Count us among those who’ve been eagerly anticipating Chef Javier Plasciencia’s Bracero Cocina! Made it this week; not disappointed. From what we saw, if you don’t have reservations but arrive by 5:30 or so on a weeknight, you should be able to get in quickly. Don’t be intimidated!

We had reservations and were directed upstairs to a rather tiny table for two. We felt lucky to be there, but it was noisy and a bit hectic, with VERY close tables. A far cry from other Plasciencia venues we’ve frequented, Finca Altozano in the Valle (FAVE!) & Mision 19 in Tijuana. Fortunately, we had fabulous table neighbors, Sarah and Ethan Epperson.

We took a few mins to drink in the atmosphere – and then got down to the real drinks.

As long-time Sentri Pass holders, we HAD to try the Sentri Pass and the Ready Lane cocktails (with jalapeno-infused tequila; I’m SO inspired to try this at home!) With dinner I enjoyed a glass of Sacro from Lomita, one of our fave Baja wineries. We started the eating experience with a grouper birria taco (fish, not goat, the traditional birria centerpiece).

Tasty, but sorry, not memorable. What WAS memorable was the Sabina Bandera tostada, named for the wonderful and darling chef at the long-standing and pretty-darn-famous La Guerrerrense in Ensenada.

Corvina ceviche, prepared clam, sea urchin topping & avocado – WOW. I’ll order this again. Bracero’s chocolata clam was lovely but a bit chewy.

The one hot small plate we ordered was the wood-grilled octopus: highly recommended, but disappointing. The black bean & squid ink sauce are tasty but = a dark, blah presentation.

While we grooved on the smoky flavor, green garbanzos and anise flowers, the octopus was (in our opinion) mushy. As Baja veterans, we prefer our octopus lightly grilled, served al dente.

On to dessert: one coconut flan, one grapefruit panna cotta, both delicious. Pleased with our meal, we headed out & were lucky to chat with Chef himself on the patio.

Felicitaciones – please join us in wishing great success for Bracero Cocina! We love having Baja cuisine & chefs on this side of the border, and front and center in our region’s culinary tapestry.