Lake Chapala Restaurant Guide

We have started a blog with information about area restaurants in order to help newcomers to Lake Chapala decide which excellent area cafes to try. We have only 11 reviews at the moment, but we hope to have double this by the end of the month.

We welcome readers here to take a look at it and tell us if there is any additional information we should add. As newcomers, not knowing anyone in town, it takes a while to figure out where to eat lakeside, so this is our attempt to help visitors.

Thanks. Bonnie

www.lakechapalarestaurantguide.blogspot.com

Very attractive pages.  I agree with most of your choices.  Exception: Min Wah, which has disappointed us on the two visits we've made, six years apart.  On the other hand, people don't move to Mexico to find top drawer Chinese food.

You did find the best restaurant in town:  Tabarka.  Our house guests always rave about it, even the "foodies" from la de da land in San Miguel.

Suggested Additions:  For outstanding steak in a funky atmosphere, check out Bruno's and have a "baseball filet". Tender, delicious and huge.  On the Carretera, in Ajijic; lake side of the road.

For authentic gringo food and a pleasant lunch experience, try Panino's, on the Carretera.  On Mondays, a fine French Dip. In San Antonio.  Also, yummy desserts.

In general, you won't go wrong at Tony's, in the Superlake shopping block. San Antonio, on the Carretera.  Mexican and international dishes.  Great chicken or hamburgers, among many other choices.  Music on some evenings, whether you're ready or not. (We choose to go at lunch.)

Haven't been there myself, but no list would be complete without covering Number Four, the Special Occasion place. $$$$ In Centro Ajijic.

Keep up the good work.
 

Very nice new blog! I'm glad someone took up the challenge to do something for the gringo-oriented places, as I have my hands full with my Mexican food blog.

I'd suggest adding El Jardin de Ninette, certainly one of the top restaurants in town and one of the few with a real chef, and also La Taverna de Quattro Mori, the long-standing choice for authentic Italian.

I'm with gringal on Min Wah, though - it's a bad enough restaurant to make someone who ate their first question your other choices. Ricki's is about the only safe-to-eat Asian in the area, IMHO.

Keep up the great work!

P.S. You should also pick up a copy of John Keeling's guide to Lakeside restaurants (Diane Pearl still has a few copies) to guide your explorations. He's not going to be publishing it anymore, but it's a great piece of work and will save you a lot of time and money.

I forgot Ricki and shouldn't have.   Food's good there.

I had the same reaction when they gave kudos to Min Wah, but they got better as they went forward, so maybe they just haven't had really good Chinese food like us lucky folks who used to live where there was so much of it.  

Forgot GO, too.  Another favorite for some.

And, for the real deal Mexican:  How about Frida Azul?

Thank you so much for your valuable input and for taking the time to review our blog. We are going to try Bruno's in the coming weeks because everyone we have talked to highly recommends it. Some of the others you recommended we have already tried and are just getting around to reviewing them.

I hesitate reading anyone else's guide at the moment, because I want all of our work to be original. Once we have the bulk of the blog completed, we will take a look at and perhaps provide some excerpt's from Keeling's book to supplement our reviews.

We want to have plenty of pictures and information about the type of food served at the restaurants, prices and atmosphere. We just got back from Tony's (we live close by) where we ate and took a lot more pictures.

I am almost embarrassed to admit how many restaurants we have eaten at since we arrived, four months ago. Our Canadian friends asked us, " is eating out all you guys ever do?" Well, we do a lot of other things but we always end those adventures with a good meal!

Thank you again for taking a moment to look at the blog and provide your critiques. Bonnie

TTT:

In looking at your guide - one suggestion:
Addresses in Mexico are often almost useless. Just a personal opinion but to me one of the most important photos one can supply is of the restaurant front taken from the street. All the better if it includes reference buildings on either side to make it easier for people to recognize.

You are right about that Neil, we had a heck of a time finding Roberto's when we first got here, and finally got off the bus in the area where everyone had told us it was and started walking down the road until we finally found it. We have also gotten a lot of really bad directions from well-meaning people.

If you ever see two lost, hungry looking gringos wandering down the road it is probably us.

Also, to address the comments about Min Wah, we have eaten there twice with groups of friends and found the food to be pretty good, especially the General's Chicken.

Not the best we have ever tasted, (Bo-Ling's in KCMO is our favorite) but pretty decent. Maybe they have improved since your visits. But, I also understand that if you have eaten some place a couple of times and it is not good, you don't feel like giving them another chance.
There are too many excellent options where we live.

We do appreciate all the feedback and also certainly enjoy discussing the best places to eat lakeside. Thanks! Bonnie

Gringal,

Tried Frida Azul today. Muy bien. Thank you for the suggestion. We loved it!

TTT wrote:Gringal,

Tried Frida Azul today. Muy bien. Thank you for the suggestion. We loved it!

If you haven't had it yet, try the chamorro there.

Bonnie, another Bo-Ling's fan here (we're from KC)!!

Lots of good eats in this area, but Oriental food has been a bit of a disappointment after all the options where we came from. Ricki's is good, and we like some things at Simply Thai. Strangely, I like the egg rolls (when they're fresh and hot) at Jin Peng, the quick food court place in Centro Laguna, but their overall selection sucks.

There's a place my husband likes in Joco, although I don't know the name of it. Drive into Joco, past the stop light (where you turned to go to the Guad highway before there was a bypass). Park in the Farmacia Guadalajara parking lot, and walk 1/2 block or so further on the same side of the street. They have a strange menu - a photo album with pics of each dish, name and price. Lots of choice, but it takes awhile to go through the "menu." Food that we've gotten there has been pretty good.

Thanks for your blog, by the way. Have it bookmarked and look forward to watching it grow. A few other possibilities to try... we're not foodies, but either liked these places or found them rather unique/unusual for the area: Baya Bistro (across from Superlake), Jasmine's (Ajijic Centro), Johanna's (Carretera, La Floresta(?) area), Los Telares (Ajijic, on Colon), Mario's (San Antonio), Mariscos Peter (same building at La Huerta Event Center), Peacock Garden (Ajijic on Colon), Richard's (Chapala), Tepetate (Ajijic, Colon). Happy dining!

Heather

Richie 88 on Colon.  Try salada rojo with a delicious balsamic sauce on fruits and veggies.  

Big fan of Frieda Azul also.

Z

And yet another Mexican restaurant that attracts both Mexicans and foreigners:

Sunrise, on the lake side of the carreterra in San Antonio (or is it Riberas?) next to the hardware store on the corner.  It's just getting warm enough to enjoy it, since it's open on several sides.  Nice folks and food.  Just had lunch there today:  The special Mexican plate with the enchiladas, chili relleno, rice beans, quesadillas and a basket of fresh corn tortillas for spouse: the chili relleno with rice and beans for me.  Some sharing was done.  
Nice avocado sauce on the side if you ask, with other sauces and chips brought first.
The bill: Including repeated ice teas: $162.

They also get the award for cleanest bathrooms in town.  Well, the ladies' was, anyway.

Aurora's, El Sarape, #4, El Ancla, & La Taverna should be included.

Gringal:

There is a food blogger from the Patzcuaro area ( http://mexkitchen.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2014-01-01T00:00:00-06:00&updated-max=2015-01-01T00:00:00-06:00&max-results=10) who is known for his comments about restaurant restrooms in his restaurant reviews. In fact, he will often include photos. We are looking forward to eating at a restaurant in Guanajuato that he has designated as having the most beautiful restrooms that he has spotted in all of Mexico. I will make sure to take photos.

We have eaten at and reviewed Sunrise Restaurant on our blog and really like it too. It does, indeed, have nice, clean restrooms. I am not a big fan of sharing restrooms with the guys, so separate spaces always pleases me!

Patzcuaro is a place we intend to visit, so will check out that blog. Thanks for the tip. We ate at La Una's again today and we really do like it. Sometimes all the food offered on the menu is not available when we stop in for lunch. But, whatever they serve is delicious. Today I had a salad of organic greens with warm goat cheese. The waiter already recognizes us, after just a few visits. It is a very pleasant environment, classical music playing softly in the background, it feels like a European bistro. Reminds me of a past visit to Italy.

Ritchie 88 is our next lunch stop. We have had enough recommendations now that we must visit. Thanks to you all for the recommendations and tips!

Patzcuaro is our favorite city and Michoacan our favorite Mexican State of the areas we have traveled. However, Patzcuaro is a bit short on restaurant options. Lupita's in the city and Compestre Aleman on the SW corner of Lake Patzcuaro are our personal favorites. Some of the other favorites seemed to have disappeared through the years.

This afternoon we had lunch at Ritchie 88. What a nice little café. We had a great spinach and goat cheese salad and a baguette with chicken. All very good.

We reviewed it on our website, Lakechapalarestaurantguide.blogspot.com and agree with those of you here that recommended this café to us, it was very good. I wonder why it was virtually empty at 12:30 in the afternoon.

The owner, Patricia, said that next week she will be starting extended hours, Thursday through Saturday, offering the regular menu plus specials in the evening. Personally, I think this is a great idea  - we need a spot for intimate dining in town.

Thanks for the recommendations - so far they are working well for us!

Bonnie, please tell us a little about you. I am assuming that you recently moved here (maybe from Missouri?). What made you decide to create a food blog?

Hi Luisa,
Virginia Woolf wrote, "One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well." And, I do like to dine well.

As I noted on the blog, my reviews are simply my own opinion of the places I have dined, in and around Lake Chapala. The blog is meant to provide some current information, pictures and menus from area restaurants for visitors and newcomers. There may be something like this already available, but if so, I was never able to find it.

Let's face it, Trip Advisor does not do our area restaurants justice. And, the reviews are often tainted by some persnickety complainer who thinks their coffee wasn't quite the right temperature or their servings too small for their ample appetite, and so try to ruin a small business and the hardworking owner as revenge. If I don't like a restaurant, I just won't review it.

You asked me about myself. I was a writer, once, of creative fiction, that is, proposals to state and local government and to rich foundations, offering to cure all the ills of society on behalf of well meaning social service organizations.

I did live in Missouri for awhile, and still own rental property there, but have not lived there myself for over a decade, though I do visit occasionally so my tenant knows that I am still alive and expect the rent payment on time. It is during those visits I dine at Bo-Lings.

The last place I lived was Austin, Texas. Austin has some good restaurants, horrendous traffic, and aggressive panhandlers at every corner. I prefer San Antonio, not only for the food, but for the beauty of the city, the history and culture.

Am I here, on Lake Chapala, to stay? It is hard to say. I have never stayed anywhere for very long. But while I am here, I intend to dine.  

Bonnie

Folks try Richie 88 on Colon near old church in Ajijic.  This week they have been open for
dinner. The whole family is charming and they became our friends. The chef was trained in
Mexico city.  The back patio is very nice. One of the more original menus in town in my opinion.

Zed

Absolutely agree, Zed, Ritchie 88 is one of the more creative restaurants in town and they are now open evenings, Thursday through Saturday.

CheenaGringo wrote:Patzcuaro is our favorite city and Michoacan our favorite Mexican State of the areas we have traveled.  However, Patzcuaro is a bit short on restaurant options.  Lupita's in the city and Compestre Aleman on the SW corner of Lake Patzcuaro are our personal favorites.  Some of the other favorites seemed to have disappeared through the years.

One of the best restaurants in Michoacán is La Mesa de Blanca. It's open only Thu-Fri-Sat-Sun. I recommend going on a weekend, when it's fully staffed and has, in our experience, better met expectations. The appetizers are for the most part, real standouts, notably Chiles Capones. Among my favorite dishes are Mixiote de Cordero or Conejo a las Brasas.

One doesn't go there in search of culinary innovation, but instead, for regional specialties very well made. I have to say that of the varieties of dishes we've tried in many visits, the seafood ones are the least successful, with the possible exception of trucha prepared in different styles.

A signature drink is the richly flavored Agua Fresca de Zarzamora, which is available only in season, but always worth asking for.

Can you who have been to Patzcuaro recommend the best way to get there? Should we take a tour bus, and if so, which is the best company for this trip, or can we take a bus out of Guadalajara to get there? We have gotten pretty familiar with Guadalajara and Tlaquepaque and the buses that travel there from Chapala, would like to venture out a little further.
Thanks, Bonnie

TTT, AutoVias (AKA "La Linea") travels from la Nueva Camionera in your area to Pátzcuaro at least once a day. I think it's about 4 1/2 hours. Check the AutoVias website.

ETN does not serve Pátzcuaro but does go to Morelia or, I think, to Uruapan, from either it's an hour's trip to Pátzcuaro on second class buses, for example, Lineas Purhépechas.

Is anyone going to La Bodega on Thursday to see the female mariachis? We saw them perform in Tlaquepaque over the holidays and were impressed. We ate at La Bodega once, on Thanksgiving, and were not particularly impressed, but I chalk this up to trying to prepare traditional American food with poor recipes, so I am willing to try again. They should ask this southerner, next year, how to prepare cornbread dressing and pecan pie and pumpkin pies!