Puerto Jaibo - Tampico

During this trip to Tampico I was very lucky and enjoyed many good restaurants. However, Puerto Jaibo was hands-down the jewel in this culinary adventure.This restaurant is located close to Tampico's main avenue (Avenida Hidalgo), by the Parroquia del Rosario. It belongs to a culinary school, and is located in the first floor of the building. Parking is available (which is not common in Tampico) in the school's parking lot.The interior decoration is neutral, but nice and elegant. It has an interesting arrangement where you can actually see the personnel cooking your meals in the kitchen.They have a very interesting and complete cocktails lineup. I preferred to order one glass of white wine, which was very good.Now, regarding the food menu, I was amazed on how many attractive and different dishes they had. This varies from the traditional Tampico dishes (Carne a la Tampiqueña, Jaiba a la Frank) to very fresh and new suggestions.As appetizer, we had Queso Panela a la Plancha (Grilled Panela Cheese), that had a delicious sauce, and came with a bed of nopales.For entrée I had Camarones Puerto Jaibo, which had grilled shrimp in a jaiba (crab) sauce. The dish was such a beautiful sight and had an even better flavor.To close my lunch I had the Pan de Elote (corn bread) and I had never enjoyed one corn bread as I did this time.Attention was always courteous and on time.Prices were reasonable.I can hardly wait for my next visit to this extraordinary restaurant.

As the restaurant belongs to a culinary institute we expected more for the price. The atmosphere is nice and the staff very friendly, however a bit slow. The cocktails are quite good but avoid the wine. Concerning the food you have to be careful about your choice, not all the plates worth their price. A friend had some grilled gambas with non home made french fries. Nothing exceptional and he was quite deceived regarding to the price. However concerning myself I was more lucky and had the tuna steak. It was very delicious and well prepared. For the dessert they proposed us a mixed plate of different dessert, they were fresh and quite delicious.

In Tampico you can find a lot of "good" seafood restaurants, but if you really want to live the vast gastronomic experience of the region and huastecan culture, then you have to go to Puerto Jaibo. Great place!

I've been to puerto Jaibo several times, whenever I'm in Tampico, I dont miss the opportunity to visit them and delight myself with one of the best seafood dishes in town.Place is fancy yet very easy going ambient. Very welcoming and helpfull staff and always served by the owner of the restaurant.Puerto Jaibo combines the tipical seafood (marisco) dishes of the city with the huastecan culture traditions and food. you can find from very simple recipes that have been improved and that will bring those expectations of the local food you had, to a highel level. You can also find very elaborated combinations of international cuisines mixed in a single platter.If you ever visit tampico, dont miss this great place to have amazing food and excellent time with your people.Gerardo.