El Rincon de Frida

Address: Hidalgo Sur # 159, Jocotepec, Mexico
Phone: 01 387 763 2801
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Hours: Monday - Saturday, 9:00am to 11:00pm; Closed Sundays.
Special Events: Tuesday, poetry reading; Thursday, live entertainment.

Directions: From Walmart in Ajijic, drive west for 25 kilometers, into the town of Jocotepec. Turn left at the first stop light and drive about 1/2 mile, turning right at the third street. Turn right at the first stop light, onto Hidalgo Sur. Park along the street.

First Impression

El Rincon de Frida memorializes the Mexican artist, Frida Kahlo, on every wall, and in every decorative touch. Rarely do I get to use the word, bohemian, to describe lakeside restaurants, but that is precisely the word that fits this tiny soup. salad and sandwich shop.

Frida's has no parking lot. The only parking available is along Calle Hidalgo Sur, in front of the restaurant. We parked several blocks away and walked, but that was because of the festival going on in Jocotepec which had blocked many of the streets. It was later in the evening when we dined, but the streets were well-lighted and we felt safe walking to the restaurant.

Frida's dining room accommodates perhaps 25 at the most. Quotes from the artist are written on the wall, her picture is everywhere and she is referenced in almost every menu item.

On Thursday, live entertainment begins at 9pm. Tuesday nights are reserved for poetry reading. The owners have carved out a unique, artsy - yes, bohemian - corner that is popular with young locals and older expats.

We visited with a large group of friends and the waiters happily pushed together tables and created a space for all of us.

Menu

El Rincon de Frida's menu offers a nice variety of unique sandwiches and fresh salads, all reasonably priced from $40pesos to $72pesos. I ordered a "Flor de Vida," a vegetarian sandwich consisting of cream cheese, cucumbers, alfalfa sprouts, tomatoes, onion and lettuce served on toasted wheat bread and accompanied by a green salad.


It was delicious, the vegetables crisp and fresh. A friend ordered the "Diego en el Pensamiento," a house-made chicken salad, also accompanied by a green salad.

We also ordered "Papas a la Frida" - hunks of delicious roasted potatoes - to split. It was a good thing we only ordered one, since the portion size is huge and clearly made to share. Many in our party ordered one of the huge salad bowls and raved about the taste with every bite.

The drink menu includes soft drinks, large margaritas, and limited - but good quality - wines and beers.

Service and Price

Frida's waiters are patient, friendly and accommodating. They speak some English and seemed to understand the special dietary requests made by some in our party. I was impressed with how kindly they treated their older customers.

The meals are slow coming out of the kitchen, but that is because every order is made by the chef, who constructs each plate like an artist, when the order is placed. Nothing is prepackaged or pre-staged at Frida's. Because of the pleasant environment, our party was happy to wait for their orders to arrive.

This is not a fast food stop, so expect to stay a while. Entertainment began at 9pm on Thursday evenings when a funky duo performs traditional Spanish ballads.

Lola sings in a deep baritone, glancing occasionally at a cellphone for the lyrics to the romantic ballads, while the guitarist plays some pretty impressive accompaniment. It is interesting - and certainly unique - entertainment. I have not attended the poetry nights, but think that this would be interesting to hear in two languages.

Our Recommendation ****

If you find yourself hungry in Jocotepec, I can recommend El Rincon de Frida for good soups, salads and sandwiches in a friendly, funky, Frida-filled café.

If you are thinking of going in the evening, especially on the nights when there is music or poetry reading, make a reservation so you will be sure to get a table. Buen Provecho!

Chopstix, La Comida Oriental

Address: Bugambilias Plaza, on the Carretera in Ajijic
Phone: 376-766-1375
Hours: 11:30 - 4:30, M-F. Closed Saturday and Sunday
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Vietnamese Cuisine. Monthly Dim Sum by Reservation.
Cash Only; Credit Cards not Accepted

First Impressions

Chopstix is an unpretentious diner specializing in Vietnamese cuisine. The café is located on the ground floor, at the back of Bugambilias Plaza. Customers can also enter from a door that opens onto the side street. The dining room is bright and scrupulously clean. The kitchen and preparation areas are visible from the modest dining room.

Chopstix serves lunch only, Monday through Friday. Diners quickly fill up the tables at lunch time. This is a very popular place with expats. The menu is simple, with a variety of traditional Asian appetizers and main dishes, as well as a special that changes daily.

The owners are hands-on, greeting customers as they come through the door, over-seeing the kitchen and running the cash register, waiting on tables and making sure that customers are happy with their meals. A dessert menu, written on a chalkboard, consists of an ever-changing variety of ice creams made in house.

Menu

Traditional Asian appetizers and noodle-based main dishes are offered on a one page menu, with drinks listed on the opposite side.

Diners can choose to begin with pot stickers, fried spring rolls or fresh summer rolls. I have tasted all three and could make a meal out of just the appetizers alone. They are all delicious and cooked to order. The standard dishes offered each day are a noodle bowl, consisting of rice noodles, a large serving of chicken, salad and a freshly made peanut sauce, a Rice Plate and a Bread Plate.

On the day we visited, Chicken Noodle Soup, or Pho Ga, was the daily special. The soup is served in a large bowl brimming with steamy, well seasoned broth and huge chunks of chicken, rice noodles and fresh greens.

Chopstix offers a large variety of drinks, from Chinese Green Tea and lemongrass tea, to a locally brewed pro-biotic ginger beer, white and red wine, beer and soda.

Then, there is dessert. The only thing on the menu is ice cream, but that is enough. The luscious creamy dessert is made in-house. A menu on a chalkboard in the dining room informs customers of the varieties available that day.

We ordered bowls of mint chocolate chip and lemongrass-ginger. The ice cream is rich and creamy and the added flavors are fresh without overpowering the creamy sweetness. This is the best ice cream I have tasted while living at Lake Chapala. Even if you do not care for Asian food, stop in for a bowl of this ice cream. The lemongrass ginger is my favorite flavor - it is irresistible.

I have tasted nearly every dish on the menu at Chopstix and have never been disappointed. If you love Asian cuisine, you can't go wrong ordering anything on the menu.

Chopstix offers a monthly Dim Sum. Reservations are required for this special meal. Customers can sign up on their Facebook page or by email to receive notification of when the meal will be served.

Service and Price

These are hands-on owners who have been living and working in Ajijic for over 15 years. They understand their customers and work hard to keep them happy. The service is fast, friendly and conscientious. Prices are very reasonable, especially for the generous serving size of the dishes.

Our Recommendation ****

Chopstix is a great place for lunch. If you have not been yet, stop by after a morning of shopping at the Wednesday tiangus (street market).

The food is consistently good and the prices are right. If you are in the mood for good Asian cuisine, we highly recommend Chopstix for a delicious and satisfying lunch. Don't forget to try a bowl of their heavenly ice cream.

La Mesa Restaurant

Address: Carretera Peniente 19A, Ajijic
Telephone: 376 766 2948
Hours: 12pm to 10pm Monday - Saturday. Closed Sunday
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Now featuring live music on Friday evenings. Wine night on Wednesdays - house wine half priced.

Directions: From Walmart, drive west on the Carretera approximately 2 kilometers, through Ajijic.  La Mesa is on the right side of the road just as you drive up the hill after Colon Ave. Park along the Carretera on the wide shoulder.
 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

I had heard some good things about La Mesa before finally deciding to give it a try. The one thing that kept me from visiting before now is the lack of parking. On the afternoon we visited there was plenty of parking on the wide shoulder along the Carretera in front of the restaurant.

La Mesa Restaurant is not clearly visible from the road, and even after I entered the front yard, I asked my companion if we were in the right place.

What a lovely surprise when we walked through the front door and into what felt like a French Bistro. Soft jazz played in the background. There are wooden tables covered in brown parchment and local artists' paintings on the wall. The dining room is light, and airy with large windows and a view of the lake just above the buildings across the street.

Here is a place where you want to spend all afternoon, chatting over lunch and a few glasses of wine - which is what we did.

Menu

We were warmly welcomed by the waitress, and after we were seated, one of the owners came to the table to greet us and offer us a sample of the house chili beans, which were delicious.

We were given two menus to order from, one with the lunches - salads, soups, sandwiches - and the other a dinner menu that featured more substantial fare. We were invited to order from either menu.

We started with wine - an excellent Tempranillo - and the salmon cake appetizer pictured above. The salmon cakes arrived after a reasonable wait. They are made with flaked salmon, chopped potatoes and parsley with a hint of onion. The homemade dill-flavored sauce perfectly complemented the crisp salmon cakes.

As our entrees, we ordered the sirloin steak sandwich and Cobb salad. The steak sandwich was stuffed with tender, thinly sliced sirloin and served on toasted white bread with sauteed yellow, green and red peppers and smothered in cheese.

The Cobb salad is presented in a large salad bowl and topped with olives, tomatoes, avocado, crumbled bacon, cheese, hard boiled eggs and chopped red onions, all on a bed of crisp lettuce with blue cheese dressing on the side.

We also ordered two more glasses of Tempranillo.


Then it was time for dessert. Alfajor piqued our interest, so we asked the waitress to describe it to us. It is an Argentinian dessert, consisting of shortbread-style cookies filled with cajeta (caramel made from goat's milk) and topped with vanilla ice cream. We split this dessert, but I wish I had ordered my own. It was heavenly and different than any dessert I have tasted at Lake Chapala. I was impressed not only by the well prepared food, but also the uniqueness of the menu.

Service and Price  

Our waitress was pleasant, knowledgeable about the menu and attentive. The owner came to our table and introduced herself and welcomed us. We enjoyed the relaxed pace or our meal and never felt rushed.

The price, $490mx, may seem high to some, but once we were in the restaurant we decided to splurge. Honestly, it is one of the best restaurants we have dined at lately and when you find a place like this, you want to do it justice.

The wine prices are some of the best around, at $35mx per glass for a good red wine. We ordered wine, appetizer, two main dishes and dessert for less than $30US.

Now that we have visited for lunch, I am anticipating my next visit, this time for dinner.

 

Our Recommendation ****

This is the best new restaurant in town - a place where you take guests you want to impress, meet friends for dinner or have a romantic lunch for two. The chefs know what they are doing and turn out food that shows off their knowledge and technique.

The restaurant needs a better sign to let their customers know where they are and a more welcoming entrance, but that should not stop anyone from enjoying what has to be the best new dining experience in Ajijic.  I can't wait to return.

Buen Provecho!

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.

 

El Arco de Nicholas

Address: Jocotepec-Chapala Carretera before San Juan Cosala
Hours of Operation: Daily 12 p.m. - 11 p.m.

Directions: From Walmart head west on the Carretera towards Jocotepec. Past Los Sabinos and Lago Encantado there will appear on your left a succession of restaurants along the lakefront. El Arco de Nicholas is the first of these restaurants. Parking is available in front of the restaurant, and valet parking across the highway.

First Impressions

El Arco de Nicholas clearly appeals to families with children. The décor features  larger than life replicas of circus animals and a playground for young children located near the entrance.

A long path leads to the open dining room situated on the water, with a few tables positioned between the lake's edge and a large pool. We arrived early, just after the restaurant  opened on a crisp Saturday afternoon. We were seated immediately and given menus, in Spanish, and the waiter brought us a glass of the house red wine, which was surprisingly good.

Popular music played in the background and there were two televisions tuned to soccer on either end of the dining area. The restaurant seems to be a popular place with parents of young children, as every family that was seated during the time we were dining had several small children.

Even the bathrooms are labeled "ninas and ninos" and sport shorter than normal toilets and a large changing table.

It was too breezy to sit next to the water, but fortunately the dining area is enclosed by glass which protects diners from the January breezes off the lake.

Menu

The waiter brought a plate of packaged totopos and saltines to the table, but no pico de gallo or salsa, only bottled hot sauces. This was a disappointment since other places along the lake serve salsa, bowls of sauces and even pico de gallo before ever taking an order.

The menu is limited when compared to offerings from nearby restaurants that provide customers with a book of options.  A variety of fish and shrimp dishes are on the menu, as well as steaks and chicken. There is also a small children's menu.

The second page of the menu is filled exclusively with liquors and beers. We began with an order of shrimp empanadas. They were served fresh, a large corn tortilla stuffed with chopped shrimp, tomato sauce and vegetables accompanied by a side salad.


We decided to order to shrimp. My companion ordered Camarones 4 Quesos (4 cheese shrimp) and I ordered Camarones Coco (coconut shrimp).

The dishes were served with French fries, garlic bread and salad. Presentation was beautiful, as you can see from the pictures. The French fries were crispy and hot and everything looked delicious except for one problem.

The Shrimp Coco was prepared using small shrimp that had been butterflied before cooking, meaning that the result was overcooked and very tough. I was able to eat only a few of the shrimp, the rest were so hard and tough that they were unedible. Too bad, since the mango sauce was delicious.

My companion thought his meal, 4 Queso Shrimp, was better than mine, though when I tasted it I thought that the shrimp had not cooked long enough and the cheese sauce was cold. 

Ambience

The dining room at El Arco de Nicholas is pleasant and right at the water's edge. The background music was too loud, making it hard to have a conversation, and I was distracted by the televisions featured prominently at either end of the dining pavilion. 

There were children everywhere, as El Arco is tailored to appeal to families. I love children so was not bothered by the noise or the frantic activity, but be forewarned that this is not a place to have a romantic lunch or quiet conversation.  The wait staff are very attentive and the service from the kitchen is fast, though not as careful with preparation as I would expect of a lakeside seafood restaurant.

Price

The price of our meal was $610mx for four glasses of wine, 2 shrimp meals and an appetizer. The price is comparable to  other lakeside restaurants in this area but the quality of the food is not. The waiter did not offer us coffee or dessert at the end of the meal, another disappointment.

Our Recommendation: ***

If I had guests with small children, I might take them to El Arco de Nicholas for the ambience which is welcoming to families with small children. However, I would probably order a hamburger, which looked delicious when it came out of the kitchen, and not shrimp.  The food is adequate, at the very least. But, this restaurant is not as good as several of the other restaurants on this stretch of high end, seafood restaurants.

Nuevo Cafe Paris

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

Phone: 3767655353

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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.

Ocampo 71

Address: Melchor Ocampo # 71, Ajijic, Jalisco, Mexico

Phone: 376 108 0862  Reservations accepted

Hours: 2pm to 12pm, Wednesday - Sunday ; Summer Hours 4pm - 12pm
Wifi Available
Live Jazz every Wednesday, at 7:30 pm
Facebook Page

First Impressions

Ocampo 71

OCampo71 opened recently as a neighborhood bar and pub in Central Ajijic, just two blocks west of Calle Colon. It has a friendly, "everybody knows your name" feel with a full bar, comfortable seating areas for groups to gather and dining tables in a covered outdoor dining room as well as a pleasant indoor area.

We visited on a Thursday evening when the café was moderately busy. We had reserved a table but there was no reason to on this evening as there were plenty of tables available, though as more people learn about the pleasant, comfortable ambience and friendly service, that will most likely change.

Propaganda Craft Beer

Ocampo 71 has live jazz on Wednesday evenings, starting at 8pm. We were a day late on this visit, but won't be next time.

Menu

We were seated promptly and the waiter brought the drink and food menus. We were waiting for friends to join us for pizza and botanas so ordered drinks and took a few minutes to peruse the items on the menu. Ocampo 71 features a full bar with a large selection of Mexican craft beers.

For those who like a light, IPA, Propaganda Beer, brewed in Monterrey was a favorite of the table. We also sampled the Tijuana Moreno which is a dark stout, and 7B, an amber beer brewed in Mexico City.

Pizza Menu

This is a casual eatery, so the offerings include foods you can eat with your hands, like nachos,  French fries, baguettes, hamburgers, sandwiches and a special pizza menu. When our friends arrived, we ordered fries and nachos and Pizza Margherita.

This is a thin, crisp crust pizza with tomatoes, cheese and basil and was good without being too filling, and is just enough for two people. The nachos were crisp and the topping had just a little kick.

Carlos waited on our table and provide lots of good information about the different Mexican craft beers and also made recommendations. We lingered over our pizza and botanas for two hours, never feeling rushed.

Nachos and Pizza at Ocampo 71

Service and Price

The service at Ocampo 71 is attentive, informative and friendly. The customer is king here. This is a great place to meet friends to chat over a Mexican craft beer and botanas.  Prices are reasonable. Our bill, for pizza, nachos, 3 craft beers and 3 glasses of was $445 pesos, about $30USD. Try getting something comparable north of the border for this price.

Our Recommendation ****

Blu Velvet Plays on Wednesday Evening
 

We like Ocampo 71 and will return for Jazz night. This is a great place to meet friends for a pizza or hamburger, accompanied by a craft Mexican beer. It is within walking distance for visitors staying in Ajijic and one of the few places in the area open until midnight. We made it back to Ocampo 71 recently and spent a nice evening listening to a really good jazz quartet. There is even room for dancing, if you are so inclined.