Gate 23’s Duty Free Shop sits right by the boarding area
This Duty Free Shop in TIJ’s Main Terminal is a quick stop on the way to gate 23, good if you still have 10–15 minutes before boarding. It sits post-security, so you can walk over after passport control without backtracking through the check-in hall.
The store runs in sync with Main Terminal traffic, typically open from early morning departures through late-night flights, roughly 06:00 to 22:00 on most days. If you’re on the last departures to the U.S. or domestic connections after 22:00, don’t count on it being open and grab anything you need earlier in the terminal.
Stock is the usual duty free mix: liquor, perfume, cosmetics, chocolates, and tobacco, all in a compact space near gate 23. Pricing follows standard duty free patterns, with spirits and cigarettes often a bit cheaper than downtown, while some fragrances sit close to regular retail once you convert pesos and compare milliliter for milliliter.
Selection leans heavily on big international brands in 750 ml or 1 L bottles for liquor and popular perfume lines in 50–100 ml formats. Chocolate is mostly multi-pack boxes sized for sharing on a 3–5 hour flight, so it works as a last-minute gift if you skipped shopping in Tijuana city.
The shop only accepts card and major currencies, typically Mexican pesos and U.S. dollars, and change usually comes back in pesos. If you want to burn through small coins or low-denomination pesos, do that at other Main Terminal shops before you walk down toward gate 23.
Practical tip: stop here before you settle at the gate 23 seating area; once your flight starts pre-boarding by rows, staff may limit in-and-out traffic to keep the queue under control.