Must-see restaurants in Western Central Highlands

This heavenly place to flop down for refueling is living proof that no other country does atmospheric colonial cafes quite as well as Mexico. La Surtidora…

A lovely destination restaurant south of Plaza Villalongín, Chango offers cocina contemporánea de autor (contemporary signature cuisine) with maestro chef…

Tapalpa's classiest restaurant is just off the main plaza and offers quality dishes such as cheese- and plantain-stuffed chilies in a cilantro sauce,…

A favorite top-end restaurant in Guadalajara, the 'Mayor' is chef Paco Ruano's local venture, having cut his teeth at El Celler de Can Roca in Girona and…

It could very well be the 190 different mezcals from Michoacán, Jalisco and Oaxaca that keeps pulling us back to Tata, but we're more inclined to think it…

Take it from tapatíos (native Guadalajarans) in the know: this bright yellow-and-orange cafe serves the city's best tortas ahogadas, Guadalajara’s beloved…

This salt-of-the-earth restaurant doubles as a modest museum to local mask-making and offers typical cocina colimense (Colima-style cuisine). The combined…

If you're headed towards Volcán de Fuego from Comala, don't miss this classy outdoor restaurant. Surrounded by lush tropical forest, it enjoys truly…

This lovely garden restaurant run by a young couple from Oaxaca is a wonderful find. From the weekly-changing five-course tasting menu, choose such…

Guadalajara’s most inventive restaurant is this super-chic eatery west of the center. Sleek and industrial though the setting is, it’s the food people…

Self-dubbed a mercado gastronómico (gastronomic market), La Cantera is a sleek, modern affair in what once was a nunnery’s courtyard. Inside, a dozen…

This narrow, barnlike restaurant on a delightful Zapopan side-street of pastel-colored houses is bedecked with sunny colored textiles and specializes in…

Many restaurants in the village-like Nueve Esquinas (Nine Corners) neighborhood specialize in birria, meat stewed in its own juices until very tender…

Set in the heart of Tlaquepaque, Casa Luna spreads throughout an open courtyard under the shade of a large tree and inside as well. The cuisine is Mexican…

This favorite alta cocina (gourmet restaurant) establishment in Colonia Americas has whimsical takes on classic dishes – quesadillas sprinkled with rose…

A small, artful eatery, La Fregada brings the outside in with tropical plants, vine covered walls and a dining room that opens onto a lush hillside. The…

A self-proclaimed ‘bread laboratory,’ this tiny high end bakery offers a delicious range of baked goods from around the world: buttery croissants, melt-in…

An elegant restaurant with expansive tropical gardens and a wine cellar feel, this is the place to come for a leisurely breakfast or a special night out…

The chairs are plastic, there’s not much to look at decor-wise and service can be a bit slow, but so what? This place is about mix-and-match antojitos…

This hopping little restaurant specializes in big, steaming bowls of ramen noodles with loads of toppings that keep vegans to meat lovers equally…