More Eats on the Oaxacan Coast

Floating in the turquoise bays of Huatulco and emerging just for a fresh coconut and garlic shrimp heads is my perfect beach day. Here are a few more things that you might want to eat and do though on the Oaxacan coast, for variety’s sake. Find some favorites from past trips in these posts.

El Cazador, Pochutla

You know sometimes when you drive through the countryside or small towns and there’s one single church at the top of a hill? Well, replace the church with a family-owned seafood restaurant and sign me up for service every Sunday at El Cazador. Our taxi driver didn’t even know about this place that hides off a quiet road on the outskirts of Pochutla, but some local friends sent us here. At a previous eating adventure in Mazunte when we ordered a chelada the owner had to confirm the correct contents of a chelada (lime, salt, beer)— which was not only disappointing because we realized we clearly weren’t eating at a Mexican-owned restaurant but was also confusing, because who has been in Mexico long enough to open a business but not learn what a chelada is!? But here the cheladas came out swinging, with a tajín rimmed mug and flautirriko (tamarind and chile candy-wrapped straw). We ordered a whole red snapper (the local fish of the day), more shrimp, and a mixed ceviche which included lengua de perro, a mollusk collected from the rocks in these parts that tastes a little like abalone and looks like a mini vagina (just being real).

Jalil Restaurant Bar, Mazunte

Well, we didn’t venture too far for this beach eatery but sometimes you don’t have to. I can vouch for the location, quick service, and camarones al mojo de ajo at this place. Do you need much more? They got the nice chairs with padding, la sazón, and the good sense not to overcook shrimp.

Organic Market (Wed and Sun, Morning til 4 pm) in Mazunte

Find your cacao sesame tostadas made with criollo corn here (oh the sweet, savory things I could do with them). The tostada vendor has other flavors as well like nopal, moringa, and beets. Nearby is a woman with packages of dried mango and other tropical fruits that definitely beat the Trader Joes version, one comes covered in sticky chamoy. There are textile and body product vendors here too. It looks like people were eating a memela topped with nopales and jamaica, which looked good but I was more in the mood for a passion fruit agua.

Juice spot on the main road in Mazunte

I get my veggies mostly through juices from beach towns in Mexico as there are often not a lot of raw veggie options on menus. The green juice here hit the spot. There’s a little produce stand too.

Casa Mayor Café, Huatulco

For a good coffee made with beans from the region, hit this corner stand on the Zocalo. There is a full cafe/restaurant also in the centro, and the open-air coffee stand is on the corner of Gardenia and Guanacastle.

Tres Hermanos, San Agustin de Los Flores

My memories of San Agustin weren’t exaggerated by nostalgia, this is still the place of tropical beach dreams. The water is so transparent snorkeling masks are unnecessary. The mango stands and the peacocks still guard the entrance. This time we were taken to a restaurant called Tres Hermanos, where the chef Ilda tempted us with lobsters, but not being that hungry we settled for a ceviche, which was fine. The highlight however was the fish net art, webbing together armadillo shells, early 2000s landline phones, coral and curtains made with straws and seashells.

Flamboyant, Huatuclo

My girl Shana found the Tlayuda hack here: pastor with piña. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Tlayudas, they are a common snack found in Oaxaca made with an oversized tortilla, beans, cheese and a topping of your choice, like tasajo, served flat or folded and toasted on the grill or comal. Sometimes they can come out dry if not done right, but the grilled piña juice and juicy pork circumvents that issue.

El Camaron Borracho, Huatulco

I frequently bug taxi drivers for the popular local food spots, which sometimes leaves me eating at their primo’s restaurant, and also gets me to affordable, good food. El Camaron Borracho is on a residential street behind the Soriana supermarket, and the prices reflect its distance from the tourist traps on the beach or in the centro. The open dining room is bordered by orange brick arches and filled with the sounds of cuban salsa music and dubbed 80s action flicks. I was tempted by the fish tail I saw poking out of the seafood soup, but in the end I went for camarones a la diabla, shrimp with a guajillo and chile de arbol sauce. The heat is subtler than the name hints. Don’t miss a glimpse at the back of the employee t-shirts here.

Where to Stay

Mazunte: We liked El Eden Bungalows, a little up the road from the center of Mazunte. The rooms are clean, comfy, with patios, and if you’re in the right one, also have an ocean view. The older couple that owns the place is super sweet and accommodating. There’s also a great palapa with hammocks, and I was headed out a local artists was painting a mural on the water tank. There is also a sweet dog with a nerdy haircut and two baby kittens that followed us everywhere.

Huatulco: If you want to be in the city center, Arenas del Pacifico is a low budget spot that’s clean, has great service, and a complimentary breakfast. Plus a pool with a slide for the kids.

(I booked both places on booking.com)

Thanks to my two mamacitas who were the best eating and travel companions!

Necessary Beverages: Mezcal, Beer, and Coffee in Ensenada


Ensenada stole a small piece of my heart recently. I have long treasured my ritual breakfast at La Guerrerense, the popular seafood street cart where eating a sea urchin sofrito tostada piled with scallops, avocado, and charred peanut salsa slays all beginnings to the day. But as for the rest of the city, I’ve only had the opportunity to take it in bit by bit, in passing. A walk up the hill that overlooks the city and the Pacific, where a chef friend pointed out the edible plants that sprouted after a fire. A ceviche and beer at Boules, where the magnolia trees shaded chain-smoking women with raspy voices who shared a drink and the gossip around town with me. Birria after a night out, the fried tortillas dipped in a cup of stew relieving my hangover as it coated my lips in deep red oil. I realized on my last visit, a 24 hour mission for a dinner celebrating the region’s indigenous foods, that the more I’m there the more my experiences coalesce into meeting people who like me live for good food and drink. People who dig into obscure corners of food history or plant life. People who find serenity in the extra spicy salsa, the messiness of a tostada as it rolls down their chins, the “last” glass of wine, the shade of a century-old winery in the middle of the city on a sticky hot day. This is a true food city, and the path to it is an easy coastal bus ride from right over the border in Tijuana (which might be one of the nicest two hour bus rides possible). Here are three places for essential beverages while you’re here. A place for a green juice is in this post, don’t think I’d forget to drink my veggies.

Mezcaleria La Penca

Housed on the grounds of the Santo Tomas winery, this mezcaleria feels like you are indeed drinking in one of the secret crevices of a century-old building (more accurately, the former fermentation tank for aguardiente, brandy and cognac). High ceilings are rimmed by garafones and mezcal bottles on the tall shelves, and table-top candles illuminate the cracks that creep up the walls. They carry a few familiar brands like El Soledad and Amores, as well as some special seasonal offerings: a pechuga and an espadin in clay for example. To me, this place is a game-changer for Ensenada as all I usually need to love a city is a no-frills, cozy bar with good taste in mezcal.

Aguamala

I think it was the sip of the Aguamala Sirena pilsner at a local restaurant that sparked my interest in Baja craft beer. It was golden-tan, citrusy and toasty like freshly baked bread. I liked it even more after realizing that when I go to Aguamala it doesn’t necessarily feel like I’m around a beer obsessed crowd (as I would in a California brewery), but maybe just a crowd that likes to have a good time.

You could easily miss this taproom of shipping containers off the highway leading into Ensenada. I did, frustratingly many times. The brewery is built with elevated shipping containers and looks out onto the coast. During sunset the light glares in, but it’s still a great time to go. There is seating on an outside patio, around the bar, and at a row of tables with ocean-views.

Here you can enjoy drafts and taste flights from one of Mexico’s most well know craft breweries, and they usually have guest beers on tap as well. A small bar menu from Valle de Guadalupe chef Drew Deckman is available, and Mondays they have guest chefs. You’ll find staples from the area: oysters, mussels, and ceviche, with some more bar-leaning snacks like a Sonoran hamburger and buffalo wings.

Barra de Cafe

Tucked in the same building as Mezcaleria La Penca is a small café with specialty coffee from Mexico. The staff is super friendly, gladly giving me a whiff of the espresso grain of the day from Nayarit. A small roaster sits in the corner where they roast on off hours, and you can grab 200 gram bags of coffee starting at $96 pesos (about $5 USD) from Nayarit, Oaxaca and Chiapas. The space feels like a cool refuge on a sunny day, with high ceilings, cool concrete walls and light shining in from the glass doors. Black and white tiles border counters and benches, and pops of color come from ceramic artwork and murals that decorate the hallway. There’s comfortable seating in the narrow café or across the hallway in a larger room. You can also order pastries or breakfast from the neighboring restaurant down the hall.

Alta Baja

The new kid on the same block as La Penca and Barra de Cafe, Alta Baja is a rooftop bar and restaurant. The space is split up into several sections creating a number of nooks suitable for a romantic moment or a group hang while feeling like you have the place to yourself. The west side was my favorite: a balcony overlooking sixth street with a small bar, a few high tops and lounge area. The red and blue hand-painted facades of the stores and taco stands are right below, deepening in color as the sun goes down behind the hills of Ensenada. My Wendlant pale ale, the cobalt walls and golden mirrors all looked glorious in that light. They have a great beer list of Baja craft beers plus a few on tap from California, a cocktail list and a full dinner menu (I didn’t try the food but hope to be back to do so).