La Casita del Molcajete

Address:  Paseo Ramon Corona  #132
                Chapala, Jalisco
Phone:  376 765 4906
Hours: Monday - Sunday,  9am - 11pm
Credit Cards Accepted

Directions: From Walmart, head east on the Carratera towards Chapala, about 6 1/2 miles. Turn right at the stoplight, heading towards the lakefront. Take the next left, along the malecon. La Casita del Molcajete is located in the row of restaurants at the end of the market. There is limited parking in front of the restaurant, but ample parking along Paseo Ramon Corona.

 

First Impressions

La Casita del Molcajete is in the middle of a strip of restaurants at the eastern end of the Chapala malecon. In this area, it is sometimes hard to tell where one café ends and another begins.

Perhaps that is why it took us nearly a year to get around to trying this pleasant little restaurant.




The interior is spotless, one of the cleanest restaurants I have seen lakeside. We were early and there was only one other table of diners when we arrived so we had our choice of tables covered in bright green, blue and orange tablecloths.

Menu

The maître de greeted us and introduced us to our young waiter, who immediately took our drink order and brought out pico de gallo and salsa  to enjoy while we looked over the menu.



In addition to the cafe's namesake dish, a bubbling volcanic cauldron of cheese, peppers and seafood or steak called molcajete, the menu also offered a variety of appetizers, fish and seafood cooked to order, steak, soup, salads, and a few traditional Mexican dishes. 

La Casita del Mocajete has a full bar, wine and beer as well as non-alcohol beverages.

We ordered fried shrimp and my companion said that it was some of the best he has tasted anywhere. The plate held a generous number of shrimp, steamed squash, a green salad and bread. The shrimp was lightly breaded and served hot, but not overcooked.

We also ordered chicken fajitas. The chicken was well seasoned and accompanied by refried beans, guacamole and a green salad and served with warm, thin corn tortillas. It was fresh, authentic and delicious.

Ambiance and Service

La Casita del Molcajete is a clean and pleasant café, though it appears rather dull on the outside. There is traditional music playing quietly in the background, so we were able to talk while we dined.

The young staff was courteous and paid attention to our table, attending to our needs without any prompting and without making us feel as if we were rushed.

The restaurant started to fill up just about the time we were ready to leave, and it is apparent that this is a favorite with local diners.

I stopped in the ladies' room before leaving and was pleasantly surprised. This is one of the nicest, and cleanest, public restrooms I have encountered in Mexico. I always feel good about eating at a restaurant that pays such close attention to these details.

Price

Prices are  reasonable, aligned with the cost of dinner at the surrounding restaurants on the malecon. We were happy to see that La Casita del Molcajete takes credit cards, except for American Express, though we had our pesos ready just in case.

Entrees, 4 glasses of wine and tip came to $500 pesos, less than $40US.

 

Our Recommendation ****

Put La Casita del Molcajete on your list of lakeside restaurants to try. The food is very well prepared and delicious, the service attentive and courteous and the prices will not make a hole in your budget.

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.

Los Telares

Address: Morelos #6, Ajijic
Phone:  376-766-0428
Hours: Tuesday - Saturday 12:00 pm - 9:00 pm; Sunday 12:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Credit cards accepted: Visa, MasterCard, American Express
Reaervations accepted

Directions: Travel towards lake on Morelos in Ajijic. Restaurant is on left before getting to lake. Parking is on the street and very limited. Drive all the way to the lakefront and park on the left or right of the pier.

First Impressions

Los Telares' rather ordinary entrance opens onto a beautiful outdoor dining room surrounded by trees and tropical bushes. Tables are shaded by brightly colored umbrellas. Soft instrumentals play in the background, it is exactly the kind of place you want to linger over lunch on a sunny late spring afternoon.



Outdoor dining at Los Telares

The high season has past in Ajijc, so we were one of only two couples having lunch on Wednesday afternoon. I often worry about the really good restaurants, like Los Telares.  How can they manage to stay in business once the snow birds and tourists are gone for the season?

The Menu

Los Telares menu offers a nice selection of appetizers and entrees, fish and shellfish cooked to order and Mexican specialties.

There is a full bar and wine and beer are  available. The waiter brought out an interesting starter, totopos with braised mushrooms and potatoes. It was very good and different from the salsa and chips served at most area restaurants.

Roasted Garlic Appetizer

We ordered the roasted garlic and bread as an appetizer. The plate came from the kitchen with three huge heads of soft, fragrant garlic. The garlic easily squeezed from the heads onto the toasted bread. This is a large appetizer and we took most of it home with us.

After perusing the large menu, we decided on chicken mole and a Cesar salad with shrimp. The chicken mole was served with roasted bananas.  The chicken was moist and tender, the mole sauce dark and just spicy enough.

The Cesar salad is attractively plated, served with tomato rings around the huge hunks of crisp romaine lettuce. The dressing is made in-house and delicious. I was tempted to ask for the recipe.

Los Telares is known for excellent coconut shrimp, which is what we ate on our very first visit and what convinced us to come again.

We were served a good Sauvignon Blanc, chilled to precisely the right temperature.

Ambiance

The outdoor dining room is shaded by large tropical trees. Clean, bright table cloths cover the  tables. There appears to be some limited indoor dining, but the attraction of eating at Los Telares is the al fresco dining.

It is a relaxing and pleasant  atmosphere. About half way through our meal, a lone mariachi approached our table and offered to sing 5 songs for us for $100 pesos.

Lone Mariachi

Though he is from Chapala, he told us that he must come to Ajijic as there are no tourists left in his hometown.

We love to engage the local people in conversation and this interlude was pleasant to us. He sang some standard mariachi songs and didn't seem to mind when we crooned along to La Paloma.

Service and Price 

As in most fine restaurants along Lake Chapala, the service is excellent, attentive, polite and prompt. The price of entrees is average for the area, in line with other fine restaurants in the heart of Ajijic.

Chicken mole priced at $90 pesos, Cesar Salad, $70 pesos. This time of year, when business is so slow, management should consider offering a lunch special.

There are separate bathrooms for mujeres and hombres, they appear to have been recently updated and are very clean. If the bathrooms are this clean, I feel confident that the kitchen is also as scrupulously cared for.

Our Recommendation  ****

We  highly recommend Los Telares as a great place for lunch or dinner. The meals are consistently good and service is excellent. The dining area is so pleasing to the senses, it makes a lovely place to linger over a wonderful meal and glass of wine.   

Maquina 245:La Estacion de la Hamburguesa

Address: Carretera #152, San Antonio, Tlayacapan
Hours: Wednesday to Monday 8 AM - 2:30 PM; Closed Tuesday
Cash Only

Directions: From Walmart, travel east on the Carretera about 1/2 mile to the first stop light. Maquina 245 is on the left (mountainside), on the second floor above the papelaria.

First Impressions


Stairway to Maquina 245

Maquina 245 is a burger place located on the second floor above a paper store. It is not accessible to anyone who has trouble walking or navigating steep stairways. The décor is interesting, once you climb the stairs to get to the restaurant, with model trains and railroad crossing signs.

There are tables inside the restaurant and outside on the porch area. Because of the second floor location, it catches a nice breeze. The restaurant appeared very clean and the owner greeted us warmly.

Menu

The menu is limited but interesting, it is a burger place, after all. There are a few starters, such as nachos, and a short list of burgers in a variety of meats, including traditional hamburger, buffalo burger, lamb burger, wild pork burger and ostrich burger. All meals come with thick, seasoned fries.



Buffalo Burger

The drink menu is limited to a few varieties of beer, white and red wine and soft drinks. We ordered white wine. Unfortunately, it was served warm and had turned to vinegar. It was a shame, since the wine was the least expensive that we have seen lakeside at $35 pesos per glass and the waitress gave us a generous pour.

But, we could not drink it. We traded the soured wine in for a Pepsi and a craft beer made in Chapala. The beer was quite good, light and red in color.

We ordered a traditional hamburger and a buffalo burger. The burgers were cooked to order and came out on huge crusty buns. The fries were well seasoned, soft and delicious.



Craft Beer made in Chapala

The burgers were cooked medium well and topped with caramelized onions and peppers. There was no dessert menu, however, the waitress brought a basket of individually wrapped cookies and offered us each one, "on the house." The cookies were fresh and moist. 

Ambiance and Price

The theme of Maquina 245 is trains and there are images, signs and train signals everywhere. The dining area is open and breezy. There are benches and wooden tables, couches and coffee tables. We sat outside and it was like being at a picnic.

The service was prompt and friendly. The waitress returned our wine immediately when we indicated that it was not good and replaced it with something else without an argument.

While we were there, a friend of the kitchen staff showed up. She appeared to be sick, coughing and sneezing, but walked right into the open air kitchen. I probably would have enjoyed my meal more if I had not seen this.


Burger Menu

Our meal came to $240 pesos for 2 burger plates, 1 craft beer and 1 Pepsi, or about $18 US.

Our Recommendation  **
The food is tasty if you want just a burger, though it is a bit pricey. Because I took a sip of very warm, rancid white wine, it soured the meal for me - literally. Have a hamburger or a buffalo burger and a good craft beer made in Chapala but skip the wine.

Peacock Garden

Address: Calle Colon #8, Ajijic
Phone: (376) 766 1381
Website: thegardenajijic.com
Contact: thegarden_ajijic@hotmail.com

Hours of Operation: Monday - Friday 11 AM to 8 PM;  Saturday 9:30 AM - 8 PM; Sunday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Sunday Breakfast  9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Credit Cards Accepted

Directions: From Walmart, drive west on the Carretera to a right on Calle Juarez, one block past Calle Colon in Ajijic. Turn right onto Calle Flores and right on Calle Colon. Drive toward the lake. The Peacock Garden is on the left 1/2 block past the Central Plaza. Parking along Calle Colon is limited.  

First Impressions

The Peacock Garden is located in the heart of Ajijic on the main road to the malecon. The walls of the entrance are decorated with murals of Indios fishing the waters of Lake Chapala.

Beyond the walls, birds sing in the garden and a parrot squawks as you pass into a lush green outdoor dining room.A fountain bubbles up in the corner while peacocks and multiple varieties of chickens roam among the guests.

If Alice in Wonderland inspired a restaurant, this would be it. Peacock Garden is a fantasy restaurant come to life.

Menu

Once seated in the patio area, we were given a menu, in English, with multiple pages of tempting dishes that included appetizers, soups, salads, hamburgers, club sandwiches, and baguettes. We could also choose from the lunch menu or an entire dinner menu.

The theme is eclectic, with some Italian dishes such as alfredo and pizza, seafood, chicken dishes and steaks. We felt like having Italian food the afternoon we visited, and ordered Shrimp Alfredo and a small three cheese pizza.

The thin crust pizza was served bubbling hot.  The parmesan cheese over-powered the other tastes, which was disappointing.

I especially like the taste of goat cheese on pizza, and if there was goat cheese on this pizza, it was lost in the strong flavors of the other cheeses.
The small pizza was large enough to feed both of us. We ended up taking most of this dish home with us.

The Shrimp Alfredo was served in a creamy, well balanced  sauce with lots of perfectly cooked shrimp and accompanied by garlic toast.

We paired this meal with 2 glasses of a very nice Chilean Merlot.

The Peacock Garden has a full bar and good selection of beers and wines. They also offer an interesting selection of desserts, including fried ice cream and the ubiquitous flan, but this time we were too full to order even one dessert to split.

The restaurant is open every day, and opens early on Sunday for breakfast, which is served from 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

 

Ambiance

The Peacock Garden is like no place else lakeside. Dining here is like eating in a tropical aviary. You will almost feel guilty ordering chicken. We couldn't resist spreading crumbs around our table to summon the chickens and peacocks to dine with us.

There are arbors hanging with plants, lush stands of bananas on the borders of the garden, tables are arranged under a patio or al fresco, in the middle of the garden. A large fountain flowing at one corner blocks out any sounds of the village that may escape over the walls. This is a beautiful setting for lunch or dinner, for special events or romantic meal.

Price and Service

Service at Peacock Garden is laid back and pleasant. You can spend a long, leisurely lunch here and never feel rushed. We were well taken care of by staff, yet not bothered or rushed.

The prices are in line with the other fine restaurants in the lakeside area. A pizza was $110 pesos, the Shrimp Alfredo, $120 pesos, and wine was priced at  $40 pesos per glass.

Our Recommendation ****

I would eat here for setting alone. It is fun to spend the afternoon dining outdoors, with chickens and peacocks roaming around your feet.

The food selections are not necessarily creative, but rather standard fare well prepared. If you want to impress guests with a setting that is unique, different than you would find anywhere else in Lake Chapala, then this is the place to eat.

 

David's Cafe

Address: Calle Hidalgo #21, Ajijic
Phone: 376 766 2341

Hours of Operation: Monday - Saturday 8a.m. - 4 p.m.; Sunday 8 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Directions: From Walmart head west on the Carretera into Ajijic. Turn right on Calle Juarez, the first street past Calle Colon. Take first right on Calle Flores, then first right onto Calle Colon. Drive towards the lake for 2 blocks. Turn right on Calle Hidalgo. David's is 1 1/2 block on the right. Parking along the street is limited.

First Impression

David's Café is a small breakfast and lunch restaurant on a main thoroughfare in Ajijic. They advertise a family-style atmosphere.

There is a dining area in the front of the cafe, which is designated a non-smoking area, a short flight of stairs that leads to the kitchen and an outdoor courtyard where smoking is allowed.

Daily specials are listed on a chalkboard and customers are given breakfast and lunch menu from which to choose their meals. David's Cafe has high ceilings, plastic tables covered with multi-colored tablecloths and plenty of room between tables. It is definitely a casual place for breakfast and lunch.

The prices are very reasonable, probably some of the least expensive lakeside. We found a seat easily and were served by the proprietor almost immediately. We arrived just before noon and decided to order from the breakfast menu.

Menu

David's Café specializes in breakfast and lunch. Breakfast selections include French toast, sweet rolls, muffins, waffles, omelets, juices and coffee. Lunch selections range from traditional Mexican fajitas and burritos to hamburgers, sandwiches, and chicken pot pie.

The lunch specials were advertised on a chalk board  and included chili and cornbread, Swiss enchiladas, David's burrito and more. I ordered a sweet roll and coffee and my companion ordered a Mexican omelet with beans, sausage and tortillas. Our coffee was brought out right away and our meals served shortly after, hot from the kitchen.

The omelet was tasty, filled with tomatoes, peppers, onions and cheese. But, as you can see from the picture, only a small "dab" of beans accompanied the meal.


This was a disappointment. Beans are cheap and a good size serving would have made a nice impression on the plate and on their customer. The sweet roll was very fresh and served hot with a caramel and nut topping.

The coffee was tasty, but no one came to top off our coffee, in fact, no one ever came back to the table after our meal was served to see if we needed anything else - like a fresh cup of coffee. David's Café does not serve beer, wine or mixed drinks.

Ambiance

David's Café is kind of a cool little place, with high ceilings and a courtyard in back of the kitchen area and flags hanging on the wall to represent the native countries of their customers.

The tables are covered with clean, colorful table clothes. There is a steady stream of people in and out. After a while, I noticed that none of these people sat down to eat, but rather had come in just to use the restroom.

We did visit the restroom and were dismayed at the terrible shape it is in. There is one restroom for all genders, and it appears to be a former shower room. The sink is located outside the bathroom. Soap was available, but there were no paper towels. It is, of all the restaurants we have visited in Ajijic, the one with the most wretched washroom.

Price and Service  

Service at David's Café is average. We were served immediately after entering the restaurant, but felt abandoned after our meal was served.

No one checked on us or offered to heat up our coffee. We had trouble flagging down the waitress to get a check when we were ready to leave. 

When the check did finally arrive, however, it was quite reasonable. The cost for two to eat breakfast was $80 pesos, about $6.50. The moral of this story - you get what you pay for.

 

Our Recommendation **

Our plan was to not review restaurants unless we could recommend them to our friends. David's Café is right on the edge - it could become a really great little café with a few changes. We think it has potential. The food is good and prices are very reasonable. That is the most important factor in deciding to review this restaurant.

Service is unfocused, haphazard, as if there is no plan to take care of customers after the meal is served. The bathroom is truly terrible and needs to be updated. Management should also stop people who are not customers, from coming in off the street to use the bathroom - it is annoying. With these issues corrected, David's Café could become a great place for breakfast and lunch.

El Quetzal Restaurant

Address: Hidalgo #236, Chapala,
Phone: 376-765-6063
Hours of Operation: Monday - Sunday 9 a.m. - 7 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday - Breakfast Buffet from 9 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.; Live Music - Sundays from 3 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.

Directions: Start in Chapala, from the intersection of Calle Francisco Madero and Calle Hidalgo (the end of the Carretera).  Head west towards Ajijic on Hidalgo. Travel approximately 1 1/2 blocks. El Quetzal is on the left. An iron gate sports a sign announcing the restaurant and a sandwich board in the street advertises "El Quetzal". From the malecon in Chapala, walk west, past the Beer Garden. El Quetzal is just before the end of the malecon.

First Impressions

If the ancient Mayans had designed a restaurant, El Quetzal would have been the result. The quetzal, a beautiful tropical bird, was sacred to the Mayans.

The décor of this lakeside restaurant is like a museum of Mayan symbols - serpents, also sacred to the Mayans, coiling down the tamarind tree, the plumed serpent, representing the marriage of the quetzal and the serpent, and Mayan statues.

Customers enter from the street, or from the patio entrance on the western end of the malecon and dine alfresco, under the shade of the huge tamarind tree.

Our visit was on a beautiful spring afternoon.  We chose to sit at a table near the malecon so we could gaze upon the lake and the mountains in the distance. A warm breeze was blowing off the lake.

The Menu  

The waiter brought our menus immediately after we were seated, took our drink order and left us to read the menu. The menu is available in Spanish and in English.

El Quetzal specializes in steak, fish and seafood dishes. There is a tantalizing selection of appetizers, including fondos, soups, empanadas, quesadillas, molcajetes and ceviche.

A full bar is available, and a wine special was offered at 2 X 1 prices. The white wine was served cold, chilled to exactly the right temperature.

We ordered shrimp empanadas, refried beans and shark cooked in garlic. The waiter brought out a basket of huge totopos and a spicy salsa to whet our appetite while we waited. 

The shrimp empanadas were large and served sizzling hot with a crispy crust and accompanied by a small side salad and slice of watermelon.

The serving size was so large that I could not have had anything else to eat. I broke open an empanada to reveal a creamy cheese filling stuffed with shrimp.



The thin filet of shark, cooked in garlic, was accompanied by large wedges of fried potatoes and served with a small green salad and fruit.

The shark was tender and not overcooked. The refried beans were creamy and topped with melted cheese and totopos.

Some tempting sounding desserts on the menu made us think twice, but after a huge and satisfying meal, we were unable to try any of them. Looks like we will have to return for dessert.

El Quetzal is moderately priced, a little more expensive than some other restaurants lakeside. The shark was priced at $120 pesos and the empanadas, at $100 pesos. Wine was a bargain, though, at 2 X $40 pesos.

Ambiance   

The location and ambiance of El Quetzal is just about perfect. There is soft Mexican music playing overhead, the view of the lake and the mountains on the southern shore is lovely.

The manager of the restaurant, walks among the diners, chatting and making sure everyone is satisfied with their meals. 

The décor is unique and fun, with snakes coiling around the trees and statues of Mayan gods guarding the bar. El Quetzal is certainly  different from anyplace we have dined along the lake.

Our waiters were polite and very professional, anticipating our needs but not coming back to the table too often.

The restrooms are old, but they are clean. Mujeres and hombres have separate spaces. They could use some updating and the Mujeres had no paper towels or working lights.

Price

El Quetzal is not cheap, but the prices are reasonable for the quality of the food that is served. Our meals, including wine, came to $375 pesos, less than $30 USD

Our Recommendation ****

El Quetzal is in a unique and beautiful setting, a Mayan garden hidden from the street by an ordinary looking entrance.

The food is delicious and the 2 X 1 wine special makes eating here a bargain.

We are coming back to El Quetzal soon. I have a feeling this restaurant is destined to become one of our favorites.