2 Best Restaurants in Mazatlan, Mexico

This small restaurant and gallery in an old building behind the Posada Freeman in the Centro Histórico lets you drink and dine, listen and talk so unhurriedly that it's almost meditative. The kitchen, which specializes in grilled meats and fish, serves until about 10:30 pm, but the bar is open long into the night. You're encouraged to listen to the music (nightly after 8 pm), consider the paintings, maybe read something in the small library, and engage in the lost art of conversation.

The Tunnel—named for its long, narrow entrance across from the exit of the Teatro Angela Peralta—has been in business since 1945, and black-and-white photos of classic Mexican stars line the yellow-and-lavender-trimmed walls. You can taste its experience with faithful renditions of such famed regional snacks as gorditas (fried rounds of cornmeal topped with garnish), tostadas, meat or potato tacos and pozole (pork-and-hominy stew), and its specialty, asada de la plaza de res (chopped beef and cubed potatoes, spiced and smothered in lettuce, carrots, and onions).