Restaurants in Inland Michoacán
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Restaurante Lu
Inside the Hotel Casino, talented young chef Lucero Soto Arriaga turns humble pre-Hispanic ingredients into exquisite gems of alta cocina (Mexican haute cuisine). Her multicourse tasting menu might begin with tamales with smoked butter, then move on to delicate salads of dried nopal (cactus paddle) with caramelized pumpkin seeds, squash blossom-peanut tacos and whimsical confections of local fruits. Try to snag an outdoor table for perfect plaza views.
reviewed
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Mistonga
When you dine Argentine, steak is your best option. This gorgeous enclosed courtyard restaurant serves it in a variety of ways, such as milanesa (pounded thin and breaded) and chimichurri (marinated in a garlic, parsley and olive oil sauce). It also has a fantastic Argentine wine list.
reviewed
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La Surtidora
Waiters are dressed in chef whites, but don’t expect fine dining at this old-school café, which has been in operation on Plaza Grande since 1916. The beamed interior is perfumed with roasting coffee, it serves all manner of salads and the chicken enchiladas come topped with butternut squash.
reviewed
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Gaspachos La Cerrada
Gaspacho – a salad of diced mango, pineapple and jicama, drowned in orange and lime juice and dashed with salt, chili sauce and cheese (optional) – is a local delicacy served all over town. But according to locals, this place is the best.
reviewed
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Plaza San Agustín
A few cheap food stalls with lots of tables can be found under the covered arches here.
reviewed
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Plaza Chica market stalls
The Plaza Chica market stalls serve everything from fruit juices to tacos to tortas.
reviewed
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Iglesia La Inmaculada
Every night for more than 40 years, volunteers have served up local delicacies such as corundas (triangular tamales ), uchepos (fresh corn tamales ), fried quesadillas and buñelos (syrupy doughnuts) in the basement of this massive church, with proceeds going to charity. Buy a handful of tickets at the counter to redeem for food at the various booths – leftovers can be returned for cash. One of Morelia’s most memorable eating experiences.
reviewed
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La Casa del Portal
The setting, a converted three-story mansion, has history. Don Juan Villaseñor lived here during the 16th century and Lázaro Cárdenas retreated here when he was president of Mexico from 1934 to 1940. There’s a stunning upstairs bar, La Terraza, overlooking the Plaza de Armas, an in-house wine shop, oh and it serves meals. Specialties include a Purépecha trout smothered in red chili sauce and local cheese.
reviewed
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Al Taquito
This tiny taquería, near the aqueduct and the clandestine make out promenade - Callejón Romántica − serves up delicious nopales (cactus), chorizo, shredded pork and beef tacos and burritos. Its specialty, alambre, a diced mixture of onions, sweet peppers, beef and chorizo, covered in cheese and served with griddled tortillas, is a hit with local uni students.
reviewed
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Campestre Alemán
A few kilometers south of town, German-born Rolf Günter Hoppe runs a deliciously retro Bavarian-themed roadhouse, Campestre Alemán. Carloads of middle-class Mexican families tuck into platters of house-smoked trout, sausages and apple strudel at tables overlooking a pond teeming with fat white ducks. After lunch you can fish, rent a rowboat or buy German jam at the gift shop. Fun.
reviewed
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630
Ancient architecture and modernism coexist here, sometimes awkwardly and the menu is likewise off-beat - mingling Italian, Mexican and Thai dishes. But if you order right, you'll leave happy. The octopus carpaccio - with five thin slices of octopus sprinkled with sea salt crystals, parsley and drizzled with flavorful olive oil - is fantastic.
reviewed
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Fonda Marceva
Specializing in the cuisine of the tierra caliente (hot lands) region of Michoacán’s southeast, this lovely courtyard restaurant serves a mind-blowing aporreadillo (breakfast stew of eggs, dried beef and chili) and some of the best frijoles de olla (beans slow-cooked in a pot) we’ve ever tasted.
reviewed
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Cocina Económica Mary
This busy family joint smells delicious. The cafeteria-style open kitchen serves filling meals with your choice of main (eg, chicken mole, pulled pork with squash or chiles rellenos – stuffed chilies with cheese or meat), along with soup, rice, beans and freshly made tortillas.
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Mole Orapondiro
This sunny café specializes in one thing: a rich, thick and chocolatey mole sauce. Local ladies smuggle home bottles of it, so they can pass it off as their own. You can have it ladled over chicken, rice and beans and on tortas. Get here early because chicken always sells out.
reviewed
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Café La Pérgola
Ambience is old-school at this arched, cavernous café that serves everything from enchiladas to sandwiches to salads to cappuccinos. The clientele, mostly old men with backstory etched into their bones, is good fodder for sketch artists and photographers and it has a nice breakfast menu.
reviewed
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La Terraza de la Trucha
Irresistibly nestled at the north entrance of the national park, you’ll find a cozy table with shady cascade views and order the trout, of course. Get it grilled, crusted in macadamias or a la tampiqueña (with guacamole and beans). It comes with fresh chips and a searing salsa.
reviewed
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Super Pollo Don Emilio
Downing a plate of enchiladas placeras (plaza-style enchiladas) here is probably the quintessential Pátzcuaro dining experience. Handmade tortillas are dipped in salsa, fried, and served with succulent chicken quarters and heaping piles of carrots and potatoes. Expect a queue.
reviewed
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Govinda’s
Despite the Indian name and the Hindu art on the walls, this 2nd-floor vegetarian restaurant is not Indian, but serves an odd, yet tasty, international mishmash of cuisines. Massive combo lunches might include anything from curried broccoli to spaghetti to soy taquitos to yogurt.
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Mercado de Antojitos
The best place for down-home local cooking is the buzzing food court at the center of this labyrinthine market. The carnitas are renowned across Michoacán, and the tacos, pozole and cocadas (haystacks of caramelized coconut) ain’t half bad either.
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La Casa
An arty young crowd nibbles crepes, wood oven–fired pizzas and baguette sandwiches at this cozy courtyard café. The garden bar is a great place to sit with a cappuccino or a cerveza and groove to the sounds of Mexican indie rock in the background.
reviewed
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Restaurante Don Rafa
The bow-tied waiters at this narrow, intimate restaurant serve set, three-course menus starring Mexican classics, such as chicken mole. There are tablecloths and candles on the tables, but fluorescent lighting spoils the mood. Still, a good deal.
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Mirasoles
Authentic Michoacán cooking, including traditional bean soup, chicken mole and chamorro (pork leg dry-rubbed with chili and cooked in a clay pot), is dressed up and served in a gorgeous historic building. It serves more than 100 wines.
reviewed
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Doña Toya
At the top of a cobblestone hill and behind an unmarked red door, Doña Toya serves up the city’s finest sopes – disks of fried masa (dough) topped with shredded meat, salsa and fresh cilantro – at little plastic tables in her home’s front room.
reviewed
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Onix
This bizarre restaurant has a sleek, seductive décor and exotic menu items like scorpion and steak with star fruit and coconut sauce. The soundtrack is equally schizophrenic, but the food is good. The bar upstairs goes off on Fridays and Saturdays.
reviewed
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Tekare
Inside the Posada de la Basílica hotel, Tekare’s elegant, sun-drenched dining room has stunning panoramic views and a menu of dressed-up local dishes. Try the special, kurucha urapiti (‘white fish’ in the Purépecha language).
reviewed
