Restaurant Reviews

Lake Chapala may just be paradise for those who enjoy dining out and eating wonderful, creative food. This guide to our favorite restaurants is just that - our very own favorites. We have ranked them according to their menu selections, service, ambiance and price and have personally eaten at them all, sometimes more than once. If you think we have left out a really good restaurant, it is probably because we haven't eaten there yet. Let us know and we will make a visit and add our review to this guide. Buen Provecho!

Monday, January 27, 2014

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.

 

3 comments:

  1. Yves' Restaurant is our TOP PICK for dinner out. A beautiful poolside garden setting with fun original art, candle on the table, well-made drinks, attentive service, and yummy food are a few reasons it's our favorite place to go. Yves' and his wife Nettie always make us feel at home, and the Ajijic's famous white burro,Vino Blanco( artist's muse), is there to greet you too. Just the BEST. Our car practically drives itself to Yves'!!

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  2. We love Yves' and can't wait to see Vino Blanco with her long-lost son Martini! This place is worth a visit for the salad bar alone.

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