Breakfast & Cafés in Sayulita: Where to Start the Day Right
Mornings in Sayulita start early, especially if you surf. By 8 AM there are already people in the water, instructors organizing groups and tourists looking for a place to grab coffee before deciding what to do with the day.
Breakfast in Sayulita can be a memorable experience or an expensive disappointment depending on where you end up. This guide sends you straight to the good stuff.
If you are new to Sayulita, start with our complete Sayulita guide.
El Itacate — The chilaquiles you need after surfing
Already appears in the restaurant guide and deserves to be here too because their breakfasts are among the most solid in town.
Red or green chilaquiles, eggs however you want them, café de olla, fresh-squeezed orange juice. Generous portions, fair price, no pretensions. If you have had a physical morning in the water or on the beach, this is where you refuel without the bill hurting.
Arrive before 9 on weekends; it fills up fast and wait times stretch considerably after that.
Café del Mar — Views and good coffee without the price inflation
Coffee with an ocean view, a terrace with a breeze, good espresso and breakfasts that range from light to filling. Café del Mar has all of that without the inflated price that view-restaurants usually charge at tourist destinations.
The granola with fruit and yogurt is a good option if you want something light. The eggs with beans and corn tortillas are the version that keeps you going until lunch without needing mid-morning snacks.
You will want to stay longer than you planned. That is what a good beach café should do.
Fresh juices at the plaza — The $3 breakfast that never fails
On the plaza and surrounding streets there are juice and smoothie stands that open early and offer the best value in all of Sayulita at breakfast time.
Carrot-orange-beet juices, mamey smoothies, cold jamaica water, tropical fruit smoothies. Everything made to order with fresh fruit at prices that remind you how good Mexico can be when you are not at the tourism-oriented restaurant.
Perfect to pair with a taco or for when a full breakfast can wait but your body needs something now.
Looking for where to surf after breakfast? Read our guide to surfing in Sayulita.
La Rustica — Specialty coffee without flying to Mexico City
If you are the kind who does not function without a good espresso and are not willing to drink machine coffee just because you are on vacation at the beach, La Rustica exists for you.
Origin coffee, proper brewing methods, baristas who know what they are doing. The price is higher than the plaza cafés but comparable to what you would pay at any specialty coffee shop in a city.
They also have house-baked bread and light breakfast options that pair well with the coffee. This is the place where you end up working for two hours with your laptop if you work remotely.
Mr. Playas breakfast tip for Sayulita
The most common mistake is eating at the first place you see when you walk out of the hotel because you are hungry and did not do your research. In Sayulita that first place is usually the one with the worst value in town because it survives on people who do not know where to go.
Walk two blocks inland, away from the beachfront, and look for places where Mexicans are eating alongside tourists. That mix is always a sign the place is worth something.
Eat well. In Sayulita the activities start in the morning and if you arrive at the beach or the cenote hungry, the day gets complicated fast.
Final thoughts
Breakfast in Sayulita can be one of the best moments of the day if you know where to go. Now you do.
