Adelita Bar and Grill

Independencia 124-A, 45915 San Antonio Tlayacapan
Phone: 376-766-0097
Website: www.adelitabarandgrill.com
Facebook Page
Hours: Monday - 12pm - 10pm, Tuesday - Thursday 12pm - 9pm, Friday - Saturday 12pm - 12am
Sunday - 12 PM - 8 PM; Reservations accepted; Ample parking in front of café ; Valet parking available
Master Card and Visa credit cards accepted
Live Music, Weekly Specials

UPDATE: Newly Renovated and Packed every night. Make sure to call for a reservation!

Directions: From Walmart, drive east about 1/2 mile to the second stop light. At the next street past the light, make a right. There is a hardware store on the right as you head down this road. Just past the plaza, the road will dead end. Make a right turn next to the plaza and then an immediate left Adelita's will be on the left, just past the church.

First Impressions

Adelita Bar and Grill looks like a cozy little café from the outside, but inside it is large, open, airy and modern as a result of the recent renovations.

The owners have done a great job remaking the dining room to accommodate more people and to create an al fresco feeling. The back of the dining room is open to the outdoors with a high ceiling partially covering the area.

Thursday evening is advertised as 'wing night' so that is when we decided to give Adelita Bar and Grill a try. The café was bursting at the seams with visitors and expats. This was our first visit and at that time, we not impressed. Everything has changed - for the better. Since the renovations, we have become almost regulars on Wednesday evenings.

Adelita Bar and Grill offers specials during the week - ribs, wings, and a deeply discounted Dinner Club night on Wednesdays. During the high season, there is a regular line up of live music performances.  A frequently updated webpage includes the daily menu and upcoming events and specials.

Menu and Service

The new staff of waiters offer prompt and friendly service. We recognized some of the waiters who had come from other restaurants in town. The menus are available in English and Spanish.

In addition to the specials, the regular menu includes comfort foods such as  hamburgers, pizza, wings, chicken fingers, steak, ribs, chicken and pasta. Warning: the house hamburger is huge, topped with fried onion rings and difficult to get your mouth around, but when you do, the reward is worth it. This may be one of the best burgers lakeside.

With the upgrades in the dining room has come an upgrade in the quality of the food and service. I was mildly disappointed in the food when we visited in December 2014, but since the upgrades were finished, we have returned a number of times and each time the food has been very good, served hot and cooked just right.

Adelita Bar and Grill caters to their - mostly - expat customers and is crowded almost every night they are open. If you go, make a reservation to ensure that you can get a table.

Ambience

The atmosphere is so much nicer with the renovations. The acoustics are better and there is plenty of space between tables, and also the room to bring tables together for a large party. There are now cozy booths for more intimate dining and a modern bar that invites singles to gather.

Our Recommendation ****

Adelita Bar and Grill most definitely caters to visitors from north of the border. There is live entertainment during the week, the café is clean and the staff friendly and fluent in English. The renovations are wonderful and the food and service has improved greatly since our first visit in 2014. We can highly recommend Adelita's Bar and Grill as one of the best places to eat at Lake Chapala.

La Lena

Address: Francisco  Madero #236C, Chapala
Ph: 526-422-7813
      526-420-2096
Hours of Operation: Daily 12 p.m. - 11 p.m.

Directions: From Walmart head east on the Carretera approximately 7 kilometers to the intersection with Calle Francisco Madero. Turn left on Calle Madero. La Lena is 1 1/2 blocks on the left. Parking spaces are along the highway and are limited - watch for an opportunity to park as soon as you turn onto Calle Madero.

First Impressions

Brightly colored La Lena is perched above the sidewalk in Chapala. Decorated in orange and green, it looks like a Mexican fiesta. Banners are strung above the dining room and tables are covered with multi-colored tablecloths. The open air dining room overlooks the sidewalk and the main thoroughfare through Chapala.

A charcoal grill, made from half of a 55 gallon barrel, smokes on the patio. Cooks exit the kitchen from time to time to put a pot on the fire, or to roast tomatoes. La Lena has that casual, beach shack feel that is perfect for a late afternoon lunch.

The menu is  propped against the wall, next to the short flight of steps into the dining room so customers can peruse the selections before making a commitment to la comida.

Menu

La Lena is not designed with gringo visitors in mind, but that is the charm of this cafe. The food is traditional Mexican fare. The menu offers several varieties of quesadillas, tacos, empanadas, and burritos as well as steaks, hamburgers and chicken burgers.

The menu is in Spanish and the waiters speak no English, but we were able to  get by with our limited vocabulary and the young waiter was patient with us.

We ordered a cheese quesadilla, empanadas camarones (shrimp turnovers), a chicken burger and French fries. The waiter brought totopos, salsa and pico de gallo to the table along with our Pacifico beers. The chips were fresh and crisp and the pico de gallo some of the best we have had.

Our meal was served after just a short wait. The chicken burger was actually a grilled chicken breast on a bun, served with avocado slices, tomato and lettuce.

The plate included french fries, but not knowing this, we placed an additional order for fries. No matter, since they were very hot with no greasy taste, so we ate those too.

The shrimp empanadas were incredible, served with a tomato and lettuce salad. The turnovers were fried crisp and the shrimp and cabbage interior was warm and cooked just right.
La Lena has a full bar located at the end of the dining patio, however, they do not serve wine. Beer is available.

Ambiance

La Lena is a cool place to eat. The dining room is outdoors, under a covered patio. It is just high enough above the sidewalk to allow diners to watch the world go by without feeling like they  are part of the street scene. We sat at the table closest to the railing to have a bird's eye view of the main thoroughfare and do some people watching. Carnival started today in Chapala and strangely costumed actors where beginning to show up in the plaza across the street.

There are pictures of famous Mexican banditos on the wall and the ubiquitous sun plaque. The grill is an interesting addition to the patio, smoking slightly, pots and fresh vegetables taking their turn cooking over the hot fire.

It is all very casual, very Mexican, very pleasant. Our waiter spoke no English, but was prompt, efficient and friendly. The washrooms are clean, with separate facilities for men and women.

Price

We ordered a chicken burger, an additional order of fries, cheese quesadilla, shrimp empanadas and four Pacifico beers. Our bill totaled $279 pesos, about $22 USD - a great deal.

Most of the items on the menu ranged from $20 pesos to $65 pesos. The most expensive items were those that served two people, which topped out at $120 pesos.

Our Recommendation ***

La Lena is a good place for lunch. We recommend the cheese quesadillas and the shrimp empanadas if you do go. The prices are very reasonable. Sometimes it is nice to eat at an establishment that does not necessarily cater to gringos. It reminds you that you are, after all, in Mexico

Ajijic Tango

Address: Calle Morelos #5, Ajijic
Phone: 376-766-2458
Hours of Operation: Open Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, 12:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 12:30 p.m. - 10 p.m.; Sunday 12:30 p.m. - 7 p.m.; Closed Tuesday.
Website: www.Ajijictango.com
Credit Cards Accepted
Reservations encouraged for dinner on weekdays, no reservations accepted Saturday or Sunday.

Directions: From Walmart, drive west on the Carretera towards Ajijic, to right on Calle Juarez, one block past Calle Colon. Turn right onto Calle Flores and right onto Calle Colon. Travel towards the lake, approximately 5 blocks. When you cross Calle Ocampo, Calle Colon turns into Calle Morelos. Tango is on the right, 1/2 block past Calle Ocampo. Limited parking on Morelos but there is parking at the malecon 1 1/2 blocks past Tangos

First Impressions

Tango is the place to eat in Ajijic. The walls of this lovely dining room are decorated with the work of local artists.

The dining room fills quickly when the doors open at 12:30 p.m. The menu is eclectic, Argentinian-inspired, with interesting soups, sandwiches, pizzas and steaks.

This is one of the restaurants in town where you are likely to see someone you know during your meal because everyone eats here.


Though we have visited during lunch hours and in the evening, we have never had to wait long to be seated.

The Menu

Tango is billed as an Argentinian restaurant so we expected the steaks to be very good - and they are. The steaks are USDA inspected and prepared perfectly, particularly the arrachera, which is fork- tender.

Begin the meal with an appetizer, such as Spanish sausage, fillet carpaccio, empanadas (corn, beef, spinach and cheese and sausage) or spinach croquettes. There is also a variety of fresh salads available.

Entrees include homemade pastas, wood fired pizzas, steaks, chicken and fish dishes. The $60 peso lunch special is available from 12:30 to 1:30 daily, on weekdays with a limited selection of soups, sandwiches and pizza. The dessert menu features alfajour, (pastry with milk, jelly and nuts), crepes, and chocolate cake and vigilante, a cheese and sweet potato candy, Tango has a full bar, including wine and beers.

Ambience

Tango has a nice, open dining room and though the restaurant is often full, it never seems noisy. There are no intimate corners for romantic dinners, but the atmosphere is pleasant.

On occasion I have felt rushed by wait staff that hover close by, eyeing your progress and grabbing a plate or glass off the table the moment it is empty.

The last time this happened I was perturbed enough that I decided to forego dessert and a final glass of wine. I have grown used to the leisurely tempo of Mexican mealtimes and do not like to be rushed.

Besides feeling like I need to hang onto my serving utensils and wine glass, Tango's atmosphere is warm and inviting and the décor attractive. The bathrooms are spotless.

Service

The waiters are prompt and efficient - a little too prompt for me, as I explained above. Perhaps they have been scolded by impatient customers in the past and are now over-compensating, but this is only a minor issue and a personal peeve, nothing that should keep you from trying one of the nicest restaurants in Ajijic.

Price

Prices are very reasonable, especially if you visit at lunch time and order from their limited, but delicious, $60 peso menu. The line forms at the door before opening time and the restaurant fills quickly with other budget minded patrons. If you are dining in the evening, expect to pay about $450 pesos for an appetizer, 2 entrees and two glasses of wine each.

Our Recommendation ****

Good food, prompt service, reasonable prices. We recommend Tango as a great place for lunch or dinner.