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I create this page with some trepidation. But as a dedicated foodie, I guess I can excuse myself by saying as always this is just one couple's opinion. I will only list restaurants we eat at on a regular basis. There are some very good chefs in Ajijic and some equally great ones in Guadalajara. I'll try to include directions and if car is needed, but also remember they go out of business as fast as they go in. ....So this page will need constant upkeep. Ajijic and surrounding towns: Newer ones at the top. Roberto's Rincon del Cielo- Ajijic, 766-1463, Right on the lake, go to the bottom of Colon and turn left at the pier. Open Tuesday through Saturday. For now lunch only. He says dinner menu soon. Another great restaurant for serious gourmets. He will give Manuel's a run for his money. Fresh crab cakes made with with real crab not surimi. Choice of soup or salad with the entree. The mushroom soup is fabulous. He makes comfort food like : pizza, mac and cheese, roasted beef brisket, and fresh made shrimp burgers. There are luscious desserts. A real chocolate mousse, not whipped cream thrown into chocolate pudding, fresh made pecan pie, a lime cheesecake crossover. Everything we and six other people had there for lunch this week was fantastic. An easy walk from anywhere in the village. I can't wait until he starts serving dinner. Grandma's Kitchen- Riberas? 765- 22-55 Hidalgo #101 next to S&S Autos. Closed Sunday and Monday. Open from 12:00 to 8:00 PM Eastern European food. The chef is from Slovakia. So good goulash, potatoes pancakes, a chicken in mushroom sauce and daily specials with cabbage and pork! We had the seas bass in parsley sauce. Just dusted with flour and herbs, lightly fried, moist and delicious with a parsley lemon sauce. Enough homemade mashed potatoes for three!! Service was timely and the food was hot!! The Blue Agave- Chapala , 765-7770 Av Hidalgo # 242. 7 days a week; 10:00 Am to 11:00 PM. Just opened. Caveat: Since we were there, there have been a great many people who ate there reporting slow service and cold food. We have not yet gone back so I will let you know. On the main street, plenty of parking. A gorgeous redo of an old lakeshore estate. Eating areas are one or two short flights of stairs but there are ramps. If you have a large group there is a separate lakeside patio in back. Plenty of shade and umbrellas. Food is billed as "cowboy cuisine "meaning Northern Mexico or Norteno cooking. Not sure what that is but everything we had was hot!, fresh, promptly served and well prepared. Until the kitchen shakes down the menu will be limited to steaks, fish, shrimp and one chicken dish. Harry had a crusty herb seasoned, juicy, tender steak and I had a really good red snapper and shrimp dish. The decor is lovely with a very romantic ambiance after dark. David the owner is an exporter and importer. This will be a restaurant/emporium. Once he gets it all together his decor will change regularly featuring all the furniture and handicrafts he gathers from all over Mexico. All the decor will be for sale. Prices for a meal are 100-120 pesos including a nice salad. For now we also got complimentary appetizers, a nice touch. Harry says ask for the homemade mashed potatoes .. mmmm! Sunday is a champagne buffet only from 10-3PM Can go on longer if the restaurant is busy. Items change throughout the day. There is a website open but still under construction. http://www.blueagavechapala.com/ Sunrise Cafe- Along the highway, in a strip mall. On the lakeside of the road. Right across from lower Chula Vista. Large airy, restaurant in Riberas. Popular for the exceptional, good breakfasts and Chiles Rillenos on the lunch/dinner menu. Mexican owned. The lunch and dinner menus feature shrimp and all the standards. Seperate well divided smoking and non smoking sections with large screen tvs in each. Food is freshly prepared and the service is very good. Not walking distance from the village unless you like a hike. Manuel's- Go down Independencia, west. First street on the right. Right there the house with all the spikes on all the window... Easy walk from anywhere in the village. A serious gourmet restaurant. Another U.S. culinary school grad,. Mexican chef/owner who has worked with a bunch of top chefs in the U.S. The menus changes daily depending on what is freshest. There is usually a choice of several appetizers and salads, a couple of soups and killer entrees. The food is sublime. The real deal in gourmet meals. Closed Sunday and Monday. The prices are a little stiff for here, but, a steal for any where else. Cafe Magana - 766-6006. Monday to Friday 12:00-7:30. Sat. 12:00-7, Sun 12:00-6. Not to be missed. On the highway, same side and just past Greta Berg Parkers Insurance office. Great barbecue, ribs and chicken. Plus superb fish and chips. He has also added other menu items to try, lasagna, fish tacos and more. Good service with fast, hot! food. Jeffrey the genial owner serves you. Eight different barbecue sauces and for the lighter eater all menu items come in two sizes. Good sides of cole slaw and potato salad. Killer onion rings mmm. Tomas- ACKK Sadly he sold it. Supposedly closed now re-opening as a sports bar! Chapala, Alvaro Obregon #1. 765-3897 open Tuesday-Saturday 2:00 PM to 10 PM. Finding it, the tough part. North side of Chapala , the main road into town. Just after Soriannas, immediately past the Pemex light turn right. The Restaurant is a half block on the right on the corner. Imagine Cheers in Mexico. Regulars sit at the bar joking and talking with owner, Wayne the bartender. His wife Lupita cooks. Daily specials, we like the veal schnitzel. All menu items come in two sizes for light eaters. Upstairs there is a covered garden eating area. Good food and a fun place. Great steaks too. La Tasca- Ajijic, across from Nueva Posada at Donato Guerra #22 766-5269. Open 12- 11PM. Live music from 3-6 PM daily and nightly from 7:30-10:30PM. Sunday brunch 12-2PM. Closed Mondays. During the hot season (April/May) a great place for dinner with a cool breeze off the lake. The ambiance is spectacular. Right on the lake shore. Roberto built a beautiful high dining terrace with great views of the lake. The art work and decor is also really innovative. The food and service are very good. I love the cocoanut shrimp. And you get to listen to one of the best guitarists in Mexico and also Jimmy Barto another great lakeside musician. Walking distance from most B&B etc but also off street parking lot. What more could you ask for! Check the website to see who is playing http://latascamexico.googlepages.com/home Lunch!- 60's in Paradise, just a half block west from the Plaza/Colon on Hidalgo. An easy walk for you tourists . 60's decor, 60's tunes. It is open Tuesday to Sat from 11-4PM. The food is hamburgers, Cuban sandwiches Philly cheese steak, chili, milk shakes, homey desserts . The burger is VERY good. Big, juicy, good all angus beef, mucho flavor, cooked over charcoal. They also do FRESH hand cut French fries that are to die for! Too good to douse with catsup. So this is now a great place for lunch only a short walk from home!! We go often! Plus Rick the owner loves dogs so your mascota can come. Our spoiled girl gets a little bowl of water and some biscuits the minute she arrives! She loves doing lunch! More Coffee/Yummies and a Boutique: The Secret Garden - Hidalgo # 8, Sun to Thurs. 9-9 Fri-Sat 9Am -10PM. Just a short walk from the plaza and the garden is lovely but the tres leche cake, the chocolate mousse and the coffees and freshly brewed chai are even lovelier!! The boutique has a collection of wind chimes, incense and beautiful jewelry . A great place to take a break or shop for a gift. Greek: Jose's Illusion Mediterranean Bistro Greek Restaurant -Monday -Thursday-11:00-9:00PM, Friday & Saturday-11:00-10:00 closed Sunday. Carreterra at the old Villa Del Pastor site. That is heading out of town just after Achille Serdan on the right hand side. The name may be bigger than the restaurant! But the food is very authentic Greek! We had a well prepared creamy hummus with freshly toasted pita dipping triangles and a plate of good feta , Greek olives and tzadziki as an appetizer. Then we all had the Mousaka which was very good. As a veteran of many Greek food fairs NOB I can say that the chef cooks very good Greek food. It is a welcome addition to the ethnic restaurants here and I can't wait to go back and try the lamb. Italian: La Taverna: West of town at the La Playa shopping center on the carreterra. Run by an Italian couple from Livorno. Hand made pasta, fresh mussels on the weekend. Harry is half Italian and I learned from his Neapolitan grandma, thus I'm pretty tough on Italian restaurants. This one is quite good. The Trattoria Ajijic-: On the carreterra, right in town. Enjoy the lovely wall frescoes painted by Enrique Velasquez, who did the paintings on our gate. Great Lasagna and daily specials. The fresh baked rolls have a bit of rosemary in them and are luscious, salad bar, great pizzas. Excellent veal dishes. Owner Juan / Johnnie on hand to make sure all is well. Beef/Meat Ajijic Tango: Colon the block before the pier. The current fave for all carnivores. You will need reservations. Try the flap meat steak which is like 14 0z.s of awesome meat. For the smaller eater the filet mignon or the filet mignon brochette. I like the half a grilled chicken with the garlic marinade. Service is good and most anything on the menu is yummy. Bruno's: A good place in the center of town for steak or filet mignon. He is on the Carretera two blocks east of Colon, lake side. His baked potatoes and barbecued ribs are famous. There is also a good selection of Italian and Chinese for variety. He is open for lunch and dinner. All the entrees include a small Caesar salad. He is closed Sundays. His daughter Vicki runs a second place out of town towards Joco opening at 4 and 2 on Thurs-Sun.. Called Bruno's Hideaway, that not for walkers, car needed. Look left right after you pass the La Paz nursery/viveros on the right. The hamburgers there are the really good! All chuck, no ground pork in them. Tony's: On the carreterra in San Antonio almost next to Super Lake. A good hamburgesa place. They also have really good barbecued ribs, a nice / fresh salad bar, and his daily specials are always good. Try the chamorro (pork shank) if it is on special, very tasty. Friday and Saturday evenings there is music for your dining pleasure. Closed Wednesday. Tony is a great friend of the Shriners' Childrens Hospital. Seafood/Fish: Cozumel: In Chapala on the lake, so you need a car, the bus, or a taxi. Known for the endless pitcher of margaritas ...they keep pouring them!! But.. the seafood is always good, and fresh,. They offer you a choice of sauces and how you have it prepared; allows you to eat and follow almost any diet!! Mariscos Peter: On the highway on the left on the way to San Juan Cosala. You need car or the bus/taxi. Very clean, the grill is hot and they do really great marinated grilled shrimp and fillets of fish. Their half a grilled chicken dinner is 30 pesos and really a great chicken meal with salad, tortillas and rice.. Senior Sushi: Good Sushi, tempura, teriyaki west of town right side opposite La Huerta Center Letty's seafood- on the highway across from the Coke factory and Super Lake. Not walkable from town but worth the cab fare. . VERY fresh seafood and coconut shrimp to die for! They give you 12 huge shrimp in a batter made with fresh chopped coconut includes salad and rice. Most people split the plate as it is a lot to eat. They also do the same prep with fish fillet and do lighter grilled fish etc. Inexpensive and delish! Adventurous should try the Filete VeraCruzana. Mexican: Tio Domingo: 766-2453 Ocampo # 204 west side of Ajijic. Friday-Tuesday 1:00-9PM Salvador the owner serves you himself. Reasonable prices. Specials can include Mexican pre-hispanic, Indian dishes. Mexican and international cuisine. Steak medallions for the big eater are cooked to order and juicy and tender. Spanish coffee and crepes are the signature dessert, always prepared at tableside by Salvador. Not to be missed.. Marios in San Antonio, just around the corner from the plaza. On the street heading back toward Ajijic. Closed Tuesday. The best chiles rillenos and/or whatever he has on special. Very clean and very reasonable. A big local favorite, we have friends who dine there almost daily. Cafe Acali: Considered by many to be the best Mexican food in town. On Independencia between Colon and LCS for breakfast and lunch Super Burrito: Big portions, great prices, homemade mole. Served hot and fresh. Up the hill from Dona's Donuts on the right El Serape: West side of town on left . Good soups, mesquite grilled entrees. Tex Mex Fonda Dona Lola- A bit further down the highway after El Serape. Wonderful fajitas, and pork chops. Quite inexpensive and the owners' teenagers are often the very good servers. Let them practice their English on you! Great value. Hard to Classify: Salvador's: Right next to El Torito, on the carreterra. Walkers welcome from the hotels/B&Bs. Good breakfasts, daily specials, salad bar, good Sunday brunch buffet. The place is clean, the food is good, the prices are reasonable, what more could you ask for? Food is a mixture of Mexican and American favorites and yes you can eat the salad bar! If we had a Greek diner this would be it. Pedro's Gourmet: Peter, from Canada, a Cordon Bleu chef, serves up an eclectic mix of Thai, Indian, Mexican, Italian and Seafood. Listen carefully to the daily specials. On Ocampo, west just before Pedro Moreno, How convenient, two blocks from home!! Closed Sundays and Mondays. Peter's price fix soup / salad , entree and dessert is the best value in town. Manix: 766-0061. 12-9PM Family run and family style, nightly specials, good simple food. Soup or salad and dessert included with entree. People love the corn pudding that comes with the entrees. Osso Bucco, Wednesdays and Thursdays/ Good veal and ribs. Closed Sundays. Ocampo in village, west of Colon 1.5 blocks. They are famous for their Thanksgiving, and Christmas dinners. They do cater and they just redid the restaurant. Parking lot next door now available. Danny's: Great breakfasts and lunches. Fast service. The grand slam for $3.25 can't be beat. Good bowl of chili. Minwah: Up the hill from Dona's Donuts. Super Hot and Sour soup plus all the traditional favorites. Sunday breakfast buffet.
Guadalajara- Harry has a phrase he keeps repeating, always with a grin. "Life in the jungle is tough!" This is a response to all those goof balls who react with horror and shock when you tell them you live in Mexico. Their misconception being that you live "in the jungle". This of course is a total hoot when you consider that there are Guad natives listed on the Forbes 500 richest people in the world list!! With that type of clientele there are some really great restaurants in Guadalajara. Every time we go into the city, we try to get to a new one for lunch. Here in no particular order is our intrepid research! Remember these restaurants go on Mexico time. Meaning unless mentioned in the selection, they don't open for lunch until 2:00 PM. The good ones are packed from 3-5. Ma Como No- # 302, Av. Americas phone 3615-4952. Easy to find, in the first block after you turn off Av. Mexico going north. This is on many peoples' must dine lists for Italian food. They have a really good salad bar with daily changes based on what's fresh. The food was very good. I had a cream of basil soup that was to die for. But.. it is a VERY noisy restaurant. We had to speak quite loudly just to hear one another as we were eating. We were there for lunch so maybe it quiets down later??? If you show your LCS card they give you a free Margerita. Thanks to Jim Miller from Guadalajara for these two new ones. La Matera at Av. Mexico #2891, phone 3616-1626. 1:30 pm until? They're open seven days a week, but not during Christmas or Holy Weeks. Located several blocks before you get to the Quinta Real on the south side. It has no sign or advertising so you have to look for it. Their specialty is meat. We still haven't found a steak anywhere in Jalisco which can compete with the big juicy tender steaks we find in Texas or New York, but La Matera has the best we've tried in Guad so far. Chemary : 596 Av. Guadalupe in Chapalita. phone 3121-2951. This is Spanish NOT Mexican food and there is quite a difference. We were on the way home and it was just a fluke that we stopped there for late lunch. It is one of the restaurants listed on the little folding map we use when we are in Guad. I picked it because it was just off Lazaro Cardenas and easy to find. The wall facing Lazaro Cardenas says Chemary and is painted a pale yellow. To park you have to turn just past it, right off Lazaro Cardenas and go around the corner to the front. The address on the card is 596 Av. Guadalupe in Chapalita. Very light filled and classy decor. Good service and wonderful Paella. The real thing with jamon, chicken, chorizo, sea food and saffron rice. We could easily have split it. It is another restaurant that I want to go back to and try some of the other entrees on the menu. The fish menu was very interesting. La Trattoria: 3051 Ninos Heroes phone 3122-1817. Another good Italian restaurant. They too have a huge antipasti bar. We had cannelloni and lasagna an both were very well prepared. Santo Coyote: Lerdo de Tejada phone 2379 616-6878 -everyday from
2PM to 1 AM Pierrot: Justo Sierra # 2355 phone 3630-2087 Opens at 1:30 . Traditional French, very well done. Looks like a French farmhouse, with very good service from white tux waiters. The pate plate and onion soup are outstanding. The chateaubriand for two with a sauce boat of béarnaise is perfectly cooked. Then you have to have the profiteroles with hot bittersweet chocolate sauce for dessert! La Fonda de San Miguel Archangel-Donato Guerra #25-13 phone 3613-0809. If you are in front of the Teatro Degollado the easiest thing to do is call a cab. It is a short, cheap ride to this restaurant. The decor is very serene and beautiful. Artwork for sale at $$$$prices hangs on the walls. We were the only gringos there. Wonderful little artisan breads with cheese and herbs. Good salads. We all had a different mocajete. These were very good, not the greasy cheese laden offerings you sometimes get. El Sacromonte- Pedro Moreno #1398 phone -825-5447 A beautiful little restaurant , especially at night with all the little twinkle lights. Very popular with the haute Guadalajarans so make a reservation for dinner. A good place to have dinner if you want to try the updated Mexican dishes that have been famous for so many years - it has music, and an outdoor patio. Try the crown of shrimp or the traditional pork shank. Italianni’s -Vallarta 2425 – Centro Magno Tel: 616-2387 Formosa Gardens- Avenida Union between Vallarta and Ninos Heroes- We ate here several times when we were getting the alarm system on the Jeep made right! It was a short walk from the alarm company's garage. I had either sushi or sashimi and it was wonderful. Fresh and perfectly prepared. They also have Thai food. Harry had several of their Chinese entrees and never complained! Los Arcos- Lazaro Cardinas, south side, near Gran Plaza. This is a seafood chain with very fresh, really good ceviche and fish. The shrimp ceviche is cooked so don't worry about trying it. Just go for the smaller portion because the huge one will leave you with no room to try the many fresh fish dishes. Tinto y Blanco .Just
behind Santo Coyote at FCO. JAVIER GAMBOA 245 X J. GPE ZUNO -36-15-9535 or
1949. Nice decor, decent service, good wines and pretty good Italian. Valet
parking in a safe area. Chez Nene- On the same street as Costco going North-, over the RR tracks on your right. French Bistro? Some people think this is THE French restaurant. The prices certainly reflect it! It was OK but not worth the cost!! Go to Pierrot if you want good French. Scratch do Ouro- Avenida Americas # 350 phone 3633-9901-Zapopan past the Yellow Arches monument on the left hand side. Brazilian barbecue. For the carnivore in your life. The place where they just keep bringing you different kinds of barbecued/grilled meat until you give up!! Villa Chianti - Jose Guadalupe Zuno #2152 phone 630-2250- 1 p.m. till midnight sun. 1 p.m. till 6 p.m. Not an Italian restaurant. Continental food. Very expensive. Harry says it is over rated. We all need sustenance while shopping so...in Tlaquepaque Adobe Fonda- Independencia 195 phone 657-2792 , daily 12-7 p.m.
Open earlier for the gringo shoppers!
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