On my last cruise, I was able to visit Mexico for the first time. Ensenada is a seaport town about 80 miles south of San Diego. It's a top Baja California destination and is known for La Bufadora, one of the world's largest marine blowholes.



We had a full day to explore Ensenada, so I started with a foodie tour.



We began at Mercado Negro, which is a seafood market.



Did you know that the fish taco was created in Ensenada?



Mariscos El Norteno - Shrimp Taco: The srimp taco was served with cabbage and many different salsas: sour cream, mayo, jalapeno, chili de arbol + water, chili de arbol + oil, habanero. Rick Bayless recommends this place.



Next up was a drink: Mezcal.



Mitos Mezcaleria & Restaurante - Here we had shots of mezcal, a margarita with mezal, a grasshopper and marlin.



Mezcal means any spirit distilled from the agave plant.



A margarita made with mezcal instead of tequila made it a bit smokier and a little more complex tasting. This was unique.



Chapulines are tasoted grasshoppers and are crunchy, salty and that's about it. Not bad paired with the margarita, to be honest.



Finally, marlin is a big-game fish and is often cooked with tomatoes, onions and peppers. It is popular here.



Next up was churros.



Cafe La Churreria - these were fresh and fried right in front of us.

Tacos Lidia & Bar el Zarape - these fresh tacos still use the authentic batter. It's fried until light, airy and crisp.



We ended with some shots of tequila.



Tequilera Doña Engracias - this tequila tasting house offered 5-6 pours.



Have you ever been?