believe they are
enjoying the best lobster in the world!
But the
development is really fairly new, as is so much that is interesting in Baja.
Nobody knows exact dates, but sometimes in the 40's the cove was discovered by
fishermen from Lake Chapala, which is just south of Guadalajara in Jalisco state
in Mexico. Gradually the word got around, and an entire colony from Chapala
gathered at the little cove on the Baja coast, providing daily catches for their
families and sometimes to the nearby restaurants.
By the
50's there were people who were appearing to purchase the fresh fish as they came
off the boats, and the fishermen sold lobster and other delicacies from their
front porches. Finally, some of the fishermen were taking tourists with them out
to the fishing grounds, and upon return, the tourist was often hungry. It was
then logical to serve an simple meal in the fisherman's beans, tortilla, and
rice. But it wasn't long before the homes became too small, and larger
facilities became necessary.
In the
early days, the turn off from the libre was marked by a sizable building with a
big 7-up sign painted on its side. That landmark had been a rest stop for
Tijuana-Ensenada buses in the 40's, but everyone seems to agree that its menu
was too quick and informal to include lobster. And it was closed before the real
development began in the area.
The first
really commercial lobster restaurant was started in 1955 by Rosario Grana, and
it still is serving Lobster Puerto Nuevo in the same spot, which is on the very
first southwestern corner of the main street of the town. Rosario is still
presiding over her kitchen, and original customers will still feel right at home
there because the general layout of the place and the food has not changed,
though facilities have much improved over the years.
It wasn't
long, though until other families were also moving out of their home kitchens
and into areas where they could handle large crowds. Among the first of these
were the Ortega and Plascencia families.
At most
of the restaurants the lobsters come out split and cooked, with the halves
stacked on a platter, served family style. The traditional way to cook them is
deep frying, but they are available grilled or steamed upon request. At the last
lobster meal this writer enjoyed in Puerto Nuevo, nine halves were served for
three of us. Beans, rice and tortillas are also served from bowls on the table,
with drawn butter and salsa also to be passed around. Plenty is available for
refills of the supplemental delight, and the price runs about $ 13.00 per
serving unless larger sizes are requested. For parties, enormous specimens are
available for a specified price.
When the
fishermen first went out from Puerto Nuevo, there were so many lobster that they
were often used for bait, but the size of the catch has greatly diminished in
recent years. There for the scarcity, poachers being the most common. Anchovy
fishing for the fertilizer plant in Ensenada is also blamed for the scarcity of,
not only lobster, but also other fish in the kelp beds just off the coast here,
but all agree everything possible is being done now to protect the fishing
grounds.
At any
rate, most of the lobsters served in Newport and Rosarito today are from farther
south on the peninsula, south or Ensenada, Restaurateurs feel certain that the
supply is not in jeopardy there, citing its protection by a fishermen's
syndicate and the concern and attention of the Mexican coast guard.
Puerto
Nuevo has grown from a quaint, primitive fishing village to one of the most
popular spots on the Azure Coast. Weekend evenings, the town is filled with
exuberant seafood lovers, and the many restaurants are supplemented with tourist
businesses of all kinds. Time condominiums are being built to the south of the
cafes, and a first class hotel has also been added to the tourist scene there.
The
streets just off the highway have been paved, and the restaurants and shops are
now shoulder to shoulder in an area of about four square blocks. But drive to
the end of the main street, walk down the dirt road to the ocean, and you will
see the same tranquil cove that brought the original fishermen to the area. If
you arrive between eight and nine a.m. you will see the boats coming in with the
day's catch. If you are there later, you will see the boats beached for the day,
but the fish is being prepared in the various restaurants up on the hill to
please your particular palate.
The ocean
still laps the shoreline in its gentle rhythms, carrying the fishermen in and
out its tides to harvest the succulent seafood. It is indifferent to the
delights it provides for the marisco lover at the top of the cliffs and to the
prosperity it has created for the fishermen of Puerto Nuevo!
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Puerto Nuevo Restaurants
|
Name |
Capacity |
|
1- TERRAZAS |
50 PEOPLE |
|
2- LAS BRISAS |
80 PEOPLE |
|
3- MIRAMAR |
60 PEOPLE |
|
4- ORTEGAS #2 |
250 PEOPLE |
|
5- JATAY |
290 PEOPLE |
|
6- LA LANGOSTA LOCA |
70 PEOPLE |
|
7- SANDRA'S |
84 PEOPLE |
|
8- PTO. VIEJO |
300 PEOPLE |
|
9- EL GALEON |
120 PEOPLE |
|
10- LA CASA DE LA LANGOSTA |
180 PEOPLE |
|
11- JOSEFINA Y EL NEGRO |
40 PEOPLE |
|
12- CHELA'S |
90 PEOPLE |
|
13- COSTA BRAVA |
150 PEOPLE |
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14- HOTEL LA MISION
|
116 PEOPLE |
|
15- MARISCOS LUIS |
50 PEOPLE |
|
16- LA PERLITA |
150 PEOPLE |
|
17- TOÑA'S |
60 PEOPLE |
|
18- PUERTO NUEVO #1 |
80 PEOPLE |
|
19- VISTA AL MAR |
80 PEOPLE |
|
20- MARISCOS RENE |
20 PEOPLE |
|
21- MARIA'S |
100 PEOPLE |
|
22- LA ESCONDIDA |
450 PEOPLE |
|
23- LA PONDEROSA |
50 PEOPLE |
|
24- PUERTO NUEVO #2 |
85 PEOPLE |
|
25- ROSAMAR |
100 PEOPLE |
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Puerto Nuevo has become famous for its sea food restaurants, not just with
locals and American tourists, but on a national level within Mexico. A
fame that's well-deserved and hard-earned, Puerto Nuevo is a place not to
be overlooked by travelers heading down the road to Ensenada. The main
gourmet specialty that has made Puerto Nuevo's restaurants famous is their
unique preparation of lobster entrees in an outstanding Mexican style. A
rare gift to your taste buds!
Lobster Festival
Once lobster season is on
(October thru March), Puerto Nuevo celebrates its annual Beer and Lobster
Festival and the Steak & Lobster Fest. Those lively, not-to-be-missed
events will take place on Avenida Rentería, (Puerto Nuevo’s main street)
which will be shut down to traffic for the day.
The
best folklórico dancers, mariachis and live music bands from Tijuana and
Rosarito, will compete to see which one's are the most talented. There
will be a contest to see which restaurant makes the best tortillas, which
has the most festive and colorful decorations, and ruffles with great
prices such as accommodations, cellular phones, wine bottles, dinners,
etc.
Visitors will be able to buy a ticket for a lobster dinner and several
samples of Baja beers. It's a celebration not to be missed, so mark it on
your calendar and come on down!
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