12 Best Restaurants in Sonora, Mexico

Fishnets and realistic reproductions of the fish you'll be eating decorate this restaurant, whose name means "red snapper." The catch of the day varies, but you can depend on consistent quality. Classics like a brimming shrimp cocktail could be followed by fish stuffed with shrimp, clams, squid, and octopus. Depending on your luck, you'll be serenaded either by Mexican musicians or by the ceaseless wailing of polkalike norteña music on MTV. The restaurant also delivers.

This bright blue-and-pink palace feels like a home, with its nicely stuccoed ceilings, hand-painted tiles, and upstairs porch with a harbor view. Unique family recipes include foil-wrapped shrimp or fish prepared estilo delfín—steamed in orange juice, herbs, and spices. Gaston, the operatic owner, can easily be coaxed into singing traditional rancheras in a baritone as rich and robust as the food.

This clean, comfortable family restaurant overlooks the bay—a perfect spot for morning coffee and pancakes. At other meals, portions tend to be small, but the food is quite good, and the owner and his daughters play the guitar and sing in the evening. The outdoor patio is great for enjoying the giant margaritas that this place is known for.

Perched atop Puerto Peñasco's highest point, this restaurant has the best views over the bay and the town below. There's indoor dining, but the long outdoor terrace overlooking the sea is the place to be, especially at sunset, when it can be packed with locals and visitors alike. A wide-ranging menu includes everything from nachos and quesadillas to flaming, brandied jumbo shrimp.

This friendly family restaurant with great Mexican food is easy to spot if you look for the large green-and-yellow building or the mermaid on the sign. Traditional Mexican dishes are the best bargain, but seafood lovers will have plenty to choose from: the menu lists 12 different shrimp dishes, such as Hawaiian-style shrimp wrapped in bacon and served in a sweet apple-and-pineapple sauce.

This palm-shaded spot is perched above a beach sprinkled with the thatch-topped palapas that give the place its name. In the summer, when Bahía Kino fills with travelers, the restaurant is the place to be. The kitchen churns out marlin, five kinds of shrimp, and a selection of excellent salads; this is where those in the know go for a juicy cheeseburger.

This popular Mexican family restaurant sits on the west side of the Alameda. Here you might get homemade rosca bread (a sweet, round loaf) with your coffee and an assortment of daily specials. The made-fresh-daily corn tamales are hard to beat; other specialties include the chiles rellenos (cheese-stuffed chili peppers) and the carne milanesa (similar to chicken-fried steak).

This palapa-shaded family restaurant is a great stopover on the highway to San Carlos. It has the lazy-day quality of a more rural place. It's all seafood here: fish fillets, scallops, oysters, and shrimp cooked to perfection.

Though it may be a bit hard to locate, you may well find yourself returning, drawn by the clean, unpretentious environment and congenial service—not to mention margaritas as big as fishbowls. Superb seafood dishes include sopa de siete mares (soup of the seven seas) and jaiba a la diabla (a spicy hot crab dish).

The walls at this cozy pink restaurant are decorated with historical photos from Mexico's past, including many of Mexican revolutionaries. Ask anyone in town, and they'll tell you Rosa's ample breakfasts are the best way to start the day. Try the machaca with eggs and salsa; the tortilla soup is great for lunch or dinner. Gringos who miss being pampered will appreciate the decaf coffee and salad bar.

Come to this sophisticated steak house for the finest cuts of the famous Sonoran beef. You won't break the bank, as the prices here are quite reasonable. The specialty, rib-eye steak, is aged for 28 days. Vegetarians can graze on a variety of salads or opt for cream of green chili soup. The restaurant is a good spot for a late-night meal—it's open until 1 am.

This large restaurant is rather institutional-looking, but it's a great place to try regional specialties. There's a set menu—meals are designed for two or more, and typically include carne asada, ribs, tripe, vegetable salad, beans, and fresh flour tortillas. It's popular with both locals and visitors from across the border.