Baja California landed five nominations in México Desconocido magazine’s 2026 “Best of Mexico” awards and picked up two international wins at the 2025 Food and Travel Reader Awards, capping a strong spring for the state’s tourism and gastronomy profile. Public voting at lomejormexico.com is open until 11:59 p.m. on April 20, giving residents and visitors a narrow window to weigh in.
Five Categories Span the Peninsula From Tecate to Bahía de los Ángeles
The “Best of Mexico” awards, now in their eighth edition, are run by México Desconocido, one of Mexico’s longest-running travel magazines, published since 1976. The contest uses public voting to rank destinations, experiences, and culinary regions across the country. Baja California’s five nominations this year cover a wide geographic and thematic range.
Tecate, the small border city about 35 miles east of Tijuana, is nominated as “Best Magical Town for a Gastronomic Experience.” Tecate earned its Pueblo Mágico designation from Mexico’s tourism ministry in 2018, and its food scene has grown around craft breweries, artisan bread bakeries on Avenida Hidalgo, and ranch-style cooking traditions tied to the surrounding ranchos. The town hosts an annual Paella Festival and a growing number of farm-to-table restaurants.
Bahía de los Ángeles, a remote fishing village on the Sea of Cortez about 300 miles south of the border, is up for “Best Hidden Gem to Discover.” The bay sits within the Bahía de los Ángeles Biosphere Reserve, home to whale sharks, sea turtles, and manta rays. Access requires a paved but isolated two-lane road off the Transpeninsular Highway, which keeps visitor numbers low.
Valle de Guadalupe, the wine region about 20 miles northeast of Ensenada, earned a nomination for “Best Luxury and Wellness Experience.” The valley now hosts more than 150 wineries and dozens of destination restaurants, up from roughly 50 wineries a decade ago. Its reputation has attracted boutique hotels like Bruma and Encuentro Guadalupe, both of which blend architecture with the arid landscape.
The Tijuana-Ensenada Scenic Highway, a 60-mile coastal route that hugs cliffs above the Pacific, is nominated as “Best Experience to Have in Mexico at Least Once in a Lifetime.” Officially known as the Ensenada Scenic Road (Carretera Escénica Tijuana-Ensenada), the route passes through Rosarito, Puerto Nuevo, and La Fonda before descending into Ensenada. The state of Baja California itself rounds out the five, nominated as “Best State to Enjoy Regional and Contemporary Cuisine.”
Baja California Tourism Awards Include International Wine and Restaurant Honors
Beyond the México Desconocido nominations, the state collected two wins at the 2025 Food and Travel Reader Awards from seven total nominations. Baja California won “Mexico’s Best Gastronomic Destination,” a category it has contended for repeatedly since the Tijuana and Ensenada food scenes gained international attention around 2015. The Food and Travel awards are judged by reader vote from the UK-based Food and Travel Magazine, which covers global dining destinations.
Chef Sheyla Alvarado’s restaurant Lunario, located in Valle de Guadalupe, won “Best Sustainable Restaurant” at the same ceremony. Lunario opened in 2019 and focuses on hyper-local ingredients sourced from the valley and the Pacific coast. Alvarado has been recognized for her composting program, reduced-waste kitchen practices, and partnerships with local farmers.
On the wine front, Baja California wineries brought home 18 medals at the Bacchus International Competition, a Madrid-based event endorsed by the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV). Judges conduct blind tastings across categories for red, white, and sparkling wines. Baja California produces roughly 90% of Mexico’s wine, nearly all of it from the valleys surrounding Ensenada: Valle de Guadalupe, Valle de Santo Tomás, and Valle de San Vicente. The 18-medal haul continues a pattern of growing international recognition for the region’s wines. At the 2024 Bacchus competition, Mexican wines collectively earned over a dozen medals, with Baja dominating the count.
The state’s tourism promotion is led by the Baja California State Tourism Secretariat (Secture), headed by Secretary Miguel Ángel Badiola Montaño under Governor Marina del Pilar Avila Olmeda’s administration. Secture has invested in international marketing campaigns and professionalization programs for hospitality workers across the state.
Voting for the “Best of Mexico” awards closes at 11:59 p.m. on April 20 at lomejormexico.com, where each category allows one vote per user. Results from the eighth edition are expected later this spring. This story was first reported by Expreso.info.