美食一直是旅行中最吸引我们的部分之一，期待那些意想不到的味道能带来舌尖的惊喜，让大脑因美食释放出多巴胺，带来纯粹的幸福感。可惜，马萨特兰的食物让我们颇为失望。用三个词来总结：单调、干、无味。
Food has always been one of the biggest draws of travel for us — the hope that unexpected flavors will delight the palate, trigger a dopamine rush, and bring a pure sense of joy. Unfortunately, the food in Mazatlán left us rather disappointed. In three words: monotonous, dry, and bland.
从哪里说起呢？当你走在街头，看见林林总总的餐馆时，起初会感到兴奋，以为即将展开一场味蕾的冒险。但当你仔细看这些餐馆提供的菜品时，很快就会发现它们几乎千篇一律，毫无新意。大致可以分为几类，第一种是随处可见的路边摊，主要售卖塔可饼，以烤牛肉、猪肉或牛杂为主料，搭配墨西哥莎莎酱和各类辣椒酱。在街边、市场旁、海滩边、甚至十字路口，都能看到这些摊位。许多本地人喜欢像坐寿司吧台那样，在摊位前点上一两个塔可，就地吃起来。
Where to begin? At first glance, walking through the streets and seeing so many restaurants feels exciting — like a culinary adventure is just around the corner. But once you look more closely at what these places actually serve, the excitement quickly fades. Nearly all of them offer the same unimaginative dishes.
They generally fall into a few categories. The first is the ubiquitous street stalls, mostly serving tacos filled with grilled beef, pork, or tripe – topped with salsa and a variety of hot sauces. You’ll find these stands everywhere — on the roadside, near markets, by the beach, even at busy intersections. Many locals enjoy grabbing one or two tacos and eating them right at the counter, much like at a sushi bar.
我们尝试了几家不同的摊位和餐馆，品尝了各式塔可饼，最终的结论是：肉质普遍偏干，味道寡淡。如果不加足够的莎莎酱和辣椒酱，几乎难以下咽。我们民宿旁边有一家叫 Tacos Jose 的摊位，晚上总是排着不少人，我们去过两次，算是比较不错的，至少牛肉还算嫩滑些。
We tried several different stalls and restaurants, sampling all kinds of tacos, and ultimately came to this conclusion: the meat was generally dry and lacking in flavor. Without a generous helping of salsa and hot sauce, most were hard to get down. There was a stand next to our apartment called Tacos Jose that always had a decent line in the evenings — we went there twice, and it was one of the better ones. At least the beef was relatively tender.
口感非常干老的鸡肉塔可饼 – A taco with chicken so dry and tough, it felt like chewing on cardboard.
在历史古城里的著名的大市场里吃的午饭，左边的是我的烤猪排，肉质同样非常干，难以咀嚼，没有任何汤汁，味道寡淡。- Lunch at the famous central market in the historic old town — the dish on the left was my grilled pork chop. The meat was, once again, extremely dry, tough to chew, completely lacking in juices, and almost flavorless.
这种千篇一律的烤肉塔可饼摊位常常会在烤肉旁边放上一大块牛油，大概是为了增添一些香味和油脂感。- These cookie-cutter grilled meat taco stands often place a large chunk of beef fat next to the grill — presumably to add some aroma and a bit of richness to the otherwise dry meats.
还有一些路边摊专卖海鲜类食品，毕竟马萨特兰临海，海鲜自然是这里的主打之一。常见的有酸橘汁腌生鱼、生虾、生蚝和生蛤蜊等冷食海鲜。只不过我们实在没有勇气在卫生堪忧的街边摊尝试这些生的海鲜，尤其是某人曾经两次因旅行者腹泻而留下阴影，更是敬而远之。
There are also some street stalls that specialize in seafood — understandable, given Mazatlán’s coastal location. Popular offerings include ceviche-style raw fish, shrimp, oysters, and clams, typically served cold. But we just couldn’t bring ourselves to try raw seafood from these questionable-looking roadside setups — especially since someone in our group still has vivid memories of two trips with bouts of Montezuma’s revenge. We stayed away.
虽然我们没有尝试，但这些海鲜路边摊在当地人中非常受欢迎，经常能看到有人坐在那里，津津有味地享用新鲜的生蚝和生蛤蜊。- Although we didn’t try them ourselves, these seafood street stalls are clearly popular with locals. It’s common to see people sitting there, happily slurping down fresh oysters and clams with great enthusiasm.
(3)
左上开始: 1) 这个芒果玛格丽特酒还不错, 2) 我点的烤鱼，也是没有什么味道，鱼似乎也不是很新鲜, 3) 海鲜炒饭，味道非常一般, 4) 我尝试了酸橘汁腌生虾，味道只能说中规中矩，幸好吃完没有引发腹泻。某人则只挑了几只里面煮熟的大虾，小心翼翼地浅尝即止。- From top left, 1) The mango margarita was actually pretty good. 2) I ordered the grilled fish — it was bland, and the fish didn’t seem all that fresh either. 3) The seafood fried rice was very mediocre — nothing to write home about. 4) I tried the shrimp ceviche — it was just okay, nothing special. Thankfully, it didn’t lead to any stomach issues. Someone else played it safe, picking out only the few cooked shrimp from the dish and taking just a cautious nibble.
第二种是稍微高级一些的餐厅，基本都以海鲜、披萨、牛排、汉堡和一些墨西哥本地菜（比如塔可饼）为主。用餐环境当然比路边摊舒适得多，卫生状况也更让人安心。但问题在于，大多数餐厅卖的菜品几乎一模一样，缺乏特色，味道也大多平淡无奇。虽然口感上会好一些，但如果点得不巧，端上来的还是干巴巴的肉，缺少多汁和风味。
The second type is the slightly more upscale restaurants, which mainly serve seafood, pizza, steaks, burgers, and some traditional Mexican dishes like tacos. The dining environment is, of course, much more comfortable than at street stalls, and the hygiene is also more reassuring. The problem, however, is that most of these restaurants offer nearly identical menus, lacking any real character — and the flavors are generally underwhelming. While the texture might be a little bit better, if you choose poorly, you’ll still end up with dry, flavorless meat that’s neither juicy nor satisfying.
历史古城中心广场上有一家名叫“鸡翅军队”的餐厅，我们也去尝试了一下。没想到那里的鸡翅不仅干得厉害，而且个头小得可怜，我甚至一度怀疑他们端上来的是鸽子翅膀。- There’s a restaurant called “Wings Army” on the central plaza in the historic old town, and we decided to give it a try. To our surprise, the chicken wings were not only extremely dry but also pathetically small — at one point, I honestly wondered if they had served us pigeon wings instead.
我的大虾，同样缺乏味道的层次感 / 据某人说，这份牛排非常嫩口，他吃得很满意，表示很喜欢 – On the left: My jumbo shrimp also lacked any depth of flavor. On the right, according to someone, the steak was very tender — he thoroughly enjoyed it and said he really liked it.
第三类是其他类型的菜系，不过在马萨特兰选择并不多，最常见的大概是意大利菜，此外还有一些日本料理和中餐馆。先简单说一下中餐吧，我们点过一次外卖当午餐，点了芝麻鸡和炒面。我的天，那份芝麻鸡被炸得彻底干透，完全没有了肉的水分，吃起来就像在咀嚼麻绳一样，异常干硬，令人非常失望。可惜当时没拍下照片留念这“灾难级”的一餐。
然后是意大利菜，我们在历史老城区尝试了两家评分很高的餐厅。第一家让人有些失望，菜端上来时已经是温的了，而且我俩的餐点也不是一起上的，意面明显煮得太久，失去了应有的弹性。
The third category includes other types of cuisines, though options are quite limited in Mazatlán. Italian food is the most common, followed by a few Japanese and Chinese restaurants.
Starting with Chinese food — we once ordered takeout for lunch, choosing sesame chicken and chow mein. Oh boy… the sesame chicken was fried to the point of being completely dried out, with all the moisture sucked from the meat. It felt like chewing on rope — unbelievably tough and dry, and deeply disappointing. Sadly, we didn’t take a photo to commemorate this “disastrous” meal.
As for Italian food, we tried two highly rated restaurants in the historic old town. The first one was a letdown — the dishes arrived lukewarm, and worse, our meals didn’t even come out at the same time. The pasta had been overcooked and had lost the springy texture it should’ve had.
沙拉和少的可怜的沙拉酱 – 1) The salad, along with a measly amount of dressing. 2) 我的失去弹性的海鲜意面 – My overcooked seafood pasta — completely lacking in bite. 3) 意式千层饼 -Lasagna, it was just ok.
第二家叫 Hectors，算是我们在马萨特兰吃过最满意的餐厅之一。环境舒适，氛围也很好，菜品在味道和口感上都更有层次感，终于让我们感受到一次真正愉快的用餐体验。
The second place, called Hectors Bistro, was one of the best dining experiences we had in Mazatlán. The setting was comfortable, the atmosphere pleasant, and the food had noticeably more depth in both flavor and texture — finally giving us a genuinely enjoyable meal.
We sat at the bar.
我们还尝试了两家日本餐厅。第一家是完全墨西哥化的日料，顾客几乎全是当地人，还有人在那儿庆祝生日，显然颇受欢迎。但寿司卷里几乎每一款都夹着鲜奶油乳酪，我并不喜欢那种奶酪，而且餐厅居然不提供酱油和芥末，整顿饭下来就是一场彻底的失望。
We also tried two Japanese restaurants. The first one, Sendai Sushi, was completely Mexicanized — the place was packed with locals, and somebody was even celebrating a birthday there, so it was clearly popular. But almost every sushi roll had cream cheese inside, which I really don’t like. To make things worse, the restaurant didn’t even offer soy sauce or wasabi. The whole meal turned out to be a total disappointment.
1) 吞拿鱼炸玉米饼 – Tuna tostada., 2) 看到很多人都在点那款寿司卷，我们也跟风尝试了一下，结果发现里面的蟹肉是廉价的仿蟹肉棒，味道平淡。We saw lots of people ordering a particular sushi roll, so we followed the crowd and gave it a try — only to find it filled with cheap imitation crab sticks. The flavor was bland and unimpressive.
第二家日本餐厅就在我们民宿旁边，多少还保留了一些日料的本色。虽然依旧不提供酱油和芥末，但好在寿司卷没有被墨西哥化，味道相对更接近我们熟悉的日式口味。
The second Japanese restaurant, Dozzo Asian Fusion, was right next to our apartment and managed to retain a bit more of the essence of Japanese cuisine. While they still didn’t offer soy sauce or wasabi, at least the sushi rolls hadn’t been “Mexicanized,” and the flavors were closer to the Japanese style we are familiar with.
我们还尝试了一次泰国菜，马萨特兰似乎也就这么一家，至少在谷歌地图上我只找到这一家。它的位置已经远远超出了我们平时的活动范围，特地叫了辆 Uber，单程就花了三十多分钟。怎么形容呢？是带着期待而去，带着失望而归。
We also gave Zab Thai food a try — as far as I could tell from Google Maps, there’s only one Thai restaurant in all of Mazatlán. It was well outside our usual area, so we called an Uber and spent over 30 minutes getting there. How to describe this experience? We went in with hope… and came out disappointed.
好吧，我已经能听到到翻译的抱怨声了。简单地回顾了一下我们在马萨特兰总体上颇为失望的美食体验——虽然大多数时候并不如意，但我们确实也吃到了一些令人真正享受的美味，而最好的，当然要留到最后来说。
Alright, I can already hear the translators sighing – too much complaining. Here’s a quick recap of our rather underwhelming food experience in Mazatlán — though most meals missed the mark, we did have a few genuinely enjoyable bites. And of course, the best has to be saved for last.
我心中的第一名毫无疑问是 Marde Fondo 餐厅。这是一家位于历史中心的现代风格海鲜餐厅，起初只是疫情期间的一个外卖项目 “Ceviche Bowls（酸橘汁腌海鲜碗）”，因为太受欢迎，才逐渐发展成了正式餐厅。餐厅环境非常舒适，有一个开放式的庭院空间，周末常常有现场乐队表演，有音乐的夜晚，氛围特别棒。我们总共去了三四次，既适合小酌一杯，也适合好好吃顿晚饭。
My top pick, without a doubt, is Marde Fondo. It’s a modern-style seafood restaurant in the historic center that originally started as a pandemic-era takeout project called “Ceviche Bowls.” It became so popular that it eventually grew into a full-fledged restaurant. The atmosphere is great — there’s a comfortable open-air courtyard, and on weekends they often have live music, creating an especially vibrant vibe. We went three or four times in total — perfect for a drink or a full dinner.
我俩喜欢坐在吧台旁边，可以看到他们在忙碌地制作各种鸡尾酒 – We both enjoyed sitting by the bar, where we could watch them busily crafting all sorts of cocktails.
我最喜欢的一道菜就是那道生吃的巧克力蛤蜊，肉质鲜美，搭配餐厅自制的独特腌汁，入口瞬间就是惊艳，绝对是这段旅程里最令人回味的一口。其他几道酸橘汁腌海鲜也都很出色，新鲜、开胃，每一道都有各自的风味亮点。
My favorite dish, without question, was the raw chocolate clams — incredibly fresh, with a uniquely flavorful house-made marinade that delivered an instant wow factor. It was, hands down, the most unforgettable bite of the entire trip. The other ceviche-style seafood dishes were also excellent — fresh, bright, and appetizing, each with its own standout flavors.
可见这是一家擅长做生食海鲜的餐厅，其他类型的料理就显得逊色不少。PJG 点的牛排令人失望，第一次端上来甚至没有烤熟，只好退回厨房重做；我点的炸鱼塔可饼也不怎么样，鱼肉并不新鲜，口感平平，远不如他们的生海鲜来得出彩。It’s clear that this restaurant truly shines when it comes to raw seafood — other types of dishes fall noticeably short. PJG’s steak was a letdown; the first time it arrived, it wasn’t even cooked properly and had to be sent back to the kitchen. My fried fish taco was also underwhelming — the fish wasn’t fresh, the texture was flat, and it didn’t come close to the quality of their raw seafood dishes.
PJG 心中的第一名餐厅是 Tótem，位于历史中心的一家现代风格餐厅，融合了咖啡馆、酒吧与舒适餐饮的元素，设有屋顶花园和绿植环绕的露台，用餐氛围轻松而惬意。我们第一次是在午餐时光造访，结果被他们重新演绎的墨西哥菜惊艳到了——菜品设计独特，摆盘精致，味道层次丰富，让人耳目一新。我们又在临走的前一天中午再次光顾，享用了一顿同样令人满意的午餐。
PJG’s top pick was Tótem, a modern-style restaurant in the historic center that blends elements of a café, bar, and relaxed dining space. With its rooftop garden and plant-filled terrace, the atmosphere was laid-back and inviting. Our first visit was during lunch, and we were blown away by their creative reinterpretations of Mexican cuisine — unique presentation, thoughtful plating, and complex, layered flavors that felt truly refreshing. We went back again on our second-to-last day for another lunch, and it was just as satisfying.
PJG 两次午餐都点了同一道菜——猪肉塔可饼配鸡蛋，显然对这道菜情有独钟。- PJG ordered the same dish for both lunches — pork tacos with eggs — clearly his favorite.
我点的两份午餐也都风味十足，软嫩多汁，让我吃得非常满足。- Both of my lunch dishes were also full of flavor — tender, juicy, and deeply satisfying.
我们之后又去尝试了一次晚餐，但显然这是一家更受欢迎的午餐餐厅。晚上的菜单选择相对有限，我们点的菜品也不如午餐那般出色，整体体验稍显逊色。
We later returned to try their dinner, but it became clear that this is a place better suited for lunch. The dinner menu was more limited, and the dishes we ordered didn’t quite live up to the high bar set by lunch. Overall, the dinner experience felt a bit underwhelming.
1) 干而无汁的塔可饼 – A dry, juiceless taco., 2) 我没想到自己点了一款最干巴巴的三明治 -I wasn’t expecting to end up with the driest sandwich imaginable., 3) 这款鸡肉沙拉是我们点的三道菜中最好的一道 – The chicken salad was the best of the three dishes we ordered that evening.
虽然马萨特兰的美食整体未能打动我们，但那些为数不多的美好体验，依旧在记忆中熠熠生辉，为这段旅程添上了一抹亮色。也许正是因为经历了众多平淡甚至失望的用餐，才让那些真正好吃的时刻显得格外珍贵。毕竟，旅行不仅仅是为了追寻味觉的满足，更是在不断尝试与对比中，去发现不同文化的生活方式。
Although the overall food scene in Mazatlán didn’t quite win us over, those few standout experiences still shine brightly in our memory, adding a splash of color to the journey. Perhaps it’s precisely because of the many bland or even disappointing meals that the truly delicious moments felt all the more precious. After all, travel isn’t just about chasing flavors — it’s about discovering different ways of life through constant exploration and contrast.