In Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, you can choose from over 150 restaurants. Since the waters off Ixtapa are renowned for superb fishing, it's only natural that the restaurants throughout the resort offer superb seafood. Menus often include ocean-fresh lobster, clams, oysters and other excellent fish dishes, such as red snapper and rooster-fish. Restaurants also serve Italian, French, and Mexican dishes. In Ixtapa, you'll find a good selection in the shopping centers and hotels along Bulevar Ixtapa.

You have a wide choice of restaurants to choose from in Zihuatanejo. Locals gather at the shaded and inexpensive enramada (arbored restaurants) known as los arbolitos (the little trees) that face the municipal beach in the center of town. Which one to go to is left to the most enticing aroma. Strolling musicians entertain on Friday afternoons.

Local Dining Suggestions

• Bogart's: This chic restaurant in the Krystal Hotel has a romantic, Casablanca-like ambience. Specialties include Persian crepes, duck Shanghai, and Caribbean lobster (Blvd. Ixtapa, 755-553-0333).

• Coconuts: This perennial in-spot features a dine-in-garden courtyard with palm trees. A favorite of the local café society and set on an elegant terrace with palm trees and hand-painted parasol lampshades, it serves excellent red snapper, seafood pate, black bean soup, and salads (Agustin Ramirez s/n, Ixtapa, 755-554-2518).

• El Faro: This replica of a nineteenth-century lighthouse features an international menu, including prime U.S. beef, seafood casseroles, and pasta (Marina Ixtapa, 755-553-1027).

• La Perla: This palapa-roofed beachside restaurant on La Ropa Beach is known for the freshest and tastiest seafood and best sunset views in town (Playa La Ropa, 755-554-2700).

• Teosintle: Authentic dishes are served here from the state of Guerrero (Carreterra Zihuat-Acapulco, 755-554-3712).

• Pizzas Ragazzi: This full-service pizzeria serves the best pizza in Ixtapa (Los Arcos Ixtapa Shopping Center).

• Villa de la Selva: This elegant hillside restaurant is set in a charming home that once belonged to Mexico's former president Luis Echeverria. Known for its sauce-smothered seafood and flaming café royal (Paseo de la Roca, Ixtapa, 755-553-1190).

Dining Precautions

Since Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo caters to Americans and Canadians, the restaurants practice good hygiene. All the major hotels have water purification facilities, and bottled water is available everywhere.