As I mentioned in my
Sayulita overview post, I wanted to do an entire post about the food in Sayulita because it was mind-blowingly good. After our driver picked us up from the airport in Puerto Vallarta, he took us to a big grocery store so we could stock up on some essentials (water, beers, margarita supplies, guac supplies, yogurt, eggs, etc.). Katie and I agreed that if we were to do it again we'd get definitely have the driver stop at the store again, but next time we would get more water, maybe more beer and no food (ok that might be a lie, we would maybe get the guac supplies again). The food at the restaurants in Sayulita was soo good and so cheap we ended up eating out and eating delicious Mexican food (I will never tire of Mexican food, it was a dream) for almost every meal (minus yogurt before yoga a few days). We did, however, do a good job going through the alcohol and water at the condo! Spring break, woo!
There were so many good places to eat in that tiny, beautiful town. I figured I would break them up by BEST OF categories. A bunch places we went didn't make the list at all because either (a) they were good, but not amazing, or (b) I couldn't remember the name (looking at you, taco place in the alley with the sketchiest bathroom ever according to Katie, but with great tortillas and quesadillas and tacos). I think that Katie and I were pretty much on the same page with all of these recommendations, although I didn't consult with her before publishing (sorry Katie). We spent a lot of time in Syulita talking about what the best food was though, and I think she would agree with most of the below!
SAYULITA 2016 BEST OF (FOOD):
BEST TORTILLAS:
Mary's: Mary's, oh my goodness. There are not enough good things I can say about this place. It is the best restaurant in Sayulita, and once we discovered it, we went here every day. Their tortillas were mind blowing. Thick, warm, handmade, and had the best flavor. If someone could teach me how to recreate those tortillas I would be forever grateful. YUM. They made the perfect wrap for a chili rellano, hugged a taco in the best way and were even good at breakfast!
^^Tortilla dreaming^^
Yeikame Traditional Mexican: Blue corn tortillas that were thick and delicious and I want to eat them every day. I was super full at the end of our meal and still somehow found room for one more tortilla (see below, NOM). I woke up my first morning back home craving these tortillas. Not anything else, just the tortillas. Also, when we ate here for dinner on our last night (mistake waiting so long) our 15 year old server gave us 2 free shots of house tequila (each). And it was good. We partied it up on our last night. Killing it!
^^Salsa sampler at Yeikame along with a shrimp tortilla. It should be noted that the white cubes of cheese in the sampler platter were super delicious too, but the tortillas really stole the show!^^
^^Blue corn tortillas for the win. Even better after some Mexican Vegas beers, a margarita and some complementary tequila^^
BEST GUACAMOLE:
Latitude 20: We wandered into Latitude 20 on our second to last day in Sayulita and asked the owner and bartender (both ex-pats, Eileen and Ryan) where we could get the best guacamole in Sayulita. They said there. We were skeptical but also on a mission to eat as much guac as possible while in Mexico (no joke, we ate guac at least once a day while we were there, often we had it multiple times a day -- so I'd consider us experts on this topic), so we ordered some to go with our beers. It really was the best guac we had in Sayulita and we wrote a Trip Advisor review to prove it! Go there, get the guac, have some tequila, hang out with the really nice bartender (Ryan) and 1/2 owner (Eileen) and speak English for a few minutes, it'll be great.
^^Latitude 20 guac and beers FTW^^
BEST TACOS:
The Real Fish Taco: We headed to the Real Fish Taco on a break from our Macramé workshop because it was right across the street and boy, was it an amazing find. Katie and I both tried a trio of tacos (fish, shrimp and octopus) with cold beers. We both agreed that the octopus was the star of the show. The ladies working there made the tacos on an open grill right next to the street, so Katie and I intently watched them make delicious food, trying to learn their secrets (we didn't), while sipping our beers. It looked like the octopus was boiled and then grilled, and it was so, so tender and flavorful. We ended up going back two more times for more octopus tacos. They were my favorite tacos of the entire trip.
^^Octopus tacos and cold beers are what dreams are made of^^
Mary's: The
Mary's Tacos at Mary's were OMG SO GOOD. They had shrimp, roasted poblano peppers and this awesome sauce (literally) on them that we think was a chipotle aioli, and they were assembled on top of some of the best tortillas in all of Sayulita (mentioned above). They were so good we sent multiple strangers asking for recommendations there for the Mary's Tacos (even though you can't really go wrong with anything on their menu).
^^These were the fish tacos at Mary's, not the Mary's tacos. Tortillas were still amazing, and bonus points because our vacation friend, Heather, was in the background of the picture^^
BEST BURRITO:
Burrito Revolution: During my first visit to Sayulita in 2009 I had a burrito at this place I remembered only as "
Burrito Bar". I remember that it was on a corner near the town square, I remembered what the menu looked like, and I remembered that it was the best burrito of my life. Flash forward to 2016 and I'm doing extensive research trying to find this place online. The best conclusion I can come up with is that the name wasn't burrito bar, it was Burrito Revolution. We sought out Burrito Revolution for lunch our first full day in Sayulita and ended up coming back probably 4 times during our trip. The Shrimp burrito was my favorite, and Katie loved the pork, but we both agreed that the red sauce was what put this place over the top for us. We liked that sauce so much that we would use like a 1/2 bottle between the two of us on our burritos and when we got back to Seattle, Katie even recreated the chipotle aioli type sauce we got there (she did a really good job too!). Anyway, during our last Mexico meal here I asked the owner if Burrito Revolution used to be in a different location. He confirmed my suspicion and I left high fiving myself like a dork.
^^Best ever shrimp burrito, guac and beer^^
^^Bonus beer pic, because it was my last Mexico beer, during our last Mexico meal, RIP^^
BEST PLACE TO GET CHEAP BEER:
Mexican Vegas: Pay 30 pesos, throw rocks at glass bottles, break the bottle, win beer. Need I say more? We were obsessed.
^^A rare shot of Mexican Vegas in the daylight when it was being set up^^
The pop-up bar at Playa los Muertos: On our last day at the beach they even had someone who would walk around and ask you if you wanted anything to drink. Beach service? Yes please! And beers were only 15 pesos each which is less than $1 USD. Ahhhh-mazing! Oh, and as a P.S. they also served Micheladas which Katie loved and loco-coconuts which were huge, rum filled coconuts and they were really great and really cheap too!
^^Best beach bar ever!^^
^^Beach cocktail of my dreams^^
The grocery store: Purchase beer (preferably Tecate Lights in a can), take beer back to condo, drink cold beers by pool, win at life.
^^Beers by the pool errrrryday^^
^^View of the pool from our magical condo. I love you, pool^^
BEST TEQUILA:
Latitude 20 (tequila shots): Latitude 20 taught us the magic that is "fine sipping tequila" in a shot glass, accompanied by a slice of orange sprinkled with cinnamon. I never want to drink tequila any other way. You take a bite of the orange wedge, then a sip of the tequila. Repeat until drunk. Cheers!
^^tequila, orange, cinnamon = perfect combo^^
^^Stoked about our tequila shots^^
^^Ryan the bartender had his very own tequila, pictured here, and it was delicious^^
BEST BREAKFAST:
Mary's: If I haven't convinced you to go to Mary's while you're in Sayuilta clearly I haven't done a good job with this post. Their breakfast was awesome, and their coffee didn't taste like instant (sidenote: it was SO hard to get decent coffee there, everything was instant, it was bizarre). We went twice for breakfast, including our last breakfast on our last day. The Chiliquiles were the best I've ever had, also, refried beans with breakfast? Yes, plz.
^^The best chiliquiles I've ever had and a fresh carrot, orange, ginger juice we bought on the street next to the restaurant^^
Chocobanana: I had been to chocobanana for breakfast during my visit to Sayulita in 2009 and I didn't remember being super impressed with it. We decided to give it another shot this time around because it always seemed really busy and they had a real espresso machine. It ended up being OK this time around (breakfast tacos are never a bad decision), but I would definitely go to Mary's over Chocobanana if given the choice. The thing that Chocobanana did really well though, was their "world famous Chocobanana" which was a banana, on a stick, dipped in chocolate and rolled in toppings (coconut was the best) and then frozen. I ate just this and iced coffee one morning for breakfast and it was awesome. I could eat one every day and be happy! They were great in the afternoon too.
HONORABLE MENTION:
Sayulita Café: We stumbled upon the Sayulita café on our first night in Sayulita. We were both starving from a long day of travel (to THREE countries) and when we saw this place which was busy, advertising the best chili rellanos, and with outdoor seating, so we hurried over and snagged a table on the street. Katie had the chili rellano which she said was the best she'd ever had, and I had the shrimp fajitas which came ablaze in flames which were really good too. We both had margaritas and split ceviche which was the best we had on our trip with big pieces of fish, and guac. I think Katie would definitely recommend this place if you're looking for a chili rellano (she said their was even better than the chili rellano at Mary's *gasp!*) and we both agree you should go there for the ceviche!
^^Shrimps on fire!^^
SKIP:
Don Pedro's (for dinner, go for drinks or dancing): Don Pedro's is rated really highly on Trip Advisor and apparently has Salas Lessons on Monday Nights that we were sad we missed. Additionally, it's right on the beach so the view is great and the service was good too. Maybe don't skip all together (and don't skip if you're homesick and need some non-Mexican food) but just go for drinks and an app. The food was ok but expensive and not mind blowing like so much of what we ate in Sayulita. Do get the scallop sushi appetizer and mojitos if you go though.
^^Good mojito, awesome view at Don Pedro's^^
Popsicles: There are artisanal popsicle stands everywhere which I loved the idea of, however, after enjoying a few popsicles and having them not be that great, I quickly decided I'd rather have a chocobanana or a cold beer over a popsicle any time of the day or night. I know, I know, I was surprised too!
On one of our last days in Mexico Katie and I were contemplating how it is that the food in Mexico is so much better than the [Mexican] food in the states. We decided it's because the ingredients down there are fresher and more flavorful (it's summer all year long!). Also Mexican Grandmas? I'm sure they play a role. Whatever it is, I want to go back immediately and eat everything all over again. It was sooooo good.
Cheers!!
