Magdalena is in the heart of Sonoran beef country: carne asada, machaca, and big flour tortillas. The Plaza Monumental is ringed with simple restaurants and food carts, and several of the better steakhouses sit on the highway south.
For Sonoran-style steak in a more polished setting try El Toro Steak House on Niños Héroes — generous portions, attentive service, modest prices. Around the plaza, look for a yellow cart in the late afternoon selling esquites (corn cocktail) heaped with mayonnaise, chile, lime, and cheese; it is excellent, perhaps the best in Sonora. El Patio does decent breakfast huevos rancheros and chilaquiles.