Sayulita Restaurant Guide

Introduction

Sayulita Restaurant Guide

If you’ve ever been to Sayulita, then you’ve probably noticed that it’s a foodie’s paradise. For such a quaint seaside town, it competes gastronomically with some of the nicest areas in all of Mexico. Restaurants in Sayulita put pride in their food—and it shows!

For those of you just visiting Sayulita, we’ve collaborated with locals to put together a handy guide of the best restaurants to be found in Sayulita. Our team also spent a harrowing two weeks in Sayulita, eating at every restaurant and hole in the wall (while gaining ten pounds), all so that you can have this handy Sayulita Restaurant Guide.

For our pick for Best Restaurant in Sayulita, scroll to the bottom.

Breakfast

Sayulita Restaurant Guide

There are lots of amazing breakfast eateries to choose from in Sayulita. One thing to note is that Sayulita’s claim to gastronomical fame is that they claim to have invented the “golden latte” in this beach paradise.

It’s difficult to verify whether or not this is true because golden milk has been a long-standing tradition in India. That said, Sayulita has definitely adopted it as part of their identity.

A golden latte is a latte where the milk (whatever kind you should happen to choose) is infused with turmeric to give it a rich, golden color, a unique flavor, and all the added health benefits that come with turmeric.

Northside Café –

If you’re interested in trying a golden latte, then you should head to Northside Café. They serve amazing breakfasts that you can tell are made with a personal touch that is so common throughout Sayulita.

Northside Café is known for having one of the best breakfast burritos in Sayulita. It’s served with a mildly spicy sauce and comes with a choice of vegetarian, bacon, or chorizo sausage. And if you’re willing to pay a bit extra, you can get both bacon and sausage in your burrito making it an epic experience.

If that sounds a bit heavy, Northside Café mostly serves lighter, healthy breakfasts. These are perfectly accompanied by their spectacular smoothies and a variety of fresh-squeezed juices. We highly recommend their green juice.

Northside Café also caters to those clients with dietary restrictions. They offer vegetarian and vegan options.

Overall, Northside Café’s best feature is the clientele that frequent the establishment. It’s a great place to have a nice breakfast, mingle with the locals, and get a feel for the real Sayulita.

Northside Café is open from 07:30 to 13:00, seven days a week.

To find Northside on Google Maps, click here.

To read reviews of Northside Café, click here.

Yah Yah Café –

Located just two blocks from the very heart of Sayulita, Yah Yah Café is known for having truly exceptional baristas that are capable of crafting artisan coffee drinks from three different varieties of fresh-ground coffee beans.

In addition, they carry homemade baked goods that are an excellent, rustic way to break your fast with locals. All the ingredients are fresh (never frozen!), and you can find both savory and sweet options.

All dietary restrictions are considered at Yah Yah Café, with gluten-free options, vegetarian, and even vegan options to choose from.

*Open Tuesday to Sunday, from 07:00 to 15:00. Takeaway food is available from 08:00 to 14:00. *

Click here to find Yah Yah Café on Google Maps.

Click here to read reviews of this restaurant or learn more about their amenities.

ChocoBanana –

Founded in 1991, ChocoBanana is one of the most surprising breakfast eateries in Sayulita. Their specialty is bananas dipped in chocolate, but that’s not all they serve! They also have some terrific breakfast options—especially for egg lovers like us!

All their egg dishes are made with organic, free-range eggs. They are known by locals for having the best french toast in Sayulita. Plus, all their baked goods are provided daily by Amalia’s Fresh Homebaked Goods. You can find muffins, banana bread, lemon tarts, and the like among the dishes at ChocoBanana.

ChocoBanana is recognized for being one of the most environmentally-conscious restaurants in Sayulita. All cutlery here is plant-based and biodegradable. They also offer no plastic bags, plastic straws, or styrofoam containers.

To learn more about their commitment to environmental sustainability, click here. You can also read reviews on this website and learn more about their amenities.

ChocoBanana also offers options for those with dietary restrictions, with vegetarian and vegan options to choose from.

ChocoBanana is open from 06:00 to 18:00, seven days a week.

To find ChocoBanana on Google Maps, click here.

Lunch

Sayulita Restaurant Guide

Barracuda –

Located in the heart of downtown Sayulita, Barracuda is a fantastic place to grab lunch only a block from the beach. Barracuda offers rather expensive fine-dining dishes off their dinner menu, but to be honest, Barracuda stands out more for its lunch menu.

You can find many of the laidback seafood classics that have put Mexico on the map. Their taco gobernador (shrimp and cheese) is a delicious option to try if you’re feeling curious. However, our recommendation is to order their tostadas. Their tuna tostada special is exceptional—and served with five dipping sauces, all with different levels of heat. I’m salivating just thinking about the cilantro aioli.

Barracuda opens at 12:00 according to their Facebook page, but from what I recall, they open at 13:00. It’s been difficult to pin down when they close as well, it seems that it varies depending on the season. That said, they stop selling their lunch menu at 16:30, so try and get there before 4pm!

To read reviews of Barracuda, click here.

*To find their daily schedule, call them at +52 329 298 8937.

To find Barracuda on Google Maps in Sayulita, click here.

They also have a location in the nearby pueblo of San Pancho in case you’re doing a day trip there. To reach this location, we found this number on their Facebook +52 322 151 6635 and this number on their Google listing +52 311 258 4835. Click here to find the San Pancho location on Google Maps.

Coco’s Beach Club –

Coco’s Beach Club is a great restaurant on the beach if you’re looking for some good vibes to catch a nice lunch on the beach while catching some rays. Whether you’re eating at one of their rustic wooden tables in the establishments or lounging back in a chaise lounge chair, you can enjoy some tasty beach classics like fish tacos and tostadas.

More than anything Coco’s Beach Club is known for having exceptional service and a stellar location right on the beach. There are vegetarian options available on the menu for their vegetarian clients. More than anything, if you’re looking for drinks right on the beach while grabbing some tasty appetizers, then Coco’s Beach Club is the place.

*Coco’s Beach Club is open from 11:00 to 19:00, every day except they’re closed on Monday. *

To read reviews about Coco’s Beach Club, click here.

To find Coco’s Beach Club on Google Maps, click here.

All Day

Sayulita Restaurant Guide

La Rustica –

On paper, Rustica is probably the best restaurant in Sayulita. We certainly have no complaints. Their food is unbelievable, the service is incredible, and the location is ideal. La Rustica serves Italian food that blends both traditional elements with a contemporary feel.

La Rustica’s Italian classics are amazing. I love their carbonara, and they definitely have the best pizza in Sayulita. They went out of their way to let me change the protein on one of their pizzas (I think I wanted shrimp instead of prosciutto).

But I also was surprised to find out that they have killer burgers—I think the best burgers in town. One of the reasons is that their classically-trained chef bakes their own buns, and believe me it really makes a difference!

If there’s one tip that we could give you is that they have a stellar lunch menu as well! I enjoy sitting at the bar and getting some of their afternoon appetizers. La Rustica’s lunch menu ends up feeling more like a modern, small-plate bistro with reinterpretations of beach classics.

*La Rustica is open from 09:00 to 23:00. *

To read reviews about La Rustica, click here and click here.

*To see La Rustica’s website, click here. *

*To find La Rustica on Google Maps, click here. *

Tropical House –

We didn’t really know where to put Tropical House because it’s such a prolific restaurant in Sayulita that it deserved its own category. Tropical House is pretty much an institution in Sayulita, serving Mediterranean breakfast, lunch, and dinners with a tropical flair.

Tropical House is known for having a lovely garden area to visit, work for a few hours if you’re a digital nomad, or just enjoy good conversation with friends and family.

One thing to note is that Tropical House closes down for several hours in the middle of the day. They are open from 08:00 to 13:30 for breakfast and lunch. Then Topical House opens up again for dinner between 18:00 and 23:00.

*To read reviews of Tropical House, click here. *

*To find Tropical House on Google Maps, click here. *

Dinner

Sayulita Restaurant Guide

Don Pedro's –

Any restaurant guide in Sayulita would be remiss to not mention this classic Sayulita institution. My local friend tells me it's the first restaurant he recommends to visitors looking for a great place to eat. While the prices are fair, Don Pedro is a decidedly upscale restaurant; the service is exceptional, the food is excellent, and the location, just off the beach, is fabulous. It's one of the oldest restaurants in Sayulita and it owes its longevity to consistent quality.

Don Pedro's also offers catering and services one of the nicest event venues in town: the Brisa Mar Palapa, on a bluff above los Muertos beach. It's one of the most popular spots for high-end gatherings and wedding ceremonies and receptions.

Founded in 1994, when Sayulita was a pale shadow of the bustling beach party town it is now, Don Pedro's restaurant is still one of the favorites for a high-quality meal at a reasonable price. It's usually fairly busy, so if you want a table overlooking the ocean, call ahead for reservations: (329) 291-3090. You can also email reservations@donpedros.com.

**Don Pedro's is open 7 days a week for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

**To find Don Pedro's on Google Maps, click here. *

*Visit Don Pedro's website here for more information

Yeikame –

Yeikame restaurant, on Sayulita's restaurant row (Calle Jose Mariscal), takes its name from the Huichol word for kitchen. This restaurant serves classical Mexican cuisine from morning till late at night. They are famous for their handmade blue-corn tortillas, which they use in their tacos, burritos, corn chips, and more. Some of their most famous dishes include tacos of chicken mole, pipián, a greenish salsa made from ground pumpkin seeds, and cochinita pibil tacos. Among their favorites are their soups: Aztec soup, with strips of tortilla in a tomato-based broth, prehispanic soup, and huitlacoche soup.

Yeikame is also home to the cheapest breakfast option in Sayulita: at the time of writing (January 2022), they offer chilaquiles with beans for $45 pesos (less than 3 US Dollars). All of their dishes come with a salsero of three salsas and onions with habanero. The recipes for these salsas, as well as nearly all of their delicious dishes were passed down by the great grandmother of the restaurant's manager.

**Yeikame is open from Thursday to Monday and from 08:00 to 23:00 *

**To find Yeikame on Google Maps, click here. *

OUR CHOICE FOR BEST RESTAURANT!

El Pescador Poke Bar –

Open for lunch and dinner, El Pescador Poke Bar is Expat Insurance’s pick for BEST RESTAURANT IN SAYULITA!

Started by a family of local fishermen, everything in El Pescador is locally and sustainably caught that very morning, so the quality can’t be beat. They are open for lunch and dinner, offering sushi, poke, and Mexican beach classics like fish tacos and tostadas.

Our favorite was their burrito. It’s incredibly well priced. Furthermore, we asked them to make us a burrito with battered shrimp and avocado. For all my efforts, I couldn’t get El Pescador to add it on the menu as the “Rafita burrito”, but I’m sure if you ask nicely, they’ll make you one at no extra cost. It’s to die for.

When we factored in the service, the quality of the ingredients, the welcoming atmosphere, and the price point, El Pescador came up as our pick for the best restaurant in Sayulita. It’s a no-brainer.

El Pescador caters to clients with dietary restrictions. El Pescador Poke Bar offers vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options (generally in the form of their poke bowls).

El Pescador Poke Bar is open from 13:00 to 23:30. We believe they’re open seven days a week, but you can call them at +52 322 274 7792 to get their days of operation.

*To find El Pescador Poke Bar on Google Maps, click here. *

*To read reviews of this restaurant, click here and click here. *

LOCAL’S CHOICE FOR BEST RESTAURANT!

El Itacate –

Named after a hobo’s bindle, El Itacate is a favorite in Sayulita. If you ask any local what the best restaurant in Sayulita is, they would undoubtedly say El Itacate. It’s not a fancy establishment, but it serves incredibly delicious food at an affordable price.

Though El Itacate offers a variety of dishes, at its heart, El Itacate is a taquería. They offer several different meat selections and salsas of varying heat—all made with the freshest ingredients.

One of the specialties that has put them on the map is their costra de queso. A costra is a taco that is wrapped in a “tortilla” made from shredded cheese that is melted and browned on a Mexican griddle called a “plancha”.

El Itacate caters to clients with dietary restrictions. It offers gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan options.

El Itacate is open between 15:00 and 21:00 every day.

To read reviews on El Itacate, click here.

To find El Itacate on Google Maps, click here.