Tag: Mazatlan

Raíces Restaurant In Mazatlán, A Review

As we do from time to time, we make our way down the Centro area of Mazatlán. Today we, or more specifically Lori, were on threefold mission. First lunch, then looking for an object at Michaels Gallery and third, an ice cream cone.

Step 1 was to grab a pulmonia for transport to the Centro area. Somehow this turned into me getting a haircut, funny how that happens. Anyways, slightly delayed we found our chariot and headed down to Plaza Machado. This central square is a major heartbeat in this city. Circled by boutique hotels and fine dining, mixed in with some pizza places and many vendors, it is a wonderful thing to do on a beautiful afternoon and a great experience at night. It and the surrounding streets are beautifully lit and filled with music. There are many shops and bistros and stunning buildings and interiors.

On this journey we decided to lunch at Raíces De Mar Hotel which has an outdoor restaurant. It specializes in Mexican style dishes and is reasonably priced. For ourselves, we started with Lori having her favourite tool to judge a new place to us, a margarita on the rocks. As I had tested several locations over the past few days, I opted for a cappuccino. They passed our test on both beverages.

Photo by Is It Possible To See It All
Art Gallery Photo by Is It Possible To See It All

Now to the food. I chose the Al Placer Shrimp Tostada. A light lunch, listed as an appetizer. Shrimps, cooked and fried, red onion, Persian cucumber, cherry tomato, toasted tree chile, clamato, avocado, lemon juice, pepper and watermelon relish. It was great, ate it a bit quickly, it was just that good and only 150 pesos.

Lori contemplating the menu.

Lori had the Zarandeado Shrimp al Caimanero. This consisted of Zarandeado style shrimp served with mashed potatoes and garlic thyme roasted vegetables, watermelon radish and coriander. The vegetables served were green beans, broccoli and zucchini. She was satisfied with her choice. This was more of a meal and was priced at 320 pesos.

I would recommend Raíces to anyone wishing to try some Mazatlán cuisine without being to adventurous. One of many fine restaurants that both circle the Plaza and are scattered on the streets nearby. Mazatlán has over 4000 restaurants with many types of cuisine and every price range. We are rarely disappointed.

As for the rest of the day, the items we were looking for were nowhere to be found at Michaels. Counting the other locations, she cleaned them out of this particular product series. And we did get some cookies and creme ice cream cones at a place near the cathedral.

Gringo Lingo in Mazatlan

I promised to do some restaurant reviews and figured I’d start with the new addition to the Gold Zone, an old favourite starting up again in the same Gold Zone location as it was before.

Yes, Gringo Lingo is back. It’s not quite what it was, but it is open and is making strides towards being a significant player in the area. Our experience there was good; the staff was terrific and seemed to be enjoying themselves and working to make being there a memorable experience. I mean, how many bars/restaurants start up random line dances. It was the Macarena, but I’ll forgive them.

A highlight is the terrific happy hour, every day, from 4 until 6, on vodka, rum, tequila and gin. This includes margaritas, so all is good. A round looks like this;

What 8 margaritas look like from above.

As for the food, let’s say it will not be Michelin quality. The menu appears to be a work in progress, but the staff knows it and can assist with any questions. It was served hot and promptly. It is a good bar and grill style and did not disappoint. We had the Chicken Parmesan with spaghetti, the BBQ ribs and the fettuccine. No major complaints, although the ribs weren’t a hit with my partner. We will return before too long and will attend their happy hour occasionally.

The Menu

All in all, it was a good experience, and I would recommend giving it a try.

Mazatlan, Mexico and Its Sunsets

I’ve been a bit under the weather and very lazy. However, the sunsets in this jewel of a city are enough to perk one up, even for the short time that one can see them. Here are a few photos of some recent beauties for you to appreciate.

These 2 are from January 17, 2024. Crazy stuff?

Blog Note

Merry Christmas and happy holidays. Just back, but posting will be light over the next few days . Have a several events and then some travel.

Yes, we are outta here. Heading to Mazatlan, Mexico for the next 3 months. Been doing this for a few years now. This time I’m going to do my best to give the reader a taste of what our winter home has to offer. Restaurant reviews, night life, things to do, we will give an overview of a great city.

A Mazatlan sunset. Taken by myself.

Mazatlán At Last

Mazatlán Sunset

Hi all.  The blog and magazine will have a temporary address in Mazatlán, Mexico for the next couple of months, or more.  Now that we are here, it is impossible to predict when we will be back in Canada, although it is tentatively February 22.

As incorrigible travelers, Lori and I have been champing at the bit to get back on a plane and go anywhere.  We booked 10 days in November and blasted off here, just prior to finding out that Lori was able to work there without an issue.  We then booked January 4th to February 20th on WestJet, found accommodations, and hunkered down in Calgary for Christmas.  Almost immediately, WestJet scared the crap out of us.  We received an email with a flight change.  We opened it with both eyes squeezed shut.  After squinting with one eye, we saw that it was all good.  Our February 20th flight was cancelled, and we could re-book for February 22nd with no charge etc.  That worked for us, 2 extra days!!!.

Then Omicron!  On our November trip, it was just appearing and when we arrived back in Canada on December 1. I, of course, was randomly chosen for a mandatory PCR test.  The first few days were in isolation as I awaited the results of my second test in 3 days.  Predictably, they came back negative.  Now we waited in total suspense as our leaders tested the political waters on yet another lock-down.  Sensing impending travel issues, we re-booked our flight from January 4 to January 1, then watched the various apps for flight cancellations. 

Once again, we received an email, this time as we were at an airport hotel on New Year’s Eve.  Again, squinting paid off as it was only a notification that our flight was delayed by 2 hours.  Another sigh of relief. 

The next morning, we arrived at the airport, only to be confronted by check-in lineups about a mile long.  Puzzled, we asked an agent what was going on and let him know we had checked in online.   He said we did not need to line up with the rest and to get our baggage tags from any open kiosk, then proceed to the self baggage check in.  It turns out that there were issues with vaccination records being uploaded in the online check-in process.  We had noticed that when we were doing it the previous day but played with it until it worked.   Breezed through this as the machines were basically empty, the baggage lineup was also empty and there was no one in the security line.  Basically, we were now getting a 2 hour breakfast window. 

Next hurdle was getting on a plane.  We got to our gate just in time for a flight notice on the PA system.  After gulping, all they did was repeat what we already knew, our 9:45 departure was delayed until 11:45.  Considering it was 10:25, the notice seemed unnecessary.

The flight started boarding on time, then went for de-icing prior to take off and then we were in the air.  Loads of weight off our shoulders.

On landing, we had the most successful entry into Mazatlán that we have ever had.  Off the plane in 5 minutes, entry document completed and submitted to passport control in another 5, a luggage wait of less than 5 minutes, no line up at the taxi counter and a taxi right there with it’s trunk open.  We cleared the airport in record time for Mazatlán.  A good sign for the next couple of months.

As for our first few days, it is a pleasure to be here.  The weather is obviously fine.  The true upside is the vibe.  Restaurants and bars are open, people wear their masks as in Canada, temperatures are taken at most venues, but people are upbeat and having no issues with the protocols. 

We have settled into our routines, and will function as we did in Canada, just warmer.  I will be posting as much as possible, including multiple reviews on what to do, see and listen to in Mazatlán.