Erizo

Erizo is where the Plascencia family does casual. Established in 2009 and now on Avenida Sonora in Colonia Chapultepec, it is a marisquería that borrows from the seafood carts and street stands of Tijuana and Sinaloa and runs them through a chef’s kitchen. The name means sea urchin, and the branding is “estilo Tijuana”: cold, spicy, citrusy seafood eaten at lunch with a beer. It suits a midday meal between Zona Río errands, a weekend lunch with friends, or a first stop for San Diego visitors who want the city’s seafood without a long drive.

The food

The menu is organized the way the city eats seafood: crudos and raw bar, botanas, shellfish, ceviches, aguachiles, tacos and charcoal-grilled plates. Dishes that come up again and again in reviews are the green ceviche with salsa verde, octopus carpaccio and grilled-octopus tostadas, tuna sashimi, a shrimp pozole, an Asian-leaning aguachile, and the taco tijuanero, which is the house take on a fried-fish taco. A 2026 taco guide also lists a taco goloso and a shot of sea urchin as the orders to make. Drinks are cocktails, Mexican craft beer and a short wine list; the official menu is posted online.

What to expect

A casual, relaxed room, louder and looser than Misión 19 and much cheaper. Lunch is the main event: it opens at 11 a.m. and the kitchen closes early by Tijuana standards, around 8 p.m. early in the week and 9 or 10 p.m. toward the weekend depending on which listing you trust. Weekends fill with families and groups; weekday lunches are easy to walk into. Dress is whatever you have on.

Prices and entry

Mid-range on Tripadvisor; a 2026 review mentioned about US$500 for a table of four that ordered freely, which gives a sense of the ceiling, while a couple can eat well for far less. No cover, no reservation needed for small groups, though the restaurant takes calls for larger tables. Tipping is customary at 10 to 15 percent, as everywhere in the city.

Getting there

Avenida Sonora 3808 is in Chapultepec, the hillside neighborhood just south of Zona Río and the Agua Caliente boulevard, about fifteen minutes by car from the San Ysidro border. Ride-hail is the simple option. If you drive, street parking is limited; the 2026 guide suggests parking at the Chapultepec shopping center nearby and walking over. It is not a walking trip from Revolución.

Good to know

• Go at lunch or early dinner; this is not a late-night place.
• Order the aguachile at the heat level you can handle; the kitchen does not hold back.
• Bodega 8 and the Agua Caliente boulevard bars are close by if you want a drink after.
• Erizo also appears in guides under its market-and-fish-house branding; same address.

Find more seafood stops in our restaurant guide, and see the calendar for the week’s events.