Iconic Tijuana taqueria comes to Chula Vista with new location

CHULA VISTA, Calif. — Famed Tijuana taqueria, Las Ahumaderas, has opened a brand new satellite location in Chula Vista, bringing the storied eatery’s “taco alley” experience and unique style of tacos to its neighbors across the border.

The outpost of the eatery, which took over the restaurant space on 1011 Broadway previously occupied by a Chinese buffet called Ocean City, has been in the works for over two years. The anticipation drew out hundreds of people on its soft-turned-grand opening in late December.

Owner Pedro Rodriguez, a Chula Vista local, decided to open the new Las Ahumaderas in San Diego County as a way of bringing the traditions of the original location to a wider audience, breathing new life into the taco culture he grew up in.

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“I’m the second generation and I wanted to bring it back,” Rodriguez said. “I’ve been getting to have people, even from Santa Ana, just driving all the way to come here and have a taste of Las Ahumaderas … a lot of people that back in the 1970s, 80s used to go eat at Las Ahumaderas.”

Founded in the 1960s, the original Las Ahumaderas is best known for its “taco alley” experience, with about six sellers operating individual stands. It gained global notoriety after Anthony Bourdain showcased the eatery in a 2012 episode of his TV show, “No Reservations.”

Rodriguez’s family started working at the spot right around the time it opened, later founding their own stand, called Tacos El Poblano, in the 1970s. They also have several other taquerias across Tijuana.

The Chula Vista spot, which is owned separately from the original location, is designed with the atmosphere of the Las Ahumaderas’ taquerias as inspiration, featuring metal tables comparable to those in Tijuana and bottled Mexican sodas.

However, the new location does have some differences. Most notably, it only has one taqueria spread across different stands to make it look like the original “taco alley.” Each stand features a type of meat like asada, birria, adobada, chicken and tripa, among others.

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The traditional Tijuana style of the tacos remains the same, including the quintessential rolling of the tortilla into an almost cone-like shape. That touch, passed down to him from his family, is why Rodriguez calls their tacos “The Original Tijuana Taco.”

“It does make a difference,” Rodriguez said. “It’s just a little difference, but we’re trying our best to get that taste.”

On top of the authentic taco offerings, Chula Vista’s Las Ahumaderas also sells esquites, elotes, nachos, baked potatoes with flank steak and more in partnership with other local businesses like Helote and Creperia Nutilda.

Hungry patrons will have the option of either ordering while sitting at a bar near the kitchen or at one of the stands to carry to one of the many dining tables.

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Las Ahumaderas has only been open for a little over a week and it is already buzzing with business.

“The community really responded and a lot of people were waiting for it. I mean it took us 26 months to open our doors,” Rodriguez said. For him, all that business is dedicated to his uncle Sebastian, one of the founders of Tacos El Poblano who is recovering from a serious illness.

“We’re bringing something good to this community, to Chula Vista,” he continued. “We don’t only want people from Chula Vista or the surrounding (areas) — we want people to come from Carlsbad from San Diego, El Cajon.”

While the restaurant is still in its infancy, Rodriguez said they are still working to figure out some of the details of their operations, including their business hours. At the moment, Chula Vista’s Las Ahumaderas is open Monday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.

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