El Pescador Poke Bar- Bringing Delicious, Freshly Caught, Authentic Seafood to Sayulita
El Pescador Poke Bar, a family owned restaurant, is new to Sayulita as of this year, 2019. The restaurant is named “El Pescador” or “The Fisherman” after the owners, who actually are local fishermen here in Sayulita who fish and source all of the seafood for the restaurant. I talk with head chef, Edgar Torres about the restaurant’s background, menu, and of course, all of the fresh and delicious seafood on the menu.
Since El Pescador is a newer restaurant in town, can you talk a bit about the owners of El Pescador, and a bit about its beginnings?
The owners of El Pescador Restaurant are a local family of fishermen from Sayulita who have dedicated themselves to the art and practice of fishing; that’s why the name of the restaurant is “El Pescador”, or “the fisherman”. The owners are the brothers Guillermo and Diego Cadena, two fisherman of Sayulita. The opening of this restaurant was a project that was worked on for several years. The brothers wanted a place to offer their freshly caught seafood that could be transformed into tasty and simple dishes, while always maintaining the freshness of the fish. I decided to come to this town for its wide variety of palates and tastes for good food. I was previously living in Santa Cruz, California when they offered me to come here to Sayulita; of course I did not hesitate to say yes.
What is your background experience in the restaurant industry as a chef?
My experience is based on my vast knowledge and expertise in the wide variety of seafood dishes from the Pacific coast, as well as the tasty and nutritious types of seafood eaten in Japan or Peru, not forgetting the Pacific islands, like Hawaii and the coast of Asia and India. That’s my culinary experience. All of my previous kitchen work as a chef was in California, from San Francisco to San Diego.
Can you describe the overall menu concept and restaurant style at El Pescador?
The style of El Pescador is a very relaxed, informal, casual setting. Our restaurant is very fresh with its open-air upstairs setting, and we have very friendly service. We want our guests to enter this place and forget all of their problems of the day. With a menu where basically seafood is the king of the menu, our menu includes items such as our famous poke, as well as sushi options, shrimp, lobster, and a variety of ceviches. We also have a variety of vegetarian options- so there is something for everyone’s tastes! Our poke bar represents the best of Sayulita and its people that are fishing here. The poke bowls tend to be the most popular dishes on the menu. Furthermore, since all of our seafood is fresh, we do not consume anything frozen. Also, we only use local vegetables, so guests can truly taste the natural earth in our dishes.
If you could use just three words to describe your restaurant or food, what three words would you use?
Freshness, friendly, and flavor! We want you to taste all of our fresh flavors in an atmosphere of relaxation without formalities, and with very friendly service. All of our mixes of flavors in our dishes and drinks make our menu unique.
Anything else you want readers to know?
We have a wide variety of premium wines from select brands of Chile, Mexico, Argentina, and Italy, each wine to accompany our various dishes. We also have a full bar and tropical cocktails. Our upstairs seating allows for great views and people watching of the plaza. We are a kid friendly, dog friendly, family owned restaurant. We have Wifi, and offer take out. We are open daily for lunch and dinner, starting at 12:00 p.m.
For more information about El Pescador Poke Bar in Sayulita, please visit their Sayulita Life Web Page.
*Written by: Aanya Sheikh-Taheri
