Restaurante Alex

Sit inside at one of two rows of tables lining glossy, mustard-colored walls. Tablecloths are bright orange and green; service is attentive yet not fast, polite yet unobtrusive. Since 2005 owner Sandra Angélica Velasco Hernández has operated this buttonhole restaurant on Guayabitos’ main drag, with a few tables out front on the sidewalk. Eggs as you like them are served with the pale refried beans typical of the region, hot tortillas, and homemade salsa. Antojitos like enchiladas are a steal too, at 25 pesos or less. For lunch consider the crab soup (sopa de jaiba) or a generous serving of shrimp rancheros. Pozole---a satisfying soup of hominy, meat, and many condiments---makes a satisfying, nutritious, and inexpensive lunch.

City: Rincón de Guayabitos State: Nayarit Region: Central Pacific Coast Who: Restaurante Alex What: Bargain breakfast & lunch; dinner on weekends Where: Avenida Nuevo Sol 355-B, the main tourist drag Tel. No phone When: Thurs. thru Tues. 8AM to 5PM (til 9 on weekends), closed Wed. (During vacations & holidays, open daily 8AM to 9PM Why: Unpretentious, clean, inexpensive How: Easy walk from most Guayabitos hotels Cost: Eggs, quesadillas 20 pesos (about US$2); shrimp ranchero 60 pesos (about US$6) Other notes: Cash only