Enjoyed this restaurant! Due to the outstanding reviews on Yelp, decided to trek on down from the…read moreSan Diego border to Rosarito to check this spot out. Patagonia is located right in the heart of downtown Rosarito, within a short walking distance of the beach and well-known Papas & Beer nightclub. Was slightly hard to find at first, though there is a small red sign from the storefronts on main street (Hwy 1) indicating where the restaurant is. The restaurant is actually located in a charming garden court slightly off the main street, co-located with a few other restaurants and shops.
Got to the restaurant a little before 1:30 pm on a Friday, not too long after they opened for the day. Only one other set of customers was there at the time so I was able to be seated immediately.
Was surprised by how small the spot is, almost felt like you were walking into someone's home rather than a restaurant, though I very much appreciated the old-school, "homey" feel and decor. 4-5 tables inside, another 4-5 tables outside, with the kitchen right in the front of the restaurant where you can see all the food being prepared. A couple of cats randomly roaming around the restaurant also added to the charm, LOL. Seems to be a family-owned restaurant judging from the size, decor, and the fact that the waiter who took my order was also helping in the kitchen.
The waiter who greeted me spoke pretty good English so language barrier was no issue. I ordered the 16 oz grilled ribeye steak (Bife Patagonia), which comes with your choice of french fries (which I chose) or salad. There's not an extensive drink list here - mostly some wines, sangria, juices, and water - so I just went with some mineral water rather than the usual beer I would get at this type of restaurant.
A few minutes after ordering they waiter brought out a few pieces of complimentary bread with homemade sauces. Small portioned, but very tasty!
They then brought out the french fries before bringing out the steak, which I thought was a little odd (these are typically brought out at the same time), but wasn't a problem for me.
The ribeye was very well-portioned, juicy, and damn good. Wouldn't say it's up there with the best I've ever had, or even the best I've had in Mexico, but it was good. At 695 pesos (~$35 dollars) I thought it was great value relative to comparable steakhouses both in Mexico and the U.S.
Altogether with the 2 mineral waters I ordered (50 pesos each), my total bill came out to 795 pesos (~40) which was actually much less than I was expecting to pay going in. Patagonia does accept credit cards and they have their own free wi-fi.
While most people who go to steakhouses like this dress up nicely, there is no dress code here. I was very casually dressed when I went here, as was the waiter and all the other workers who were there at the time.
Very charming restaurant with good food at a great price! Definitely recommend checking out at least once if you happen to be in the area!
