Food and Drink
There are lots of great restaurants to choose from in Zihua. Obviously the majority are going to be serving Mexican cuisine, but if you need something different, you can easily get burgers, Chinese, pizza, or Italian. But really, did you travel all the way here to eat Chinese?
In the morning, you can find some good places for breakfast all around town. Locals are up early in the morning, taking kids to school, bringing in the night's fishing catch, going to the markets, etc. and many places serve breakfast to these early risers as well as tourists. During March, the sun is up around 7 am and the town starts to heat up. It's a good time to walk along the Playa Principal to check out the returning fishermen. There used to be a few great breakfast places along the waterfront at Playa Madera, like MJ Richie's, but aren't there any more. They may have been replaced by other restaurants worth a try. La Ropa has a lot of restaurants along that stretch with great views of the bay. An early morning walk along this beach is highly recommended. Elvira's has a good reputation and has been there for a long time - so something's working.
In Zihua itself, a good place for breakfast is Bananas, located just off the main street on Calle Nicolas Bravo. Smoothies are good and made to order with fresh fruit - the large papayas in Mexico are fantastic. They make pancakes, eggs, and good Mexican breakfast dishes like chiliquilies and huevos rancheros. It's a great place to sit and watch the town get going in the morning. Chilolo's is an excellent choice for a cheap breakfast and/or lunch. Eating at one of the many places along the Fisherman's Walk in the old town is a great way to have a view of the bay and the fishing boats while having your morning meal.
Mornings are a good opportunity to go to the Campesino mercado near Calle Cocos, just north of the Merza store (on the way to the larger Central Mercado) to get some freshly picked fruit or other interesting items. Go to the Mercado Central for pastries or fresh baked buns (bollilos) from Panaderia Arminda. You can also get Oaxacan rope cheese from a vendor who pulls it out of his plastic tub in the market, if he's there that day. He's the fellow wearing the white cowboy hat - a really great guy. Bring half a kilo back to the hotel for breakfast on the terrace with organic local coffee that you can buy on Calle Benito Juarez (no. 114) in a shop called Cafe Costa de Sol.
Calle Cocos also has a fantastic place called Doña Lichia which serves up authentic Mexican food, mostly breakfast and lunch, with great prices
You can go to the big supermarket, Comercial Mexicana, to stock up on items if you have a fridge in your hotel room. The store seems to have some sort of connection to Costco since they have Kirkland products available. Yoghurt is a good buy here as well as staples like milk and cold cuts. Very clean but English is not widely spoken in the store. Zihua has lots of green grocers with a good selection of fruits and vegetables. At times, trucks full of farm fresh papayas or mangoes appear and we are always tempted to get something from them. There is a good deli call La Suiza near the Central Mercado which has some good quality cheeses and cold cuts for sale; always busy in here and a very friendly owner. Get his 'tocino especial' for great bacon. Since its so warm during the day, we tend to eat less, not really going to restaurants. If you are at a beach for the day plonked down in a seaside table, you can usually order some good enchiladas or seafood and therefore get the use of the table for the day. Nothing wrong with a cold beer under a palapa with some totopos and salsa.
One thing that is a must is a visit to the restaurant 'Atole y Tamale Any' in Zihua for great authentic food. The manager is passionate about real Mexican food and the regional cultural heritage of Mexico and it shows in the quality of the food. The tamales and chicken mole are exceptional. Pozole is a regional specialty, traditionally served on Thursdays, and quite good at this restaurant.
But for a real experience with Thursday pozole, try to visit 'Santa Prisca' (on the northern edge of Zihua on the road to Ixtapa) around 2 in the afternoon for their pozole. This place is open only one day a week for pozole - complete with all the side dishes and live music. Any cab driver will get you there. El Profe in nearby Coacoyul, accessible by combi bus, is another good pozole restaurant near Zihua. The trip out there takes about 20 minutes but well worth it once you try their food. Again, only open for pozole Thursdays.
Here are a list of restaurants they will always try to get to at least once on a trip to Zihuatanejo. They may or may not exist anymore, but if they still exist, they should still be a good bet for a meal.
Rufo's - outdoor barbecue along Calle Adelita in the Playa Madera neighbourhood. Sometimes has live music.
Don Memo's - Italian inspired dinners. Good margaritas.
Daniel's or Casa Arcadia - beachside seafood restaurants that will cook your catch if you've hooked a Dorado on a fishing trip. Casa Arcadia has a nice dish of shrimp done with garlic worth trying.
Pollos Locos - fire-grilled chicken, served up with onions and freshly heated tortillas. Gone from Zihua but apparently still in Ixtapa.
Puerto de Sol - perched up on a cliff overlooking the bay - although the view has been compromised with the building of a large resort/condo unit on the cliff. Great gem of a restaurant with very friendly owners (brother and sister). Flashy tableside caesar salad preparations and flames galore for a myriad of dinners and desserts, in case you weren't warm enough. (The best show is the flame running down a spiralling orange peel into a Spanish coffee).
Ricomar - the ultimate in budget dining in Zihua. Located in 'pozole alley' - ask any oldtimer tourist how to find it. Great enchiladas, fried chicken, and an enmolada that was simply amazing. Most meals are only P$20.
Lety's is popular with the tourists, located just to the left of the bridge into Colonia La Noria. Famous for their coconut shrimp, although it's a bit too rich for my taste. Chili rellenos (stuffed with seafood) was good although the red sauce did not seem authentic Mexican - more like a tomato and cream mixture.
Doña Lichia on Calle de los Cocos has excellent breakfasts and traditional Mexican fare. Very reasonable and popular with the locals. The 'comida corrida' is a daily special that changes every day and is priced quite low. I love this place.
Bananas on Nicholas Bravo has stellar chiliquilies for breakfast as well as freshly made licuados.
Papas Locas along the north end of the downtown area is great for tacos al pastor and famous for their stuffed, baked potatoes. Very rustic and extremely popular. Sort of like setting up some plastic tables and chairs in a driveway and eating - which is exactly what it is. Grab a table so you can watch the cook slicing away at the stack of pork for tacos pastor.
Salvador's on Calle Adelita was near the first bridge over the canal has decent breakfasts and good seafood. Again, very reasonable prices. I say 'was' as he was forced to move due to street construction a while back.
Los Braseros has super tacos de pastor. Or order the alambra plate. Reminds me of Chinese restaurants back in Vancouver - tight seating, busy, well lit, but good food fast.
El Pastorcito is a taco restaurant at Las Palmas and Jose Morelos which is very cheap and tasty. Not a word of English spoken here. The pastor is very good and very easy on the wallet.
Chilolo's is probably one of the more rustic restaurants in Colonia Centro in Zihua. They make the best hand made tortillas by a long shot. A bit iffy for dinner - open for breakfast and lunch, unless you call ahead, it seems. We phoned and brought 14 one night on a trip in 2011 and were the only customers. The number to call (once you've brushed up on your Spanish) is (755) 127-44-18. The best guacamole and freshest fish will be found here.
Margaritas in the Playa Madera neighbourhood has excellent and economical breakfasts in a nice garden setting. Very professional service and the place is always hopping.
