Mom's Deli and Restaurant

Address: On the Carretera, in the Riberas del Pilar area
Telephone: 765 - 5719
Hours: 7am to 2pm, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday Friday. Closed Wednesday
Saturday - Sunday 7am - 2pm Brunch 
Cash only; No Credit Cards Accepted
Take out available.

Directions: From Walmart, drive east on the Carretera approximately 2 miles to the Riberas del Pilar section of Lake Chapala. Mom's Deli is on the right. There is parking out front and on the side of the building.

First Impressions

Mom's Deli and Restaurant is a bright, clean, pleasant breakfast and lunch spot right on the Carretera in Riberas del Pilar. There is plenty of parking on the front and side of the building and along the quiet road that runs next to the building. The dining room has high ceilings and plenty of tables for customers.

This diner and bakery is always full of gringos, and for good reason. The food is reminiscent of a typical diner north of the border. It is good, hardy food. The coffee is steaming hot and ice tea is done right and constantly refilled.



Breakfast is a popular time for locals to gather at Mom's Deli and Restaurant. The menu includes fresh baked muffins and scones as well as pancakes, eggs, home fries, and fruit. The cinnamon roll French toast, pictured at left, is a favorite  among Mom's regular breakfast customers.

The Lunch menu always includes a daily special as well as a variety of sandwich plates that include egg salad, bacon lettuce and tomato and sliced beef and au jus, as well as salads, soups, and traditional meatloaf.

Included with the sandwich plates is a small side salad of either coleslaw, potato salad or macaroni salad. I had the macaroni salad which I thought was tasty. The coleslaw is very popular with diners.

One of our friends always orders the Asian salad, pictured at right, which she says is the best around. It is a huge serving with a tasty Asian dressing.

If you go, make sure to inquire about the daily special.

Ambience and Price

Eating at Mom's Deli and Restaurant is like your lunch break at the warehouse. The ceilings are high, the noise reverberates off the walls and if your dining companion is not right across the table from you, you may not be able to hear what they are saying.

There is no music playing, just the noise of others talking. I had breakfast with a group of friends and we could not hear each other.

However, the food was good and the service is fast and friendly. The waiter is a man with a local mission to children who are in the hospital during the holidays so he is a very special sort of person, as well as being an excellent waiter.

Our Recommendation ***

Mom's Deli and Restaurant is not a high end eatery, nor do they pretend to be. Prices are down right reasonable for high quality, simple and well prepared breakfasts and lunch fare. The menu is limited, but what they do, they do well. If you like diners and down home cooking, you will like Mom's Deli and Restaurant.

 

Nuevo Cafe Paris

Nuevo Cafe Paris
Address: Madero # 421, Chapala, Mexico

Phone: 3767655353

Facebook

Website (in Spanish)

Hours: 8am - 10:30pm Tuesday - Sunday

Live Music Wednesdays at 7:30pm

Directions: Nuevo Café Paris is located on the main route, headed north through Chapala towards Guadalajara. The café is on the right, just before the recently renovated plaza. Parking is available in front of the café and along the malecon. 

First Impressions

Café Nuevo Paris

Nuevo Cafe Paris is located on the main boulevard that runs through the middle of Chapala,  just a few steps from the central plaza and indoor farmer's market. The café looks brand new, though the plaque displayed prominently by the entrance boasts a history that dates from the mid-1950s.

Parking is available on the street outside the café, but we parked along the malecon and walked the short, two blocks to the restaurant to avoid having to back out into busy traffic when we left.  

The restaurant is open and airy, giving the feel of a casual, urban coffee shop. The dining room is bright and modern. Pictures of Paris line the walls. This morning, there were young couples sharing  milkshakes and several tables of businessmen, briefcases open, engaged in serious conversation over huge cups of coffee.  

Cafe Latte at Nuevo Cafe Paris

Because we had read online reviews that characterized Nuevo Café Paris as a breakfast and brunch cafe, we were surprised to learn that in addition to breakfast, Nuevo Café Paris also offers a lunch menu featuring hamburgers and fries, sandwiches and salads as well as a tantalizing selection of dinner entrees.

Nuevo Café Paris opens at 8am for breakfast and closes at 10:30 pm. every night except Monday. Wednesday evenings, live music begins at 7:30pm.  

   

Menu

Scrambled Eggs at Café Nuevo Paris

We found a table  against the picture lined wall and the waiter appeared immediately with menus written in Spanish and in English.  The breakfast menu features a variety of traditional Mexican dishes as well as American standards,  including hot cakes and eggs, breakfast burritos,  enfrijoladas, eggs benedict and frittatas. Light menu choices such as yogurt and a fruit plate are also available. 

And then there is the coffee - Cappuccino, Café Latte,  Cafe Americano, Espresso,  Café Paris (with a touch of flavor) and hot chocolate.

We ordered a Café Americano and a Café Latte, both served steaming hot in over-sized cups. The foam on the latte was embellished with a design that was a work of art. It was almost too beautiful to drink. This is probably the very best cup of coffee I have had in Chapala.



Enfrijoladas

After pouring over the menu selections, we finally settled on a traditional American breakfast of scrambled eggs served with hash browns, beans and a toasted muffin and enfrijoladas, a  Mexican breakfast dish. 

The eggs were scrambled until dry, which is common in Mexican restaurants, and the hash browns crisp with no hint of grease. The muffin was split, buttered and seasoned.

The enfrijoladas, cheese filled tortillas topped with a thick, cream sauce, demanded an order of tortillas to sop up every last bit. This was a satisfying and delicious meal.

 

Service and Price

Dining room at Café Nuevo Paris

Service at Nuevo Café Paris is prompt, friendly and professional. We were served quickly and our waiter checked to ensure we were enjoying our meals, though we never felt rushed.

Like most other restaurants in Mexico, the bill was not presented until requested. The menu items were all moderately priced. The cost of our breakfast only $169pesos, less than $12usd.

Our Recommendation ****

We highly recommend Nuevo Café  Paris for breakfast or brunch. We had no idea, even after living lakeside for nearly two years, that Nuevo Café Paris was anything more than a coffee shop, and that is why we had not visited earlier. Don't make the mistake that we did - visit Nuevo Café Paris for good food served with an artistic flair, friendly, attentive service in a pleasant, bistro-like environment.

Deli 8 Restaurant-Bar

Address: on the Carretera Chapala - Jocotepec, in San Antonio, Tlayacapan
Phone: 376-766-1569
Hours: Open Mon - Fri 7 AM - 6 PM; Sat - Sun 9 AM - 8 PM

Wifi Available; Animal friendly.  
Credit Cards Accepted: MC and Visa
Facebook
 
Directions: From Walmart, drive east on the Carretera for approximately 1/2 mile. Deli 8 is located on the right, next to Handy Mail. Several parking spaces are located in front of the café and across the street on the lateral road.

First Impressions

Deli 8 Restaurant-Bar is a small, sidewalk café located in the strip of shops along the Carretera in San Antonio, Tlayacapan. There are 4 or 5 tables on the sidewalk, under an awning, and a few tables inside the restaurant dining area which opens onto the sidewalk.

This is casual dining with customers sipping coffee and reading the newspaper, others using the restaurant's wifi while expats gather for breakfast, their dogs lying at their feet.

At first glance, Deli 8 looks like just a coffee shop, but it is so much more. This is a full service restaurant that is open all day, everyday, and offers a full breakfast menu, lunch and dinner and even advertises happy hour every evening.

Menu

Deli 8 offers an amazing variety of dishes from their small kitchen. We had breakfast with friends on a cool December morning and found  a table outside. Our friends appreciated that their dog was welcome in the outside dining area.

We had heard very good things about Deli 8 but were unprepared for the large selection of tempting dishes on the menu. This included eggs any style, omelets, eggs Benedict, pancakes, French toast, waffles, oatmeal, enfrijoladas, chilaquiles, and even a club sandwich.


Two of us ordered waffles, one topped with strawberries and whipped cream and the other with cajeta - a caramel like sauce.

One of our group ordered enfrijoladas, tortillas wrapped around chicken and topped with cream sauce, and our other friend ordered pancakes and bacon.

Everything was served hot from the kitchen, though not all at the same time. The quality of our meals was so good that we hardly noticed the minor timing issue.



The enfrijoladas were the best our friend had every tasted - no other breakfast restaurant lakeside comes close, according to him. The waffles were hot and crisp, classic Belgian waffles filled with strawberries and whipped cream or topped with caramel. The pancakes were light and airy served with a generous portion of crisp bacon.

We had coffees and chai tea, but we could have chosen from a wide array of gourmet coffees, including cappuccino, hot chocolate and juices. Everything was so good that a few days later, we went back again for more.

We have only had breakfast at Deli 8, but after tasting the food, we are motivated to return and have lunch. Once we do, we will update this review. But, I couldn't let such a gem go unreported and un-reviewed another moment.

Service and Price

The service at Deli 8 is prompt and attentive. Our cups of coffee were topped off before they got completely empty. The only problem, and it is very minor, is that all of our food did not come out at the same time. The prices for breakfast start at 30 pesos with the most expensive item topping out at 65 pesos.

Their lunch menu offers a variety of baguettes, arrachera steak, spaghetti, hot dogs, hamburgers, bbq ribs, grilled chicken, salads, salmon in shrimp sauce, fish fillets, soup and more.

We can't wait to sample something from their extensive menu when we return. Deli 8 also serves wine and beer.

 

Our Recommendation ****

The owners and staff of Deli 8 go out of their way to do everything possible to delight their customers. What we liked? The delicious food cooked to order, a varied menu, attentive service, reasonable prices, wifi connection, convenient hours, and pleasant, unhurried atmosphere.

Eat at Deli 8. I insist.

Fonda Dona Lola

Fonda Dona Lola
Carretera Poniente 36
Ajijic, Mexic
376-766-4455
Hours: Mon - Wed 8 AM - 5 PM; Fri 8 AM - 5 PM; Closed Thursday; Sat - Sun 8 AM - 3 PM
No Credit Cards accepted

Directions: Head west from Walmart on the Carretera approximately 2 miles. Just over the hill, on the west side of Ajijic, Fonda Dona Lola is found on the left (lakeside) across from Casa del Waffle and the car wash.  Ample parking in front of restaurant.

First Impressions

The auditorium size restaurant is located on the main highway through Ajijic, just west of town. The huge brick building sits back off the highway and is easy to miss.

Steps lead into the vast dining room, however, a ramp provides access for those unable to manage the steps.

Abundant parking is located in front of the restaurant. The dining room is open and very clean and reminiscent of a school cafeteria.


Menu and Service

We visited Fonda Dona Lola based on the recommendation of a friend, who told us to try their breakfast.

We arrived early and found a table close to the door. We were one of two couples having breakfast on a Monday morning. The waiter came to our table immediately and handed us an extensive breakfast menu, written in English.

We were served coffee and a basket of toasted bakery bread while we considered what, among the tasty offerings, we would order.

The menu included an impressive number of traditional egg dishes, pancakes, fruit as well as Mexican specialties.

We settled on pancakes and were glad we did. Our breakfasts were served hot from the kitchen.
We were pleasantly surprised, as these are some of the best pancakes we have had in the area.

The bacon was crisp, just the way we like it and the scrambled eggs were cooked to retain some moisture, and were fluffy, though not undercooked. 

The waiter was attentive, filling our coffee cups several times during the course of the meal.

Price

Every menu item at Fonda Dona Lola is reasonably priced. Our pancake breakfasts, one with bacon and the other with scrambled eggs, a basket of fresh bread, and two cups of coffee came to an amazing $110 pesos, about $8.50.

Our Recommendation ***

Fonda Dona Lola has to be one of the best deals in town for breakfast. The food and service are good and it is nice to find a place with adequate parking right in front of the restaurant.

Restaurante Delicias

Address :Ave. Hidalgo #277, Chapala  
Phone: 765-5021
Facebook: www.facebook.com/desayunosdelicias
Wifi Available
Credit Cards Not Accepted

Hours: Daily, 8 a.m. - 1 pm.

Directions: From Walmart, take the Carretera east towards Chapala for about 4 miles. Delicias is on the left, just past Hotel Monte Carlo and the Farmacia Guadalajara. Park along the street. 

First Impressions

There is a reason why Delicias is a local favorite for breakfast. You can order just about any breakfast food you can imagine. The food is simple and tasty and the prices are right.

Delicias is easy to miss. It is housed in a plain brown building that fades into a long line of other, nondescript buildings along the Carretera., just west of Chapala. 

Like many restaurants in the Lake Chapala area, you cannot judge the quality of the food by looking at the exterior of the business.

The double doors open into a large, Mexican style dining room with plenty of seating. Through the back door is a pleasant patio dining room surrounding a fountain. Smoking is not allowed on the patio.

There is limited parking along the road outside the restaurant, however, if you are willing to walk about a block, you can park west of the restaurant, on the road that runs between the Farmacia Guadalajara and the Monte Carlo hotel.

Delicias is clean and pleasant. Restrooms are just off the patio area, with separate facilities for hombres and dames. They are spotless.

We seated ourselves on a quiet Friday morning and the waitress brought our menus, took our drink order and gave us time to look at the menu. She returned with a pot of hot coffee and a basket of warm, whole wheat rolls.

Menu

The breakfast menu at Delicias is extensive, offering the most varied breakfast selection of any lakeside restaurant. Eggs are  cooked almost any way you can imagine; eggs benedict, Mexican style eggs, ranch style eggs, omelets, burritos, and American style breakfast with eggs cooked al gusto ( as you like them).

You can also choose chiliquiles, served with or without chicken or chorizo and with red or green - or both - sauces. The menu also offers waffles, hot cakes and crepes.

Many meals come with bacon or link sausage, hash browns or beans. The three page menu is  chock full of choices. What do you feel like eating? It is most likely on the menu at Delicias. Beverages include coffee, tea, shakes, smoothies and juices.

We ordered the hot cake combo, served with three hot cakes, 2 eggs, 2 sausage links and hash browns and an order of waffles, with strawberries and a side of bacon.

The scrambled eggs were cooked just right, not too dry, and the pancakes were light, served with butter and syrup packets. The waffle was crisp, the strawberries freshly cut without the juice that makes a waffle soggy.

All in all, a satisfying meal. The coffee was good and the waitress came back to the table often to top off our cups.

Price and Service

Almost all the breakfast entrees are priced between $50pesos and $65pesos. Our meal, including coffee, came to $203pesos, or about $15US.

The service was very good, the waitress did not speak much English, but we were able to make ourselves understood and got exactly what we ordered. The menu was written in English, so when in doubt, we could just point to a selection.

Our Recommendation ****

We tried Restaurante Delicias last year and thought the food was quite good. We have not gone back since then because during our research, we read some bad reviews on a local expat forum. None of the negative comments we read mirrored our own experience at this restaurant, so I would caution visitors to take the information gleaned from these forums with a grain of salt. If you are looking for a delicious, hearty breakfast, at a reasonable price, we recommend Restaurante Delicias to you.

La Casa del Waffle

Address:  Carretera Poniente #75
Phone:  376-766-1946
Hours of Operation:  Sunday - Saturday  8am - 2om
Web Page:  www.lacasadelwaffle.com.mx
Facebook:  www.facebook.com/lacasadelwaffle

WIFI Available
Credit Cards not Accepted

Directions:  From Walmart head west on the carretera approximately 2 1/2 miles. Casa del Waffle will be on your right just past the car wash and Roberto's restaurant. There is parking available in front of the restaurant.

First Impressions

La Casa del Waffle is located on the western edge of Ajijic, on the right side of the Carretera, when headed west. There is a small, but adequate parking lot in front of the restaurant.

La Casa del Waffle offers outdoor seating and some indoor seating, with a large open door onto the patio. This is a clean and pleasant little breakfast café. Free wifi is available for customers.

I almost did not review this restaurant because I thought it was a chain. But, turns out that the "chain" started in Ajijic, and this La Casa del Waffle is the original restaurant. The other two restaurants in Guadalajara and Talaquepaque are based on the Ajijic model.

When we arrived at about 10 am on a Friday morning and there were plenty of available tables. Very loud American rock music was playing, almost too loud to carry on a conversation.

Menu  

We have been to La Casa del Waffle several times since we have lived at Lake Chapala. This is as close as you are going to get to Denny's or IHOP in Mexico.

La Casa del Waffle offers a variety of fruit topped Belgian waffles, pancakes and traditional eggs, potatoes and bacon, but also has a few traditional Mexican breakfast specialties.

They also offer a children's menu, so this is definitely a family friendly restaurant. On Sunday mornings, after church, lines form outside Casa del Waffle, waiting for a seat.

This morning we ordered the Good Morning Breakfast - sausage and eggs on toasted English muffins, topped with gravy -  and a plate of scrambled eggs, bacon, and refried beans, accompanied by an a la carte order of biscuits.
 
Our meals were served hot and were good, almost like a real American breakfast. The biscuits were not really biscuits, qua biscuits, but rather breakfast yeast rolls, cut open and toasted.

I was a bit disappointed that they were not real, southern style biscuits but I realize that not every place in the world interprets biscuits like this southerner.

The coffee was very good, and a waiter came by the table to freshen our cups almost as soon as they were empty.

 Service and Price

The service is very good at La Casa del Waffle. We were waited on immediately, and served coffee while we read the menu. When we have visited previously, we were served a small basket of bread, but not this time. I am not sure why.

The waiter kept our coffee cups filled and was a little anxious to remove our plates before we were finished with our meals.

Our meal, without tip, came to $222 pesos,  or about $17US, about what we pay in the US when we visit a breakfast chain restaurant.

Our recommendation ***

La Casa del Waffle is a good place for breakfast if you want traditional, familiar, breakfast food. This is a nice, clean restaurant with a pleasant atmosphere and good food at a fair price.

If you sit in the patio area you can lessen the effects of the blaring music, which will improve your experience significantly.
  

El Arbol de Cafe

Address: Calle Hidalgo #236-4
               Chapala, Jalisco
Phone:    376 765 3908
Hours:    Monday - Saturday, 8am - 3pm

Directions: From Walmart head east on the Carratera approximately 4 1/2 miles. El Arbol de Cafe is on the right (lakeside) of the road, across from the murals and next to the entrance of El Quetzal Restaurant. Parking along the road is limited, but El Arbol de Cafe is a short walk from the malecon where parking is plentiful.

First Impressions

El Arbol de Café is a neighborhood coffee shop with a limited breakfast menu. I have driven by here many times without paying attention to this art-filled shop when on the way to Chapala from Ajijic.

One day we were walking up the sidewalk from Chapala and spotted a friend coming out of the shop with a bag of coffee beans.

 "Best coffee lakeside," he said. Instead of taking his word for it, we stopped in to try it for ourselves and it is, indeed, very good coffee. There are tables inside the café and outside. The café has a lot of original art displayed on the walls and also for sale.

Menu

El Arbol de Café is mainly a coffee shop. You can order your cup of java and sit at an outdoor table to take in some people watching, order a bag of whole beans to take home, or have it ground as you wait. There is also a limited breakfast menu available and a few sweet treats offered to accompany your cup of coffee.

Ambiance and Service  

This is the kind of place you can come to linger over a cup of coffee and read the newspaper, or check your email.

We ordered our coffee at the counter, but the barrista brought it to our table and checked back later to make sure that we were satisfied.

El Arbol de Café has the air of a small, independent coffee shop in the states - cool, serene and just a little bit funky.

Price  

Prices are reasonable at El Arbol de Café.  Coffee to take home is $130/kilo, or about $10 for 2.2 pounds and worth every penny.

Our Recommendation ***

Only three stars because this is not a full restaurant, but rather a coffee shop. However, we know that visitors for the weekend, or longer, like to know where to get a good cup of coffee and a decent internet connection. If you are in Chapala, El Arbol de Café is the place to go for both.

Cafe Negro

Address: 158 B Carretera of Chapala - Jocotepec and Calle Allen W. Lloyd, San Antonio, Tlayacapan
Hours of operation: Monday - Saturday 8:30 AM - 4 PM, Sunday 8:30 AM - 2 PM
Summer Hours (May-October) 8 AM - 2 PM Tuesday through Sunday (Closed Monday)

Directions: From Walmart head east on the Carretera approximately 1/4 mile. Cafe Negro is on the left. Across from AbsolutFenix Realty and the bus stop.

First Impressions

Café Negro is a bustling, busy little café on the lateral road next to the Carretera in San Antonio. There are a few tables set up on the narrow sidewalk near the entrance to expand the small indoor dining room. There are two tables with umbrellas to block the sun and a table with no umbrella and as many tables as can be packed into the indoor dining area.

This place  is always busy, full of expats and visitors to the area. It is jam packed inside, but freshly painted and clean.

There are no hours posted on the front of the café, no phone numbers, no website or social media posts or reviews for this café. From the menu, it appears as if the café is open Monday through Friday.

Menu

Café Negro has a small menu of daily breakfast entrees that change each day of the week, but we were told we could order anything off the menu. There is a nice  selection of beverages - coffee, tea, hot chocolate and juices. You must ask for water if you would like a glass with your meal. The coffee was served hot, but was a bit weak and watery tasting.

The menu includes crepes, several varieties of omelets, scrambled eggs, bagels, fruit, yogurt, and a vegetarian frittata. The morning we visited we ordered a ham and cheese omelet and  vegetarian frittata, which were both served with a cup of fresh fruit and toast.

Our meals came out of the kitchen quickly. The ham and cheese omelet was very good with a generous amount of ham and cheese.

The fruit cup had fresh strawberries, melon and kiwi, a nice accompaniment to the breakfast. The shredded zucchini and carrots that topped the frittata were barely cooked, almost  raw. I had expected something different, so it is probably my own fault that I was not happy with my meal and could only eat about half.

I would not order this again, though the presentation was beautiful. If the vegetables had been cooked properly, it probably would have been delicious.

Ambiance

Café Negro is a tiny café. There is not enough seating, inside or outside, for the large number of customers. Be ready to sit very, very close to your neighbors. Grab a seat outside, under an umbrella, if a table is available.

There is music playing in the background, not too loud, golden oldies that so many Mexican restaurants assume will appeal to their customers. Café Negro's customers are mostly retired residents of Canada and the US.

Parking is plentiful and located along the lateral road in front of the café. It appears as though many of the customers walk to the café from nearby neighborhoods. Service is prompt, perfunctory, almost brusque. You certainly don't feel like loitering at your table, having another cup of coffee, chatting with your companion or reading the Guadalajara Reporter at Café Negro - get in, eat and get out.

Price

The price for a full breakfast at Café Negro is very cheap. We ate two full entrees and had two American coffees for $138 pesos. What was a little disconcerting was the charge for topping off our coffee. Our bill included a $10 peso per cup charge for each refill.

Really? A charge for topping off my cup of coffee? I could understand a charge for specialty coffee refills, but for heating up a regular cup of coffee when the meal is served? I had to ask several times before an obviously perturbed waitress refilled our cups and told us - in Spanish - that she was charging us for the refill.

It surprises me when businesses do not realize that little things - refilling a cup of coffee, pleasant wait staff  - are what bring customers back again and again.

Our Recommendation ***

The food is average at Café Negro and the dining room and serving areas are clean. If you want a quick breakfast, with decent food at reasonable prices and don't mind snarling wait staff and an extra charge each time your coffee cup is topped off, then Café Negro fills the bill.

Our joke about places like this is that if you get on their nerves, by asking for a glass of water or to have your coffee topped off, they add a PIA charge to your bill - because you have been a pain in their posterior. I suspect we got a PIA charge on our bill for bothering them for a refill of our coffee.

But, I could be wrong. Maybe they treat all of their customers like pains in their ...well, you get the idea. Personally, I have come to expect courteous service and the welcoming, relaxed atmosphere of the local cafes, so I will not return to Café Negro. But, a lot of expats like this place, it is always crowded, so there must be some attraction that totally escapes me.

Try Café Negro if you must, but if you feel rushed and unwelcome, and get a PIA charge for asking the waitress to heat up your coffee, don't say I didn't warn you.

Ritchie 88

Address: #41 Calle Colon, Ajijic
Telephone: 376-766-4185
Facebook Page: Ritchie 88
Hours:                  Tuesday - Saturday  9AM - 4PM
                             Sunday 9AM - 3PM

Directions:  From Walmart, head west on the Carreterra to a right on Calle Juarez, one block past Calle Colon in Ajijic. Turn right on Calle Flores, and right on Calle Colon. Head south for 2 1/2 blocks. Ritchie 88 will be on your right just before the plaza. Parking is limited in this area.

First Impressions

Wednesday is market day in Ajijic and we were going to be in town for the afternoon, so we made plans to try Ritchie 88, a highly recommended restaurant near the main plaza.

Ritchie 88 is ranked #2 on Trip Advisor for restaurants in Ajijic. That is high praise, considering how many wonderful restaurants are in the area.

Currently, Ritchie 88 is only open for breakfast and lunch, however, the owner, Patricia, told us that she plans to extend the hours until 8 p.m. on Thursdays through Saturdays, starting the week of February 10, 2014. The full lunch menu will be offered at night as well as dinner specials.

We arrived at Ritchie 88 at about noon and were the only ones in the café. We were met at the door by the owner who seated us in the outdoor patio area in the back of the restaurant.

The restaurant is clean, pleasant and wonderful aromas were wafting from the kitchen. There were specials written on the blackboards at the entrance and a sandwich board with the special of the day - shrimp burger.

Menu

The menu offered a nice selection of breakfast and lunch plates. Breakfast included a number of omelets, waffles, French toast, and eggs any style, served with beans or hash browns. I would have had a spinach and goat cheese omelet but we arrived too late.

Too bad, because it sounded amazing. Instead I ordered a spinach salad with warm goat cheese. It was served with a basket of fresh bread and was absolutely delicious.

My husband ordered a chicken baguette that was also very good. The presentation was done with care and was lovely.

After our lunch was served, we were left alone to dine, soft classical music playing in the background, the beautiful Mexican sun shining in the courtyard and a soft breeze blowing, just enough to turn the whirligig in the garden.

We had a very good meal in a pleasant atmosphere. It made me wonder why there are not more people dining in this wonderful little café.

After our meal, we were offered a small selection of desserts and decided to try the warm brownie, topped with ice cream and crushed nuts. It was very good.

The lunch menu offered a number of baguettes, soups and salads. The soup of the day was lentil and I was tempted to try that. Ritchie 88 has a large selection of hot and cold teas and coffees, as well as wine and beer.

We were very pleased with our meals and are anxious to return to sample the selections off the breakfast menu.

 

Ambiance

The outside of the restaurant, in Ajijic, rarely suggests the ambiance inside the restaurant, and such is the case with Ritchie88. It has a modest, unassuming exterior and a bistro-like atmosphere inside.

There is art on the walls inside, classical music playing in the background and a courtyard with covered outdoor seating. There are orange trees, a pomegranate tree and wind chimes singing in the breeze.

Inside the restaurant is another  small dining room. The atmosphere is cozy and romantic.
I think it is a good idea for Ritchie 88 to offer extended hours, as this is a beautiful spot for a romantic, intimate dinner.

 

Service

We were served by the owner herself and she made sure that we were well taken care of and happy with the taste and quality of the food. But, otherwise, she left us alone to enjoy our meal. She made suggestions from the menu and made us aware of the specials of the day. Overall, the service was very good, which you would expect if waited on by the owner of the establishment!

 

Price

The prices are moderate, with house wine by the glass priced at $35 pesos and most entrees priced at about $70 - $86 pesos. Our total bill, with two entrees, hot chocolate, coffee latte, tea and dessert came to $260 pesos, about $20.

Our Recommendation ****

The lunch menu at Ritchie 88 is very good and we can recommend it to you for lunch. We plan to return to sample the breakfast menu. This is a nice place for lunch, close to the plaza but with intimate dining and excellent service.

Mario's Restaurant Familiar

Address: Ramon Carona #132,  San Antonio Tlayacapan
Phone: (376) 766 1452
Hours of Operation: Tuesday - Sunday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Closed Monday

Directions: From Walmart, head east on the Carretera, approximately 1/4 mile. Turn right on Calle San Jose. This is the right turn just before Superlake. Drive toward the lake for two blocks. Turn left on Ramon Carona. Mario's Restaurant Familiar is about 1/2 block on the left. It you reach the intersection by the plaza, you have gone too far.

First Impressions

Mario's Restaurant Familiar is located less than half a block from the central plaza in the small pueblo of San Antonio, Tlayacapan  It is the first place we eat that was recommended to us by a long time resident - our landlord. We ate there on our second day in the Lake Chapala area. We stopped into meet her at the real estate office and when we inquired about a really good restaurant for lunch, she suggested Mario's - in fact, she said she would take us there herself.

"Get in the car," she insisted, "I know a really good place for lunch." And off we drove, the wrong way down one way streets, weaving, whistling and talking the entire way. We pulled in front of a place that, had I not been introduced by Beverly, we might never have tried on our own. The restaurant looks very simple and rustic from the outside, with a sliding screen door and the name of the restaurant painted on the wall. I already suspected that Beverly was a little crazy, so was not sure what we would find inside.

But, to my surprise, the restaurant was clean and  pleasant and the owner and staff friendly and welcoming. We were off to a good start.

Menu

A daily lunch menu offers a large variety of dishes that includes seafood and beef dishes and salads. The daily specials are written on a white board - in Spanish. The waiter will gladly translate.

For lunch, we had Arrechera, recommended by our host, and fried shrimp with mango sauce.  The shrimp may just be the best I have had since arriving in town. It was a memorable meal. Our lunch was accompanied by fresh corn tortillas.

Other items on the menu included hamburgers and French Fries, shrimp cooked in a variety of ways, pescado (fish) dishes, and salads. A breakfast menu is available before noon.


So, a week later, we decided to return to Mario's Restaurant Familiar to try some of the delicious looking items on the  breakfast menu. This time we sat in the back of the restaurant, in an open courtyard behind the kitchen.

We ordered Huevos Rancheros and were treated to a feast that began with chips and salsa presented in a stone molcajete. The Huevos Rancheros were served with beans and freshly made corn tortillas.

We also had fresh squeezed orange juice and coffee.

 

Ambiance

Mario's Restaurant Familiar is a neighborhood café. It is not a place that is easy to find for first time visitors to Lake Chapala, but it is worth the journey into the small pueblo of San Antonio, Tlayacapan to experience a taste of authentic Mexican cooking.

The restaurant is simple, but clean and inviting. There is a very pleasant open dining area surrounded by green plants, reached by walking through the kitchen area.

Service is homey, friendly, and personal. After all, this is a family owned business.

Price

The price range for breakfast is between $50 and $95 pesos. Dinner entrees are also moderately priced. Two can have a filling seafood lunch for less than $240 pesos, about $18 dollars at the current exchange rate.

Our Recommendation ****

If you want a taste of excellent, authentic, Mexican cooking in a family owned restaurant, make the effort to find Mario's Restaurant Familiar. Try the shrimp with mango sauce. You will not be disappointed.

 

Yves Restaurant Bar

Address: Carretera Poniente #493

Phone: 376- 766- 3565

Website: Yves Restaurant

Hours of Operation:  Monday - Tuesday 8a.m. - 8:30 p.m.; Thursday - Sunday 8 a.m. - 8:30 p.m. Closed Wednesday

Credit Cards Accepted

Directions:  From Walmart, travel west on the Carretera through Ajijic. Approximately 1 mile past Calle Colon, Yves is on the left in a former inn. Turn left on either Calle Flores Magon or  Calle Rio Bravo then take the unpaved frontage road to Yves. There is parking on the road in front of Yves, just keep an eye out for Vino Blanco and Martini, the resident mother/son burros!

First Impressions

Yves Restaurant Bar was one of the first restaurants we visited when we arrived in Ajjijc. At that time, it was situated on the lakefront with beautiful views from the  patio of the mountains across the lake and the pelicans taking off from the marsh grasses.

Now located on the Carretera, the new Yves Restaurant still conveys a pleasant, al fresco atmosphere. The new location may be difficult to find for first time visitors because it is located off a small frontage road, behind the brick walls of a former inn, but there are signs indicating the entrance on the Carretera and the ubiquitous white burro, Vino Blanco, may just be grazing near the entrance.

Menu

Yves serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, one of the few restaurants in town that manages to pull off this feat and do it well. We usually visit at lunch time and are offered the choice of ordering off the breakfast or lunch menu. Since it is gauche - even for us - to drink a glass of wine at breakfast, we usually order off the lunch menu. We have never been disappointed with our meal at Yve's.  .

Breakfast ranges from salmon and cream cheese omelets to pancakes served with their very own honey to the Mexican specialty, chilaquiles. Lunch is an eclectic mix of Mexican standards, Italian food, burgers and soups. Yves is known for their wonderful salad bar that is available during lunch and dinner service.

Order off the dinner menu, if you are hankering for some wonderful Arrachera or Sea Bass with Garlic Shrimp, beginning at 1 p.m. Yves offers beer and wine as well as a full bar and has a variety of non alcohol beverages.

* Update: Yves serves a really good breakfast. This morning we stopped in for coffee and decided to order mushroom, cheese and spinach omelets. The dishes were served with hash brown potatoes and a choice of bacon or sausages and came with toasted wheat bread, accompanied by freshly made strawberry jam. You can also order juices, or a mimosa, with your breakfast.

Ambience

We loved Yves lakefront location, so I was prepared to be disappointed in the new venue. However, the new location is very nice in its own way - outdoor seating under umbrellas, a pool that has been transformed into a pond with fountain, and the ever present burro, a sort of mascot for the restaurant, grazing under a nearby stand of trees.

Yve's Restaurant Bar is located on the Carretera, yet the atmosphere is quiet and serene, thanks to the brick walls of the old inn.

The restroom - only one to accommodate both men and women - is spotless. The owner was buzzing about when we had lunch recently, greeting guests and making sure the details of the lunch service were just right.

Yves opens early, which we particularly like, so if we are in town before the traditional lunch starts at most local restaurants (usually not before 12:30 p.m.) we know we can get a good meal, in a beautiful atmosphere.

Service

The service at Yves is very good - prompt, courteous, efficient. We were seated quickly and our drink order taken right away. The owner is on hand to make sure that his guests are greeted and are happy with their meals.

Waiters have a much larger area to cover now, with seating along the water feature, under a grove of trees and inside the restaurant, but they don't seem to have a problem making sure that all of their guests are well served.

Yves, himself,  has extensive experience in the restaurant business and it is apparent in the service and quality of the food.

Price

Yves Restaurant and Bar is moderately priced, in keeping with comparable restaurants in Ajijic. Monday is specially priced at 10% off all lunch and dinner tickets. Salad is included with most entrees and if you order an appetizer, the salad bar is half price.

Our Recommendation ****

Yves Restaurant and Bar has relocated from the lake front but has not lost its charm, high quality food or excellent service. This is a popular place for breakfast - especially on Sunday morning or romantic lunch. In the high season, make reservations, especially if you are coming with a large group.