Mariscos Chon

Sixty years old but not showing its age, Mariscos Chon has super tasty eats in a town where delicious seafood is the rule, not the exception. On a recent visit to Mazatlán we asked a shop owner to recommend someplace for inexpensive seafood. Our experience proved exceptional, more than worthy of a Mexico Guru Super Steal Meal Deal!

The smoked marlin flautas and shrimp tacos “del gobernador” blew us right out of the water. Fried in fresh oil, the flautas (aka taquitos, 35 pesos) weren’t greasy at all and the marlin was smoky, fresh and absolutely delicious. The “governor-style” tacos (like small quesadillas made with corn tortillas, 58 pesos) were plump with manchego-style cheese and shrimp. Each of the two dishes came with four pieces; we shared and with a drink each, spent less than $6 per person for lunch.

In this bright downtown café we originally had to flag down a wait-person---one of the kids just home from school and still dressed in her uniform. The family was sitting down a lunch of steaming fish soup. While waiting for our food I ordered a coconut shake made with coconut milk, coconut water, and grated coconut. It was quite good, although a bit chewy toward the end.

Other menu items include a large variety of large and small ceviches and seafood cocktails (including agua chile and other regional specialties), fish fillets, whole fish at market value, seafood soup, tuna salad, and daily specials.

City: Mazatlán State: Sinaloa Region: Central Pacific Coast Who: Family-run Mariscos Chon What: : Exceptional seafood Where: Calle Carnaval 1508, downtown Tel. 669/981-0447 When: Tues. through Sat. 10AM to 9PM; Sun. & Mon. 10AM to 5PM Why: Extremely good seafood How: Centrally located downtown, a few blocks from cathedral and main plaza Cost: Lunch or dinner (see hours, above) for $5 to $10 Other notes: : Menu in Spanish and English