Zihuatanejo Friday Market & Food Scene

Why Zihua has the better food scene compared to Ixtapa

Ixtapa is a planned resort destination — the eight high-rise hotels along Playa el Palmar all have their own restaurants, and most of the dining within Ixtapa proper is resort-owned and resort-priced. Zihuatanejo, by contrast, is a working town with a 50-year fishing economy and a 30-year tourism economy that grew up around it organically. The result is Zihua has more genuinely good restaurants per capita than Ixtapa has across its entire planned zone — at materially better prices.

For Krystal Ixtapa guests, downtown Zihuatanejo is a 10-15 minute taxi ride east ($5-7). The smart pattern is at least three off-resort dinners during a 5-7 night stay, ideally including one Friday Tianguis evening (the weekly street market) and one La Ropa beachfront sunset dinner.

The Friday Tianguis

Friday evening (4-9 PM) the streets near the Plaza del Pescador in old town Zihua fill with the Tianguis — a working street market with food vendors, artisans, and live music. It’s the single best evening of the week to be in old town. Locals show up. Families show up. The version of Zihua you came to see actually shows up.

The Tianguis is a dense cluster of:

• Food carts and stalls — tacos al pastor, sopes, gorditas, regional Costa Grande cuisine, fresh fruit cups, churros, agua frescas
• Artisan tables — handmade jewelry, leather goods, textiles, pottery, mezcal sampling
• Live music — usually 2-3 acts simultaneously at different points along the streets
• Plaza performances — occasional Aztec-influenced ceremonial dancing or traditional folkloric performances on the plaza itself

Plan to spend 2-3 hours. Eat as you go (most stalls cost $2-5 per item — a real meal for $10-15 per person). Bring small bills and small change.

Tacos and street food

Tacos al pastor is well-represented in Zihua, though not as mythologized as in Vallarta or Mexico City. El Carbonero (calle Adelita) is the long-running specialist. Los Braseros (calle Vicente Guerrero) is the second pick. Both are $1.50-2.50 per taco, working under awnings or small storefronts, late-night-friendly (open until 11 PM-1 AM most nights).

Tacos de pescado / camarón — the regional specialty. Battered fried fish or shrimp on small corn tortillas with cabbage, salsa, and lime. Tacos y Más (multiple locations) and El Pescador (Playa Principal area) are the two known specialists.

Sopes — small thick masa cakes topped with beans, meat, lettuce, salsa, and crema. Multiple Zihua spots do these well; try at the daily market upstairs or any of the food stalls during the Tianguis.

Regional Costa Grande dishes:

• Tiritas de pescado — raw fish strips marinated in lime, chili, and onion. The local ceviche variant. Casa Aurora is the destination spot; Daniel’s at Las Gatas does an excellent version.
• Pescado a la talla — whole fish split, marinated, and grilled over charcoal. Common at beachfront palapa restaurants on La Ropa and Las Gatas.
• Mariscos al ajillo — seafood (usually shrimp or octopus) sautéed with garlic and dried chilies. Mariscos Tino’s is the standout.

Sit-down restaurant picks

Casa Aurora (calle Adelita, old town) — sit-down regional cuisine, the tiritas de pescado signature. Lunch and dinner.

Daniel’s (calle Adelita, old town) — French-Mexican fusion, established 1990s, the upscale dinner pick. Reservations recommended in season. Tasting menu $45-65 per person.

La Sirena Gorda (calle Paseo del Pescador, on the old town waterfront) — sit-down dinner, fresh seafood, sunset views over the bay.

The Inn at Manzanillo Bay — actually 30 minutes north in Troncones, but worth the drive for one dinner during a longer stay. Beachfront, upscale, sunset reservations book 1-2 weeks ahead.

Restaurant La Ropa (Playa La Ropa, eastern Zihua bay) — beachfront, lunch and dinner, the classic Zihua beach club dinner spot.

El Patio (Plaza del Pescador, old town) — casual lunch, traditional Mexican, well-priced. Good first meal in Zihua.

Carmelita’s (Playa La Ropa) — local-leaning beach club restaurant, lunch and early dinner, the most authentic of the La Ropa palapas.

Markets and grocery

El Mercado (calle 5 de Mayo, old town) — the daily market. Fresh fish at dawn, produce all morning, household goods, the upstairs comedores for $4-6 breakfasts and lunches.

Bodega Aurrera and Walmart (Ixtapa zone) — for grocery basics if you’re cooking at the resort or buying snacks.

El Manantial (Las Gatas beach) — for fresh fish if you’re staying at a vacation rental and want to cook your own catch from the morning fishing fleet.

What to skip

The Ixtapa hotel-zone-only dining strategy. Restaurants inside the planned Ixtapa zone are fine but expensive, with the resort markup. Even one off-resort Zihua dinner per night during a stay makes a material difference in food quality and overall trip experience.

The “tourist menu” boards in some old town spots that translate Mexican dishes into English with American interpretations. Look for places where the menu is in Spanish first, English second (or only Spanish). Usually better food.

Booking the Friday Tianguis through a tour package. Walk in. The Tianguis is a public street market — there’s no entry, no schedule, no group tour needed. Just taxi to old town between 5-7 PM and walk.

How to get to old town from your resort

• From Krystal Ixtapa: 10-15 minute taxi ride east ($5-7 each way). Bus along Federal 200 (~12 pesos) is cheaper but slower.
• From La Ropa or Playa La Madera: 5-minute taxi ride to old town.
• Drive yourself: Free street parking at the edges of old town; pedestrian-only in the centro itself.