We’ve been fans of Susanna’s for years and make a point of stopping in for a meal every time we visit this seaside community.

Why You Will Love Susanna’s in Rosarito Beach

• The restaurant is minutes from Rosarito Beach Hotel
• Friendly waitstaff
• Warm and inviting decor
• An excellent selection of local wines from Valle de Guadalupe
• Relaxing courtyard seating
• Robust menu with something for everyone

About Susanna’s: The Method Behind the Menu

Originally from Los Angeles, Susanna Stehr opened her eponymous named restaurant, Susanna’s, almost twenty years ago. What sets Susanna’s apart from other high-end restaurants in Baja is Susanna’s firm commitment to both the idea of California cuisine as a lifestyle and as a style of cooking. The menu prioritizes fresh, in-season produce, “healthy” fats from nuts, seeds, and olive oils, and incorporates a lot of lean protein from seafood and poultry.

The menu at Susanna’s highlights California’s rich tradition of “fusion” cooking, which is a way to represent the state’s diverse cultural heritage through food. Throughout the menu, you will see Hispanic, American, French, Spanish, and Italian influences.

As a native Californian, Susanna makes no secret about her love of fresh, ingredient-driven meals. But she also recognizes that when guests visit her restaurant, they might also be craving a satisfying burger or a hearty steak with horseradish, especially if they have spent the day wine-tasting in Valle de Guadalupe. 

Where to Find Susanna’s

Susanna’s restaurant is located in Pueblo Plaza on Boulevard Benito Juarez, which is the “high street” in Rosarito Beach. The plaza is a quaint space that is home to several other great restaurants, bars, and shops. Pueblo Plaza is a quick 5-minute walk from the Rosarito Beach Hotel, one of the most popular hotels in Rosarito. 

A Charming Hacienda Atmosphere

When you walk into Pueblo Plaza, you’re greeted by the rustic Susanna’s sign hanging over the entrance and the hacienda-style facade. The decor within the restaurant is warm and inviting. Spanish tile floors, an exposed beam ceiling, and twinkling star-shaped light fixtures create just the kind of Old World charm you want when you visit Baja.

Fellow wine lovers will want to take a peek at the wine cellar underneath the restaurant. One of the best things about visiting this wine region is the opportunity to have access to so many wonderful wines from Valle de Guadalupe that simply are not available in the US, though we wish they were.

Patio Dining

If you like dining al fresco, consider sitting on the patio at Susanna’s. Dining in this quiet courtyard makes you feel like you’re miles away from the hustle and bustle of Boulevard Benito Juarez. An eye-catching piece of traditional Mexican tile art adorns the side of the exposed brick facade, and vibrant lime green furniture offers colorful accents. A parade of topiaries hang gently from the roof and add an extra element of ambiance.

A Consistently Good Experience

When we say we’ve dined at Susanna’s dozens and dozens of times over the years, we’re not joking. We even have our own table in the corner, and a favorite server, Julio. If you have the opportunity to have Julio as your server, your meal is guaranteed to be a good one. 

As we touched on above, the menu at Susanna’s is full of great options. Believe us, we’ve tried most of the dishes, and they have all been excellent. If anything, there are so many wonderful options that the most difficult part about dining at Susanna’s is suffering from food FOMO – fear of missing out! We recommend ordering a few things and sharing them among your friends so that you can try a little bit of everything.

The Food

On this most recent visit, we ordered the Grilled Pork Chop, a 15-ounce pork chop that has been rubbed in brown sugar, cumin, and chili powder, topped with a tangy apple cider salsa, and served with savory garlic mashed potatoes. The mix of sweet and spicy pork and the tangy cider salsa was just perfect.  

We also enjoyed a big bowl of fragrant Mediterranean Pasta with tender penne, sauteed spinach, artichokes, black olives, tomatoes, bell peppers, and mushrooms. The penne is tossed in a homemade basil pesto that is full of vibrant flavor. 

You can’t dine at Susanna’s without indulging in a little dessert. Even though the menu is geared towards lighter California cuisine, there are a number of treat-yourself desserts. We can absolutely vouch for how sublime the Chocolate Fudge Cake is. This decadent dessert is brushed with Kahlua liqueur, iced with chocolate fudge frosting, and accompanied by a big scoop of vanilla ice cream. Wow. 

We paired our meal with a bottle of one of the local wines from La Cetto. Take a look at our review of this great Valle de Guadalupe Nebbiolo here. 

Closing Thoughts

We have only positive things to say about Susanna’s in Rosarito Beach. This restaurant is one of the best places to dine in Baja, whether you’re visiting for a day or spending the weekend by the beach.