Phone: 376-766-0281
Hours: 9am - 4pm, Wednesday - Monday. Closed Tuesday.
Cash Only. No credit cards accepted
Limited Parking on Street
Features: Breakfast, Brunch and Lunch. Large selection of hot and cold coffee drinks. Wine and Beer. Traditional Mexican and Latin American dishes. Dine in the courtyard and visit the art gallery.
Directions: From Walmart, travel west on the Carretera to Calle Serdan. Turn left on Serdan and drive towards the lake to Calle Ocampo. Turn left on Ocampo, which becomes Constitucion after crossing Colon. Drive 1/2 block further. La Peña de Santos Rico will be on the right. Park along the right hand side of the street.
First Impression
The front door opens into an inviting gallery and a partially covered dining area lies at the end of the winding brick path. Soft music welcomes guests and huge trees shade the interior courtyard.
La Peña is translated as a meeting place for artists and musicians and La Peña de Santos Rico definitely has the feel of a bohemian coffee shop, café and hang out for artists. The dining room walls are covered in original art and the glass tables sit atop roasted coffee beans.
We visited La Peña de Santos Rico on a Friday afternoon and were the only guests at the restaurant. We were greeted by our waitress and given menus - written in English - with a surprising number and variety of breakfast and lunch dishes offered at incredibly reasonable prices.
The two page spread of hot and cold coffee drinks will make this a popular place with coffee enthusiasts. Que rico!
Menu
When we first heard of La Peña de Santos Rico it was based on their reputation as a great place for breakfast, and indeed, they offer an array of dishes, that includes Eggs Benedict, molletes, chilequiles, omelets, fresh fruit and yogurt. All breakfast plates are served with juice or coffee and no meal is priced over $60MX.
Our intention on this particular afternoon was to have lunch, though I made a mental note to return soon for breakfast. My friend was impressed with the drink menu that features wine for $30MX and beer for $20MX. These are just about the best prices in town for wine and beer.
I questioned the waitress about the wine, since such an inexpensive price usually means a cut rate brand, but this was not the case at La Peña de Santos Rico. We were served a healthy pour of a very nice Cabernet Sauvignon. The beers available are Victoria and Corona and an artisan beer called Berber, brewed in Zapopan.
The lunch menu lists traditional Mexican dishes, such as Chiles Rellanos, Chicken Enfrijoladas, Sopes, Fish Tacos al Pastor, Chicken Chipotle and the daily special, Carne en su Jugo. Again, nothing is priced over $60MX. We ordered the Chicken Enfrijoladas and the daily special. While we waited, the waitress brought two tasty salsas and totopos to our table.
The Carne en su Jugo was different from anything I have tasted in local restaurants. A stew-like dish full of beef, beans and bacon in a rich stock. It was served with fresh handmade corn tortillas.
The traditional enfrijoladas featured four thin tortillas rolled around chicken and covered in a bean sauce, sprinkled with cheese and topped with thinly sliced avocado. Both dishes exceeded our expectations. This is one of the few restaurants in Ajijic that focuses exclusively on traditional Mexican and Latin American dishes.
With two pages of specialty coffees, how could we resist trying at least one for dessert? We both ordered the Café Santos Rico made with expresso, Baileys Irish Cream, Kahlua, cinnamon and frothy milk and served with a cookie. The price? $60MX.
Muy sabrosa! But, will we be able to sleep tonight?
Price and Service
Our waitress was polite and prompt. When I got up to look at the art, she came over to tell me more about the paintings and the opportunity to meet the artist at an upcoming art sale. The paintings and photographs were beautifully framed and reasonably priced.The total cost of our meal - four glasses of good red wine, two main courses and two cups of alcohol infused coffee came to a modest $360MX. That is about $20USD. You can dine well for a lot less than this at La Peña de Santos Rico, but we like to have wine with our meal and something sweet afterwards.
You can eat breakfast or lunch at La Peña de Santos Rico for less than $5 if you are on a strict budget, which I may have to go on if I keep eating like this.
Our Recommendation ****
What a great new place! La Peña de Santos Rico is a perfect place to meet friends for coffee or to gather a group for breakfast or lunch. There is plenty of seating and the atmosphere is pleasant and tranquil.
The café is open for breakfast and lunch every day but Tuesday. Bring cash, no credit cards accepted. Our next trip to La Peña de Santos Rico will be for the gallery showing and art sale. Stop by and try their specialty coffees or indulge in a traditional, and delicious, Mexican meal.
Buen Provecho!
Thanks for the review. We will check it out. I did notice in your last review of Perry's and this review that you note the prices in pesos & compare to USD. I wish you wouldn't do that. We live in Mexico & would like to see the prices in pesos only. I think most people can do the conversion. Thanks again.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your point of view about listing the prices in US$ as compared to MX pesos and I tend to agree. However, I do this to point out what a GREAT DEAL we get when we dine out in Mexico to those who are not as familiar with the conversion rate. Especially in this case - can you imagine getting four glasses of wine, two main dishes, and two dessert coffees NOB for $20? The wine, alone, would be more than that. Thanks for your comments.
ReplyDeleteNo complaints; fantastic review; love the pictures!!!!!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteBut US dollar prices aren't relevant to Canadians. Suggest you stick to pesos and let people do their own conversions into the currency of their choice.
ReplyDeleteyes, as a Canadian, I get really irritated when reminded about how much less our dollar is buying these days - I realize it's a treat for the folks from the US but it's really rubbing our noses in our sinking loonie
ReplyDeleteGreat
ReplyDeleteJust had lunch with a friend & it was wonderful. Very simple Mexican food, done well. Prices, very reasonable. We will definitely return.
ReplyDelete