We've been hearing about Saketori-Ya for ages now (even back when it was known as Izakaya), a Japanese-Pub concept in the Hipodromo neighborhood of the city. Although Tijuana has plenty of Asian fusion restaurants, the "pub" version of them hasn't taken off as much.
Curiosity got the better of us, and after hearing that this restaurant had "the best ramen in Tijuana" we decided to venture ourselves into the kitchen of Saketori-Ya, from which we left very satisfied and surprised.
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When I had the first chance of eating here it was a rainy and cold day, and that was a great excuse to try the classic ramen (without leaving disappointed). I can only say that it's been a long time since I've tasted a ramen that wasn't too spiced up or too salty. After that, my companion and I ordered a bit of sake and our second plate arrived: A delicious sashimi of bluefin tuna extremely fresh, how? I didn't know, but that I would discover in the next and more recent visit.
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During our second visit, we were lucky to see the tuna arriving directly from Ensenada. The freshest tuna possible. We witnessed how Saketori-Ya staff made every tuna cut, and how they respected the product, a thing that's very important when serving sushi, so says Chef and owner Pedro Velarde. Once we were delighted with the preparation of our food, they served us a variation of the ramen I tasted last time, but now it was served with chistorra instead of pork belly.
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While we waited for the main course, they poured us some "Tiniebla" beers from Insurgente Brewery, which went perfectly well with the yaketori that came later, a tasty and simple dish, not pretentious at all and bathed in teriyaki sauce. The perfect appetizer before the main dish, although perhaps a bit tame in flavour.
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After that, the sampler of nigiris with different tuna cuts, was finally with us ("toro" style), fresh and ready to enjoy. The flavor was outstanding. We can assure you that at Saketori-Ya's you'll have a true Japanese experience in all senses, you can even hear the staff yelling at each other in japanese or welcoming you in a very traditional way.
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Saketori-Ya is located between Hipodromo Av. and Tapachula Av. just behind Casino Caliente and opens Monday to Friday from 13:00 to 23:00. For more information go to their official Facebook page.
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¿Didn't like the article? You can complain to Jorge Guevara's Twitter account @Jorgepilgrim. Jorge was born in Tijuana, he's a moviegoer, a comic lover and a huge fan of drinking mimosas like there's no tomorrow.
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Translated by: cristina.mora@sandiegored.com
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