When I travel, my top two favorite things to do are go on outdoor adventures and try all the good food. When we traveled to Loreto, Mexico this past April, the first thing I did was start to ask for restaurant recommendations! A good friend and ex-local pointed us in the right direction and I tasted some of the best food I’d had in years and even got to try mole (the sauce not the animal). After consuming more food than I thought was possible, I’ve decided these are my top five best restaurants in Loreto.
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5. Pizzeria Sebasnice
Ordinarily, I look for local dishes so I can try something new, but sometimes you just want some good pizza! This pizza joint is located a little ways out of town, but it was a quick bike ride from Pufferfish Villas (best little resort EVER!). If pizza’s what you’re craving, it’s one of the best restaurants in Loreto and worth the trek.
Pizzeria Sebasnice is a tiny little shop with some really good homemade pies. They make them to order, so the dough tasted fresh even after riding our bikes home. Honestly, the only issue we had with the whole experience was wishing we’d ordered a larger size!
4. Mariscos Ivan
Calling Mariscos Ivan a restaurant is a bit of a stretch. It’s actually a massive stretch. One of the best restaurants in Loreto isn’t even a restaurant! He’s literally a dude on the street corner across from the harbor with an umbrella and a cooler selling fresh ceviche every morning. Whether you consider it a true restaurant or not, you HAVE to try it.
The ceviche was so good and fresh, but you have to get there early in the morning before it sells out for the day. I was only early enough to grab a tub on one of the mornings, but I could have eaten that ceviche every day. When I went, I could choose between shrimp and fish ceviche. I got the fish and wasn’t disappointed. It came with lots of tostada chips and all the fixings, so it made quite the meal.
In my opinion, the best part about ceviche is how fresh and clean it feels to eat it after days of consuming greasy meats and cheeses in the form of fajitas and tacos. Mariscos Ivan really delivered! Plus he’s conveniently located at the harbor which is the meeting point for all the best adventures in Loreto Bay National Park.
3. La Poblanita Restaurante Loreto
La Poblanita is definitely one of the best restaurants in Loreto for breakfast, though they are open all day too. I got the Huevos Poblanita and was IMMEDIATELY in love with mole. I don’t know if I’ve ever tasted a better sauce in my life! I could have drank the stuff out of a glass, but instead we drank fresh squeezed orange juice and green juice which were so fresh and incredible that I craved them for the remainder of the trip.
The restaurant itself was quaint and very cute, and the man who greeted and served us was so nice and accommodating and allowed us to leave our bikes wedged safely next to the front door where we could keep an eye on them. I highly recommend this restaurant and wish we had the time to drop in for dinner.
2. Santo Cielo Cocina Gourmet
Santo Cielo Cocina Gourmet was indeed gourmet. I wouldn’t usually go to a restaurant in Mexico that boasted United States prices, but at the recommendation from a friend, we decided to give it a try. This place was literally empty on a Friday night, but the food was impressive.
The evening began with complimentary homemade salsa at the table. It was some of the best salsa I’d tried, probably because it was made from tomatoes that had just been fire-roasted on the grill across the patio from us. The guacamole was also quite tasty and there was a lot of it.
After the appetizers, I ordered a molcajete for the first time and received a beautiful stone bowl filled with all sorts of goodies in a really tasty (but quite spicy) sauce. Unfortunately, I’m not super spice tolerant, so I had to eat it slowly, but it was so good that I didn’t want to leave any behind.
Luke ordered fajitas and ended up with one of the largest plates of fajitas I’d ever seen complete with fresh tortillas. Even the ambiance was cute with outdoor lighting across the patio. It made for a lovely evening, and was definitely one of the best restaurants in Loreto, but I’d expect nothing less for a $70USD dinner in Mexico.
1. El Rey Del Taco
El Rey Del Taco was another recommendation from a friend, and was actually the only restaurant we visited in Loreto that was packed inside the entire time we were there. It’s busy for good reason though, because the tacos were outstanding!
We ordered the fish and carne asada tacos and a lemonade. I’m not usually a huge fan of lemonade, but I could’ve drank a gallon. It was so fresh it even had bits of pulp left over. I might even be a lemonade fan now, but I doubt any U.S. lemonade will measure up.
The tacos were surprisingly good, and that’s coming from someone who grew up in Los Angeles. I really enjoyed the avocado sauce and the whole counter of fixings and toppings to choose from. The prices were really reasonable too, which made the whole experience even better.
El Rey Del Taco was the first place we visited off the plane and it remained our favorite throughout the trip!
Planning a Trip to Loreto?
For more information and recommendations for planning a trip to Loreto, check out these helpful articles: