Juanitos Cantina (San Felipe, Baja) - Restaurant Review

The prestigious El Dorado Ranch Resort offers visitors countless amenities, from upscale dining options, to tennis courts and multiple swimming pools. Guests who are staying in a vacation home on this luxurious resort could spend an entire day just exploring and experiencing all of the fantastic activities it has to offer. One of the most delicious options on the resort is Juanito’s Cantina. Lucky for all San Felipe visitors, Juanito’s Cantina is open to the public, so everyone can enjoy the mouthwatering Mediterranean cuisine. 

El Dorado Ranch Resort and Tennis Club is located 7 miles north of San Felipe on Highway 5. It offers a wide range of accommodations for travelers, from hotel rooms to four bedroom fully furnished vacation homes on the golf course. There are also large condos and RV hook ups. It encompasses over 35,000 acres of beautiful Mexican landscape, just a two-hour drive from the US border. When you arrive in El Dorado Ranch, you can head to the community of Ventana del Mar to find this unique and authentic Mexican cantina. It is right on The Sea of Cortez and makes for a beautiful lunch or dinner experience with a view. Open from 4pm to 10pm, it is a great hang out for El Dorado Ranchers and provides a community spot for travelers to get together, socialize and meet their neighbors.

Think sea breezes and fruity drinks as you enter this newly remodeled cantina and find a seat overlooking the water. Any table is a good table at Juanito’s Cantina, as you’ll have a picturesque view of the Sea of Cortez from any seat in the house. If you brought your dancing shoes, make sure to wear them to Juanito’s to take full advantage of the indoor dance floor that comes alive when the sun goes down.

 Appetizers and Drinks

Once you sit down on the patio or in the air-conditioned dining room, order a margarita or ice cold beer and take a look at the menu. The fried calamari is a great appetizer option. They arrive at your table quickly and steaming hot, served with lemon and marinara for dipping. The guacamole comes to the table in a large bowl with enough chips for the entire table to share.  The tortilla soup is always a hit, as is the chilled summer soup of the day. The ceaser salad comes in large portions and perfect for sharing.  Juanito’s Cantina is one of those places that you could order drinks and appetizers and lose track of time, munching on finger foods, soups and salads and sipping authentic Mexican beverages. However, you would be doing yourself a disservice if you came here and not ordering the main courses. 

The Grill Adventure

Juanito’s Cantina offers a unique meal option; called The Grill Adventure Pick your favorite seafood or meat and the chef will prepare it to your liking. If you’re craving a land lover’s feast, order the chicken breast or the NY Strip Steak. These hearty options are seasoned with Juanito’s special blend of Mexican herbs, marinated and topped with a sauce that compliments the meat perfectly. The NY Strip Steak is cooked to perfection and drizzled with Béarnaise sauce; a buttery sauce made with shallots, tarragon and crushed black peppercorns. The chicken breast is topped with Sauce Charon, a twist on the classic Béarnaise sauce. The Charon sauce is a more tomato-based version of the rich, buttery Béarnaise. For seafood lovers, the Sea of Cortez fish of the day is as fresh as it gets, as the restaurant obtains all of their seafood from local fisherman coming in to the Sea of Cortez. The rare Ahi tuna comes with a Asian inspired Ponzu sauce, a tart Japanese original that gives the tuna a pop of flavor. Even if you decide to order the Salmon or Sea Bass, this delicious sauce is a great addition and really brings out the taste of each seafood dish.

Once you pick your main course, you can add two sides. The summer salad potatoes, spinach and mushrooms and glazed carrots are the most popular options and really enhance the entire dining experience.

Mexican Favorites

If you have your heart set on true Mexican cuisine, Juanito’s has an entire section of the menu dedicated to Mexican specials.  Home made flour tortillas topped with chicken, steak or a combination of both make for the best fajitas around. Served with roasted vegetables and sour cream on the side, these large Mexican favorites have a kick of spice and a lot of flavor. The snapper fillet is served on a bed of cactus

(Does it get any more Mexican that that?!) and accompanied by jumbo shrimp. You can find clams at almost every Mexican restaurant, but the Pacific clams here are served over a bed of angel hair pasta and cooked in garlic and olive oil. No matter what dinner option you decide on, make sure to ask for a to-go box, as the portions are large and after an appetizer and drinks, you’ll want to take some of this Mexican goodness back home to enjoy later. 

For chocolate lovers, the chocolate brownie topped with ice cream or the chocolate truffle cake is a dream come true.  Have everyone order a different dessert so you can get a little taste of everything sweet on the menu. The apple pie is a great way to end a satisfying meal on the Sea of Cortez.

The only thing better than the food is the amazing ocean view, and the only thing better than the view is that you can to experience everything that is Juanito’s Cantina for unbelievable reasonable prices.  The appetizers range from $3-7 and the main courses range from $8-15. The money you save by eating here compared to other local eateries can be used for an extra margarita or the tourist-y cactus magnet you’ve had your eye on.

El Dorado Ranch Resort specializes in making vacation dreams come true. From the private beaches, luxury accommodations, 5 star restaurants, multiple swimming pools, tennis courts and a golf course, everything about this resort screams “Vacation of a lifetime!” Celebrate this exciting Mexican adventure by enjoying authentic cuisine set against the gorgeous Sea of Cortez. 

• Address: El Dorado Ranch, San Felipe, Baja California, Mexico, 21850
• Telephone: +52-686-157-9751