Cantina Hussongs

Worth a visit! Their margaritas are the standard by which I judge all other margaritas now. They are small, cheap and are not like the acoholic slushie margaritas we are all used to getting in the U.S. These are refreshing and smooth. The interior is a real throwback, when I was there they had a small band doing live music. It was a nice slowed down place to retreat from the craziness of Papas and Beer. Highly recommend, it’s worth a stop for sure.

This cantina is a must. I have been coming here for over 25 years and not much has changed. If you want to experience a real cantina this is the place to go.

We went there during an off-​season time of year and it was not at all what I was expecting. From all the recommendations I thought it would be very touristy and it wasn’t at all. We seemed to be the only gringos in the entire place and the federal police were running the door that night. At first we felt a bit awkward and out of place but after a couple drinks to loosen us up we had an absolute blast. Everyone in their appeared to be friendly and during that time of year the bar very much had a locals only feel. This was all fine by us as my wife and I are a bit on the adventurous side and generally try to avoid the tourist spots. The wait staff and bar tenders didn’t appear to know a ton of Spanish but everything would still be very easy to order. We would definitely go back. Much more «Mexican» than some of the other touristy bars if you are looking for something a bit more cultural.

A MUST visit if you’re in Ensenada. My girlfriends and I visited when we were on the Carnival Cruise and we had a blast! A great local, dive bar just down the street from the chaos of the main hub. The margaritas are only $ 3, both delicious and strong. They’ll play live music every so often. More quite than the other bars but you feel like you’re in a real Ensenada bar!

By the end…
I could not feel my face.

Yup, as crazy as this place gets, this is the birth of the good ol margaritas.
Everyone in there is red faced. Beers by the buckets, two margaritas for $ 3. Hell yeah it gets a bit messy in here but the atmosphere is great.
Floor full of peanuts, it’s probably about time to get drunk on some cheap drinks.

As recommended by one of the bus drivers. This is the place to come to for cheap strong margaritas. it wasn’t busy when my fiancée’ and i came around a little after lunch. but then after 30mins the place was full and people were standing to wait for a seat
Atmosphere:
It is the oldest cantina and still standing in original building. Super old school western style feel full bar. With authentic Mexican mariachi to serenade you at a cost of $ 8(american dollars) per song. large area with plenty of tables and long full bar seating.
Drinks:
Full bar. 2 for 1 margaritas; uses Jimendor tequila. You can request to use different tequila when making margaritas but Jimendor isn’t bad and its cheap.
Food:
no food. but they have bar snacks available for purchase.
Service:
no complaints. bartender was friendly. Mariachi band was very talented but kinda pricy. they did have 4 members. so i guess makes sense for the cost to be $ 8 (at a $ 2 per member tip)
Overall:
would come back here for an authentic feel of Mexico and cheap drinks. Cash only!

The price for beverages are cheap for ensenada. I am not a fan of this bar because there is always a sausage fest at this bar. I give it 3 stars for its bargain on drinks and it’s age. This bar was opened in the 1890s. Russell Crowe punched some guy at this bar while he was in baja filming master and commander.

Damn, they do make a strong margarita. It’s small and packed with alcohol. Not like big ass margaritas you get here state side that taste mediocre; size isn’t everything if there’s no good flavor to it. It was super busy and packed; everybody was drunk and having a good time. I also just drank some Modelos I believe. The bartenders were nice and friendly but it was pretty packed so it would get a little difficult to order more drinks. My friend suggested we had to go to the place so that was our plan for the night. We were there for awhile. It was a good time, though. Cheers!

Exactly what you would expect a cantina to look like nowadays, this is where the Margarita was invented after a woman and it is a strong & cheap delicious drink. A must stop for tourists!

Three stars because the margaritas are cheap and tasty and I’m only 90% sure that THIS is where my party of three got roofied. There’s a tiny chance that we were already recently roofied when we got here. It’s a nifty, dirty locals bar with some interesting history (if you believe said history), but WATCH YOUR DRINK.

This place is epic! I came here with some friends on a random Saturday night and it was rad. Old school vibe with mariachi and beers. If you are in ensenada to you gotta check it out!

My Aunt suggested that we stop at Hussongs while spending the day in Ensenada — so we stopped there, but didn’t find much of a reason to stay. Perhaps daytime on a Sunday isn’t the most exciting time to be at a bar, but this one was almost empty when we walked in. It was very dark inside, with not much of a warm greeting felt from other patrons or staff.
We ended up sitting down, then turning around and finding a more lively place with welcoming staff and an outdoor patio. Perhaps the nighttime scene is more desirable here.

My Grandmother in law has a picture of her at Hussongs from 1950. She recently passed away and I broke of from Papas and Beer to have a drink in her honor at Hussongs with couple friends. Granted I’ve been to this bar with her before, and many times before that, but when you have a momento like that picture and an occasion like her passing, it really ties together how long Hussongs has been Enseada’s watering hole.
The place is covered in memorabilia and the feel is nothing short of authentic. There never is a big crowd, but everyone in there is always friendly. Sure there are better bars with cheaper drinks, better food, a livelier crowd… but there is only one Hussongs.
Go and have yourself a shot of Tres Generacions, be a part of something bigger.

Just as McSorley’s is a must-​visit bar in Manhattan, Hussong’s is a no-​brainer in Ensenada. The oldest cantina in BC, and in its original building, this place has history, nostalgia and foremost, authenticity. My first visit was in 1980. Back then it was just the wildest, and coolest place to imbibe in Mexican longnecks and Cuban cigars. It wasn’t a place packed with tourists, although they were there. Mostly it was working class Mexicans and a handful of military types, all men, there to get sloshed. One time I was sitting at a table, and the man next to me was teetering back in his chair, eventually crashing to the hard floor, where he remained, completely passed out. His compadres laughed at him, and left him there. Hussong’s was always a great place to start the night, but the wildness, true, unabated wildness, was always later at Papas and Beer. Tourist meat market mecca.
Sadly I haven’t been there in more than 10 years, and oh do I long for their ice cold bohemias with a wedge of lime, and the strolling mariachis, who were always excellent. If character is your thing, and you don’t mind a few spilled beers and stinky urinals, don’t miss Hussong’s.

Visited this bar on my first trip down to Ensenada back in June. a few of the locals who had invited me to perform in town took me here as one of the places I had to go for my first time in town and they were right. It was like I had walked into a time portal and traveled back 100 years to the old saloons. beers were 2 for 1 (because it was Thursday, i believe), fun live «Banda» music, good vibes and just an awesome place to be. went back later that night after my concert when the palce was just packed full of what seemed like every young person in town. downed a few buckets of beers and had a blast with more live music. A definite must for anyone who has never been to ensenada before and wants to hit some local bars.

We stopped in this venerable watering hole for drinks on our way back to our cruise ship. It was mid-​afternoon, and happy hour was in full effect, although it was pretty tame for a tourist town. We sat at the bar and each had a Sol beer and a margarita. $ 10 total, and you can pay in pesos or U.S. dollars. Prices were great, but my beer bottle had a weird oily film on it, and the margaritas were nothing to write home about.
The ambiance here reminded me of Sloppy Joe’s Bar in Key West: dark and dingy, with lots of old pictures on the wall and full of character. There’s an offshoot of this place in Las Vegas, but I’ve never been there. And if this place is any indication, I don’t need to go. Hit it for happy hour, and be on your way.

«…where everybody knows your name…» de pronto suena en mi cabeza la canción mientras entro por esas dos puertas de vaivén de ese sitio mítico que es la Cantina Hussong’s.
No recuerdo bien la primera vez que entre pero si lo ansioso que estaba por cumplir la mayoría de edad para ver que se escondía detrás de esas puertas y por qué tanto misticismo de locales y turistas por «ir al hussong’s». Y es que es una cantina, muy cantina, en su mayor parte de madera (como esas del lejano oeste, la facha de echo sigue siendo así) con una barra enormemente larga que atraviesa casi todo el bar, al centro mesas y siempre (siempre) algún grupo de música en vivo (mariachi, norteño, trios, etc) caminando buscando posibles clientes, los «toques» no pueden faltar y el echo de encontrar siempre a alguien conocido dentro (siempre).
Para beber… lo que quieras, una barra completa pero no puedes entrar y no probar una de las famosas margaritas, cuenta la leyenda que fueron inventadas en este mismísimo lugar y doy fe que en ningún otro sitio saben igual.
El hussong’s es una cantina que puedes visitar despues de un día de turismo, después de una larga jornada de trabajo ó para quedar con tus amigos, celebrar tu cumpleaños o iniciar una noche… legendaria!

My boyfie and I went here because legend has it that Hussongs invented the first «margarita» back in the 1940’s. And because it’s also the oldest bar in town, established sometime in the late 1800’s.
There is a strange «bouncer» that’s mainly there for show, I think, and a huge unnecessary wall behind him. The place was crowded with a mariachi band playing at a random table and a bunch of peanut shells on the ground. It looks like your typical divey bar, except Mexican.
The original margarita was about $ 2 or $ 3 and it comes in a tiny small little glass. However, that little drink is STRONG. The bartender makes it in front of you and it is probably the best margarita I’ve had so far! (and I’m not a huge fan of them to begin with…)
If you’re in Ensenada, definitely hit up Hussongs and skip Papas&Beer (looked way too obnoxious for my taste). Hussongs is popular, yet affordable, and the older bartenders know what they’re doing and are a nice change to all of the young bartenders America tends to have.
One more thing! The walls have the most silly bar art I’ve ever seen… it’s freaking awesome! hahaha

Great place for pre party warm up. Very affordable prices for a 12 pack of beers and a tequila shot

Recomendado. Buen ambiente, musica en vivo. Hay promociones los martes, jueves y sábado. Lleguen temprano para alcanzar mesa.

I went here during a birthday trip a few years ago, but I am surprised there aren’t any reviews yet. My Lady and I had a blast here. There are many younger, but the crowd has a good mix of all age ranges. It seemed less like a place for those coming off a cruise ship, and more aligned with local types and the adventurous. Cheap-​ish beers, and no real impressive cocktails (unless vodka-​sprite is your fancy). All the same I felt very Comfortable here.
On most nights there is a nice man who sits quietly and patiently, not quite out in the open, but definitely not in the shadows. He waits for women to notice their fancy boots are covered in mud and in need of a good cleaning. Thats when he makes his move. He says very little but I can tell Ashley trusts him. He does a great job making her boots look new again and cant remember how much he charges, but I’m sure she gave him more.