Guide to Acapulco Restaurants

Fine Dining

The key elements of fine dining establishments include luxurious and elegant surroundings, valet parking, a splendid view, knowledgeable, experienced, attentive waiters, a complete wine list and, of course, a menu of selections unique to the creative art and technical skill of the executive chef, who is responsible for the restaurant's reputation.

The menu may be specially prepared for that particular day, with a small number of selections in each category. Dressing a bit "upscale" is recommended. Acapulco's top fashion category is "fashionable casual." There is no need for a jacket and tie or frilly cocktail dress, though some guests prefer to be that dressy. At most fine dining restaurants the younger children (under 8) are not excluded, but management discourages the idea. The ambience is clearly designed for quiet, adult conversation and behavior.

Some of the fine dining restaurants in Acapulco are: Baikal, Bellavista, Buda, Casanova, La Casona del Granjero, El Faro, El Olvido, Hacienda, Kookaburra, La Vela, Madeiras, Maretto, Mezzanotte, Miramar, Pampano, Sirocco, Suntory, and Zibu.

Traditional Restaurants

Just as certain types of cuisine lend themselves to fine dining (like French, Northern Italian or Japanese), the medium range of restaurants typically offer either Mexican, American and sometimes Italian fare.

Occasionally valet parking will be available, but usually the system is "self-park." Often the restaurant is family-operated, and the host or hostess will be an owner. Like fine dining establishments, the owner may have expanded into one or two other, related restaurants, but few franchises or "chains" are found in this category.

The service should also be attentive, and provided by an experienced wait staff. Many of them might have been there as long as the owners, or even longer! Dress is casual. Some places do not serve guests who arrive in bathing suits or without shirts or shoes. Children are welcome, though the atmosphere is for adults and
does not normally cater to children. Formality varies widely.

The menu usually has a wide variety of selections, with lots of "standard" choices, including appetizers, salads, entrées and deserts. Daily combination specials (called "comida corrida") are offered, sometimes verbally, or perhaps on a notice on the wall or on an insert in the menu.

Some restaurants also promote their bar, and have drink specials and live entertainment (invariably musical) at certain hours. Examples of traditional Acapulco restaurants in this category are: BubbäBar, La Cabana de Caleta. El Cabrito. Las Canastas. Los Caporales. El Capullo. Carnitas La Esperanza. La Casa de Tere, Costa Romanza, Dino's, El Embarcadero, Flor de Acapulco, El Fogón, Forza d'Italia, Mi Piaci, La Gamba, El Gaucho, Haye's, Ika Tako, El Jardín, Jimmy's, Jovitos, Julio's, La Langosta Loca, La Mansión Bohemia, La Margarita, Mi Barquito, Los Navegantes, El Nono, Paco's, Pollo Giro, San & Town, Tamales Licha, Tío Alex, La Torta, Tres Marías, and El Zorrito Family Restaurants & Cafeterias.

In Mexico, the public has the choice of a popular intermediate selection - less expensive than a traditional restaurant, but not a fast food place. They are called "cafeterias," but are different from the cafeteria as it is known in the US or Canada. Most of them in Mexico are parts of a franchise chain, and the menu is standardized, both in price and selection. Many offer buffets for a fixed price. The atmosphere is usually bright
and casual. In many cases the children have special menus, fun favors (like hats and balloons) and a separate place to play and make noise. The food is prepared by real cooks in a real kitchen, and made to order.

Cafeterias are also commonly the scene of small gatherings of friends "for coffee," or of couples relaxing after a movie or show. A few in this category are part of an International chain (such as Bennigan's in the Casa Inn). Many of the cafeterias operate several different locations, usually along the Costera Alemán. Examples of this category include: 100% Natural, California, El Portón, Sanborn's, Shakey's Pizza, Sportortas, Tacos House, Toks and Vips.

Taquerías and Fast Food Places

Acapulco has just about all the US and Canadian fast food a traveler could crave, including McDonalds, Burger King, Domino's, Subway, Domino's and KFC. For the visitor from the north, however, it might be fun to try out the taco places, where the prices are roughly equivalent, and the food is decidedly from south of the border. A number of them follow the US system in which the guest orders and pays for the food, waits for it, and then either eats it at a nearby table or carries it out. Most taquerías, however, still provide sit-down table service for the customer who is planning to eat on-site. A few have become franchise operations of Mexican companies, but most are one-of-a-kind restaurants and and enjoy a large following among the locals. Any visitor should venture into a taquería at least once during a stay in Acapulco.

Some of these restaurants straddle the border between "traditional" Mexican restaurant and "taquería," offering a wide range of Mexican cuisine, from the most ambitious combination dishes down to the humble, but tasty, taco. Tacos Tumbras in Costa Azul and Magallanes is a good example. Another is Tarascos, in various parts of town. Others in this category are: Tacos Orientalex, Tacosteña, and Tacos y Tacos.

On the street and at the beach

While not exactly a type of restaurant, vendors represent one more way in which Acapulqueños feed themselves. Anyone taking a trip to a local marketplace, like the "tianguis" at the Diana traffic circle or similar ones closer to the older part of town, will confirm that you can buy all manner of tamales, tacos, quesadillas, roast corn, fried bananas, fruit on a stick, and many other delicacies, right on the sidewalk. Anyone who has gone to the beach knows that mobile vendors (called "ambulantes") endlessly march up and down the sand offering lots of the same types of food as well as trinkets, baskets, cigarettes, jewelry, t-shirts, massages and music. Questions naturally arise: "Are these things good? Are they safe to eat?" There is no objective answer. If you are a recently-arrived tourist with a delicate digestive system, the answer is probably "no" on the safety question. But it is true that thousands of people patronize these vendors every day, without any noticeable bad consequences. It is probably a good idea to pass on the street food unless you speak some Spanish. You should feel free to ask when the food was prepared and how much it costs. Generally it is a good idea to watch someone else buy whatever interests you, and observe what the charge is; otherwise the price for non-locals might be higher. Also you can ask a customer for a quick appraisal - did they like it and is it "up to snuff"? Some
of the vendors are well-known to their clientele and take great pride in the distinctiveness of their food and the loyalty of their customers. The same is not always true on the beach, unless the food is being sold by the person who made it, or it comes from a fixed location, like a beach-side restaurant.

One category not covered under "restaurants," but worthy of remembering, are all the coffee houses that serve pastries and light snacks as well as coffee, tea and other refreshments.

Types of Cuisine

Acapulco also offers a number of different cuisines, though the obvious and most abundant choices are for seafood of different kinds. Here is a quick reference for restaurants in specific categories by type of food offered (without concern for whether they are expensive or cheap, fancy or totally casual). (Some restaurants will appear in more than one category):

• Seafood. Subcategories of seafood may make a difference to the visitor looking for a place to go. "Mariscos," which means "shells and shellfish" (oysters, clams, mussels, shimp, crab and lobster) can mean specifically those items, or more broadly, to any sort of food coming from the sea ("frutos del mar"). "Pescado" refers specifically
  to fish. "Pulpo" literally means octopus, but many people use it to refer generically to octopus, squid, and perhaps other "mariscos" and even "pescado."
• Mexican traditional: Subcategories can be by region of the country as well as by degree of formality and elegance. For example, in the north, ranchero-style cooking is associated with Sinaloa. More "Tex-Mex" is the style of Chihuahua and Nuevo Leon (Monterrey). The food served as Mexican in most US restaurants is closer
  to that found in Jalisco (Guadalajara) and Guerrero (Acapulco). Some seafood dishes are associated with the Caribbean side of Mexico, especially Veracruz, Yucatán (Mérida) and more recently, Cancún.
• American and Popular: Usually the term "American" covers a lot of territory or it means nothing much at all. In Acapulco, it includes steak houses of the old-fashioned Texas variety, a pub (technically Irish by way of a US franchise), a sports bar, and a long-time group of Mexican favorites, like Ruben's Hamburguesas, which cater to locals as well as to the North American tourist (Canada, US and Mexico).
• Italian: This group includes pizzas (not counting fast food) as well as solid "trattoria" offerings of pasta dishes, salads, and a fancy restaurant or two.
• French / Continental: This term may be synonymous with "fancy dining," but Acapulco has several truly continental restaurants. A couple of them are not in the upper reaches of pricy.
• International: This group also includes what is sometimes called "contemporary cuisine," such as "fusion" cooking, mixing continental and Asian flavors. It may also be a pseudonym for "American" cuisine at the high end.
• Japanese: Acapulco has a couple of sushi places, as well as top of the line restaurants in the finest teppanyaki tradition.
• Chinese: Few restaurants come close to real Chinese: one is Sam & Town in Costa Azul. Another is Shang-hai on the Costera in Club Deportivo, and a handful of others in Acapulco Diamante and Traditional Acapulco.
• Other: Acapulco has a high-end Indian restaurant, a casual Lebanese-Arabic take-out place and another Lebanese offering (with the unlikely name of "Hayes"), and several others such as Thai, Brazilian, Spanish and more.

Locations

Acapulco can be divided into four distinct areas. Take a look at the map of the port of Acapulco and Acapulco Bay.

Las Brisas to Diamante

Mezzanotte, Kookaburra, Madeiras, Restaurante Bellavista, Ristorante Casanova, Senor Frog's, Carlos 'n Charlie's (La Isla), Los Pavorreales, Miramar, Beto Godoy, El Jardín del Guamuchil, Mesón del Angel, Buda, La Granja, Los Rancheros, La Vela, La Casona del Granjero, Baikal, Hacienda, Zibu, Sirocco, Maretto, Pampano.

Golden (Hotel) Zone

Le Bistroquet, Palma Real, Villa Fiore, La Torta, Pizza Real, Julio's, Paco's, La Casa del Steak, Los Caporales, Los Cazadores, El Fuerte del Virrey, El Mandil Verde Zona Dorada: La Petite Belgique, Mariscos Pipo, Dino's, El Olvido, Ika Tako, 100% Natural, Jimmy's Cantina & Restaurant, Los Navegantes, Cafe Pacifico, El Zorrito, Zapata, Villa y Compañía, Hooters, El Cabrito, Jovitos, Sportortas, Suntory, Carnitas La Esperanza, Sanborn's, Shakey's Pizza, Hard Rock Café, La Langosta Loca, El Gaucho, California, Planet Hollywood, Cocula, Subway, Pollo Giro, La Gamba, San & Town, Le Rendez Vous Canadiense, Haye's, Giancolo, Bambuco, El Faro, Tacos House, La Tablita Vips, El Portón, Toks.

Traditional Acapulco (Nautica)

La Cabana de Caleta, Tamales Licha, El Amigo Miguel, Costa Romanza, El Jardín, La Mansión Bohemia, El Capullo, Las Canastas, Mi Barquito, El Nono, El Embarcadero, Tío Alex, La Perla, Su Casa & La Margarita, La Fragata Azul, Don Carlos, Calamar, Dragón de Oro, El Norteño, La Casa de Tere, 100% Natural, Carnitas La Esperanza, Sanborn's, California, Pollo Feliz, Vips, El Portón, Toks.

Pie de la Cuesta

Tres Marías

List of Acapulco Restaurants

For a list of Acapulco's restaurants, Go Here.