What’s happening up there, anyway?!

This month, I thought I’d take you on a virtual tour north and hopefully acquaint you with a few places you may not have heard of before.

We’ll begin at a place most of you do know about and that’s the thriving Plaza Punta Cerritos. In this strip mall of shops and restaurants, you can purchase everything from a loaf of bread to souvenir T-shirts! The restaurants are well attended and each has ‘Specials’ throughout the week. As the slow summer months approach, the restaurants are adjusting their hours. The Last Drop will close after May 5 until the end of September. Looney Bean shuts down between the end of May and Oct. 15. Roy’s summer hours are 11am to 8pm and Karma Kitchen will be open from noon until 9pm; closed Mondays. Jeff has expanded his menu to include tempura, crab cakes, Thai fried rice, swordfish kebabs and Karma Kitchen Kamarones. He’s also giving Thai “Kooking Klasses” weekly from 9am to noon, by reservation for groups of five or more. Cost is $150 pesos/person. Call 669-101-8686 for more info.)

Beyond the Plaza is a group of outdoor seafood eateries, all of which have an ocean view. The sea food for these places is caught fresh daily, most of it coming from the bay right in front of the restaurants. Be sure to get the price of your meal before you place your order.

Now, let’s back track a little to the south to the new Cerritos-Habal highway. From MazAgua to the Emerald Bay turn-off has recently been widened to four lanes and it’s beautiful. New lights were installed and the center median is lined with palms surrounded by tropical flowers with areas of grass. It’s a very nice welcome for visitors to our city.

This road takes us east over the Maxipista and ends at Highway 15. We’ll make a left here and drive north for 2 kms until we reach El Huizachal restaurant, on the left. It’s one of those places we always used to drive past for fear of what they might have inside. We were introduced to it by a Mexican friend and you can rest assured this is a great place. My favorite is the chamorro - pork shank - the most tender I have ever eaten. The meats are slowly cooked on long skewers over mesquite in a pit. The selection of kinds and cuts of meat is very impressive and the side dishes and desserts round out a delicious meal. They’re not licensed but are fine with you bringing your beverage of choice. The prices are very reasonable, the ambiance authentic and the weekends busy as locals bring their families for lunch. It’s very much a family place. Out back, you’ll find animals for the kids to look at, including two ostriches and some peacocks. Open from 7am-7pm.

The next restaurant, El Hableno, is 1 km. south of the Cerritos-Habal intersection on the highway, just outside of the little town of El Habal. The specialty here is carne asada; very good carne asada! There’s also a good selection of entrees and side dishes. The ambiance inside says “homey.” A sign by the front door says not to bring beverages, but the last time we went, we brought wine and it was OK. This is another family place, clean and comfortable. Hours are 6am-7pm. Both restaurants have excellent service in a timely manner.

Nola Dyck and her husband have lived in Mazatlán since 1995. She spends her days creating things, tending her beach condo and acting, and has been known to run the Pacifico Marathon. Nola’s been writing the El Delfin Condo newsletter for six years. Email tips, comments to Nola at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .