BajaMed by Miguel Ángel Guerrero (La Querencia)

Ask a Tijuana cook where the phrase Baja Med came from and they will point you to this restaurant. Chef Miguel Ángel Guerrero opened La Querencia on Avenida Escuadrón 201 in Zona Río and used it to define a style that mixes Mexican ingredients, Mediterranean technique and Asian accents, with a hunter’s and fisherman’s pantry behind it. The restaurant has since renamed itself BajaMed by Miguel Ángel Guerrero, though most locals, Google and Tripadvisor still call it La Querencia. It is for diners who want a chef-driven meal with a strong point of view, in a room that is more relaxed than the city’s white-tablecloth addresses.

The food

The chef’s own hunting and fishing shape the menu, which is why you will see game and whatever the chef has brought back alongside duck, lamb, oysters, scallops, marlin and tuna. Dishes mentioned by recent diners include a Madagascar toast, duck tacos, octopus chicharrón, beet carpaccio with blue cheese, tuna tartare, a lamb plate served half braised and half chicharrón-style, aged steaks, seafood cocktails and raw oysters. Expect sauces that lean sweet-savory and an Asian touch here and there, which is the Baja Med signature. The bar makes custom cocktails on request and the wine list is built around the Valle de Guadalupe. Menus in Spanish and English are posted on the restaurant’s site.

What to expect

A large, informal room with an open kitchen. It opens for lunch at 1 p.m. and runs through dinner until 10 p.m., Monday to Saturday. The crowd is local professionals, Valle de Guadalupe wine people passing through and San Diego food travelers. Service is attentive, and a 2025 reviewer called it pleasant even while wishing the menu would take more risks. Smart casual works; nobody will blink at jeans.

Prices and entry

This is a top-tier price bracket on Tripadvisor, in line with Misión 19 and Villa Saverios, though portions and the wine list justify it for most visitors. No cover. Reservations are taken by phone at the number on the website, and they matter on Friday and Saturday nights; weekday lunches are easier to walk into.

Getting there

Avenida Escuadrón 201 runs between Boulevard Sánchez Taboada and Boulevard Salinas in Colonia Aviación, the Zona Río restaurant district; the restaurant sits at number 3110, a block from Villa Saverios and close to La Diferencia. It is about ten minutes by car from the San Ysidro border and a short ride from Plaza Río. Parking is tight on the street, as several reviewers note, so use the nearby paid lots or arrive by ride-hail.

Good to know

• Closed Sundays. Tripadvisor shows later closing times than the official site; the site’s 1 to 10 p.m. is the safer plan.
• If you search for it, try both names: La Querencia and BajaMed.
• Game dishes change with the season and what the chef has on hand; ask what is fresh.
• Villa Saverios, La Diferencia and Misión 19 are all within a few blocks for comparison shopping.

Find more chef-driven tables in our restaurant guide, and see the calendar for wine dinners and events.