Sayulita Hits List

First of all, congratulations to my cousin, Pete, and his new bride, Lindsay! They decided on a destination wedding in Sayulita, Mexico. Like most people, I had never heard of Sayulita before, but was told it was about a 45 minute drive from Puerto Vallarta. Beyond that, Pete just said, "Trust me, the food is amazing!" And when Pete says to trust him, you trust him. Of course, he was right, this tiny town on the Pacific is packed with incredible tiny restaurants, taco shops, roadside wood fire grills - grilling butterflied chickens, potatoes, cactus, etc. Needless to say, Sayulita is perfumed with delicious cooking smells. Of all of the restaurants that I tried, a few stood out. First was Loco Martinez, a tiny grilled chicken "restaurant" off of some small road in the less crowded part of town. I went based on the smell coming off the grill. It seemed more like a backyard barbeque than a restaurant, with just a few plastic tables and chairs set up for customers. In the background you can hear chickens clucking, likely the ones that would be on the grill the following day. For around $14 dollars American, a family of four can eat and drink well. The chicken was perfectly seasoned and cooked, served with salsa, grilled vegetables, fruits, cactus, and fresh tortillas. The whole experience and friendly people made this my favorite experience of the trip.

Of the many grilled meats stuffed into tortillas that I consumed during this trip, Burrito Revolution was amongst the best. The shrimp burrito was amazing, loaded with buttery grilled shrimp and all the fixins'. Three homemade sauces are at your disposal to flavor your burrito as well: spicy habenero, smoky chipotle, and tamatillo-cilantro. Mix and match as you choose.

The other standout was The Original Fish Taco. Super fresh fish and shrimp being cooked on a food cart, essentially, served with homemade tortillas. At only about twenty feet away from the beach, you can see and taste how fresh the ingredients are. (photo credit: Sayulitavilla.com)

(taco photo credit: tripadvisor user cline85ga)

And finally, of the many guacamoles I tasted, the best guacamole goes to Alas Blanca. This restaurant is situated right on the beach. Their guacamole is the perfect mix of creamy and chunky, topped with fresh cheese, and crisp tortilla chips, you can't ask for anything more.....besides a margarita.