With its corner-bar appearance in a neighborhood filled with Mexican eateries, it would be easy to overlook Tres Magueyes. Even the inside looks more like a corner tap than a restaurant. The first room is dark, with a large bar, television set, CD jukebox and a row of strictly-for-entertainment-purposes gaming machines.

One of my favorite Mexican foods is camarones a la diabla—the devil’s shrimp. In theory means shrimp in a fiendishly spicy red pepper sauce, but even in Mexico the level of spicing varies considerably. A simple beachside restaurant at Zihuatanejo served camarones lived up to this fiery reputation.