The hotel gave us a packet of coupons when we arrived, featuring nearby restaurants and attractions. One was a coupon for El Capitano, and we had seen it while walking on the beach. Before we left home, I did a little research online to find out where to go and what to do, and I had seen El Capitano mentioned, with a recommendation not to go there, that it wasn't any good. We thought we'd try it anyway, it was a convenient walk down the beach from our hotel, so we took a chance, and were so glad we did! It was a very lively place, packed to the gills, live music, and the service was great! I had a combo meal which included a smoked marlin taco—I've always cringed at the thought of fish tacos, but this was fantastic! The rest of the meal was great as well- so glad we didn't heed the previous advice! Only bad thing was that a timeshare salesman approached us at our table as we were finishing the meal- that seemed a little crass, but those guys are everywhere, day and night.

Our tour guide from the Copala Country Tour recommended El Capitano to us. We ate there on our last night in Mazatlan, and the food was excellent! We wish we had found it earlier in the week. It is an open-air restaurant right on the beach with a festive atmosphere. Service was great.