BajaNomad

Molino Viejo (Old Mill), Bahía San Quintín

David K - 4-19-2017 at 09:26 PM

Located 3.3 miles west of Hwy. 1 at Km. 1 at the end of the paved road.

Busy, but lots of room, 6-7 pm. I think I was the only English speaker there that hour, so it is popular with the locals.

I ordered the Lobster Burrito plate. Came with soup (chicken & rice, homemade) and salad (cilantro dressing), chips and salsa, and rice, beans, and guacamole. It was all excellent! The plate was beautiful and decorated with the half lobster shell from which the burrito meat came from. I also had Pacifico.

Total 230 pesos ($13)!!! Amazing.

If the photos off my phone don't open, I will post them upon my return home.

fishbuck - 4-19-2017 at 09:45 PM

Always a fun interesting place.

chuckie - 4-19-2017 at 10:42 PM

Yup!

kevin_in_idaho - 4-20-2017 at 05:53 AM

In the day, to get a reservation you had to call someone in San Diego and they'd use a ham radio to call down. The original owner who's name I can't remember was some amazing chef, etc. A friend of mine used to go down there hunting (maybe 60 years ago). I can't imagine what it was like then.

I did send the new owners e-mail asking them if they remembered the original owners but I think it's changed hands a few times since then.

David K - 4-20-2017 at 06:54 AM

Thanks for the history stuff! If I was home then I could look in my books. I remember the name Ernesto connected to San Quintin at one time? My folks and I stayed there in 1966 on our drive to Cabo.

billklaser - 4-20-2017 at 07:00 AM

In the spring of 1967, camped out against the concrete walls, now part of the restaurant. The hotel was closed. Used the ramp to spend some time in the bay and a trip to San Martin Island. San Quintin was very quiet in those days. Wish I could remember were the photos have gotten?

chuckie - 4-20-2017 at 07:14 AM

It seems to have had a number of owners and been open and closed at irregular intervals...We hunted Black Brant out of there in the late 60's...Food was always good....Road was always bad...

bigboy - 4-20-2017 at 09:02 AM

Kevin,

Thirty years ago, I would call Win Tatro in San Diego and he would call on his ham radio for reservations at the Old Mill.
The owners were Al and Dorothy Vella. Al would man the ham radio ever evening for a couple of hours. No phones at that time so the only way to reach Al was by radio! Al and Dorothy were two wonderful people who lived there for years and raised two boys at the Old Mill.
Al was a chef at a top restaurant in New York and brought down some of his wealthy NY friends for hunting and fishing. The Old Mill restaurant had a reputation for fine food in those days.
About twenty five years ago, Al sold the place to Al Gaston. Not the same charm will Al Gaston's ownership.

TMW - 4-20-2017 at 10:55 AM

I thought the tomato company owner bought the Old Mill or was that another place in the area.

willardguy - 4-20-2017 at 10:58 AM

Quote: Originally posted by TMW  
I thought the tomato company owner bought the Old Mill or was that another place in the area.


I believe Don Rafa bought just the old mill restaurant along with the santa maria

willardguy - 4-20-2017 at 11:10 AM

Quote: Originally posted by billklaser  
In the spring of 1967, camped out against the concrete walls, now part of the restaurant. The hotel was closed. Used the ramp to spend some time in the bay and a trip to San Martin Island. San Quintin was very quiet in those days. Wish I could remember were the photos have gotten?


love to see those photos! my earliest recollection every other room wasn't a room but a car port. every room had a propane refrigerator and a stove. the showers were a cold trickle from that old wooden tank that I think is still there, there was a round bar room out in the courtyard that is long gone. as rustic as it was it was better than ernesto's or the old pier hotel. anyone know if the old pier still exists?

chuckie - 4-20-2017 at 11:13 AM

Geezo, those comments bring back the memories...Thanks!

TMW - 4-20-2017 at 11:14 AM

I have stayed at the Old Pier many times, loved it, Lights out at 10pm, maybe sooner.

kevin_in_idaho - 4-20-2017 at 12:24 PM

Quote: Originally posted by bigboy  
Kevin,

Thirty years ago, I would call Win Tatro in San Diego and he would call on his ham radio for reservations at the Old Mill.
The owners were Al and Dorothy Vella. Al would man the ham radio ever evening for a couple of hours. No phones at that time so the only way to reach Al was by radio! Al and Dorothy were two wonderful people who lived there for years and raised two boys at the Old Mill.
Al was a chef at a top restaurant in New York and brought down some of his wealthy NY friends for hunting and fishing. The Old Mill restaurant had a reputation for fine food in those days.
About twenty five years ago, Al sold the place to Al Gaston. Not the same charm will Al Gaston's ownership.


That must be it. I remember the name Al but not the last name and the rest of the story fits. I just found my old phone book and looked in there to see if the name was listed. The person in San Diego you had to call back in my day was Virgina Tompson. I still have her number in the book too.

Skipjack Joe - 1-8-2019 at 07:42 PM

$10 sirloin burger. It was the best burger I've ever had in Baja.

55steve - 1-9-2019 at 12:00 AM

Last I heard the Rodriguez family (Los Pinos) owns Molino Viejo. A lot of the locals won't patronize the place because of perceived labor issues at their greenhouse operations.

I usually go have a meal or two when I'm down. I mix up my eating places between (in no particular order) Don Eddies, Jardines, Eucalipto (at Old Mill hotel) & Molino Viejo.

[Edited on 1-9-2019 by 55steve]

David K - 1-9-2019 at 12:25 AM

This was a year and a half ago, but the Old Mill had some big money upgrading including the area outside along the bayfront. As for locals, well... I was the only American in there and it was pretty busy. In my opening post, I said it was popular with locals. I wonder if something new changed that?

I posted the images on my TRIP #4 report, but since you guys bumped up this thread from 2017, here they are:







Makes me very hungry looking at this again!

Bubba - 1-9-2019 at 05:06 AM

Quote: Originally posted by David K  
This was a year and a half ago, but the Old Mill had some big money upgrading including the area outside along the bayfront. As for locals, well... I was the only American in there and it was pretty busy. In my opening post, I said it was popular with locals. I wonder if something new changed that?

I posted the images on my TRIP #4 report, but since you guys bumped up this thread from 2017, here they are:




Looks tasty! ^




Makes me very hungry looking at this again!

willardguy - 1-9-2019 at 10:39 AM

Quote: Originally posted by 55steve  
Last I heard the Rodriguez family (Los Pinos) owns Molino Viejo. A lot of the locals won't patronize the place because of perceived labor issues at their greenhouse operations.

so Don Rafa has to recoup his losses by charging for wifi in catavina?:rolleyes: