7 Best Restaurants in Ixtapa and Zihuatanejo, Mexico

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.

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.

Although it's open all day, this sparkling little coffee shop is best known for its breakfasts. This branch opened after the success of the original eatery in downtown Zihuatanejo. It's both more polished and more endearing, yet serves the same deli-style fresh Mexican food that's been served for 30 years at the original restaurant. Sit at the counter, at the varnished wood tables with six swivel chairs, or in the tiny booths. Options include fresh fruit juices, coconut milk shakes, banana splits, omelets, enchiladas, salads, soup, and tortas (sandwiches on large, crusty rolls with beans, avocado, and cheese).

The delicious scent of grilling meats will entrance you from blocks away. Latin music blares from the jukebox inside, so after sundown most clients dine at the white plastic tables on the grassy front yard. The charcoal-grilled burgers, which are made of top sirloin, and the french fries, deep-fried zucchini, and baked potatoes are true-to-the-source American treats, but with a twist. The burgers are topped with cabbage, and delicious with the Benton's chipotle sauce that you'll find next to the mustard and ketchup. Try the corn soup served with a generous dollop of sour cream. For dessert there are grilled bananas glazed with cinnamon and sugar and served with fresh cream.

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.