Loncheria Rosita in Punta Banda, nice lady and delicious food

Monday morning, April 18, 2005 found me driving through the quaint little town of Punta Banda, on my way to check out La Bufadora, the ocean blowhole that attracts tourists from around the world. It was about 0830 and I was starting to get hungry. I had one thing in mind for breakfast: Menudo, the breakfast of champions, a very popular breakfast dish in northern Mexico. As I drove through Punta Banda, to my right I noticed Loncheria Rosita, and yes, they had a hand-painted sign advertising the fact that they sold menudo. Eureka!

Left: Loncheria Rosita, in Punta Banda. Photo taken from the hill across the road. Right: Rosita, behind the counter.

As soon as I walked into the place, I knew I'd found a treasure of a restaurant. Unlike many small restaurants in Baja California, and Mexico in general, this place is completely enclosed and not open to the street. Straight ahead is the counter and behind the counter is the kitchen. There are several tables of varying size placed around the dining area, and the decor could be described as "functional," as per the norm in many small Mexican restaurants. Like other small restaurants in Mexico, the place is antiseptically clean. Don't even think about a printed menu, as there isn't one. Nor is there a menu placed above the counter. Whatever you want, just ask Rosita, and chances are the answer will be "No problema" or "Si, lo puedo."

Left: The counter and the kitchen. Note the black & white 1970's-vintage TV perched on the refrigerator. Right: Looking towards the kitchen, from the dining area. Rosita is in the kitchen preparing my menudo.

However, the greatest treasure to be found at Loncheria Rosita is Rosita herself. When I walked into the restaurant, I was greeted immediately with a cheery "Buenos dias, senor" and a big grin from Rosita. Of course I returned the courtesy, as per the protocol in Mexican society. Rosita cooks, cleans, cashiers, as she's the chief cook and bottle washer at Loncheria Rosita. I inquired whether she had menudo (the sign in front advertises menudo for Saturday and Sunday only,) and I was in luck, as she had some left over from the weekend. By the way, menudo tastes much better if its aged a day or two. So I ordered menudo, sat down at a table, and took in the sights of Loncheria Rosita.

Left: Rosita busies herself in the kitchen preparing my delicious breakfast. Right: A hot bowl of menudo, coming up!

Immediately placed on the table before me was a tortilla warmer, filled with fresh, corn tortillas, and a bowl of salsa to-die-for. Rosita puttered about the kitchen, pulling a pot of menudo out of the fridge, putting some of it into a saucepan, and heating it up on the stove. No microwave ovens can be found in Loncheria Rosita! While the menudo was heating, Rosita busied herself with cutting up onions, cilantro and filling a small plastic container with oregano. Just the thing to compliment a bowl of menudo.

She wasn't all that busy, as I was the only customer in the place, so I decided to give my Spanish a workout, as no English is spoken at Rosita's. Rosita and her husband have been living in Punta Banda all of their lives, and in the same location for 22 years. Their house adjoins the restaurant, which is their main source of income. Rosita pretty much operates the restaurant by herself, however when things get busy, hubby lends a hand doing whatever is needed. In true Mexican fashion, the kids also help out when business is brisk, particularly when a tour bus stops by.

No preservatives are used at Rosita's, as the ingredients are fresh and procured from local sources. She makes corn tortillas in the kitchen, from locally-grown corn. In fact, all of her produce is grown locally and purchased from local growers. If you order a chicken or goat dish, you know the meat is very fresh, as hubby tends to the chickens and goats they raise, and is very instrumental in converting them into meat for the restaurant. I asked Rosita where the tripe came from that I was eating in my menudo, and she replied that it came from Enrique's ranch, only a couple of kilometers away to the east.

Left: Rosita is behind the counter, preparing my delicious meal. Right: Here is is: Beans, menudo, tortillas and all of the condiments. What a delicious breakfast!

After a few minutes of pleasant conversation, my breakfast was ready. During the course of our conversation, I'd consumed the six tortillas; six more came with my meal. After I'd topped my menudo with the condiments, Rosita asked me if I'd like some beans, on the house. How could I resist an offer like that? So in addition to the menudo, I had a bowl of the most delicious refried beans this side of heaven. As I was enjoying my breakfast, she brought me another six warm, freshly-made, corn tortillas. Oh dear...

By the time I'd finished my meal, I was stuffed! Rosita asked me if I'd like more tortillas, or a second helping of menudo and I had to politely decline, as my stomach was about ready to burst. I asked for la cuenta, and the total bill came to a measly $40.00, less than you'd pay for a "happy meal" in the states, but exponentially superior.

Photos: Future food is kept very fresh next to Rosita's.

Gringo advisory: Forget the Denny-boy-style places when you visit Mexico. Eat at the small roadside stalls and restaurants, like Loncheria Rosita. You'll get a chance to meet, talk to, and quite possibly share a meal with some of the most incredible people on the planet. Rosita is an example of this superior genre of the human race found in Mexico: Smart, friendly, resourceful and nicer than the girl next door.

Next time you're in Punta Banda, do your taste buds and your wallet a favor and stop by Loncheria Rosita.

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