I prefer the smaller places that the tourists usually avoid. For example, there are many small restaurants downtown that have excellent breakfasts or something they call "Comida Corrida". I also enjoyed a lot of the Hot Dog stands stationed around the city. Many of them are an excellent value with very tasty hot dogs for only 5 or 6 pesos.

Last year I got a bad case of "Montezuma's Revenge" (diarrhea). This year I learned a little secret: YOGHURT AND LOTS OF IT!!
I started eating yoghurt about one month prior to my trip and I ate some everyday I was in Mexico. The yoghurt encourages the growth of healthy bacteria in the bowel and that prevents the growth of the bad bacteria that causes the diarrhea.

RESTAURANT PLAYA NORTE
This restaurant is located very near the Monument del Pescador near the central district. They specialize in seafood (of course). When I visited I had a large bowel of Seafood Soup and two Pacifico beers. The tab came to a reasonable $840 pesos. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner.

SHRIMP BUCKET
Almost all tourists that visit Mazatlan come to this place. It is located on the coast highway on Playa Las Olas Altas. It is a little expensive but the food and service is always good.

HOTEL PLAYA BUFFET
Because I have had excellent buffets elsewhere in Mexico, I wanted to see what Mazatlan had to offer. I saw an ad in a local paper for this place, so I tried it. It is located in one of the over-priced hotels in the tourist area called Zona Dorado. When I walked through the hotel lobby I was favorably impressed! A very lovely hotel, on a very lovely stretch of beach. However, when I partook of the buffet I remembered the old adage that "looks can be deceiving". The food was horrible! Nothing I tried tasted right. The salsa they served tasted like it was from a jar that was labled "MADE IN NEW YORK CITY".

I was so disappointed, that I simply walked out without paying. None of the staff there even noticed that I had stiffed them. That should tell you how bad the service was also.

One consistently good restaurant:

Panama Panaderia
Located in various parts of the city. They have a great variety of fresh baked pastries, cakes and breads as well as a full menu. I've eaten at several in MZT, and every one was clean, the food good and tasty, and the prices reasonable.

RJ

Thanks Ranchojeffrey, I'll try that place the next time I'm in MZT.

Re: 'comida corrida', it's available in almost any neighborhood in Mexico, and the formula ain't hard to duplicate: jalapenos and other chiles, tomatoes, onions, salt, lime, beans, rice, tortillas, and your meat of choice. Tasty, to be sure, but certainly not exclusive to any resort town.

I would imagine that MOST Americans would prefer the FOOD (and probably the vicarious view of random hotties) in touristy destinations like Carlos and Charlies/Sr. Frogs. They have excellent food in every city in MX that I've tried them -- far above the curve.