Food

What and where to eat in Sayulita

The food is one of the honest reasons to come. It runs from a few pesos at a street cart to full sit-down bills that reflect the town’s popularity — you can eat very well cheaply or very well expensively.

The dishes to plan around

• Fish and shrimp tacos. This is the coast; the seafood tacos here — battered fish, garlicky shrimp, grilled catch — are the thing to eat. A couple of pesos-friendly tacos from a good stand beats most of the pricier menus.
• Birria. The stewed, dip-in-broth tacos have a serious local following. Best in the morning from the stands, before they sell out.
• Ceviche and aguachile. Cold, citrusy, spicy — the ideal beach-heat lunch.
• Marlin and smoked-fish tostadas. A Nayarit specialty worth trying if you see it.

Where to eat

• Street stands and taquerías a street or two back from the beach — cheapest and often the best. Look for a line of locals.
• Sit-down restaurants in the center cover Mexican, Italian, seafood and a lot of health-food and vegetarian spots aimed at the transplant crowd. Quality is high; prices are gringo-priced, so read menus before sitting.
• Beach palapas for a fish plate with your feet in the sand — you pay for the view.

Approximate cost: street tacos are pocket change; a mid-range sit-down dinner with drinks lands well above what you’d pay inland. Budget accordingly and lean on the stands.