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Restaurants and Bars Mazatlan has a wide variety of good restaurants and bars. The best of the best are below, arranged geographically, from north to south. Senor Pepper. Senor Pepper is THE restaurant for American-Style steaks. Luxurious, elegant, romantic, candlelight, expensive. This is one of the finest steak houses in all of Mexico. The beef is imported from the neighboring state of Sonora. It is the real deal, unlike so much of the chemical-laced beef in the United States. Steaks are barbequed over a mesquite fire and the portions are massive. Senor Pepper has porterhouse, ribeyes, pork chops and filet mignon. Considering the size of the steaks, you may want to order one and split it with your companion. It's quite all right to just order an extra salad. Even though Sr. Pepper has built its reputation as a steak house, it's also a wonderful restaurant for seafood. The menu is limited - shrimp and lobster tail - both excellent in preparation and presentation. Open daily for dinner. Located across the street from Faro Mazatlan Hotel. La Costa Marinera. La Costa Marinera has firmly established itself as the premier seafood restaurant in Mazatlan. This is a great place for lunch or dinner. The preferred seating for either time is beachfront, overlooking the ocean. Follow your gringo eating habits and you'll arrive early enough to get a good table, as Mexicans traditionally eat later (lunch 2 - 4, dinner 8 - 10). On your way in, check out the holding tanks with fish, lobster and turtles. What to eat? The Seafood Platter for Two is always an excellent choice. This is an impressive and abundant spread of all the local delights of the season such as shrimp, lobster, frog legs, octopus, oysters, snapper, marlin, and sole. It is served in a large oval ceramic dish with its own charcoal fire. Located on the beach between the Oceano Palace hotel and the Luna Palace. Casa Country. Food from the country . . . Mexican style. Charro beans, homemade tortillas, and great steaks, from hefty fillets to thin, marinated skirt steak. The "cabreria" steak, in particular, consistently gets great reviews. It's flavorful and tender, slow roasted over a mesquite charcoal fire and served with a wonderful sauce on the side. Also from the country, goat, marinated and tender, served with an Argentinean inspired sauce. Chicken is another good choice, and Casa Country has some of the best shrimp in Mazatlan. All in all, this is an excellent restaurant with many dishes that aren't available elsewhere. The food is great, and they pride themselves on their service. And when the staff has a chance, you'll probably see some live entertainment by one or more of the waiters. Sometimes it's goofy, sometimes it's amazing, it's always entertaining. Don't miss this restaurant. Don't miss the floor show. And, you might want to top the evening off with a flambé dessert. Located across the street from the Holiday Inn, and a little south. Gus & Gus Save the Taco. Some of the most interesting restaurants in Mexico are under a tree. Literally. Gus Gus ("Goose Goose" in Spanish) is an excellent example, and it's also an excellent example of a Mexican pragmatic approach to business. They opened in 1996 with 8 tables under a large tree. In 1998 they added a covered band stand, started having live music, and things really took off. Now Gus Gus has 44 tables, and they've expanded so that they're now under two trees and part of a third. Reasonable prices. Good service. Good food. Good music and lots of fun. The music starts every night at 8:45 pm and continues until 1:00 am. Chameleon, playing classic rock and roll, is on stage Monday through Saturday. They're by far the most popular rock and roll band in Mazatlan and most recently opened for Creedence Clearwater Revisited. Lead guitarist Freddy Pinzon is one of the best. Freddy was born and raised in Mazatlan and has played throughout the country and toured internationally. Gus Gus is located across the street from Hotel Costa de Oro, and a little south. Open daily from 8:00 am to 2:00 am. Cash only. No credit cards. La Cocina de Ana Economica. Translation: "Anna's Economical Kitchen." And that says it all! Location-wise, it's hard to find. From Hotel Suites Las Flores, for example, walk north past the jewelry shops and take a right at the next corner. Take a left at the corner after that. It is worth the search and you will retrace your steps many times for a good midday, home cooked meal that could last you til breakfast of the following day. Set up buffet style, the large bowls of soup and specials are wonderful...11 different freshly prepared dishes daily. You can eat there in Ana's sunny kitchen or pack it up for takeout. And you are charged by the weight. Open Monday - Saturday, 12 - 4.Very inexpensive. Cash only. No credit cards. Pancho's. Pancho's is located south of Suites Las Flores, overlooking the beach, at the end of the Las Cabanas shopping mall. Pancho's opened with only a couple of tables. The lights would dim every time they hit the blender to make a margarita. But that was long ago. Pancho's has grown, and grown, and grown again. It's another local success story. Old timers may remember Pancho from Costa de Oro. He was a waiter there for many years. Stop in for a cold beer and a hamburger when you're shopping, or bring the kids for dinner, bathing suits and all, to watch the sunset. Try the fish Veracruzana. The service is good, prices are reasonable, it's a great location. The Shrimp Factory. The Shrimp Factory sells shrimp . . . lots of it. They serve it plain, in the shell, with sauce on the side, which is the way it is frequently served in Mexican homes. You order by the kilo (2.2 pounds) or the half kilo and have your choice between freshly cooked or cooked and refrigerated. You also have a choice of 3 different sauces or a squeeze of lime juice and a dash of salt. Fantastic! The Shrimp Factory is on the corner one block north of Hotel Playa Mazatlan on the opposite side of the street. Terraza Playa. Most hotel restaurants primarily serve their own guests. Terraza Playa at Hotel Playa Mazatlan does that, of course, but they also attract guests from neighboring hotels as well as locals from throughout the community. It's a very popular restaurant, for good reason. The location is great: outdoors on the terrace, with a great ocean view, including the islands, Avenue del Mar, and the city. They have a comprehensive daily breakfast buffet from 7:00 am to 11:00 am. Lunch includes a variety of Mexican and American dishes and sandwiches and even potato salad. There's also a selection of low cholesterol and low fat items and a special menu for children. Dinners range from Creole Soup (bits of tortilla, sweet green peppers, and cheese) to Churrasco Argentine--a beef filet prepared with an interesting Argentinean marinade. And, every night, they have live contemporary Mexican Music starting at 7:00 pm. The first set might be kind of slow. Stick it out, they really get rocking. Yes, they have a dance floor. Very popular on a Friday night with the locals. Fireworks every Sunday at 8 pm. Open 7:00 am until midnight. Beach attire is not usually appropriate after 6:00 pm. Pura Vida. Small stands, carts and restaurants specializing in fresh fruit and juice are part of the landscape throughout Mexico. Pura Vida, by far, is the best restaurant of its kind in Mazatlan. Try the fruit salad: pineapple, banana, strawberries, mango, grapes, papaya, melon, apple, guava, nuts, granola, cinnamon, yogurt and a touch of honey. Pura Vida also has 120 different juice combinations, smoothies, shooters, and a wide variety of nutritional, organic foods, including energy bars, muffins, sandwiches and soups. Located on the first street south of Playa Mazatlan, in front of Hotel Plaza Gaviotas. Vittore Italian Grill. Italian food is very popular in Mexico and Vittore Italian Grill is the best in Mazatlan. Vittore is located across the street from Hotel Los Sabalos and features a wood fired oven producing excellent pizza and their signature Italian style bread sprinkled with rosemary. The bread is complimentary, and a great way to start the evening. Include a glass of wine and the house salad, and you might want to call it quits. If not, try the Linguine Alla Pescatora (linguine with shrimp and scallops and a spicy tomato sauce) or the Gamberi Alla Romana (grilled shrimp over pasta with a butter lemon garlic sauce). Pedro & Lola. This restaurant honors the memories of Pedro Infante and Lola Beltran. Pedro & Lola is in Old Mazatlan at the corner of Carnaval and Constitucion, and it is the cornerstone of the refurbished Plaza Machado, a destination of and by itself. The Angela Peralta Theater is practically adjacent to the restaurant. Pedro & Lola offers sidewalk tables shaded by trees, open archways into the restaurant, paintings by local artists, live music most evenings, and an interesting menu featuring Mexican and international cuisine. The streets surrounding Plaza Machado are closed to traffic in the evening, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Tables and chairs from Pedro & Loa, and surrounding restaurants, are on the sidewalk, in the street, and occasionally spilling into the Plaza. Don't miss it. Pedro & Loa is open daily from 5:45 pm to 1 am.
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