The original article was published in Travel Awaits on May 1, 2022.
In two
previous articles, I wrote about my favorite restaurants in Phoenix, Arizona where we live, and Calgary, Alberta where my daughter lives. We selected
these places to celebrate significant occasions not just by feasting on good
food, but also by enjoying a unique dining experience.
When we
began to spend our winters in Mazatlan, our all-inclusive resort with nine
restaurants did not give us reasons to go out. Later, however, some resort staff
became family. They gave us the motivation to dine out, and not just for
shrimp, in this the “Shrimp Capital of the World” that ships 40,000 tons of
this seafood around the globe every year. The good thing is that they knew which
restaurants met our dual criteria. Here are the six discoveries they helped us
find.
El Presidio Cocina de Mexico
One of the
first we took out for dinner was the gracious Capitan of La Concha, one of our
resort’s two main dining areas. He chose El Presidio
which many consider being the #1 restaurant in Mazatlan. We rode the pulmoniya,
the “open” taxi the city is known for, to meet him and his wife there. And, upon
reaching it after winding our way through Centro Historico’s narrow alleys
lined by old colonial buildings resplendent in the night lights, we could only
say, “Wow!”
It’s on Blvd.
Ninos Heroes on a restored 1876 farm whose venerable courtyard is adorned by centuries-old
trees. There was an “almost jungle-like feel surrounded by walls that proudly
show their years.” Under one of these trees, we delighted in traditional Mexican
cuisine made new by “merging techniques and ingredients from other parts of the
country.” My husband relished their different take on the beloved mole sauce on
chicken breast called Mole Negro de la Casa. I chose the Carnitas de Cerdo con
Cilantro or pork smothered in cilantro, and loved it.
Pro-Tip: The
Courtyard Bar is long and inviting. And we have to go back to experience dining
inside its great colonial rooms.
Casa 46: Cocina de
Autor
Plazuela
Machado is the place to be for a festive night in Mazatlan. Top-notch
restaurants and lively watering holes surround a central plaza with a main
gazebo in the middle, colorful souvenir kiosks distributed around the walking
path, a giant monigote left behind from Carnaval days, and four bands alternating
music from each corner.
The very talented
Chef of La Concha chose Casa 46 at the southern end of the plaza on
Calle Constitucion and, sure enough, it gave us a memorable sensory dining experience.
Offering regional Sinaloan, and Mazatlecan cuisine, traditional flavors are
served with a twist, and dishes are interpreted as influenced by the five
foreign cultures that settled in the city (French, Spanish, German, Asian and
American). We still cannot forget the delectable appetizer, Confit Duck Enchiladas
served with another amazing black mole sauce.
The main
jewel of the restaurant is La Terraza, a second-floor veranda where you get a panoramic
view of the entire plaza. Aside from this privileged location, Casa 46 can
rightly be called a restaurant-museum. The Carnival and Maritime Halls honor
the different periods of the Port of Mazatlan’s history and provide images of
distinguished personalities who participated in the development of the state of
Sinaloa. There is also an extensive wine cellar with more than 140 labels, making
the bar (The Library) ideal for watching sports, playing poker, and having drinks.
Pro-Tip: Allow
three to four hours to fully appreciate Casa 46, Plaza Machado, and the cultural icon, the Angela Peralta
Theater on the opposite side.
La Mazatleca
Mexicans are
legendary for their hospitality and service-orientation. And the gracious
ladies of Club Elite VIP Lounge do not only look fabulous, especially when not
in uniform, but also take very good care of us. We took two of them out and
they chose the beachfront restaurant closest to our resort so they could easily
go after their shift. La Mazatleca takes the traditional cuisine of the
city and turns it into “high-quality avant-garde dishes, which generate totally
new experiences.”
True to
their word, their ceviches are differently presented (created on plates instead
of bowls) and specially flavored (not just with salt and vinegar). Each of us
also ordered four different shrimp dishes and were all very satisfied: coconut,
garlic, breaded, and bacon-wrapped. But we were completely surprised when we
got each of the cheesecakes we ordered for dessert! Immediately, we realized
that we should have just shared one. It is a quarter of a whole tall cake served
with two sauces (strawberry and caramel), glazed nuts, and fresh berries!
Pro-Tip: The
restaurant is also great for family. Children can play on the reclaimed
beachfront right next to the dining tables while you feast on sights of boats
against the lovely island backdrop, best during sunset.
La Marea
Every
winter, our resort also offers many activities, among them a free Spanish class.
That’s where we met a young couple, Canadian Coast Guard employees who seemed
to be traveling on a budget and was not on the all-inclusive program. We wanted
to hear more about the stories they were sharing so we took them out to La Marea as suggested by the Elite ladies.
We were
surprised by traditional dishes served enclosed and steaming under a plastic
covering. The restaurant’s two levels are wrapped around the top of Cerro de
Vigia (Vigia Hill), which is exactly across from the Cerro de Creston (Creston
Hill) where the El Faro Lighthouse, the tallest lighthouse in the world,
stands. Both hills offer beautiful views of the historic Port of Mazatlan.
There are
two ways to get there. The Pulmoniya can take you up the hill from the Malecon, the longest boardwalk of
Latin America, or
you can take the green bus all the way to its last stop. After getting off the
bus, you can walk towards the right side of the street and climb the stairs
from the bottom of the hill. Turning left, on the other hand, takes you to the
El Faro Lighthouse which can also be reached by climbing stairs. If you go by
taxi, be sure to ask your waiter to call one for you when you are about to
finish your meal. No public transportation goes up the hill.
Pro-Tip: Go
for dinner so you can take fabulous sunset photos among the hammocks, the
cannon, or Mazatlan Sign at the top and the scenes of El Faro, the Port, cruise
ships, and the sea as backdrop.
La Concha
I would be
totally remiss if I do not include our two favorite restaurants among the nine
offered by our resort. There are four hotels in the complex and at one of them
where we stay, the main dining tent is called La Concha. With a giant palm-roof, it overlooks
the Sea of Cortez from three dining levels inside the giant hut. Additionally, a
large deck offers al fresco and beachfront dining. The restaurant provides regular
breakfast (a popular brunch on Sundays), lunch, and dinner buffets besides an
extensive a la carte menu. This last season it offered two special buffets:
Mariscos (seafood) on Tuesdays and BBQ on Saturdays.
La Concha is
always true to its claim of an extensive international menu with staff who are
“friendly and attentive, even when the dining room is crowded.” Live music,
from mariachis, saxophonists, or folk singers, accompanies pleasant dining. All
these make it a popular wedding venue; there was at least one each week.
Pro-Tip: La
Concha is open not just to guests but also the public.
La Marina
The other
one is La Marina at another hotel located in the
Marina section of Mazatlan, separated from the other three but served with a shuttle. The buffet
theme varies each day: beginning Monday, Oriental, then Seafood, BBQ, Italian,
Caribbean, Shrimp, and Mexican. We don’t miss the Oriental (of course), Seafood
(where you get the best crabs), and Italian (when you get the best pizzas). There
is also an extensive international a la carte menu.
But what makes
this dining experience unique is the marvelous view of the Marina, where a
variety of boats, yachts, and catamarans are docked. We always try to go early
to make sure we have a couple’s table by the windows to get that view, best at
night when all the boats are lighted, along with the other buildings, from a
distance across the water.
Pro-Tip: La
Marina is also where people can have the fish that they catch on fishing trips
cooked to their liking for only $10 per fish.
There should
be a seventh on this listing but I just wrote about this unique dining experience
at El Meson de los Laureanos in this recent article. Only 30-45 minutes away from
downtown Mazatlan, the whole town of El Quelite IS the restaurant.
Mazatlan is truly
a food lover’s delight. It’s where you will find authentic dishes beyond the
Mexican food we know in North America. But it’s not only about the bounty of
the aquatic and agricultural center that Sinaloa is. It’s also about the
scenery and history around the Port together with the warmth of Mexican people
and culture that the dining experience becomes unique.
