Ribs, Pizza, Burger, Sandwich Shop, Carne Asada, Tacos, Papas Locas, Hot Dog

BEST SANDWICH

MARY’S

We all crave food that’s familiar, and Mary Patnode figured out how to hit that spot about six years ago when she opened her first sandwich shop in the Golden Zone. Since then, she’s moved to a more central location across from Costa de Oro, and from her cozy kitchen consistently serves some of the best breakfasts, lunches and simple dinners you can imagine. Mary’s has been an institution for years and this recognition is certainly well-deserved. The menu offers a baker’s dozen worth of sandwiches, including all your favorites (like a Philly Cheese Steak, BLT, Egg Salad, Turkey Breast) all made with top-quality ingredients and served with a smile by her energetic bi-lingual staff. Eat at one of the tables scattered throughout the spacious, charming patio or take your order back to the beach. All orders come with fries (though I prefer the onion rings) and there are great salads and burgers too.

BEST PIZZA

PIZZA MORENO

Ahh, pizza. There comes a time in one’s Mexican experience when one needs a pizza fix. I remember clearly when “Pizza Dave” started selling his real, made-from-scratch Italian pizza out of his house on the hill; the buzz began then and has just gotten bigger and better. Now, at Pizza Moreno, a block off the Plaza Machado, happy customers can dine in the spacious dining room or patio, or have quick, free delivery to their home. The menu now includes pasta and other Italian specialties, a killer Caesar salad and Linda’s homemade Key Lime Pie, and on American and Canadian holidays they go all out to serve traditional roast turkey or prime rib dinners. But, I digress: it’s the pizza! Crispy, perfect crust, tomato sauce flavored just right, toppings to depend on, a variety of sizes from personal to party - ahhh, perfecto.

BEST BURGER

BEACH BURGER

Here, again, we enter into almost-sacred territory, as a good burger – juicy, flavorful, memorable – is a classic. Condiments matter also, as does the bun and whatever assorted accoutrements (lettuce, onion, tomato, pickles) you prefer. At the aptly named Beach Burger in the Plaza Machado, all of the above are served in the traditional red plastic basket, with no more fanfare than a layer of waxed paper. But no matter - the burger in question comes out a winner, say M!’s readers, its juicy goodness uncontested. When you need a hamburger nothing else will do, and here it’s a two-handed proposition, a perfect balance of beef and bun, ketchup and mustard, doing justice to its restaurant namesake. –TD

BEST RIBS

MUNCHKINS

Barbequed ribs are, for many if not all of us carnivores, a favorite way to (sometimes literally) pig out. It was no surprise, really, that you voted Munchkins as the best place to do just that, and for all the best reasons. Let’s first acknowledge right up front that you’re gonna get messy – there’s just no dainty way to eat ribs. You just gotta dig in and deal with it. But what price great ribs, right? At Munchkins, the sauce is smoky, spicy and sweet, the platters of beef or pork ribs are humongous and just the aroma alone is enough to make you salivate. Every time I go I wonder why I don’t go more often. With a side of crispy fries, football or soccer on the big-screen TVs, and a tableful of friends, you’re set for a good time. What’s your excuse? See ya there! -ML

BEST CARNE ASADA/TACOS

TOO MANY...

In the M! offices, we were quizzical; why were there not more votes for best carne asada and best tacos, the standby of lunch and dinner (and sometimes breakfast) here in our adopted town? Surely you were eating these - together or separately - as gorditas, vampiros, et al, as much as, ahem, we were?! Finally, through the haze of entries, comments began to trickle in, and we understood: “Still looking” said one. “Too many to count” said another. Aha! It’s not just us who find the carretas on the corner irresistible, the billowing smoke drawing us like moths to a light bulb to eat, again, a carne asada taco. Grilled beef, piled atop a warm homemade corn tortilla, with grilled onions, beans and maybe, just maybe, a drizzle of pork fat over all. Add some guacamole, a dollop of fresh salsa, and at $12-$15 pesos a pop, what’s not to like? If ever there was a reason to eat out every night, this is it. Go anywhere, anytime, and eat to your heart’s content.

BEST PAPAS LOCAS

TACOS LA TORMENTA DEL DESIERTO

Where I come from up north, papas locas don’t exist. Maybe there’s a sprinkling of bacon bits on top of your sour cream and green onions, or some grated cheddar. Baked potatoes here, though, are rather fabulous, and once they’re all gussied up, it’s like beef stew in a potato skin. In Mazatlán, at night, almost every corner has a stand offering these full-meal taters. You told us Tacos La Tormentas del Desierto - yes, that’s “Desert Storm Tacos” - was your favorite, and here’s why. One gets the basic baked potato, wrapped in foil, topped with a layer of carne asada. (Already similarities to its NOB cousin are few.) Inside, cheese, butter and sour cream have been mashed into the potato. Two flour tortillas (not corn) are folded on the plate, waiting. Head to the table in the middle of the dining room and sort through the mélange of add-ons: thick guacamole; three or four salsas, both red and green; whole baked pinto beans; two kinds of grilled peppers; grilled onions and marinated onions; the requisite cucumber and radish slices, fresh limes. Que rico! I dare you to eat the whole thing at one meal.

BEST HOT DOG

EL PADRE

Hot dogs – salchichas – are a horse-of-a-different-color here. Grilled to a crunchy-tender crispness, often split and stuffed with melted cheese, slathered with not just ketchup and mustard but mayo, grilled onions, guacamole, salsa verde or roja, queso fresco and who-knows-what-else, they’re a meal-in-a-bun, and a tasty, filling, deeply satisfying one at that. I’d wager you all have a favorite hot dog guy on your block, but the one who got the most votes was El Padre, on the corner of Angel Flores and Carnaval in Centro. Just two blocks from the Plaza Machado, his hot dogs are legendary, especially with the late-night crowd, who are relieved to see the lights of his little cart glittering on an otherwise dark corner. Perhaps even more important, these Mexican-style hot dogs provide a welcome respite from a few too many of the afore-mentioned Pacificos. Ahem.