Restaurants in Western Central Highlands
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Birriería las Nueve Esquinas
Half a dozen blocks south of the city center, the un-touristy Nueve Esquinas (nine corners) neighborhood specializes in birria, meat steamed in its own juices until it’s so tender it melts in your mouth. Birriería las Nueve Esquinas does it best. The open, tiled kitchen, with its in-house tortillería is as beautiful as the tasty and absurdly tender barbacoa de borrego (baked lamb) and birria de chivo (steamed goat) served in traditional ceramic casseroles. Enjoy them with a stack of fresh tortillas and smaller bowls of guacamole, pickled onions and salsa verde (green sauce) swimming with cilantro and perfectly ripe chunks of avocado.
reviewed
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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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La Antigua
The location and ambience outshine the food at this charming terrace restaurant overlooking the plaza. But it’s worth considering for the made-to-order salsa and tortillas and the sizzling molcajete de arrachera, a traditional beef and cheese stew simmering in a spicy chili sauce.
reviewed
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Chai
Guadalajara’s young and pretty pack into plush booths to sip chai lattes and nibble on panini at this casual hippie-chic café, home of the city’s best brunches. A second location, in a restored mansion in the upscale Zona Rosa has a sunny terrace and free wi-fi.
reviewed
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Karne Garibaldi
This place has two specialties: carne en su jugo (meat cooked in its own broth flavored with beans, bacon and green tomatoes) and fast service (so speedy it landed in the Guinness Book of Records in 1996). Neither will disappoint.
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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Danés
Dessert lovers flock to this neighborhood bakery that turns out a luscious array of Mexican and European pastries, from dark chocolate-oozing pan de chocolate to fruit-stuffed empanadas.
reviewed
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Casa Fuerte
This place leans toward fine dining, with an elegant bar, refreshing garden patio and a menu priced like an upscale Mexican restaurant in California. It’s one of the more popular spots in town.
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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Cocina 88
Moneyed Guadalajara’s restaurant of choice is located in a renovated turn-of-the-century mansion, where guests choose their cut of beef or choice of fresh seafood from a butcher case and select their wine from the cellar rather than a list. Here, surf and turf has many meanings, such as perfectly seared scallops and filet mignon carpaccio. It’s not cheap, but it isn’t a total budget buster. Seafood and beef are sold at cost and guests are simply charged a kitchen fee per person.
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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Mariscos el Social
The chef, known as 'El Socio' started serving his sensational ceviche and delicious shrimp and octopus cocktails, from his stainless steel cart on Glendale and Delicias, 20 years ago. He still works that corner, but he has a sit down café down the block that is equally great. Each week El Socio and his crew serve 350 kilos of shrimp and octopus. So, you know it's fresh. Order a shrimp and octopus plate if you're not into the soupy cocktails.
reviewed
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Ajijic Tango
You’ll dine on exceptional Argentine food at unbelievable prices at Tango, Ajijic’s most beloved restaurant. The intimately lit indoor-outdoor dining room is always packed with locals and travelers alike dining on huge, mind-blowingly tender cuts of beef and piles of perfect French fries doused with chimichurri (a parsley–olive oil sauce). The wood-fired pizzas look appealing on paper, but don’t get distracted: order the steak.
reviewed
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¡Ah Qué Nanishe!
The name of this restaurant means ‘How delicious!’ and the rich, chocolatey, but not overwhelming mole (sauce) is superb. Other Oaxacan delicacies like chile rellenos (stuffed chilis) or chapulines (crunchy fried grasshoppers) are also available and on Saturday and Sunday it serves barbacoa de borrego (barbecued lamb). Half orders of many mains are available which makes this spot a great value.
reviewed
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Café Madrid
What more could you want from a classic diner? The waiters are in white dinner jackets and the cash register, espresso machines and soda fountains are mint-condition antiques. Come for breakfast. The huevos rancheros (fried eggs on a corn tortilla with a tomato, chili and onion sauce served with refried beans) and chilaquiles (fried tortilla strips cooked with chili sauce) have been favorites for 50 years.
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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Mariscos Progreso
On weekend afternoons it feels like all of Guadalajara has packed into this patio seafood restaurant. Dressed-up Mexican families slurp ceviche and pass around platters of pineapple shrimp and huachinango al estilo Veracruz (snapper with lime and tomatoes) while mariachis wander from table to table. Oysters are a specialty – you’ll recognize the place by the oyster-shucking hut out front.
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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Tortas Ahogadas Cesár
This bare-bones café traffics in one thing and one thing only: tortas ahogadas, Guadalajara’s beloved hangover cure. Baguette-like rolls called birotes are filled with chunks of slow-roasted pork and drenched with searing salsa picante – ask for yours ‘media ahogada’ (half drowned) for less burn; only die-hard chili-heads should request ‘bien ahogada.’
reviewed
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Dulces Morelianos
Dulces morelianos – delicious sweets made with ingredients such as fruit, nuts, milk and sugar – are famous throughout the region. They’re showcased at Dulces Morelianos. This old fashioned chocolatería is stacked with truffles, preserves, candied nuts and sugary chunks of candied peaches and pumpkin, and patroled by women in ridiculous, starched green uniforms.
reviewed
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Los Naranjos
The purple-and-burgundy walls lend a laid-back elegance and there’s a nice collection of hand-blown glass, but come here for the simple and extremely tasty menu with great prices. Get five tacos for just M$39 and make sure to order the cilantro-heavy guacamole. It is outstanding and so are the beans. Two for one micheladas and great tequila prices too.
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