Tatanka Baja Fish and Steakhouse — Restaurant in Baja California Sur

As someone who has dined extensively in Baja California Sur, I walked into Tatanka with high expectations, only to leave deeply disappointed. The evening began with service that can only be described as painfully slow. Even by La Paz standards, the delay was excessive: menus were dropped off and forgotten, and it took over 15 minutes—only after we insisted—for someone to take our order. Throughout the meal, service remained inattentive. We poured our own wine, staff never checked if we needed anything, and the general execution was disorganized. To make matters worse, we could clearly hear someone in the kitchen literally shouting, “I need these plates out to the tables, now!”—a sign of poor coordination behind the scenes that reflected exactly what we experienced at our table.

The only redeeming dish of the night was the Rockefort Oysters—flavorful, well-prepared, and a glimpse of what Tatanka could be if the rest of the menu matched that standard. Unfortunately, everything else fell flat. Entrées and mains arrived out of order, with the main dishes hitting the table before the starters. The tartare of the catch of the day arrived without bread or tostadas until we asked—an amateur oversight for a restaurant in this price range. Worse yet, the tartare itself was bland, dominated by mayonnaise, with fish that tasted neither fresh nor handled with care. It had the unmistakable texture of seafood that has been frozen, thawed, and refrozen. Heavy, unbalanced, and ultimately inedible.

The lobster mac and cheese was equally disappointing—a monotone dish lacking richness, tasting more of shrimp than lobster, with nothing memorable about it. The lobster burger was dry, uninspired, and poorly composed, with the lobster itself indistinguishable under heavy seasoning and limp vegetables, and a bun that was dry and slightly tough. Worst of all, the potato wedges served alongside were soggy, oily, and rancid—like they had been fried in recycled oil. These, too, were left uneaten.

Tatanka positions itself as one of the most expensive restaurants in La Paz, and with such steep prices one expects quality ingredients, thoughtful execution, and attentive service. Instead, what we experienced was mediocre food and inattentive staff—standards far below even the seafood sold from street vendors, which often offer fresher and more satisfying meals at a fraction of the cost.

We decided to dine here based on a glowing recommendation from El Arturito on TikTok, but after our experience it’s hard to believe those endorsements are genuine. What we encountered was a restaurant living off hype rather than delivering on quality. Sadly, for a place with such potential, this was one of the poorest dining experiences I’ve had in La Paz.

Verdict: Not...

Terrible experience.

Setting and seating: We sat down at an outside table at first. One of our members of the group was hot and didn't want to stay there so we went inside.

Outside dining: the sun was directly in the eyes of some of the guests at the table and the trees leaves were continually dropping on the table.I s concerned about them falling in meal and tainting the food.

Inside: was very dark and uninviting with one split ac directed straight at one of the table options we had, the table we sat at the ac was not on and it was better.

Service: The next problem. The bar didn't know how to make a daiquiri, (even though the internet worked there and they had all the ingredients) yet made a mojito no problem. Not sure if this was because the waiter didn't have a clue. We were finally given a drinks menu nearer the end of the dinner. 🤷‍♀️

The waiter couldn't explain the menu. He was a lovely person but a terrible waiter.

Many of the dishes needed to be explained. It would be good if there was a mexican or english translation of what the actual meal included on the menu.

Food: No one at the table knew what a sope was. Guesses were soup. Wrong. When it came it looked like a mushroom or piece of wet black toast with some stuff in it.

At the end of the meal someone who worked there, who spoke english very well, came over and when asked explained sope was ashes of tortilla. 😳 that explained the taste.

Presentation was good but not something I would have ordered had I known what it was to start with.

The menu just has weird dishes.

The one star is for the presentation, the lobster macaroni and cheese, the lobster taco and the steaks. Which everyone who had them were happy with.

Desserts Once again no menu, not even black board menu for the desserts. So we had to have the waiter stumble through the items.

All too risky after the strange sope, so no one opted for them.

Drinks : you'll be safe if you order wine or beer.

Summary: Not somewhere I'll be rushing to get back to. There's too many other restaurants here who provide a drinks menu, a dinner menu and a dessert menu with good service, a tasty meal and good presentation.

Sorry Tatanka...

Tantanka was a dining experience and explosion of flavors! The restaurant is tucked in behind the building and once you walk in you are transported into a relaxing and cool ambiance (even though I tripped out a little with what sounded like a sound of the 80’s Time Life music compilation). We had been walking around all day and it was hot. So being able to sit down under a tamarind tree with great food was just what we needed. We had the tasting menu and thoroughly enjoyed every item from the menu. The Garra de Leon en su leche de Tigre was to die for. It was a perfect start to refresh us after walking in the heat all afternoon. I wish I could eat that all day. Each subsequent plate was full of flavor and made to perfection. I had never eaten something like the Tartar de Esparago Morado and was blown away by the combination of flavor and textures. The tostada de mar was perfect. The tiny onion flowers and dried shrimp that the tostada was topped with took the flavors over the top. The Pantumaca was amazing. The bread was toasted perfectly, the tomatoes were seasoned perfectly, and the jamón serrano brought it all together. I have eaten a lot of lobster before and I have to say that this lobster has been by far the best I have ever eaten. It was cooked perfectly and the seasoning brought out the flavor of the lobster even more. We also ordered an arrachera and pulpo which is making my mouth water as I remember just how great they tasted. My husband had a mezcalito cítrico and it was perfectly balanced. You could taste the smokiness of the mezcal and the citrus flavors. I ordered a bottle of Sauvignon blanc from el Valle de Guadalupe. It paired perfectly with the starter and the pulpo. The desert was also just the right amount sweet and the empanada it came with was delicious. I can’t wait to go back and eat more things...