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In addition to the restaurants around the zócalo, you'll want to head to Boca del Río. Many restaurants here are modest, but serve some of the finest seafood in this part of the country. If you'd like to eat with the locals, try the Mercado Hidalgo for breakfast or lunch; it's a 10-block walk south from the zócalo. Seafood lover
In addition to the restaurants around the zócalo, you'll want to head to Boca del Río. Many restaurants here are modest, but serve some of the finest seafood in this part of the country. If you'd like to eat with the locals, try the Mercado Hidalgo for breakfast or lunc
In addition to the restaurants around the zócalo, you'll want to head to Boca del Río. Many restaurants here are modest,
In addition to the restaurants around the zócalo, you'll want to head to Boca del Río. Many restaurants here are modest, but serve some of the finest seafood in this part of the country. If you'd like to eat with the locals, try the Mercado Hidalgo for breakfast or lunch; it's a 10-block walk south from the zócalo. Seafood lovers can get a quick fix at the fish market, a mint-green building at the corner of Avenida Aquiles Serdán and Avenida Landero y Coss.
The cowhides decorating the walls let you know exactly what's on the menu at this longtime favorite. Start off with Argentine-style empanadas (stuffed with beef, naturally), then move on to the grilled short ribs. If you have a hankering for the enormous rib eye, call at least three hours ahead. The impressive wine list includes selections from Argentina, Chile, and Spain, as well as a respectable representation from Mexico.
For a hearty meal after a day at the aquarium, pop around the corner to this casual yet elegant Argentine restaurant. Select your cut of rib eye, tenderloin, or strip steak from the selection that's brought to your table, and tell your bow-tied waiter how you'd like it cooked. While it sizzles, nibble one of the flaky empanadas topped with chimichurri (sauce made with olive oil and parsley). Try the house cocktail, Rosita (made with anise).
Av. 16 de Septiembre 1938, Veracruz, Veracruz, 91910, Mexico
The scent of sizzling steaks and a giant neon cowboy draw meat lovers to this cavernous ranch-style restaurant morning, noon, and night. The epic menu lists nearly 100 dishes—from spicy chorizo hot off the grill to tongue sautéed with tomatoes and onions. Or try the shrimp stuffed with peppers and wrapped in bacon. The house specialty drink, jarra de clericot (red wine with melon and pineapple), is delicious. The place opens at 7 am for breakfast.
Av. Bernal Díaz del Castillo 187, Veracruz, Veracruz, 91910, Mexico
A leisurely stint here in the sun, watching ships unloading their cargo, is what Veracruz is all about. This family restaurant was so popular it split off into side-by-side establishments run by two brothers. The menus are nearly identical, both serving renowned traditional lechero. The milk is flamboyantly poured from silver jugs at a great height by a server. Visit the Gran Café closest to Hotel Emporio for classic picadas y gordas (puffy, deep-fried tortillas with beans, onion, mole, and cheese). Try for a sidewalk table under the arches, if you can withstand the competing marimbas and the appeals of women selling crafts.
Sit in a shady arcade, near the live music, or in a dining room with copper columns and beamed ceilings at this famous café, which was opened as a candy shop in 1824. The menu has lots of dishes from Veracruz, including a delicious huachinango a la veracruzana (red snapper simmered in tomatoes, onions, garlic, green olives, and capers). The $8 weekday lunch special includes a soup or salad and a meat dish. The Gran Café del Portal has an ongoing rivalry with the Gran Café de la Parroquia as to which place serves the real lechero—here white-jacketed waiters bring you one kettle of strong coffee and another of hot milk, and let you do the mixing.
Av. Independencia 1187, Veracruz, Veracruz, 91700, Mexico
This two-story family restaurant has a large indoor fish tank, a play area for children, and shaded tables on a white patio. The menu includes salads, pastas, meat dishes, and thin-crust pizzas. The cuatro formaggi pizza with mozarrella, blue cheese, Gruyère, and provolone cheeses is heavenly, especially with chimichurri sauce. The insalata golosa, a large salad served with a zesty house dressing, Gruyère cheese, bacon, and crushed nuts, is especially tasty.
Blvd. Ávila Camacho 1015, Boca del Río, Veracruz, 94290, Mexico
Playa de Hornos, a popular stretch of sand south of the Acuario de Veracruz, is lined with thatch-roof seafood shacks. They all serve basically the same thing: fish cooked any way you like it. This place, with a giant neon sailfish positioned on the roof, is among the closest to the aquarium and one of the best. Grab a table in the open-air dining room or one under an umbrella along the surf.
Playa de Hornos, Veracruz, Veracruz, 91700, Mexico
The Guinness Book of World Records honored the founder of this friendly seafood restaurant for dreaming up the world's longest seafood-stuffed fillet of fish, which was once prepared in the street along the waterfront. You can find smaller, but equally scrumptious concoctions and live midday music at this open-air dining room. Especially popular are the camarones Pardiños (juicy shrimp stuffed with manchego cheese and wrapped in bacon) and ostiones a la diabla gratinados (spicy oysters topped with grated cheese). Dishes like cheese-stuffed plantains satisfy vegetarians.
Calle Zamora 40, Boca del Río, Veracruz, 94290, Mexico
Though it's tucked away in Boca del Río, this open-air eatery is one of city's most popular seafood restaurants. Specialties include mussels, grouper, crab claws, and octopus prepared as you wish. For those who relish spicy food, the ostiones enchilpayados (in cream and chipotle chili) are a cut above the rest. Popular bands play Thursday through Sunday from 3 to 7, so you may need a reservation on those days.
Calz. Mocambo 527, Boca del Río, Veracruz, 94290, Mexico
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