Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Spots in Sayulita, Mexico

The streets of Sayulita

Just a 45 min drive from Puerto Vallarta airport, you will find the quaint and charming beach town of Sayulita in Mexico. Full of colour, its streets are adorned with flags and the main square has a huge colourful sign of the town, which is apparently, it's the must-have accessory for all the cool tourist spots here in Mexico! If you are someone who is keen to try surfing or is already an avid surfer, this is the perfect place for you! With so many options of surf rentals and lessons and everything in the town being so close to the beach! You can wake up everyday and surf the sunrise.

Now, for all you eager wave-wranglers or those who just like to pretend you can surf with or without face-planting (for us it is definitely with!), Sayulita is your kind of place. Surf rentals? Check. Surf lessons? Double check. Plus, everything is so close to the beach that you can practically roll out of bed and onto your surfboard every morning.

And let's talk about the real stars of Sayulita - the beach dogs! Seriously, these pups practically run the place, with locals adopting them left, right, and centre. You'll spot them trotting around the streets, running along the sand jumping into the sea, collars on, living their best lives. Oh, and watch out for the golf carts zipping around town - they're not just for the locals navigating the steep hills; tourists can get in on the action too!

Enjoying a Pacifico at Casa el Chile

Now, let's get to the real reason we're all here: the food. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Spots in Sayulita are plentiful. Sayulita serves up a multitude of culinary delights, from budget-friendly street tacos (think M$20 a pop) to those swanky rooftop joints. We, however, were on a mission to balance the good stuff without breaking the bank. So, we bounced between street food stalls and some slightly fancier joints. Here's the scoop on our top foodie finds:

Breakfast Spots in Sayulita

$ - Birria "Patty" Sayulita

This place was a local morning hangout, and for good reason! Picture deep-fried tacos (M$25 each) stuffed with mystery meat (we suspect it was some form of pork, maybe?), topped with your choice of salsa, onions, and lettuce. Crispy, juicy, and all-around delicious - a definite "chef's kiss" moment! We came here for lunch too and even thought about having them for dinner one night, but found out they close early so make sure you get in before 3pm!

$$ - Cafe El Expresso

A little on the pricier side but this is a restaurant in the main square which has a huge breakfast menu, from the more westernised meals such as eggs Benedict to the Mexican breakfast of chilaquiles. We opted for the chilaquiles and wow the portion sizes here were HUGE! For $M95 for chilaquiles with eggs, you couldn’t really go wrong! A juice here was reasonably priced too at M$40 for an orange juice or M$40 for an americano coffee!

$$-$ - Chocobanana

Okay, we know we were supposed to stick to our budget, but we couldn't resist the temptation of this tourist-friendly gem. We actually went here for 2 of our mornings as the food and coffee were delicious! Again, right on the square which makes it super accessible and for people like India’s dad who just can’t handle the 30 degree weather, they have fans all round to keep off that heat! Here we tried the Mexican eggs M$85 which is spinach, onions and tomato all scrambled into the eggs with a side of avocado and potato and it comes with tortillas too! We had bacon and chorizo scrambled eggs (M$125), also with tortillas which was a big hit for Cathal as he had this both times! And finally a breakfast bagel (M$125) which had some gorgeous crispy bacon, eggs, potatoes and lettuce all with a chipotle mayonnaise, yum! Iced coffee here was delicious (M$65) and made with actual coffee ice cubes too!

Lunch & Dinner spots in Sayulita

$ - Tacos al Pastor

Filling up on ALL the tacos

So straight away, we have to admit that we came to this place the most out of everything! Lunch, dinner or even a midnight snack! We were pretty much in love with this place! I reckon in the 4 days we were there, we probably had at least 20 tacos each from this one place. We tried the chicken, steak, beef and pork taco but our favourite was the pork (Taco al Pastor at M$19 each) which they also add pineapple to it which really is the cherry on top! The thing we loved most about this stand was their toppings. They had a delicious cooked onion which you could add as much as you liked! Not only this but cucumber, salsas of different spices and some lettuce too. Amazing!

$$ - Mary’s

Another taco we loved which was on the slightly pricier side compared to the last place was Mary’s. We tried both the grilled fish taco and the breaded fish taco and I have to say, the breaded fish taco here was a taste bud revelation at M$40. I only wish we had been in Sayulita for longer so we could try even more of the menu!

$$-$ Cafe Casa del Chile

Our last evening in Sayulita was nothing short of a culinary fiesta! We stumbled upon this gem where the hospitality was as warm as the Mexican sun. There was a lovely waiter who came over with a huge sombrero, got us all involved and had us all having a bite of a chilli from the kitchen to see if we could handle the heat! Cathal had the fajitas and they were served on a sizzling plate that put on a fiery show. Every time he almost finished his tortillas, he brought out more! He must have finished off at least 15! The chicken, simmered in rich dark chocolate, was a taste sensation! It was a night of flavors and fun that we won't be forgetting anytime soon!