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!

Saturday, October 4, 2014

Monte Cristo Restaurant

Address:  Carretera Chapala-Jocotepec #920A
                 Ajijic, Jalisco
Phone:  331-768-1063 (cell)
             376-106-2063
Hours of Operation:  Monday - Saturday 8:30 AM - 9 PM
                                  Sunday 8:30 AM - 2 PM
Facebook Page
WIFI:  Available
Credit Cards not accepted

Directions: From WalMart head west on the carretera towards Jocotepec approximately 3 miles. Monte Cristo is on the left just past the La Huerta Event Center. There is ample parking in front of the restaurant.

Update: Now Serving Breakfast, 8:30am daily. 59 peso special.  

First Impressions

We had heard nothing but good things about the new addition to the Lake Chapala restaurant scene, Monte Cristo Restaurant, so added it to our list of restaurants to review.

We arrived for lunch at about 1pm on a Wednesday afternoon. There were already diners inside the open air restaurant and seated at the umbrella covered tables on the front patio.

There is plenty of room for diners at the Monte Cristo, which also features a large patio dining area located just off the bar. Though the smaller patio is near the main road, the noise was not bothersome on the day we visited. The landscaping is beautiful and designed to block much of the road noise.

We recognized friends dining on the patio  and asked if they had been to Monte Cristo before that afternoon. They assured us that they had, and that Monte Cristo had become one of their go-to places to eat. The patio is dog friendly and wifi is available.

The décor inside the restaurant is fresh and modern, with wooden tables and wrought iron chairs. There was upbeat, Latin music playing softly in the background.

The interior is spacious, with tables placed far enough apart to provide some privacy for conversation. The Monte Cristo also has a full bar.

Menu and Service

Our waiter brought the menus, took our drink orders and informed us of the specials of the day, in English and in Spanish. He was friendly and knowledgeable about the items on the menu.

We ordered two glasses of the house red wine, a good Merlot. The waiter brought out a basket of freshly baked bread with garlic spread and even offered to bring more after we gobbled the first basket down.


The menu offers a number of tempting appetizers that include shrimp and cream cheese spring rolls, salads, seafood chowder, avocado stuffed with shrimp or smoked oysters and fish and chips.


Entrees  included salmon with herbs, Spaghetti Monte Cristo, paella, mahi-mahi Monte Cristo and shish-kabob. A variety of hamburger plates are also available.

We decided to start with the shrimp and cream cheese spring rolls. These did not disappoint, served hot and cooked perfectly with a plum dipping sauce. The simple descriptions in the menu were tantalizing, making it difficult to choose what to order.


Everything about the Monte Cristo communicates the owner's concern for the customer's dining experience. Finally, we decided on the special of the day, which was a seafood, chicken and steak shish-kabob, served with either four or five skewers. We also ordered the pear and goat cheese salad. We did not wait long for our meals. The presentation was lovely, the interpretation of these simple dishes, sophisticated.

Price and Service

The price for our meal was $535pesos, for an appetizer, large shish-kabob plate, huge salad, dessert and five glasses of house wine. That is just a little over $40US.

We returned to Monte Cristo Restaurant recently to meet their chef, Humberto Hernandez. Hernandez brings a new direction to Monte Cristo, including the addition of breakfast served until noon. Hernandez has been in kitchens all across the country and in the USA, from Portland, Oregon to Baja California, Mazatlán and Ajijic.

We ordered from the $59peso breakfast which offers your choice of 2 eggs, bacon and hash browns or eggs, bacon and pancakes, French toast and more. The coffee was hot and freshly made and the waiter kept our cups full.

Our Recommendation ****

Eat at Monte Cristo Restaurant in Ajijic. The food is prepared well and served as if the owners and staff really care about your dining experience. Now you can have breakfast, even if you are a late sleeper. Monte Cristo is one of our go-to restaurants in Ajijic, where service and food are consistently excellent.


2 comments:

  1. when you sit outside you have traffic noise .

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    Replies
    1. Yes, we often opt to sit just inside the restaurant rather than on the front patio, though we have dined on the fenced in patio area and found that the traffic noise was not at all bothersome. I suppose it matters what time of day you are there. This is one of the places we take friends and family, so the traffic noise has never been bad enough to keep us away.

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