It was early Friday afternoon at the San Ysidro Port of Entry, the busiest land border crossing in the world, which connects Tijuana, Mexico, and San Diego in the US. Some Mexicans were returning home from a week of work, while some Americans were getting an early start to their weekend. I was heading to Tijuana to eat lunch at the restaurant that invented the Caesar salad. After getting my passport stamped and walking across the border, I wandered past discount chemists and souvenir stalls peddling ponchos on my way to Avenida Revolución.

A 25-minute walk from the border, Caesar’s Restaurante-Bar has been located on Tijuana’s main drag since 1927. A couple of palm trees stand in front of the building, gently blocking the red letters spelling ‘Caesar’s’, and a giant black-and-white portrait of founder Cesare (‘Caesar’) Cardini hangs outside the patio with the words ‘Home of the legendary Caesar’s Salad’.