Hussong's Cantina

The claim

A sawdust-floored cantina in central Ensenada, opened in 1892 by German immigrant John Hussong in an old stagecoach stop. It has changed little since and still holds the town's liquor licence number two. Bartenders here claim the margarita was invented in 1941, one of several rival stories, and a namesake branch opened in Las Vegas in 2010.

What the records show

The 1892 is the house's own, published under its name. The Hussong's history page says the cantina opened in 1892 with the second liquor licence issued in Mexico and describes Johan Hussong, a German immigrant, serving nickel beer and dime whiskey in what was then a fishing village, with the Sutherland stage company watering horses and passengers outside; the Ensenada cantina's Instagram account, which is the only channel it keeps, carries 'Desde 1892' under its name. Wikipedia and a travel encyclopedia give the same year for the licence, and the business is said still to hold municipal licence number 002 in the same building. The claim that the margarita was invented here in 1941 is one of several rival stories.

What to look for inside

• Holds Ensenada municipal liquor licence #002
• Claims birthplace of the margarita (1941)
• Oldest cantina in Baja California

Visiting

Hussong's Cantina is in Ensenada, Mexico, at Avenida Ruiz 113, Zona Centro, Ensenada, B.C. 22800. We do not list opening times, because they change; the pub’s own site is the place to check before you set out.

Sources

1. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hussong%27s
2. www.atlasobscura.com/places/hussongs-cantina
3. www.hussongscantina.com/about/history/
4. www.instagram.com/cantina_hussongs/

Know something we don’t?Suggest a correctionLast checked Sept 2026

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