Fonda Dona Lola

Fonda Dona Lola
Carretera Poniente 36
Ajijic, Mexic
376-766-4455
Hours: Mon - Wed 8 AM - 5 PM; Fri 8 AM - 5 PM; Closed Thursday; Sat - Sun 8 AM - 3 PM
No Credit Cards accepted

Directions: Head west from Walmart on the Carretera approximately 2 miles. Just over the hill, on the west side of Ajijic, Fonda Dona Lola is found on the left (lakeside) across from Casa del Waffle and the car wash.  Ample parking in front of restaurant.

First Impressions

The auditorium size restaurant is located on the main highway through Ajijic, just west of town. The huge brick building sits back off the highway and is easy to miss.

Steps lead into the vast dining room, however, a ramp provides access for those unable to manage the steps.

Abundant parking is located in front of the restaurant. The dining room is open and very clean and reminiscent of a school cafeteria.


Menu and Service

We visited Fonda Dona Lola based on the recommendation of a friend, who told us to try their breakfast.

We arrived early and found a table close to the door. We were one of two couples having breakfast on a Monday morning. The waiter came to our table immediately and handed us an extensive breakfast menu, written in English.

We were served coffee and a basket of toasted bakery bread while we considered what, among the tasty offerings, we would order.

The menu included an impressive number of traditional egg dishes, pancakes, fruit as well as Mexican specialties.

We settled on pancakes and were glad we did. Our breakfasts were served hot from the kitchen.
We were pleasantly surprised, as these are some of the best pancakes we have had in the area.

The bacon was crisp, just the way we like it and the scrambled eggs were cooked to retain some moisture, and were fluffy, though not undercooked. 

The waiter was attentive, filling our coffee cups several times during the course of the meal.

Price

Every menu item at Fonda Dona Lola is reasonably priced. Our pancake breakfasts, one with bacon and the other with scrambled eggs, a basket of fresh bread, and two cups of coffee came to an amazing $110 pesos, about $8.50.

Our Recommendation ***

Fonda Dona Lola has to be one of the best deals in town for breakfast. The food and service are good and it is nice to find a place with adequate parking right in front of the restaurant.

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.

Restaurant Isla Cozumel

Address: Paseo Ramon Corona #22A, Chapala
Phone: 376-765-4606 or 376-765-7515
Hours: Open daily, 12 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Credit Cards Accepted


Directions: From Walmart, drive east on the Carretera approximately 7 kilometers to the first red light in Chapala. Turn right at the light, onto Madero and left on Paseo Ramon Corona, which runs along the waterfront. Isla Cozumel is located at the end of the malecon, next to the giant palapa.




View from outdoor seating at Restaurant Isla Cozumel

First Impressions

Restaurant Isla Cozumel is a great place to eat after a walk on the malecon and a boat ride to Scorpion Island. There are wandering mariachis and unlimited wine and margaritas included in the price of the entrées. Lake Chapala is famous for near perfect climate and we visited Restaurnat Isla Cozumel on a particularly fine afternoon in November.

The Menu

Restaurant Isla Cozumel offers a variety of seafood and traditional Mexican dishes. The waiters are quick to bring out chips and salsa, followed by an appetizer of totopos with a refried bean and cheese topping.  The menu offers a large variety of seafood dishes and traditional Mexican plates -  fried shrimp, garlic shrimp, coconut shrimp, ceviche de pescado, scallops, octopus, filet relleno de mariscos, and calamare. 

They also offer steaks and traditional Mexican dishes, including a wonderful hot molcajete - a dish of melted cheeses and seafood. Our favorite dish is Costa Azul Camarones, which is a bacon wrapped, cheese stuffed shrimp. The bacon is not greasy, but more like a thinly sliced ham. This is so delicious we highly recommend that at least someone in your party try this dish and share - if you can force yourself to after the first bite.

The restaurant has a full bar, but just be aware that if you order the house wine or margaritas, then the price of those is included in your entrée. The waiters will bring out refills in huge icy pitchers and there is no additional cost. Our guests did not believe us when we told them this. If you have company to entertain, this makes taking them to dinner a real bargain.

Ambience

We always choose a sunny day to visit Restaurant Isla Cozumel and sit outdoors at the end of the malecon and engage in people watching. The best day to do this is Sunday, because a lot of visitors come to the lake from Guadalajara.

There is a market that runs along the street-side of the malecon and native dancers and musicians that you can watch from your ringside seat. Wandering mariachis stop by the table and sing a ballad or two to you while you enjoy your meal.

Service

I am becoming very spoiled living in Mexico. Service is always polite, prompt, courteous and that is exactly what you will find at Restaurant Isla Cozumel. We practice our limited Spanish on the waiters and they are very kind and accommodating. The restaurant is very clean and the bathrooms are spotless. This is a go-to place for us when we are entertaining guests from NOB.

Price  

As we alluded to above, Restaurant Isla Cozumel is a real bargain. The prices are very reasonable, you are served complementary appetizers immediately upon being seated that are over and above the standard chips and salsa. The food is delicious and is accompanied by all you can drink wine and margaritas. Dinner for four hungry Americans, including drinks and tip, was $550 pesos, about $42.

Our Recommendation ****

This is a wonderful place to eat, not only because the food is very good, but because the setting is wonderful. We recommend a day in Chapala to include the vendors and a quick trip out to Scorpion Island and then return for a late lunch at Restaurant Isla Cozumel.





Viva Mexico, Tia Lupita's

Address: Porfirio Diaz #92, San Juan Cosala
Phone: 387-761-1058
Hours: Friday through Wednesday 12 - 8 p.m.; Closed Thursdays

Directions: From Walmart, drive west on the Carretera through Ajijic, approximately 6 kilometers. At the first traffic light in San Juan Cosala, turn left on Calle del Cardenal. Travel one block. Turn right on Porfirio Diaz. Viva Mexico, Tia Lupita's is 2 blocks on the right.





Outside View of Viva Mexico! Tia Lupita's

First Impressions

Viva Mexico, Tia Lupita's is family owned and one of the best restaurants lakeside for traditional Mexican food and wonderful steaks. We visited on a Sunday afternoon and the restaurant was moderately full. We did not have a reservation but were seated promptly.

Like many places in Mexico the outside appearance belies what is found inside. The décor is traditional Mexicana, artsy, clean, inviting. The day we visited, mariachi's were playing in the courtyard.

The Menu

Salsa Prepared Tableside

Not long after you are seated and have placed your drink order, a chef  arrives at your table with a large stone molcajete and all the ingredients to make a delicious salsa, to your specifications.

The menu includes traditional items such as chiles en nogada, which  is a specialty of the house. We have had this dish in other restaurants in Mexico, but this is still the best we have ever tasted.



Chiles en Nogada - Delicious!

The steaks are also delicious and perfectly prepared. Filet mignon and buffalo steak are served sizzling and perfectly grilled.
Wine and beer are available  as well as mixed drinks and they are locally famous for their extra large margaritas.

Service

Service is very good, as it is almost everywhere in Mexico. Our waiters were attentive, but we never felt rushed. We especially enjoyed the tableside preparation of salsa.

 

Ambience

Viva Mexico! Tia Lupita's can be recognized by the large mural painted on the outside of the building. Inside, the dining rooms are large and open with traditional art on the walls. The lightening is subdued and romantic. It is a comfortable, rather than elegant, place to spend a leisurely afternoon enjoying a wonderful meal. It is also a great place to meet friends and can accommodate large groups.

Price

The prices at Tia Lupita's are very reasonable. Where else can you find an 8 oz. filet mignon for $9.00? Expect to pay about $350 pesos for dinner and wine. Credit cards are not accepted.

Our Recommendation ****

You will love this restaurant. The food and service is excellent. Try the chilies en nogada, if it is in season. You won't be sorry!

Gossip's Kitchen

Address: Carretera #36 at Javier Mina,  Ajijic
Phone Number: 376 766-0217
Hours: 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday, Closed Sunday
Facebook: www.facebook.com/gossips
Contact: gossips.kitchen@gmail.com

Directions : From Walmart, drive west on the Carretera to Ajijic. One block past Donas Donuts (mountainside) and Actnivar Bank (lakeside), is Gossip's Kitchen, at the intersection of the Carreterra and Javier Mina.

*Watch for their new location opening soon at the new Rose Bowl Mall in San Antonio, Tlay. which will be open for breakfast and lunch.

First Impressions

Gossips is one of our favorite restaurants. The chef and owner, Ismat Jivani, has created an African-fusion menu that is simply some of the best food you will find lakeside. Jivani was born in Nairobi, Kenya and trained at the Santa Fe School of Cooking in New Mexico. How lucky we are that he decided to open a restaurant in Ajijic in 2011, after having been the in-house consultant for former lakeside restaurant, Number 4. Gossip's Kitchen is located on a busy street corner and it can get a little noisy, since the best seats in the house are on the patio, but once you taste the food you will forget about the traffic. The restaurant has been recently updated with new paint and a sturdy barrier between guests and the street.

The Menu

Crab Cakes - My Favorite!

Gossip's Kitchen offers a number of fresh salads, soups, sandwiches, curry, gumbo and creative fish dishes such as defried salmon, oysters and Paul Prudhomme inspired crab cakes. Gossip's Kitchen serves wine and beer and a selection of interesting mixed drinks.

The dessert menu is limited, but delicious. Bread pudding made with banana bread and served with ice cream and Key Lime Pie are standards and there is usually a dessert special as well. The last time we ate at Gossips the dessert special was boozy raspberries over ice cream. The new menu has many old favorites and some new creations made to share - like Shells from Hell, lump crabmeat coated in coconut - and Satay. Oysters are still featured on the menu and there are always at least two scrumptious specials.

The only complaint I have is that they do not serve coffee, which would make their dessert course perfect.




The Service

The waiters at Gossips have worked there for as long as we have been living After only a few visits, the owner and staff make you feel like old friends. The service is friendly, prompt and conscientious. We have never had a bad meal at Gossips and have always had excellent service. It is one reason that we continue to return again and again.

Ambience

Gossips ambience is funky. It is situated on a busy street corner on the main road that runs through all the lakeside villages so it can be loud from the street noise. In the winter, they lower a plastic curtain to dull some of the noise and to keep in the warmth.

We almost always sit outside, unless the patio is full and then we sit indoors, across from the open kitchen. There is a mermaid painted on the outside wall admonishing you to "eat more oysters and love longer."

Price

Lunch for two, with a dessert and two glasses of wine apiece, about $400 pesos. Credit cards are not accepted.

Our Recommendation ****

This is a great place for lunch or dinner. Try the crab cakes or the deep fried salmon and don't leave without splitting a banana bread pudding with someone you love.

Sunrise Restaurant

Address: Carretera  #149 C, San Antonio, Tlayacapan
Phone Number: 376-766-6123
Hours of Operation: Tuesday through Saturday 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Sunday 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Closed Mondays

Directions: From Walmart, head east on the Carreterra approximately 1/2 miles to the intersection of the Carreterra and Ramon Velasquez. The restaurant is on the right (lakeside) next to the Ferreteria. If you pass the Oxxo, you have missed it. 



First Impressions

Courtyard Seating at Sunrise Restaurant

The entrance to the Sunrise Restaurant, from the Carreterra, looks uninteresting, even dreary, and for this reason we put off trying this wonderful little place for a long time.


We finally decided to have lunch here one sunny Saturday afternoon and were pleasantly surprised. The dining area, situated around a hidden courtyard, is lovely. In addition, the food is very good.

The Menu

For lunch, we had the "Combinacion Mexicana," a quesadilla, chicken enchilada and chile relleno served with fresh tortillas, so thin you could almost see through them.

We also tried Avocado Stuffed with Shrimp Salad.  Both dishes were excellent and very reasonably priced, lunch entrees average about $80 pesos. For dessert, we shared the flan, another good choice. It was creamy and delicious. Sunrise Restaurant has a full bar and daily drink specials.

Update: Sunrise Restaurant also serves a delicious breakfast - eggs cooked just right, bacon, sausage, baskets of fresh warm bread, hot coffee topped off by the waiter.   

Service  

The servers at Sunrise Restaurant are prompt and friendly. They made sure we never waited long for our drinks and brought salsa and chips to our table as we waited for our meal.

 

The restaurant is scrupulously clean with some of the best restrooms of any restaurant lakeside. 

Our Recommendation  ****

We highly recommend this restaurant if you are looking for a great place to eat in San Antonio Tlayacapan for breakfast or lunch.