As you can see, there is a little difference in how a grocery store is laid out here. It is something like the Fred Meyer of old, but just a bit skewed from that as well.

The produce at the local Mega store is absolutely great, and the prices are the same! We spend maybe $70-$80 a week for groceries here and probably could spend a lot less if we shopped more at the Mercado, but the Mega is easy and where else can you get tires and produce in the same trip?

We have found a few things that require a little adaptation.

We always loved the breakfast bars from Trader Joe’s- still looking for an equivalent here.

The cheeses are so good, and dangerously so for our waistlines.

The bakeries here are just as dangerous, They make some of the best bread I have ever had at this little place called Molika’s- from what I understand, the owner was the baker for the Four Seasons in London before returning here and opening this place.

The coffee joints, while really nice, serve a milder brew than a Northwesterner prefers.

Of course the seafood is simply the best, we have “A Guy” that provides us with our weekly shrimp allotment- we run through at least a kilo a week.

We really haven’t ventured too far afield when it comes to eating out. We did find a real gem though- Casa Connobia is a new restaurant on the Plaza Machado. Italian by menu, Mazatleco by service, and they serve what I consider to be the best pizza in North America (well by my limited travels anyway). A true Napoli style wood oven and the thin crispy crust topped with fresh vegetables with only a thin spread of sauce- of course, topped with more of that incredibly wicked local cheese. Oh Mama Mia, Mamacita! I can’t recommend it enough; the folks that run the place are really nice and justifiably proud of what they have there. We wandered in only a few nights after they opened and I was given the “behind-the-scenes” tour by the proud Maitre d’. An incredibly polished kitchen and a beautifully constructed wood burning oven, Kelly and I can eat there with drinks for less than $10 USD!