Cuisine & Restaurants

Residents of Tampico are affectionately known as "los jaibos" ("the crayfish"). That is the extent of the similarities with one of the city’s most pleasant activities: eating well and enjoying a wide variety of seafood and other dishes and their incomparable seasoning.

One of the secrets of the food in Tampico is the quality and freshness of the food products: vegetables, fruit, meat, fish and seafood. The other secret is the culinary imagination and warm hospitality of the inhabitants.

The typical regional dishes are prepared with crayfish, shrimp and succulent fish like sea bass and black conger eel. Baroque impulses are present in carne asada a la tampiqueña ( Tampico style grilled meat), which is the dish that has made the culinary arts of Tampico famous. Although the recipe originally came from a restaurant in Mexico City (the owner came from Tampico), it is prepared in an especially delicious way in this Gulf of Mexico Port.

You will find as many gastronomic creations as you can imagine in the city’s restaurants. You can taste dishes that have been influenced by cooking from all over the world. Crayfish a la Frank with its huitlacoche and squash flower stuffing. Sea bass wrapped in paper with chimichurri sauce, oyster soup a la Americaine; dictator’s filet filled with aged cheese; black mole (spicy Mexican sauce) with tamarind; lorencillo sea bass and an endless list of dishes that are the product of the imagination of the local chefs.

There are also an infinite number of traditional options: Chinese, Japanese, French, Italian and, of course, Mexican food that will tempt you to try more delicacies than perhaps you should!

There is nothing more comforting than starting the afternoon with a wonderfully prepared, fresh, healthy meal in any of the spots in this city that was built on the dream of the nearby tropics; or washing down some seafood delicacy with an ice-cold beer, or enjoying a plate of regional fruit that includes just about all the fruits you can imagine and finishing it all off with a sorbet in La Minerva. 

El Asador
Col. Los Pinos
Calle 5a. No. 106
T: (52 833) 210-3125
CATEGORY: Steaks

El Globito
Plaza de Armas (Díaz Mirón and Olmos)
T: (52 833)
OPEN: Open 24 hours a day.
CLOSED: Open daily
CATEGORY: Other
SPECIALITIES: Fruit drinks, shakes, juices, fruit salads.

El Graduado
Av. Hidalgo No. 1619
T: (52 833) 213-6226

El Granero
Tampico and Cancún
T: (52 833) 213-0796
OPEN: Noon to midnight
CLOSED: Open daily

El Itacate
Calle 10 No. 215
T: (52 833) 216-2030
OPEN: 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
CLOSED: Open daily
CATEGORY: Mexican
SPECIALITIES: Regional

El Nuevo Hong Kong
Downtown Olmos No. 511
T: (52 833) 212-3095
CATEGORY: Chinese

El Porvenir
Av. Hidalgo No. 1403
T: (52 833) 213-0796
OPEN: 11 a.m. to midnight; Sunday from noon to 8 p.m.
CLOSED: Open daily

Located across from the cemetery, this popular eatery greets diners with a sign that reads: "This place is better than the one across the street."
CATEGORY: Seafood
SPECIALITIES: Jaiba a la Frank, tortillas de mariscos, and Mercedes Benz de negrilla
NOTE: Don't miss the owner's collection of antique bottles.

El Ronco
Mexico and Tampico No. 312
T: (52 833) 213-7579
OPEN: Noon to 7 p.m.
CLOSED: Open daily
CATEGORY: Seafood
SPECIALITIES: Filete Negrilla

Golden Gate
Av. Hidalgo and Zapote
T: (52 833) 213-7094
OPEN: Noon to 10 p.m.
CLOSED: Open daily
CATEGORY: Cantonese
SPECIALITIES: Hunan

Jardín Corona
Av. Hidalgo No. 1915
T: (52 833) 213-9383
OPEN: 1 p.m. to midnight
CLOSED: Open daily
CATEGORY: Seafood
SPECIALITIES: Grilled sea bass, carne a la tampiqueña

La Fonda de Don José Inés
Col. Petrolera
Catalina No. 101
T: (52 833) 213-9865
OPEN: 7 a.m. to midnight
CLOSED: Open daily
CATEGORY: Mexican
SPECIALITIES: Tampiqueña 

Nuevo Salón Palacio
Historic District
Aduana and Héroes del Cañonero
T: (52 833) 212-1877
Traditional dining spot decorated with murals that tell the story of Tampico's historic events and characters
CATEGORY: Seafood
NOTE: Live music and dancing Friday and Saturday from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. Piano music Tuesday to Thursday

Sushi Express
Col. Lindavista
Ignacio Morones Prieto No. 106
T: (52 833) 217-3433
CATEGORY: Japanese

Turf Club
Hotel Posada de Tampico, Lomas del Chairel
Av. Hidalgo No. 5300
T: (52 833) 224-4074
OPEN: 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.
CLOSED: Open daily
Restaurant, bar, sports book