Cafeteria Mi Kaza de Ensenada

If you’re looking for excellent local Mexican cuisine, superior service, friendly hosts, and large portions of traditional meals explore the culinary possibilities at Mi Kaza Cafeteria in downtown Ensenada. Everyone loves gourmet food, but sometimes “Mexican comfort food” at reasonable prices and in a user-friendly environment cures the craving for home-style cooking. Portions are large, so if your timing is right one meal can last throughout the day. Mi Kaza has been a favorite venue with locals for over fifteen years and is becoming popular among Americans living in the region as well as tourists and cruise ship travelers. This venue is my favorite destination for a good wholesome meal.

One interesting aspect of this traditional Mexican cafeteria is that it’s owned and managed by an American, Les Starnes. He’s originally from Oklahoma with a background in specialty foods, restaurant management and worked as a CPA for La Victoria Mexican Foods in California. His work with La Victoria required travel throughout Mexico for two years where he discovered the beauty and ambiance of the culture. Les tells me, “I always dreamed of living near the ocean, when I realized that Mexico offered that option at a reasonable price, I packed my bags and moved to Baja California Norte. I was burned out on the food industry at the time, but found this charming little place, and purchased it in hopes of continuing with it’s historical success.” He adds, “my business philosophy is to provide generous servings of home-style foods at reasonable prices with friendly and efficient service. My vision was to create a relaxed Mexican ambiance, and provide quality Mexican comfort food ~ blended with some American touches.”

Mi Kaza is open 365 days of the year from 6:30 am until 10 p.m. Selections from the breakfast, lunch and dinner options are always available with prices ranging from $3.25 up to $10 usd. The breakfast menu contains over thirty culinary possibilities, lunch features seventeen choices and the dinner menu has ten unique entrees. Popular meals range from the “daily special” with a main entree, soup, salad, rice, beans, and dessert gelatin to five chicken dishes, moles, and their renowned chili rellenos. The “American” touches include hamburgers, club sandwiches, hot cakes and French toast.

In addition to providing great food at reasonable prices, Les makes award-winning wine (Nativo 2007 Zinfandel) on his property in Valle de Guadalupe. He has a fifteen acre vineyard of Cabernet Sauvignon and Tempranillo grapes in the valley, with plans to add a B&B facility in the future. For now, next time you’re in Ensenada visit Mi Kaza at Riveroll # 87-2 in Zona Centro or call for directions at 646 178-8211. It’s located directly across the street (east) from the Plaza of Tres Cabasas (Three Bronze Heads) and next to the Bahia Hotel just off of Blvd. Lazaro Cardenas Costero. Please - watch out for those large portions, and kindly save some of his famous Chili Rellenos for me!

Steve Dryden is a wine, food and travel writer living in Mexico’s premier wine country of Guadalupe Valley where he guides private and small group wine tours. He can be reached at: sbdry This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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