Cuatro Etnias - Tijuana

Yes, this restaurant is hidden on the second floor of the local peasant market Mercado Hidalgo, it can access a flight of stairs forming the outside. The food is excellent, all freshly made with organic ingredients... You can't go wrong with this choice.

I consider myself a high-end food and I'm ready to drop a few hundred dollars for a good meal. Let me say that this place is a hidden gem in the middle of a market. The decor is mainly modern rustic with romantic lighting.... The food is excellent, the flavor combinations are exceptional! I come here as often as I can. Breakfast is excellent and dinner is exceptional. Very recommended and for US travel you will spend around the same amount in a subpar chain restaurant like Olive Garden.

First of all, this restaurant serves from good to great food. But it will be closed shortly, mock my words. Prices in the menu are over the top for Tijuana. You can easily hit 100 dollars for 4, and that without any alcoholic beverages. And...that 's a lot for Tijuana. So, it could be one of those places that you don 't go often, but on special occasions, however, who wants to go to Mercado Hidalgo to celebrate a special occasion? They need to either move to Chapultepec district or the Restaurant Row, or lower their prices drastically, if they can 't I believe they can) but if they don 't want, then develop a much more affordable menu to add to the existing one. And don 't misunderstand me, I really love Mercado Hidalgo, I believe it is one of the best tourists spots Tijuana has to offer. Prices for an entree here range from 300 to more than 550 pesos each, that 's around 40 dlls. We went yesterday for lunch, there was another party and us, they left, then us, and they got an empty dining room, I don 't know for how long. They have good cooks and from good to great dishes, this place should be packed. But if somebody wants to eat in Mercado Hidalgo, does not expect to pay from 25 to 40 per person, and if I want to pay this, I rather go to a nicer place, like Mission 19 or Saverio 's. Second problem is the service, with an almost empty restaurant, it took years to get our drinks.. no napkins or utensils until the very end. even way after we were done with an appetizer. They need to either trained the server I believe there 's only one) or get a qualified waiter. As for the food, it is good, I ordered Lengua beef tongue) in Tamarindo Sauce, I had second thoughts because I believed tamarind was going to overwhelmed the dish, but no, it was fine, it came with a side of rice and tempura vegetables these last not very well done), my wife ordered some chicken entree, it was really good, my daughter Gnocchis, she didn 't care for them, and my youngest daughter a Mar Tierra which is tiny steaks with a scallop and shrimp on top, this was really good except that the steaks needed more salt. If Cuatro Etnias doesn 't want to go out of business, they need to fix the services and those prices.

Recently had dinner, with the initial reaction of we 've got one night in Tijuana and we go to an Italian place? It was an uncharitable thought. All the food was excellent, the wines were very good, including some Italian varietals that are hard to find...in the US. All in all, very good. Dinner here was part of a large corporate group, so it may well be that we got above average attention, but I 'd go back.

In major cities the world over, eating in the local municipal markets has always been a special treat. In Mexico's municipal markets in most towns and cities regional food cooked home-style can be found for the most part in popular, lo-cost eateries located within the...confines of the market. Food is fresh for the source is right there at hand. Tijuana's Mercado Hidalgo is an iconic stop on any tour of the city. It's a colorful kaleidoscope of food, fruit, vegetables, piñatas, kitchen utensils, candy, toys, curios, natural remedies, etc. Within this melange of stalls one can find special, surprising destinations. One of these is the artisanal cheese shop, La Cava del Queso (on first floor), another is the Hidalgo Coffee Shop (in the parking lot by the altar) and the third is 4 Etnias. 4 Etnias is a destination restaurant located on the second floor of the market. The menu is primarily Mediterranean and chef auteur. This is a space that is nothing like the usual eating spots on the first floor. Here you will find modern, sleek decor and a chef's menu that's outstanding. It goes without saying that all the dishes are prepared with the freshest ingredients. To my taste, all the savory dishes could have used slightly more aggressive use of salt. But this is easily corrected (so much better than food that's too salty). There are no salt/pepper shakers on the tables (no doubt in honor of the Mexican government's campaign to reduce salt intake) but they can be had for the asking. Service needs to be tightened up a bit. The place has been open less than two months so attention to these details can still be understood but they must be corrected quickly if 4 Etnias is to successfully compete with other similar establishments located elsewhere in the city. This is especially significant since the location of 4 Etnias inside Mercado Hidalgo can be a deterrent both to locals and tourists who may not think such a space is possible here. Some outstanding dishes were: duck tacos, grilled octopus tacos, quail (though I wonder if they were grilled on a gas grill rather than wood burning), the panela cheese 4E style. All desserts are outstanding since there is an in-house pastry chef creating lovely dishes (her rosemary dinner rolls were fantastic, by the way). There is a full bar. The tamarind martini was very good but the marzipan martini was out of this world. It would make a fine dessert all by itself. There is street parking (crowded and sometimes hard to find) and parking inside the mercado (also crowded and somewhat chaotic at times). All in all, though, this is an interesting destination and one worthy of repeat visits. Be aware that a meal with alcohol can run about $30+ dollars per person and you are charged for all extras (though the charge is small). Also be aware that for the time being 4 Etnias is cash-only.