Tucked away at the westernmost edge of Zihuatanejo's beachfront plaza, this artful and deservedly popular spot boasts sophisticated seafood dishes and a wonderful sense of humour and style.

The restaurant's namesake—“The Fat Mermaid,” in English—rules the décor in the form of whimsical and vibrant paintings of full-figured sea sirens in repose.

Catch and Refine

Aside from its quirky atmosphere, La Sirena Gorda distinguishes itself from the bevy of restaurants nearby with its experimental riffs on an ubiquitous local meal: fish tacos.

A warning: you’ll spend more here than other taco joints elsewhere. But the tastes explosions are worth the extra pesos. 

The kitchen whips up a slew of delectable taco combinations, each overflowing from hand-made tortillas:

- Octopus with basil and green and black olives (90 pesos)
- Surf and turf (95 pesos)
- Baja-style lobster (230 pesos)
- Octopus, shrimp and scallops in garlic sauce (95 pesos)

The overall portion size may be underwhelming for some gringos, but order extra tortillas for 10 pesos. Believe me—you will need them.

If I were you, I wouldn’t miss the house specialities, including the curry tuna wrapped in crispy bacon (150 pesos) to blackened red snapper (150 pesos) to catch-of-the-day fillets in garlic, oregano and/or another savoury sauce concoction (from 135 pesos) to the local style of ceviche, called tiritas (70 pesos).

Comfort Food

There's also plenty on the menu for unadventurous diners, or folks who simply want a taste of the familiar.

The breakfast menu is popular (featuring omelettes, hotcakes and French toast), they serve espresso and cappuccino (a rarity) and there are a couple of grilled chicken dishes and hamburguesas available.

They also make a mean margarita.

La Sirena Gorda is open Thursday to Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.