One of our port days on our recent trip on Carnival Panorama was in Mazatlan. Before our cruise began I was searching online for some unique activities when I came across the Flavor Teller Barrio Bites tour. I couldn’t think of a better way to explore a new city than by sampling the local food.
Maaike has been living in Mazatlan with her family for 15 years, and decided that sharing her love for the local culture and food would be fun!
From the cruise ship, we took an Uber to Plazuela Machado in the heart of the historic district. The locals were preparing for Carnival. The Carnival in Mazatlan is the third-largest in the world.
During the tour, Maaike explained that in Mazatlan there are two breakfasts, one sweet with coffee early in the morning, and then around 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. a savory bite. While exploring on this tour you will sample the savory side.
Our first stop of the morning was to visit Tacos Dorados. The owner in the white hat is known by the locals as “The Poison”, as he swears a lot! He sets his stand up each morning, five days a week next to a chicken restaurant. At the end of our tour, we drove by where his stand was and there was no trace that he had been there in the morning.
Here we sampled crunchy tacos that are served at breakfast time. They are filled with potato and you can choose different toppings. I sampled the machaca with the fresh habanero salsa and guacamole on top. As a beverage, we were served a hot shrimp broth that was very flavorful and not fishy at all.
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- We next visited Torilleria Zaragoza.
- Here we met a couple who makes fresh corn tortillas the authentic way. Maaike informed us that there are only a handful of Tortillerias left in the city that make tortillas this way. The others are using a prepared masa, and believe me when I tell you that you can taste the difference.
The process starts by soaking the corn in water mixed with limestone, which allows the corn to be turned into masa releasing the very nutritional vitamin B3.
When the masa is ready it’s fed into a machine that forms the tortillas, and then into another machine that quickly cooks them.
The tortillas are light and very flavorful!
We then made our way to Playa Norte, where the views of the beach are wonderful and make for the perfect setting for our next two stops.
First, we visited Caguamanta “Dona Mary”.
Here we sampled tacos suaves that are steamed. The highlight here was the cahuamanta fish stew. It’s cooked with fish and lots of veggies, and don’t forget to put some onions and cilantro on top with a little hot salsa! For our beverage, we sampled Tonicol which is a vanilla soda, and very tasty.
After we left “Dona Mary” we took a short walk down the street to Pescaderia:Del Mar: a fresh and smoked fish market.
We were introduced to the owner and allowed to step inside while his staff worked.
They also sell smoked marlin which is smoked locally with mangrove wood. The flavor of the smoked fish was amazing, it tasted more like ham than fish!
We then ventured back into town to visit Las Changueras Expendio De Mariscos.
Here there are all kinds of fresh seafood for sale, but the shrimp stand out! You can get wild caught, which are darker in color, or the locally farmed shrimp. Maaike explained that each lady selling her seafood has her own price, and it’s considered rude to haggle. You can ask each one what their price is, and then decide who to buy from.
We also stopped at a small stand that sells dried shrimp. They are a very popular snack with the locals, and people even keep them stocked in their kitchens. Because they are preserved they, will last a long time.
Cendadurio Chayito was our next stop.
This family-owned restaurant is top-notch! It started as a food stand on the street in front of their home. As the business grew they decided to start using a room on the downstairs floor of the house, which then expanded into the whole first floor!
Here we were served a fresh orange drink that was very refreshing, with fresh tortilla chips and salsa.
Then came the highlight of the tour for me. Large platters were placed on the table for sharing. There was Machaca al la Mexicana, Chilorio, Chilaquiles, refried beans, and salad. Everything was superb, but the Chilorio really stood out in my opinion. It has so much flavor I couldn’t get enough of it!
To end the tour Maaike has two options, a visit to the microbrewery Tres Islas for a beer tasking, and for those who don’t drink a stop at Licuados de Coco which serves coconut milkshakes.
I chose the milkshake option and was not disappointed. It is not the same type you would get in the US, but rather a refreshing ice-blended beverage with or without sweetened milk, and fresh coconut.
The Flavor Teller experience was out of this world. Maaike is passionate about the food, people, and culture of Mazatlan and it shows. She provides her guests with a very up close and personal look at Mazatlan that you won’t find anywhere else.
Billy's Travel Adventures 