10 Best Restaurants in Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa and Zihuatanejo

This small outdoor café is perfect for soaking up the boho vibe on a street lined with shops, small hotels, and huge potted plants. None of its hearty Mexican breakfasts costs more than MX$60. The lunch menu revolves around seafood plates and appetizers (try the tiritas, small strips of raw fish swimming in lime and onion) that don't top MX$75. Dinner is all about steak and seafood. There's an adjacent bar and even rooms to rent upstairs.

Renowned for its breakfast, Carmelita's serves up a daily variety of guisados (stewed meats) like beef tongue in tomatillo salsa and pork ribs in red sauce. Don't miss the signature requesón (a ricotta-style cheese, seasoned with herbs), served with a stack of freshly pressed corn tortillas. You'll also find scrambles, omelets, and other usual suspects.

This institution is right on the malecón, just a few steps from the fish market. The atmosphere is not fancy, but the walls radiate bright orange, and a courtyard fountain splashes in a minor key. The staff is helpful yet unobtrusive, and the food habitually good. The fare consists of Mexican dishes and such simple seafood plates as fish steamed in foil and served with rice and french fries. Lobster is a specialty, though it and the well-loved seafood platter will push your tab into the $$$$ category.

Eat at the horseshoe-shaped bar—especially if you happen to be by yourself—or out under the sky. Beautifully restored, Zihua's oldest house has a gorgeous patio open to the stars and surrounded by zillions of tiny white lights. Try the grilled pork chop, the sweet and zesty lobster, or the shrimp-stuffed chiles rellenos. In the evening a keyboarder or romantic duo playing bossa nova or jazz is sure to entertain.

Come for the authentic Mexican dining experience. Stay for a televised soccer game or beauty pageant. Traditional dishes include barbecued ribs, goat stew, tripe, and—on Thursday, as Guerrero State tradition dictates—pozole. The long list of daily specials might include pork chops, tacos, and enchiladas; all come either rice or soup and a drink. On the extensive regular menu are seafood and breakfast items. But service stops at 6, so dinner (except a very early one) is not on the menu.

When was the last time you enjoyed a plate of stingray in black butter sauce? This unimposing restaurant encases the heart of Zihuatanejo's most deliciously inventive cuisine. Owner-chef Ricardo Rodriguez, who worked in Paris before returning to Mexico, applies deft Mexican and Mediterranean touches to seafood dishes in a beachcomber aura overlooking the bay. The melt-in-your-mouth abalone and exquisite grilled mahimahi under a sweet, spicy pineapple sauce are popular choices, but the house specialty remains patata rellena—potatoes stuffed with shrimp and lobster in a fresh basil-and-garlic sauce.

The slightly formal take on the typical toes-in-the-sand dining experience is evident in the fact that this popular spot on Playa la Ropa accepts credit cards. Among the seafood specialties here are filete La Perla (fish fillet baked with cheese); lobster thermidor; and yummy fish or shrimp tacos made with homemade flour or corn tortillas and served with guacamole. There's a nice wine list and Havana cigars for after dinner. And you don't have to get your feet wet or sandy at all: you can sit in the palapa-covered restaurant under the trees or take a stool at the corner bar, where there's always a game on satellite TV. But plenty of customers just sit on the beach and sip a drink.

Waterside dining doesn't get any purer than at this spot in the midst of several beachfront eateries. The extensive menu covers all the typical favorites—ceviche, shrimp dishes, and fish fillets served with rice and steamed vegetables. Make a feast of it and choose the mixed-grill selection, which feeds three. For dessert, indulge in the crispy fried bananas served with a scoop of coconut ice cream or bathed in cinnamon-laced cream. Walk it off with a stroll along the sand. The people-watching is great, whether they're wearing swimsuits or business suits.

The menu at this solo effort from the longtime chef of La Casa Que Canta features dishes such as braised pork in tomatillo salsa with black beans, stuffed Cornish game hen, tuna in a lemongrass sauce, and many more choices. There's a short list of mostly South American wines.

The equivalent of a "soul food" restaurant for los Guerrerense (the people of Guerrero State), this noisy, fun spot a few blocks from the beach, amid small shops and cafés, specializes in the traditional cuisine of the deep countryside. Tamales—12 different kinds—are the menu's most popular items. Ingredients ranging from pork and chicken to poblano peppers are wrapped in masa, drenched in rich sauces, and baked in corn husks or banana leaves. Pozole, a pork-and-hominy stew that is traditionally eaten on Thursday, is a specialty of the house. Breakfast is served daily.