Vegetarian in Mazatlan. Here are some great places to eat.

Another new addition, as of June 2022 is Mawe Cocina Vegana, located in La Roosevelt[La Roosevelt & Carnval #309], open 8 am. to 10 pm, closed Tuesdays.

[Adriana Toledo Alvarez was born and raised in Mazatlan. She has worked as an art director, an interpreter, a translator, a museographer, a curator, a massage therapist, a cook, a teacher and is a monthly columnist for the popular English newspaper, Pacific Pearl. But, “food is my fuel and passion it’s what keeps my motor running.” Since Adriana was 15 years-old, she has explored being a vegetarian, a vegan, a pescatarian and after this lengthy journey Adriana simply now calls herself a vegan.

“Vegan for the sake of empathy, love and compassion for animals, the planet, health, for you and for me. Food is a statement, and a loud one for that matter. Loving yourself means nurturing yourself.” As a practicing vegan, Adriana now offers you several vegan meals to choose from. As with Restaurant Introductions/Reviews MazatlanLife pays for all of its meals.]

Updated March 2021: M! Magazine blog has also suggested: Comiendo San, mi Tienda y Restaurante Saludable, and for home delivery, Cacao Sabor y Vida; Luigi e Isabel Moscuzza, Comiendo Sano, 16 de septiembre #614, look for Happy Cow on FB; Lemmon Taco Veganos; Lemmon Taco Veganos; Cacao Sabor y Vida [online only]; Bliss, Tu Tienda Vegana – online, WA 669 166 2045

A hidden gem in a modest food park across from La Marina El Cid, Casa Granero al Natural offers a healthy Mexican food menu with delicious vegetarian options.

With a rustic décor, this pet friendly, family oriented, handicapped accessible spot might not be your fanciest choice for lunch and dinner but what the food park lacks in budget Casa Granero al Natural compensates with flavor. Mazatlecan licensed Chef and owner Yanery Rodríguez is a nutritionist with a passion for food. One can feel the care and thought put into every meal that also translates when she hosts the place herself.

The food park isn’t very spacious, it accommodates about 60 people only has two toilets and even though Casa Granero al Natural doesn’t sell alcohol
you can buy some from the other stands. We had the lentils sprouts ceviche $49, chorizo with potatoes sopas 3 x $59 and a small red pozole $62 and everything was just perfect. My personal favorite was the pozole, though I could definitely go for an entire pot just for myself; I just fell in love with that warm and hearty spicy broth.
Personal tip, try the café de olla and the oat milk hot chocolate you won’t regret it.

Marine biologist Oli Millán and graphic designer Pamela Cutiño are local animal rights activists who opened the first of its kind vegan restaurant in town – with no prior kitchen experience whatsoever. What they have accomplished is a must go-to place for any vegan or vegetarian person visiting Mazatlán or for any carnivore open to try delicious cruelty free food.

The menu is simple but well planned and put together – the food has significantly improved since they first started. It appears they finally found their distinctive flavor. From the waiters to the owners, everybody pitches in in the kitchen. The place itself is a rustic diner within a home that gives it a particular comfy feeling.

Don’t expect to be served immediately though, they aren’t known for their fast service and time seems to stop whilst you are there. Alcohol isn’t on the menu but you are welcome to bring your own. I would highly recommend bringing your own wine to pair with the amazing potato cheese pizzas and spaghetti a la (soy) Bolognese they make. Nachos go for $50, baguettes for $55 and hamburgers for $50-$70.

The place accommodates about 30 people, which is more than enough since there is only one toilet. There’s no handicapped access and no sitting outside but you can bring your fury friends with you without a problem.

Besides pizza and pasta I highly recommend the tacos, trust me, you can’t even tell it isn’t real meat. Don’t leave this friendly place without trying the chocolate brownie with a vanilla ice cream scoop on top. It’s to die for!

I gotta hand it to these guys. Mazatlán is not precisely the most international food hot spot and even so Zab-Thai has kept its head above water for over eight years now. Once you try it, it’s easy to understand why that is so.

Thailand native Mr. Souk L. is a self -taught chef, who was kitchen trained in the family business back in Thailand and somehow ended up here marrying a Mazatleca. Lucky us! The restaurant serves some mean curries and soups. You can have your choice of chicken, shrimp, tofu or vegetables on almost every dish on the menu while sipping a beer, a glass of wine or a cup of the aromatic jasmine tea.

I have to say this is one of my favorite restaurants in town for there is nothing else like it. I personally go straight for the red curry with fried tofu $110 and the Zab-Thai vegetable rolls $55. I was recently very eager to try the Pho which was ok but in my opinion not as good as the yellow and the Panang curry though. So yes, come for the curries try everything but stay mostly for the curries. Zab-Thai is a quiet and friendly place with not much of a buzz – just perfect to enjoy a satisfying culinary moment.

To be honest I was a bit skeptical about this place when it first opened I seriously thought it would be one of these hipster bad -food ludicrous prices snob places that are so in right now. I am happy to say it is a maybe not so budget friendly place, but the food is amazing and the staff and owners are all so nice and upbeat one can really tell they live the life they are portraying.

With its handicap access, kids area and pet friendly policy, everyone feels welcome here.The place isn’t big, Lyfe seats about 50 people which is plenty for this atmosphere. Every single detail is well designed and one can sometimes feel out of style surrounded by the architectural fashionable décor. It is simple, classy, clean and trendy. The two toilets go along perfectly with the rest of the place.

The owners Ana Araujo originally from Torreón and the local Pablo Lyle have put together a strong solid team with licensed Chef Roberto Alvarez and Leo the sous chef backed up by the waiters whom are nutritionist students themselves.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are perfect choices to eat here. Prices are a bit high for the meal sizes but it sort of compensates with the freshness of the ingredients, everything is organic and you can choose from the gluten free, vegetarian, no sugar added or vegan options.

Personally I recommend the BBQ hamburger $90, the “Doña Silvia” bean soup $60 and the self-indulgent Healthy Cheesecake, $30. Anything from the juice bar is a must and you can even do a bit of health products shopping on the side.

Thumbs up to Lyfe market, it was about time we had something like this in town with the right equilibrium between classy, trendy and fresh.

Two waitresses for a 100 people capacity restaurant on Sunday lunch hour is not what one would expect of this Mazatlecan old- timer. Puravida is a healthy restaurant with a juice and smoothie’s bar that has found the way to last through hard times in the local competitive business market.

The place is not very clean and I must say they do use lots of plastic for being a “green” spot. The waitresses, at least during my visit, weren’t too well informed about the place they work in, none could say whom the chef nor the owner is. As a Mazatlecan myself I am aware though that it is locally owned or so it was at the beginning.

Food is good and so is their wide variety of juices, smoothies and detox shots. For obvious reasons alcohol is not available. The place is equipped with four toilets, two for men two for women, handicapped access, wi-fi that wasn’t working and pets are welcome in the outside area.

Even though I wouldn’t dare to call it an emblematic go to spot in town, I do have to say Puravida has its very well defined seasoning flavor that makes it Puravida. It is distinctive, solid and doesn’t seem to have changed over the years. The tofu whole wheat bread sandwich $85, sweet potato fries $55 and cucumber lemonade $45 is my personal favorite lunch combo. Really good bread and cookies are sold at the counter.

It is also quite refreshing being able to vegetarianize or veganize pretty much everything on the menu – you do have to go and check out Puravida in person since there is no online menu and their Facebook page hasn’t been updated since 2015.