El Nido

Located in the heart of downtown Rosarito, you can smell the smoky aromas from the burning Mesquite wood as you walk up to El Nido. If you aren't quite hungry just yet, this will automatically open up your appetite. All of their meats are locally sourced and cooked on mesquite wood. Their menu has included local rabbit, venison, lamb, and quail since the 1980's. They acquired a quail farm in El Valle de Guadalupe  more than two decades ago, and that is how the quail became introduced on their menu. As you walk into the restaurant you are surrounded by greenery, fireplaces with the burning wood, and the sounds of water trickling and birds chirping in their giant cage. Most of the light during the day, is all sourced from natural light. I really did feel as if I was stepping into a "nest". There is such and warm and cozy  ambiance.

Antonio and I were on a eating trek the whole day, so we actually split a dish for breakfast. I actually believe that it was our second breakfast, but who's counting? We ordered the Venison Machaca with fried Quail eggs. It came plated with some of the best refried pinto beans that I have ever had, and a pan fried disc of potato. Served along side were fresh flour tortillas, which I have to tell myself to stop eating, before I demolish the whole basket. Just thinking about a fresh warm flour tortilla smothered with butter is making my stomach growl. The Venison Machaca is incredibly light, with its own unique flavor. Unique in the way that you can still remember the flavor of each and every morsel as it hit your taste buds. If you have never tried Venison machaca, I highly recommend that you order it, here at El Nido. The Quail eggs, even though fried, had this delectable creaminess to them. I would choose quail eggs every morning for breakfast if I had the chance.