EL ANCLA

If you haven't been there lately.........GO!  Some of the very best food lakeside, and something for everyone.  If you gotta have some deep fried fish and chips......they have it.  If you want veggies done on the grill, you can have that instead of chips.
Yesterday, I had the mahi mahi with shrimp kabobs: five of them per plate. (120pesos)  My friends had fish and chips and another had the mahi mahi with Romesco sauce:  all delicious.  They also have burgers and a fixings cart. (around 70 pesos; includes fries)  The burger meat was the good stuff.  The chicken burger is loaded with good cheese. Generous portions.  Dining inside or out.
We've had dinner there once and lunch twice.  It's well worth the topes in between Ajijic and it's western location.
On the lake in a two story palapa roofed building on the left, heading West from Ajijc.  Full bar.  Lunch from 12, and dinner till 9. Closed Sundays.
 

I have eaten the fish and chips there... once.
Does not even come close to good.
Chips were packaged frozen fries.  

We have eaten there a few times. Only had burger which were muy bien!

the decline of fish n chips is worldwide. as an expert born and bred in the uk. ever since the death of stan the fish shop man man some 40 years ago then the demise of doddie who took over . things have never been the same. and mushy peas.. don't get me started..first the Italians in Scotland who use haddock not cod .and or mars bars. then the Chinese took over, very nice people but no idea on fish n chips, not wrapped in newspaper any more, think its illegal these days, whats the world coming to? don't mention the price either.. sad times !!

Amen!

There was a previous owner who served less than lovable burgers and fries. Our only experience was within the last two weeks.

Neither of us eats french fries because they are plain unhealthy, but there aren't any good ones around here, anyway. We ask for a substitute veggies or salad. Besides, the best ones are at the fast food joints out of town like Carl's Jr.

We've been there recently with friends who go all the time (they live very nearby at Los Sabionos). Very nice atmosphere and service and people do love the fish.

We had burgers which were certainly massive but nowhere near the quality of Gossip's - which has not only a truly great burger but serves a modest portion of excellent fries with them if you like. The burger is perhaps 1/4 lb. but made from fresh-ground rib-eye. The fries at El Ancla are indeed the usual premade foodservice stuff, no better and no worst than those at Tangos or most other places and not worth the calories IMHO.

Too bad Gossip's, which offers an infintely higheer standard of cooking than just about any restaurant at Lakeside, doesn't have at least an El Ancla quality location. I think they could fill up a place the size of Tango on a daily basis if they could find the space (though whether the owner would want to be that busy is quite another question).

Two of us had burgers had El Ancla on Tues....85 pesos each, the meat was OK but had a very strange taste or flavor of some spice or herb that was off putting (to us).
The fries were the less than ordinary, but edible.
How unhealthy can french fries be?...like if I quit eating them now I can live another 75 years.     
Agree with coffeeguy, nothing compares with Ismet's quality of food served.  BTW...he is looking for a larger location, that's reasonable to rent.

CanuckBob wrote:He should set up a high end eatery in the old casino beside Torito's. Give Tango and #4 a run for their money.

He probably couldn't afford to get the gravamenes lifted off that place in order to do business there.

There's a nice vacant former restaurant across from Sunrise Cafe that's been for rent for a long, long time.  Good location and plenty of parking.  

If you really want some fries, Chimi's little restaurant, across from the back gate at LCS on 16 de Septiembre, makes them fresh from the potato. I've seen his wife cooking 'em. The rest of the food is good, too.  Nothing fancy, but very fresh and inexpensive.

I would be thrilled to eat Ismet's food in a better location ...

lobita wrote:I would be thrilled to eat Ismet's food in a better location ...

We had lunch there today and it was the first time in recent memory the place wasn't packed. I guess the snowbirds really have headed north.

My wife had a truly astonishing lunch special: Duck confit (leg and thigh), in Thai red sauce with vegetables and mashed yams. We're big fans of traditional French duck confit and know how much work goes into making it; this was an innovative twist on the original with complex flavors. 150 pesos and worth every cent - and that coming from folks whose eating out mostly consists of local Mexican food where 40 pesos buys us a meal for two.

Ismet's cooking is at an entirely different level from anyplace else around here. Whether he stays put or moves elsewhere, we'll be paying close attention. We're really lucky to have him at Lakeside.

He used to live around the corner from me, he's a really nice guy, smart and fun to talk to as well.

How about we start a new thread about Gossips, since this one was supposed to be about El Ancla and it's getting a tad confusing?

Trailrunner wrote:He used to live around the corner from me, he's a really nice guy, smart and fun to talk to as well.

It's the Kenyan accent....but it doesn't affect his culinary skills.    

Gringal:

Remember, starting Tuesday April 1st, you can start filing denuncias for wandering off topic!

CheenaGringo wrote:Gringal:

Remember, starting Tuesday April 1st, you can start filing denuncias for wandering off topic!

....and being confused.

How about denuncias for border promotions, and getting "Blarney Stoned".