San Felipe sits on one of the richest fishing grounds in the world. The Sea of Cortez — what Jacques Cousteau famously called “the world’s aquarium” — delivers fresh shrimp, corvina, dorado, yellowtail, clams, octopus, and scallops to the town’s kitchens daily. Seafood isn’t just a menu item here. It’s the foundation of the local food culture.
The Fish Taco
No trip to Baja California is complete without a fish taco, and San Felipe does them right. The classic Baja fish taco starts with a piece of white fish — usually corvina or sierra — battered and fried until the outside is golden and crispy while the inside stays flaky and moist. It’s served on a soft corn tortilla and topped with shredded cabbage, a drizzle of crema, a squeeze of lime, and whatever salsa the cook has on hand. Some places add a thin spread of frijoles or a sprinkle of cotija cheese.
You’ll find fish tacos everywhere in San Felipe — from roadside stands to sit-down restaurants. The street vendors along the Malecón often have some of the best, served on paper plates with a lime wedge and a bottle of hot sauce. Tacos Y Tortas El Poblano is a local favorite that consistently draws both residents and visitors.
Shrimp tacos are equally popular. San Felipe is shrimp country — the annual Shrimp Festival in November is dedicated to this one ingredient. Grilled shrimp tacos, breaded shrimp tacos, and garlic shrimp tacos all appear on menus across town.
Where to Eat Seafood
Matilde’s Restaurant is located inside the Stella del Mar Hotel, right on the beach. The menu features fresh catches from the Sea of Cortez served with a view that’s hard to beat. It’s a good choice for a nicer sit-down meal.
La Palma sits half a block from the Malecón on Ensenada Street and is known for straightforward, well-prepared seafood dishes. The ceviche here is a standout.
Malecon BBQ takes a different approach — this spot has won awards for its barbecue in both the US and Canada, and it serves its food right along the boardwalk with a homemade sauce that locals swear by.
Chumpo’s Restaurante is a versatile spot with a menu that covers hamburgers, pasta, pizza, Mexican food, and seafood. It also has a bar and a Thrifty ice cream counter, which makes it popular with families.
La Vaquita is one of the top-rated restaurants in town. La Cabana serves gourmet-style Mexican food. Chencho’s and Restaurant El Toro II are established local spots that have been serving San Felipe for years.
For breakfast, The Happy Camper is known for comfort food — fluffy pancakes and stuffed omelets that fuel you up for a day on the water or at the beach.
Ceviche
Ceviche is everywhere in San Felipe and it’s almost always good. The basic version is diced raw fish or shrimp “cooked” in fresh lime juice, then mixed with tomato, onion, cilantro, cucumber, and jalapeño or serrano pepper. It’s served cold, often with tostadas or saltine crackers on the side. Street vendors along the Malecón sell it in small cups as a walking snack. Sit-down restaurants serve larger portions as an appetizer or a light meal.
The best ceviche in San Felipe uses whatever came off the boats that morning. Since the fishing harbor is right in town, “fresh” here means hours old, not days.
The Shrimp
Shrimp is the signature ingredient of San Felipe’s food scene. The town’s commercial fishing fleet brings in large hauls of Gulf shrimp, and you’ll find them prepared in every way imaginable: grilled with garlic butter, breaded and fried, simmered in a spicy diabla sauce, chilled in cocktails with avocado and tomato, or tossed into a rich caldo (soup).
During the Festival del Camarón (Shrimp Festival) each November, restaurants and food stalls compete to create the most creative shrimp dishes. Specialized chefs judge the entries, awarding prizes for the best and most original preparations. It’s a three-day celebration of the ingredient that defines San Felipe’s kitchen.
Cooking Your Own Catch
If you go out on a fishing charter, several restaurants in town will cook your catch for you. Bring in your yellowtail or dorado and they’ll fillet it, prepare it however you like, and serve it to you with rice, beans, tortillas, and salsa. It’s one of the best meals you can have in San Felipe — fish that was swimming a few hours ago, cooked fresh and served with a cold beer.
A Seafood Town
San Felipe’s food scene isn’t trying to be trendy or complicated. It’s built on proximity to some of the best fishing waters in North America and generations of cooks who know how to let good ingredients speak for themselves. Whether you’re eating a $2 fish taco from a street cart or sitting down to a full seafood dinner overlooking the Sea of Cortez, the quality of what comes out of these waters is hard to match anywhere else.
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