Letra CH Restoran Del Mar

Address: Carretera San Nicolas #4, Chapala
Phone: 331 117 2325 or 331 007 0216
Hours: Open daily, except Wednesdays, 1:00pm to 9:00pm
Facebook: www.facebook.com/letrach-restorandelmar

Credit Cards not accepted

Directions: From WalMart, drive east on the Carretera and turn left at the stop light in Chapala. Take Madera north to the next stop light. Turn right, onto Calle Venustiano Carranza, which runs at a 45 degree angle to Madera. Turn right on Avenida Pepe Guizar.  Avenida Guizar dead ends at Calle Gonzalez Gallo. You will see Letra CH on your left, the second building on the left. Parking is in front of the restaurant.

First Impressions

Letra CH, Restoran Del Mar

If I had not read the rave reviews of this restaurant I might never have eaten here. First of all, it is not easy to find, and once you know where it is, you are still not sure if it is really a restaurant from the outside.

I have posted a picture of the outside so hungry readers will know what this place looks like from the outside.
And, you definitely do not want to bypass Letra CH. It is a hidden treasure.

But not for much longer, once the word gets out about the scrumptious food prepared inside this tiki-hut looking structure. 

Park in front of the building and walk through the front toward the back of the restaurant and then up a flight of stairs to the thatch covered dining room. There are about ten tables in the dining area, a bar and a nice view of the lake.

Fried Calamari

We went with friends on a Thursday evening. There was one other diner in the restaurant and she left shortly after we arrived. After that we had the entire place to ourselves. The weather was pleasant so we were comfortable sitting in the outdoor dining room.

This is a family owned and operated establishment, with a small boutique hotel and spa at the back of the property.

Menu

The menu is printed on material, and one of our friends found it difficult to read.

The selections were limited to about ten tantalizing selections of seafood and chicken dishes, uniquely prepared. This place has a very interesting concept. Your meal includes the choice of an appetizer and a side dish included in the price The waiter, also one of the owners of the restaurant, took our drink order and brought out a basket of bread and herb butter.

L'Orange Salmon

Starters included salmon mousse on crisp wontons, asparagus in tequila sauce, fried calamari or soup of the day. We decided to each try something different and  share between us, and found them all delicious.

The one drawback was the very small size of the asparagus, especially considering that there was an extra $20peso charge for this appetizer.

There was also an extra $20peso charge for the fried calamari. The salmon mousse was flavorful, but we were all most surprised and impressed with the crunchy fried calamari. It was lightly battered and deep fried with not a hint of the rubbery texture I have grown used to expecting.

Nutty Sea Bass

The entrees were tantalizing and it was hard to choose between them. Fortunately, there were four of us dining so we each could order something different and share.

The menu presented us with a number of tempting choices, Nutty Sea Bass, prepared with a pistachio and pecan topping, Four Cheese Chicken, Coco Shrimp, L'Orange Salmon, Octopus, Letra CH Pasta and Citrus Tuna.

The side dish selections, included scalloped potatoes, sweet potatoes, wild rice or a green  salad.

We ordered the scalloped potatoes and wild rice, but the waiter also brought a bowl of sweet potatoes for us to sample, convinced we would love it. And we did. It was so delicious, and sweet, almost like dessert.



Brownie with Ice Cream

I had read another diner's review, raving about the Nutty Sea Bass and so this is what I ordered. I was not disappointed. The fish was fresh and lightly cooked with a delicious nut topping.

The other hit of the evening was the L'Orange Salmon, a thick piece of salmon cooked perfectly, topped with a  light citrus sauce.

We also had the Four Cheese Chicken and Coconut Shrimp with mango sauce. Several of us ordered a crisp Sauvignon Blanc to accompany our meals.

The waiter replenished our basket of bread, during the meal, which we greatly appreciated. We capped off the delicious meal with brownies and vanilla ice cream. The brownie was made in house, rich, dense, and chocolaty.

Ambience and Price

The outdoor dining room is pleasant, with interesting decorative walls made from pallets and PVC pipes filled with live plants. There is a good view of the lake from the dining room. The only drawback was, as night fell, we were annoyed by mosquitoes.

There is a short flight of stairs to get up to the dining room, which may present a hardship to those unable to climb to the second floor dining room.

The prices are very reasonable, ranging from $106pesos to $149 pesos. The ingredients used to prepare the meals are high quality and the price included an appetizer and side dish. Our meals, including wine and dessert, came to $450pesos, less than $35USD.

Our Recommendation ****

Find this place and eat here. The food is so good and this family has a very interesting and unique concept that sets them apart from the rest of the restaurants in Chapala. Make sure to go before sunset to avoid the annoying mosquitoes.

La Casita del Molcajete

Address:  Paseo Ramon Corona  #132
                Chapala, Jalisco
Phone:  376 765 4906
Hours: Monday - Sunday,  9am - 11pm
Credit Cards Accepted

Directions: From Walmart, head east on the Carratera towards Chapala, about 6 1/2 miles. Turn right at the stoplight, heading towards the lakefront. Take the next left, along the malecon. La Casita del Molcajete is located in the row of restaurants at the end of the market. There is limited parking in front of the restaurant, but ample parking along Paseo Ramon Corona.

 

First Impressions

La Casita del Molcajete is in the middle of a strip of restaurants at the eastern end of the Chapala malecon. In this area, it is sometimes hard to tell where one café ends and another begins.

Perhaps that is why it took us nearly a year to get around to trying this pleasant little restaurant.




The interior is spotless, one of the cleanest restaurants I have seen lakeside. We were early and there was only one other table of diners when we arrived so we had our choice of tables covered in bright green, blue and orange tablecloths.

Menu

The maître de greeted us and introduced us to our young waiter, who immediately took our drink order and brought out pico de gallo and salsa  to enjoy while we looked over the menu.



In addition to the cafe's namesake dish, a bubbling volcanic cauldron of cheese, peppers and seafood or steak called molcajete, the menu also offered a variety of appetizers, fish and seafood cooked to order, steak, soup, salads, and a few traditional Mexican dishes. 

La Casita del Mocajete has a full bar, wine and beer as well as non-alcohol beverages.

We ordered fried shrimp and my companion said that it was some of the best he has tasted anywhere. The plate held a generous number of shrimp, steamed squash, a green salad and bread. The shrimp was lightly breaded and served hot, but not overcooked.

We also ordered chicken fajitas. The chicken was well seasoned and accompanied by refried beans, guacamole and a green salad and served with warm, thin corn tortillas. It was fresh, authentic and delicious.

Ambiance and Service

La Casita del Molcajete is a clean and pleasant café, though it appears rather dull on the outside. There is traditional music playing quietly in the background, so we were able to talk while we dined.

The young staff was courteous and paid attention to our table, attending to our needs without any prompting and without making us feel as if we were rushed.

The restaurant started to fill up just about the time we were ready to leave, and it is apparent that this is a favorite with local diners.

I stopped in the ladies' room before leaving and was pleasantly surprised. This is one of the nicest, and cleanest, public restrooms I have encountered in Mexico. I always feel good about eating at a restaurant that pays such close attention to these details.

Price

Prices are  reasonable, aligned with the cost of dinner at the surrounding restaurants on the malecon. We were happy to see that La Casita del Molcajete takes credit cards, except for American Express, though we had our pesos ready just in case.

Entrees, 4 glasses of wine and tip came to $500 pesos, less than $40US.

 

Our Recommendation ****

Put La Casita del Molcajete on your list of lakeside restaurants to try. The food is very well prepared and delicious, the service attentive and courteous and the prices will not make a hole in your budget.