Ixtapa · If nearby

Where locals go

By Renata SolísBased in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco · updated Jul 3, 2026

Where locals actually go

Here is the thing you have to understand first: almost nobody lives in Ixtapa. It is a resort strip, not a town, so the people who cook and clean and wait tables in its hotels live in Zihuatanejo and come over for the shift. On a day off, they go home. So “where locals go” here mostly means where Zihua residents go – and that is the short combi ride back into the real town.

In Ixtapa itself

If you want the un-touristy corner of the strip, aim for the ends rather than the hotel wall.

  • Playa Linda, just north past the hotels, is where Guerrero families actually spend a Sunday. Cheaper seafood palapas, horses for hire on the sand, kids everywhere, and the pier for the Isla Ixtapa pangas. Much more relaxed than El Palmar, and busiest and best on Sunday afternoons. Order whatever fish came in and a cold agua de jamaica.
  • Marina Ixtapa’s casual taco and mariscos spots, tucked away from the polished hotel restaurants, draw a mix of residents and off-duty staff – fresh ceviche, cheaper beer, no buffet.

The real move – go to Zihua

A friend who works the strip would tell you to stop looking for local life on Paseo Ixtapa and just get on the combi to Zihuatanejo. That is where the people behind Ixtapa eat, drink and spend their actual free time.

  • The Mercado Central on Avenida Benito Juarez, where the fondas serve comida corrida cheap at midday – pozole, sopes, whatever the cook made that morning. Go before 15:00 while it is hot and busy.
  • The fish stalls and pangas along the Zihua pier and the malecon, where the morning catch comes in and the tiritas are freshest.
  • The taquerias and mariscos joints on the back streets off the malecon and around the Plaza del Artesano – the evening crowd of locals rather than cruise passengers.
  • The Zihua malecon at dusk, when families come out to walk, buy paletas, and watch the fishing boats – the free, nightly ritual that Ixtapa’s boulevard has no equivalent of.

The short version: Ixtapa is the office, Zihuatanejo is home. Eat a plate at Playa Linda if you are stuck on the strip, but if you want the actual weekend life of the people who make this coast run, spend it in town. For the full breakdown of what to eat and where, see food.