Sal y Pimienta, Zipolite: A Mexican Fish Shack

Perfect For: Eating Fish With Your Toes In The Sand.

Restaurants, dogs, and grown man weiners are bountiful in Zipolite. There's something kind of wonderful about man and beast all roaming free in their natural state. There's something overwhelming about a million restaurants in the sand. We thought it would be difficult to decide which restaurant to eat at. It wasn't.

While most of the restaurants were empty or sparsely occupied by unclad individuals (with no tan lines), Sal y Pimienta was packed with locals and gringos alike.

The waiter simply grabbed another table from a pile of available tables in the back and dropped it in some open sand. So don't be deterred if the place appears full to capacity.

We opted for a couple fish plates. I tried to order an appetizer as well but the waiter wouldn't let me. He wouldn't say why. He just said I should trust him.

LA COMIDA

Fish with Cheese and Mushrooms (can't remember the actual name):

If it hasn't been made perfectly clear by now I should just come right out and say it: I have a cheese problem. I'll melt it on anything, anytime. In this case I melted it on some perfectly fresh and well seasoned fish, which I'm almost positive is some kind of unforgivable faux pau that I don't give a fuck about. In this case I made a mistake. If I went back again I wouldn't get this plate. The cheese and mushrooms were delicious but they overwhelmed the fish and it would have been better to just eat it clean. I'll be back to right this wrong. Every plate comes with a side of rice, french fries and a salad.

Pulpo a la Diabla:

This is octopus tossed in a top secret spicy sauce that our waiter explained to me in detail. Basically it tastes like a Mexican BBQ sauce. They use Chipotle, vinegar, garlic and orange juice to compose the sauce and if you like BBQ flavor then you'll like this. The pieces of octopus were thick like steak. So if you think that 'by octopus they mean squid' you will be sorely mistaken. If we had a mulligan we would have gone with the Pulpo al Ajo (Octopus with Garlic Sauce).

Menu:

Forgot. Again. Suffice it to say that they have fish, shrimp and octopus with around 4 or 5 different preparations for each.

P.S.:

There are chunks of jalapeño in the salsa that they give you when you sit down. I ate a chunk. I regretted it immediately. I had to eat the rest of the chips and drink my whole beer before I could talk again. Also, all the locals will be eating hamburgers. Apparently it's the best hamburger in Mexico. I couldn't bring myself to order one and I will judge you if you do.

The View:

#Zipolite #FreshFish #seafood #oaxaca #beach #travel #mexico