Every once in a while we discover a restaurant that not only serves fabulous food, but also has a great story. Recently we had just such an experience while vacationing in Sayulita, Mexico.
El Guacal is a great tapas restaurant, and it had only been open for three days when we had our first meal there! The owners and operators, Luis and Fabiana, had visited Sayulita for ten days in May 2011. Even though they came from Barcelona, arguably one of the most alluring cities in Europe, they (like so many others) instantly fell in love with Sayulita and returned recently to open their tapas restaurant.
El Guacal
The restaurant itself, like so many others in this vibrant little fishing/surfer town, is small and unassuming. Most of the seating (a total of perhaps 20 people) is on the street outside the restaurant, and the kitchen is incredibly small and simple considering the quality of the food that Luis is capable of producing there. So, to that fabulous food.
It’s hard to know where to begin. During our three visits (over the course of two weeks – yes, we were smitten from the first visit) we sampled almost every item on the menu, as well as one of the daily off-menu specials. Luis has a flair for using local ingredients to prepare simple yet delicious tapas dishes, some of which were the best we’ve ever had the pleasure of eating.
Chorizo
Upon first read the menu sounds simple, however the simplicity is expertly executed. He is a wizard with potatoes, makes extraordinary garlic mayonnaise, has perfected the art of a great shrimp shrimp croquette, and presented us with an exquisite paella, so far the best we’ve ever had.
Spanish Ham
While Luis displays his skill in the kitchen the multilingual Fabiana (5 languages, we think) ensures that everything is presented with a friendly and gentle style that makes you want to come back over and over again. They were both wonderfully charming in their warm sincerity, which made El Guacal even more appealing.
Paella
Potato with Garlic Mayo and Tomato Sauce
Shrimp Croquette
Stuffed Potato
Nuts
Culinary Slut 
Leave a comment