Best area to stay in Mexicali? The vibrant Zona Dorada!
If you plan on visiting Mexico’s 3rd largest border city, the best area to stay in Mexicali is their vibrant zona dorada! Great restaurants, bars, and shopping are all within walking distance of any hotel you chose in this zone. The golden zone (as it’s known in English) is also located along the main thoroughfares of the city so getting in and out to explore the many things to do can be done with ease.
Mexicali – Capital city of Baja California
I first visited Mexicali in 2014 for work and have gone back about every other year since then. Like most people before they first visit, I didn’t really hear much about this border city and couldn’t tell you anything about it. It’s not really on anyone’s travel radar. While it has a population of roughly 1 million people, this city doesn’t come to mind when you think of Mexican cities along the US/Mexico border. Tijuana or Juarez are usually the first ones people list. Then followed by probably Nuevo Laredo or Matamoros. But just because you might not have heard about it doesn’t mean it’s not worth a visit.
Getting there is an Adventure
All of my visits to Mexicali involved a road trip from either San Diego (the closest major airport on the US side), Orange, or Los Angeles. The trips generally ranged from 2 hours for the San Diego route to almost 4 hours from LA. But do not despair on the drive times as you will be traveling through some beautiful and scenic areas! See interactive maps below for routes from LA and San Diego.
From San Diego
From LA
Tips:
- Make sure you fill up on gas/charge your vehicle.
- Have some extra water in your vehicle just in case. Especially if you go the San Diego route.
- Do not take the roads leading to the border wall on the US side. Wait until you get to the Mexican side of the border if you want to snap some pics of you at the wall. I’ll have more on why further down 😎.
No matter which route you take, you will travel through some very nice terrain and see some interesting things along the way. There are also various points of interest where you can detour and learn about the area. One of those spots is The Desert View Tower.
The Desert View Tower
After several trips to Mexicali from San Diego and passing this old tower in the In-Ko-Pah Mountains range for years, I finally decided to make a stop to see it up close. I also needed a restroom break, but still. It’s hard to miss as you travel through these parts and I can imagine it was a comfort to see for weary travelers back in the day. Once in view, there are signs that will take you to the base of the 100 year old viewing tower.
The backroad to get to the base is filled with weird shit, not going to lie. Like I would be creeped out if I came here at night. Straight out of a horror movie type stuff 😨. But you shouldn’t be traveling through these parts at night anyway so you won’t have to worry about coming up missing, lol.
The Desert View stone tower sits high in the In-Ko-Pah Mountains. It has a restaurant and bar located on the old road across from the tower. The 100 year old Tower also houses a museum, giftshop, and has an observation deck. Despite the creepy road to get there, it’s worth a quick pit stop.
The Infamous Border Wall – USA side
You can’t help but notice the USA/Mexico border wall once you cross the Jacumba Mountain range. The landscape goes from cool, elevated, and rocky to hot, dry, and flat. For most people, they have only seen the border wall on tv in political ads or news stories. It is pretty jarring to see in the distance and it sticks out like a sore thumb against the desert landscape. As stated before, there are roads that can take you close to the border walls but you can only get so close before you see signs not to go further.
We took one of the roads towards the wall until we got to the sign warning not to go further. At that point we stopped to take a couple of pictures and made a U-turn to head back to the highway. We of course were being watched and it didn’t take long for curious border patrol agents to stop us just as we were approaching the freeway.
They were pleasant and professional. After a couple of questions and ID checks, we were on our way. I can’t blame them. Two Mexicans in a new black convertible in the middle of nowhere taking pics of the wall, lol. So just a word of caution, wait until you get to the Mexico side to take pics at the wall. Hell you can even climb it if you want over there.
Crossing Over the Border
The border crossing is located at Calexico, CA. This small town of about 38K is tiny compared to it’s 1M+ neighbor to the south and nothing to write home about. So here is where you have 2 options on crossing. You can drive your personal vehicle or car rental across with no issues (make sure you have insurance that covers you in Mexico) or you can leave your car in Calexico and walk across. I have done both but I do have the advantage of leaving my car at our company facility on the US side of the border and they drive me across to my hotel.
For those not wanting to take their vehicle across, there is a junk yard on the Calexico side that will let you park your car there for a fee. The place looks like where they filmed the Breaking Bad scene where Walter and Jesse meet with Tuco. So you’re probably saying to yourself, “this guy is nuts, I’m not leaving my car at a junkyard”. Relax, it’s safe and I’ve done it and it’s cool.
One time that stands out is when I was traveling to Mexicali with my friend McCoy and we arrived at night (around 8 pm in December). He had never been to any part of Mexico in his life and this was going to be his first time crossing the border. So there we were on a cold December night, alone in the middle of a junkyard with a suspect looking “supervisor”, and waiting for our ride to come get us. My man was nervous 🤣.
La Zona Dorada!
I have stayed at the Hotel Araiza Mexicali and the Hotel Lucerna Mexicali (both very fine properties that I would also recommend) but in my opinion, the best area to stay is in La Zona Dorada. My personal preference is the Holiday Inn Express & Suites Mexicali because it is in the heart of the zone. It is within walking distance to some of the best restaurants and shopping in Mexicali. Not to mention some nice bars as well. With great people managing the property and excellent service, it is my favorite place to stay.
Whether you visit Mexicali for work or vacation, the last thing you want to do is drive around looking for good food and a drink after a long day at the office or sight seeing. Staying in this zona will eliminate that hassle and you’ll be in one of the safest areas of the city too. So, where to begin with the food and bar choices? Here are my recommendations.
Zona Dorada Restaurants- Cabanna
I cannot say enough great things about this restaurant. All my Mexicali trips start and end here, and for good reason. The food at this place is fantastic, the vibe and people watching is superb, and the beer is served ice cold. They have indoor and outdoor dining sections and the place is well decorated but the main event is the food, and in my opinion their tacos!
After Mexico City Mexicali is my all time favorite city for tacos, and it’s because of places like Cabanna.
Bodega 8
Another good spot in la zona dorada is Bodega 8. This restaurant seems to always be packed and is a favorite amongst the locals. Getting a table in the late afternoon/early evening is pretty easy but from 6 pm onwards I recommend you make reservations. The food here is more adventurous with an array of dishes served straight on a molcajete. My food palate is not very complex and I don’t like to take chances on my meals so apologies for not having any pics of the wide variety of dishes they serve. I keep it simple when I order here but there really is a good selection to choose from.
Mochomos – Sonora Steakhouse
If you’re looking for a proper steakhouse, look no further than Mochomos Sonoran steakhouse. It’s located in the plaza directly across the road and everything is superbly made there. This is the #1 restaurant in Mexicali (per Tripadvisor) and I definitely agree with that ranking. The ambience and service are what you would expect from a fine steakhouse and the star of the show is without a doubt the mouthwatering dishes served here.
Sonora is a state in Mexico that is known and recognized for it’s beef quality and the Mochomos chain has definitely mastered the art of steak. All the usual cuts of beef are grilled to perfection and they also have a good wine selection to pair with your meals. But while I expected great meat selections from this place, their seafood was equally impressive. Being so close to the Pacific and Gulf of California, the seafood is as fresh as it gets and this restaurant will surprise you with those selections as well.
Zona Dorada Bars – The Good Life
Located inside the Zona Dorada is a pretty relaxed bar called the Good Life. It’s the great spot for pre or post dinner drinks. Their mixologists are top notch and do their part to serve up some of the best liquid good life in Mexicali. The vibe here is chill and not rowdy with a good mix of young and old. Order the Moscow mule, best one I’ve had made in a long time.
Cantina Mexico
This is a cool sports bar with huge half wall sized screens to catch any major sporting event. It just so happened that Mexico was playing in a soccer tournament during one of my visits so I got to watch it there. But I have also visited during baseball and football seasons and they will have those games on as well. They will have live entertainment here on certain weekends and overall it’s a good bar to catch a game. The food served here is your standard bar fare.
Zona Dorada summary
This is a pretty good sized area; therefore, there are so many places that I didn’t write about because I wanted to keep the focus on the highly recommended establishments. There are also great Italian, Chinese, and awesome fusion restaurants all clustered in la zona. So whether it’s your first time visiting Mexicali or you are a repeat visitor, you would do well by staying in this zone.
I will be writing a separate post on the lively craft beer and taco scene in Mexicali. After several visits that have now spanned almost 10 years, I have tried out many places that deserve to be written about. I hope you come back to my blog to read about those.
Getting back & the infamous border wall – Mexico side
Crossing into Mexico from Calexico is a breeze compared to going back. For starters, when you drive into Mexicali there are no agents that stop and ask you questions. Everyone is let in except if you’re one of the very few unlucky ones that gets randomly selected by the stoplight (yes, it is a literal street stoplight) that will turn to red for no rhyme or reason. You will then be asked to pull over and they will question you and possibly search your vehicle. Other than plain bad luck, you will not spend any time getting into Mexicali. Coming back over is an adventure onto itself. So here are my tips.
Driving back across
There are 3 things you can do to make your life easier when driving back.
- Get your Global Entry card and skip the lines at all US land border crossing.
- If you don’t have your Global Entry card, then be prepared to line up before 6 am
- Cross back late at night (after 10 pm)
If you do none of these things well then te chingaste. You will be in some ridiculous long lines and depending on the time of year, it might even be in 115 degree weather (no joke). See pics below I took of the line.
The 2 US/Mexico border points of entry
- Calexico East border crossing is open from 6 am – 10 pm
- Calexico West is open 24 hours
Take your pictures on this side of the wall
As I mentioned earlier, if you’re determined to have your picture taken at the wall then do it on this side. For one, Mexican authorities don’t give a shit if you want a selfie there. They will just look at you and laugh or ignore you. During one of my visits they were constructing new segments of it and on one other occasion I got a pic of some guys climbing it with some home made contraption! There was a US border patrol truck parked just on the other side so maybe they were just trying out their gear for a future attempt?
Walking back across – Calexico West border station
I’ve walked across the border at both entry points and the Calexico West border station is definitely the preferred location. For the most part this crossing is through a building which shields you from the hot sun. If the line extends outside the building, at least you’ll have various street vendors selling food, drinks, and snacks to keep you in a decent mood.
Walking back across – Calexico East border station
Get ready to get some steps in on this route. Before I had my global entry card I had to take this route which meant I got dropped off halfway in the Sentry lane (literally in the middle). You then have to walk to the customs building. Where upon exiting, you still have to walk 1/2 mile to a little liquor store where your ride/Uber can pick you up. All part of the adventure peeps 😃.
So now you know where to stay when you visit Mexicali! The Vibrant Zona Dorada!