Restaurante Delicias

Address :Ave. Hidalgo #277, Chapala  
Phone: 765-5021
Facebook: www.facebook.com/desayunosdelicias
Wifi Available
Credit Cards Not Accepted

Hours: Daily, 8 a.m. - 1 pm.

Directions: From Walmart, take the Carretera east towards Chapala for about 4 miles. Delicias is on the left, just past Hotel Monte Carlo and the Farmacia Guadalajara. Park along the street. 

First Impressions

There is a reason why Delicias is a local favorite for breakfast. You can order just about any breakfast food you can imagine. The food is simple and tasty and the prices are right.

Delicias is easy to miss. It is housed in a plain brown building that fades into a long line of other, nondescript buildings along the Carretera., just west of Chapala. 

Like many restaurants in the Lake Chapala area, you cannot judge the quality of the food by looking at the exterior of the business.

The double doors open into a large, Mexican style dining room with plenty of seating. Through the back door is a pleasant patio dining room surrounding a fountain. Smoking is not allowed on the patio.

There is limited parking along the road outside the restaurant, however, if you are willing to walk about a block, you can park west of the restaurant, on the road that runs between the Farmacia Guadalajara and the Monte Carlo hotel.

Delicias is clean and pleasant. Restrooms are just off the patio area, with separate facilities for hombres and dames. They are spotless.

We seated ourselves on a quiet Friday morning and the waitress brought our menus, took our drink order and gave us time to look at the menu. She returned with a pot of hot coffee and a basket of warm, whole wheat rolls.

Menu

The breakfast menu at Delicias is extensive, offering the most varied breakfast selection of any lakeside restaurant. Eggs are  cooked almost any way you can imagine; eggs benedict, Mexican style eggs, ranch style eggs, omelets, burritos, and American style breakfast with eggs cooked al gusto ( as you like them).

You can also choose chiliquiles, served with or without chicken or chorizo and with red or green - or both - sauces. The menu also offers waffles, hot cakes and crepes.

Many meals come with bacon or link sausage, hash browns or beans. The three page menu is  chock full of choices. What do you feel like eating? It is most likely on the menu at Delicias. Beverages include coffee, tea, shakes, smoothies and juices.

We ordered the hot cake combo, served with three hot cakes, 2 eggs, 2 sausage links and hash browns and an order of waffles, with strawberries and a side of bacon.

The scrambled eggs were cooked just right, not too dry, and the pancakes were light, served with butter and syrup packets. The waffle was crisp, the strawberries freshly cut without the juice that makes a waffle soggy.

All in all, a satisfying meal. The coffee was good and the waitress came back to the table often to top off our cups.

Price and Service

Almost all the breakfast entrees are priced between $50pesos and $65pesos. Our meal, including coffee, came to $203pesos, or about $15US.

The service was very good, the waitress did not speak much English, but we were able to make ourselves understood and got exactly what we ordered. The menu was written in English, so when in doubt, we could just point to a selection.

Our Recommendation ****

We tried Restaurante Delicias last year and thought the food was quite good. We have not gone back since then because during our research, we read some bad reviews on a local expat forum. None of the negative comments we read mirrored our own experience at this restaurant, so I would caution visitors to take the information gleaned from these forums with a grain of salt. If you are looking for a delicious, hearty breakfast, at a reasonable price, we recommend Restaurante Delicias to you.

Los Laureles

Los Laureles Restaurant at Hotel Villa, Monte Carlo
Hidalgo 296, Chapala
376-765-2120
www.hoteles.udg.mx

Hours: Open 7 days; Monday through Thursday 8:00a.m. through 9:30 pm; Friday through Sunday 8 am through 10:30 pm; Sunday Breakfast Buffet
Credit Cards Accepted: Visa and Mastercard

Directions: From Walmart, follow the Carretera to Chapala. Hotel Villa Monte Carlo is on the right, as you cross the hill. Park along the street, next to the hotel.   

First Impressions

I had no idea that this restaurant existed until we joined the swimming club located at the Hotel Villa Monte Carlo in order to take advantage of their wonderful pool. This is a hidden place, without much advertising or promotions of any kind.

Sometimes a sign indicates that the local Rotary Club meets there, but otherwise, the restaurant seems to exist for the weekend hotel guests - mostly from Guadalajara - that stay in the hotel. This hotel is affiliated with the University of Guadalajara.

The restaurant is located in a nondescript building that fronts the Carretera. The indoor dining area is spacious, clean and inviting, but we always sit outdoors, under the ancient trees that surround the café, beneath the white canopies. The outdoor tables are covered in crisp white and red tablecloths. It is a pleasant  place to have lunch on a bright, not-too-breezy  afternoon.

Menu 

We have eaten at Los Laureles several times. The food and service is consistently good. This time, we arrived in the late afternoon for lunch. The waiter appeared promptly, after we had seated ourselves. He took our drink order and gave us  menus, written in Spanish with the English translation just underneath each entry. He came back with our drinks, and shortly thereafter, a basket of freshly baked rolls.

The lunch menu is extensive. There are a number of appetizers to choose from, including ceviche, to start the meal. Soups include tortilla, cream, and a ham and cheese soup, served in a bread bowl. Several salads are also offered.  


The menu includes small plates, and larger meals. Choose from a variety of sandwiches such as club or vegetarian, steak sandwich or chicken "hamburger" as well as traditional hamburgers. 

Mexican specialties include enchiladas, tacos and tostadas. There are several seafood and steak plates as well as pasta dishes such as spaghetti and fettucini. There is something on the menu for every taste and every size appetite.

We ordered a salad with shrimp, club sandwich with French fries and ham and cheese soup served in a bread bowl.  Everything was quite good.

Ambiance and Price

The service at Los Laureles is good. The waiters are pleasant and accommodating. Entrée prices range from $36 pesos to $120 pesos.

There is no loud music playing here, only the sounds of the birds in the canopy of trees, and there is a good view of the lake from the outdoor dining area. This is a very pleasant place to enjoy lunch in a lovely, quiet setting.

Our Recommendation  *** 

Los Laureles is a nice destination for lunch. The prices are reasonable and the service is good.

The food is not unique or creative, by any means, but rather standard dishes prepared well and served by attentive staff in a beautiful setting.

Donas Donuts

Address:  Carretera Oriente 52-B
                Across from Farmacia Guadalajara and Actnivar Bank
Phone:  376 766 1996
Hours of Operation:  Daily from 7AM - 8PM
WIFI Available
No Credit Cards Accepted

Directions: From Walmart head west on the Chapala - Jocotepec Carretera approximately 1 mile. Donas Donuts is on the right (on the cobblestone road that runs parallel to the paved road) across from the Farmacia Guadalajara and Actnivar Bank. Parking is limited on the road in front of Donas Donuts. There is a stop light at the intersection to help get back onto the Carretera.

 

First Impressions

Donas Donuts is a popular coffee and donut shop in the center of Ajijic. It is located in a quaint corner shop with a patio that offers outdoor seating for those interested in people watching.

The interior looks like a traditional bakery and has  a display case of donuts and some small tables. A community bulletin board holds all kinds of information about local events, houses and apartments for rent, classes, garage sales.

This is one of the few places in town that does not need to "approve" every ad that is posted, so you can find lots of information on just about anything.

The local buses stop near the front and there is limited parking available right in front of the cafe and across the small side street to the left.

Menu

This is mostly a traditional donut shop, with a small number of breakfast sandwiches also available.

The coffee is very good, and hot, and the donuts are the best that I have ever tasted. They are fresh and delicious, never stale or greasy. The best are the cake donuts, in my opinion, but the glazed are also very good.

 

Service and Price

Walk up to the counter and place your order. There is no table service at Donas Donuts. This is a traditional coffee shop. The prices are very reasonable, cheap in fact. Two cake donuts and coffee, $66 pesos.

Our Recommendation ***

On those mornings when you just want a good cup of coffee and a donut, then Donas Donuts is the place to eat. Read the morning newspaper. Check the bulletin board and watch the people streaming in and out of this popular shop.

La Casa del Waffle

Address:  Carretera Poniente #75
Phone:  376-766-1946
Hours of Operation:  Sunday - Saturday  8am - 2om
Web Page:  www.lacasadelwaffle.com.mx
Facebook:  www.facebook.com/lacasadelwaffle

WIFI Available
Credit Cards not Accepted

Directions:  From Walmart head west on the carretera approximately 2 1/2 miles. Casa del Waffle will be on your right just past the car wash and Roberto's restaurant. There is parking available in front of the restaurant.

First Impressions

La Casa del Waffle is located on the western edge of Ajijic, on the right side of the Carretera, when headed west. There is a small, but adequate parking lot in front of the restaurant.

La Casa del Waffle offers outdoor seating and some indoor seating, with a large open door onto the patio. This is a clean and pleasant little breakfast café. Free wifi is available for customers.

I almost did not review this restaurant because I thought it was a chain. But, turns out that the "chain" started in Ajijic, and this La Casa del Waffle is the original restaurant. The other two restaurants in Guadalajara and Talaquepaque are based on the Ajijic model.

When we arrived at about 10 am on a Friday morning and there were plenty of available tables. Very loud American rock music was playing, almost too loud to carry on a conversation.

Menu  

We have been to La Casa del Waffle several times since we have lived at Lake Chapala. This is as close as you are going to get to Denny's or IHOP in Mexico.

La Casa del Waffle offers a variety of fruit topped Belgian waffles, pancakes and traditional eggs, potatoes and bacon, but also has a few traditional Mexican breakfast specialties.

They also offer a children's menu, so this is definitely a family friendly restaurant. On Sunday mornings, after church, lines form outside Casa del Waffle, waiting for a seat.

This morning we ordered the Good Morning Breakfast - sausage and eggs on toasted English muffins, topped with gravy -  and a plate of scrambled eggs, bacon, and refried beans, accompanied by an a la carte order of biscuits.
 
Our meals were served hot and were good, almost like a real American breakfast. The biscuits were not really biscuits, qua biscuits, but rather breakfast yeast rolls, cut open and toasted.

I was a bit disappointed that they were not real, southern style biscuits but I realize that not every place in the world interprets biscuits like this southerner.

The coffee was very good, and a waiter came by the table to freshen our cups almost as soon as they were empty.

 Service and Price

The service is very good at La Casa del Waffle. We were waited on immediately, and served coffee while we read the menu. When we have visited previously, we were served a small basket of bread, but not this time. I am not sure why.

The waiter kept our coffee cups filled and was a little anxious to remove our plates before we were finished with our meals.

Our meal, without tip, came to $222 pesos,  or about $17US, about what we pay in the US when we visit a breakfast chain restaurant.

Our recommendation ***

La Casa del Waffle is a good place for breakfast if you want traditional, familiar, breakfast food. This is a nice, clean restaurant with a pleasant atmosphere and good food at a fair price.

If you sit in the patio area you can lessen the effects of the blaring music, which will improve your experience significantly.
  

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.

La Palapa del Guayabo

Address:  Paseo Ramon Corona #24
                Chapala, Jalisco
Phone:     376 765 4180
Hours of Operation:  Monday - Sunday; 12pm - 9pm
Webpage:  www.lapalapadelguayabo.com

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 Palapa del Guayabo is located at the end of the row of restaurants (under the big palapa) 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 Palapa del Guayabo is in a huge, thatched roof building right at the end of the malecon in Chapala. It is the restaurant closest to the lake. Though we have been to Chapala to eat many times, we always preferred smaller, more intimate restaurants so had never tried La Palapa del Guayabo.

However, we were invited by friends who live in Chapala to try it with them, so we met on a Saturday night, before a huge fiesta and walked to the restaurant at the end of the malecon. The restaurant had very few customers, but enough to encourage the mariachis to play loudly and incessantly.

The best feature of La Palapa del Guayabo is the front seat view of the sun setting over Lake Chapala. Otherwise, it has the ambiance of a bus terminal.

Menu

The menu is in Spanish, with no English translation offered. This is okay if you have been in the area for a while, but hard for English speaking newcomers to decipher. This is the first restaurant, in our experience eating at lakeside restaurants, that has not offered a menu in English, or provided some sort of translation.

The menu has the standard dishes available at most of the restaurants in the area - arrachara, fish and seafood and some traditional Mexican plates. The waiter brought our drinks and a small serving of pico de gallo and chips to eat while we studied the menu.

We finally decided on the arrachara, a chilies rellano plate (stuffed with seafood) and molcajete de res (molcajete made with cheese, peppers, and beef) to split for two of us. The prices seemed rather high for a restaurant in working class Chapala, but it appears as though they cater mostly to tourists.

The molcajete arrived at the table bubbling hot and served with corn tortillas. The arrachara was served with french fries and a green salad. The chilies rellano was not breaded, but rather covered in a gritty cornmeal coating and baked. The seafood inside was not warm, and apparently had been prepared much earlier in the day. A small number of corn tortillas accompanied the molcajete, not enough for eating the entire bowl of meat and cheese, but we were not offered additional tortillas and could not get the waiter's attention to ask for more.

The restaurant offers a full bar, though we all drank soft drinks this evening. We inquired about dessert and the waiter told us that there was no chocolate cake, but seemed reluctant to bring the dessert menu, so we asked for the bill and had dessert at a local gelato stand. We were also not offered a way to take home the remaining molcajete.

Ambiance and Service

The best feature of La Palapa del Guayabo is its proximity to Lake Chapala. This is probably one of the best locations in Chapala for watching the sun set over the lake. The night we visited the restaurant, there were a small number of diners, but a large group of competing mariachis, who gathered around one table close to us and played all night.

They never came to our table, which seemed very odd. After a while, we felt like we had crashed someone's private party. It was so loud, that we were unable to carry on a conversation at our table.

We asked for a dessert menu, and the waiter informed us of a few choices, but he did not seem anxious for us to order anything more. I noticed that the waiters had begun to strip the tablecloths off the tables in the front of the restaurant. Our waiter was ready to go home. There was a festival in Chapala that evening and it seemed that everyone was anxious to leave work.

I did not check the restrooms at this restaurant. I have read other reviewers who commented, en espanol, that they are not in good shape, but I cannot verify that claim. It wouldn't surprise me to find that these writers are right. A place that does not care about its customers rarely bothers to keep the facilities clean.

Price

The bill arrived with a 10% propina already added and a charge for IVA (tax). This is the first time, since we have been living at Lake Chapala, that we have seen a bill with these charges added - especially for a table of four people. Our final bill, without alcohol or dessert and with two of us sharing the molcajete was
$663p, an outrageous sum, considering the quality of the food and the service that we received.

 

Our Recommendation **

Seriously? You can't find anyplace else in Chapala to eat?

Okay, we did not get sick from eating at this restaurant, and that is our standard for completely panning a place. You can eat here and not die. The view is very good. If, in the end, you must eat here as a sort of punishment to your guests whom you never care to see again, at least order the molcajete. Ask for extra tortillas, even if the waiter glares and grinds his teeth at you. Otherwise, there are many, many nicer places to eat along the malecon in Chapala, where you will be treated well by the wait staff, can eat great food, and pay much less for the experience.

Mariscos el Carnal

Address:  Carratera Oriente #1352
                San Juan Cosala, Jalisco
Phone:  387 761 1010
Hours:  Monday - Sunday 12pm - 7PM
Webpage: www.elcarnalmariscos.com

Directions:  From Walmart, head west on the Carratera towards Jocotepec, for approximately 7 miles. Mariscos El Carnal is the second restaurant on the left (lakeside, with the shark hanging at the entrance), in the line of restaurants in the Piedra Barrenada. There are some topes (speed bumps) just before the restaurant and flaggers trying to get you to come to their restaurant. Valet parking is available for about 30 pesos.

First Impressions

Mariscos el Carnal is located in what is known as the Piedra Barrenada, a tourist zone between Ajijic and San Juan Cosala, lined with lake front restaurants.

You can't miss the entrance to Mariscos el Carnal. There are large topes (speed bumps) at the beginning of the restaurant zone that slows traffic down to a crawl. Then, there are hoards of young, extremely energetic men waving frantically at every passing car, urging them to park and dine at one of the  restaurants.

And, if the flag-wavers and the topes don't alert you to the entrance of Mariscos el Carnal, just watch to your right for the giant replica of a shark that hangs out front.

On this stretch of Lake Chapala, the water comes very close to the road, so all the restaurants offer a view of the lake. Marsicos el Carnal has about the best view of them all from their open-air dining rooms.

Use the valet parking, or just pull into the parking lot across the street from the restaurant. The crazy, flag-waving hoard will make sure you cross the road safely.

Menu

The menu at Mariscos el Carnal is about the size of a small novel, offering an impressive variety of fish and seafood dishes, steaks and traditional Mexican plates served in interesting and unique ways.

For instance, you can choose a hot cheesy molcajete or a mixed platter of seafood or  meat served on a table top grill.

Package deals are available for groups who like to share. Be careful, because some of these deals include a bottle of tequila which will raise the price of the meal significantly.



When we arrived one early Sunday afternoon, we were seated by the hostess without having to wait. The waiter took our drink order while we read the menu.

Our drinks arrived quickly, accompanied  by an interesting starter that included a tasty pico de gallo and a mixed fresh vegetable dish served with crackers and packaged tostada chips.

We ordered the fried shrimp plate and seafood stuffed flautas. Frankly, I am addicted to the flautas at Mariscos el Carnal. They are so light and delicious that I could eat a dozen at one setting.

Fortunately, they only bring three, accompanied by a guacamole sauce .
There were three on the  plate, above, but I couldn't help eating one before taking the picture.

We ordered a nice Merlot to accompany our meal and ended the feast by splitting a piece of rich chocolate cake. Mariscos el Carnal has a full bar available and the menu suggests some unique cocktails and mixed drinks.

The last time we dined at Mariscos el Carnal,  we ordered the mixed shrimp grill. The waiter brought a clay, grill to the table, filled with shrimp prepared in every way imaginable - fried, diablo, garlic and butter and cheese stuffed, bacon wrapped, to name some.  The meal was accompanied by a plate of rice and salad.

This is a fun way to taste a little bit of every shrimp dish.

Service and Ambiance 

The flag wavers and the guy on stilts, yelling and motioning drivers into their establishments, are obnoxious. But, once you enter the restaurant you encounter a less frenetic environment. There are roaming mariachis and a live band plays for guests after 3 pm on weekends. There is a long pier that stretches from the restaurant into the lake.
 


The view from our table at Mariscos el Carnal

The service from wait staff is good, and I have never felt rushed when eating at Mariscos el Carnal, though we may sit and sip wine and stare across the lake long after we have finished our meal.

The view from the dining room is superb. We watched the vaqueros and their horses on the beach, speed boats pulling skiers, and jet skiers enjoying beautiful Lake Chapala on a recent Sunday afternoon.

Oddly, we are usually the only gringo diners in the restaurant and I cannot understand why, since the food is excellent and the view of the lake is unsurpassed.

The dining room is covered by a huge palapa, with an expansive view of Lake Chapala from every table. If it is breezy when you go, sit one table back from the lake's edge and avoid being chilled.

 

Price

Mariscos el Carnal is pricier than most restaurants lakeside by about 25%, not a lot when you consider the setting. It is nice to sit by the water as you enjoy an excellent meal. Dinner for two, four glasses of wine and dessert will run about $600p, or $45US at today's exchange rate.

Recommendation ****

Eat here. Excellent food. Wide variety of dishes and presentations. Full bar. Good service. The music can get loud, so if this bothers you, do as we do and come in the early on a Sunday afternoon.