Puerto Nuevo

Puerto Nuevo is a tiny village at km 44 of the free road —just a few blocks and fewer than 200 residents— that became the world capital of fried lobster. It started in the mid-1900s, when fishermen's wives began serving the day's catch out of their kitchens; today more than 30 restaurants are packed into four streets, and an estimated hundred thousand-plus lobsters are served here every year.

The famous "Puerto Nuevo style" is simple, which is why it works: the lobster is split in half and fried, and it lands on your table with beans, rice, fresh handmade flour tortillas, melted butter and salsa. You eat it taco-style, with your hands, no apologies. Nearly every restaurant serves the same thing with small variations, so the real choice is between a table over the ocean or one on the main street.

The classic plan is a half day: arrive hungry, walk the town's four streets comparing prices (lobster is charged by size), take your time eating and finish with a margarita facing the Pacific. Among the ocean-view spots, Villa Ortega's is one of the best known; on the inner streets, Sandra's and La Casa de la Langosta are longtime classics.

Local lobster season runs October through March; outside those months your lobster is likely imported or previously frozen —something the waiters themselves will usually admit if you ask. Right at the start of the season, in October, the village throws its lobster-and-wine festival: the main street shuts down, there's live music and wine from the Valle de Guadalupe.

Great for

• ◆Eating lobster with zero formality
• ◆A half-day food run with an ocean view
• ◆Groups and families (portions to share)
• ◆Combining with Calafia or Popotla on the way back