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The Best Guadalajara Restaurants
Wherever you go you’re bound to find a delicious meal in one of the many Guadalajara restaurants the city offers. Take a look around and you'll be very pleased with everything you find.
 On our (March 2006) trip to Gdl. after a long day of combing and exploring the city we were absolutely starving and extremely thirsty. My husband’s sister had recommended several Guadalajara restaurants and one in particular (Carnes Ruben) seemed very appealing and was close by! So we decided to give it a try. We know by now that if it comes from her the recommendation is bound to be great. This Guadalajara restaurant was no exception and my all time favorite so far! It was very hot outside, past noontime and the sun was really giving us a beating. We arrived very dehydrated and starving. The restaurant was really cool compared to outside which I thought was really strange since they didn’t have a/c. You’ll quickly learn that most places don’t need it! I immediately ordered an Agua de Horchata which is a drink made of rice, water and sugar. They serve these in Taqueria Guadalajara Restaurants in the U.S. but I think it tastes sooo much better in the real Guadalajara! It’s very refreshing when served ice cold and soo delicious!! My other half had a cold beer (cerveza) which I kept stealing sips of. Speaking of drinks check out one of my new favorite Tequila drink mixes here. It's easy to make and a favorite of Mexico! They brought out chips and about 4 different salsas. I had fun trying to figure out which was the best. And I think they were all equally delicious, however, I think the green ones are usually the hottest so I try to stay away from those. For lunch I ordered a torta de pierna, which is basically a Mexican style sandwich in thick, crusty bread, served with lettuce, tomatoes, onions and your choice of meat. My favorite is al pastor which is marinated pork. The one I tried was definitely the best I’d ever had. It was made ahogada style but it wasn’t a torta ahogada (more on this one later). The torta ahogada is
Ahogada means “drowned,” so the sandwich sits in a little pool of tomato sauce seasoned with special spices. It was absolutely mouth-watering and delicious. I’m getting hungry just thinking about it! After this wonderful, satisfying and might I add very inexpensive meal I was ready to do some more exploring in the city! Carnes Ruben tops my list so far as the best of Guadalajara restaurants, simple and satisfying!
This is a "must do" if you're going to be in Gdl, even for a day!! Carnes Ruben $ Here are a few other great Guadalajara restaurants to tempt your taste buds. I hope you like them as much as I did! $ -under 5, $$ 6-12, $$$ 12-20 (per person)
 This is a really tasty garden style, outdoor restaurant. It’s shaded with trees and lush greenery. We went at lunchtime during the week so there were a few businessmen scattered around enjoying there afternoon meals. The restaurant is lined with fountains all along the walls that set a relaxing atmosphere. There’s even a window where you can watch some of the chefs hard at work preparing your scrumptious meal.  I ordered the Chicken Crepes (Crepas de Pollo). If you order them, watch out for the jalapeños! I wasn’t expecting them and bit right into one. Needless to say I was drinking a lot of soda after that. You can ask for them without if you don't like hot stuff(sin jalapeños, por favor).  I’ve been told that their pasta dishes are also very good. Definitely worth a visit! Hey! Don't forget to sign up for our free ezine (The Guadalajara Explorer) to receive more traveling tips, updates and more information on traveling to Guadalajara, Mexico. Sign up below! La Bodeguita del Medio $$$ This is a Cuban restaurant in Guadalajara with some of the best mojitos I’ve ever had and they had some great fried bananas too! You can go and have just appetizers and drinks like we did or you can have a delicious dinner. It was a little more expensive than I expected, but the food was delicious! I would visit again. The restaurant has a really lively and fun atmosphere and would be a perfect start to your night out on the town. We went on a Saturday evening and they had a live Cuban band walking around playing a few songs, for a small fee off course! We were quite easily persuaded to buy their really wonderful CD with all their hits. Whenever I listen to it all the fond memories come rushing back to me. I felt like I was transported to the beautiful island and still do when I hear those congas! Also check out their happy hour on Wed. and Thur. They have 2 for the price of one mojitos! Happy hour is from 1:30 to 6pm. El Abajeño $$ El Abajeño is another excellent Guadalajara restaurant. But, it’s actually located in the Tlaquepaque area, which is right by Guadalajara so I’ll include it here! We decided to spend our afternoon shopping for beautiful Mexican pottery and Tlaquepaque is one of the best places to find lots of Mexican fine arts, crafts, silver and pottery. After a few hours of shopping we really started to get hungry! We heard of El Abajeño and started searching for it. Luckily, there was a courtesy tourist booth and they gladly pointed us in the right direction.
So off we went and finally found it! On the way I took a cute picture of this skeleton lady, even she is smart enough to put a hat on! So anyway, we arrive at El Abajeño absolutely starving. We sat down and ordered. The restaurant was packed full and extremely busy. The wonderful aroma of the food sizzling on the grill filled the air and made us even hungrier. But it was well worth the wait. I ordered the fajitas de pollo and when they arrived they were just delicious and so filling. The only disappointment I felt is that we had to wait quite awhile (10 to 15 min) for refills and the check.
We kept searching around for our waiter anxiously and couldn’t find him for awhile. (Maybe he went on break??) He eventually popped up and we settled that. I’ll give them a break this time since the food was absolutely superb and of course.... they were super, super busy. We’ll see how it is next time around! Sta. Monica No. 970
This is probably one of the most romantic restaurants in Guadalajara that I’ve ever been to. It’s kind of hidden away and is super cozy. You’re in for a very romantic evening here! When you do decide to visit please do this at nightime to really immerse yourself in the wonderful atmosphere. When you first arrive you’ll see these round lights hanging from this huge tree. This particular restaurant is 2 stories with the top story giving you a nice balcony view. You’ll enjoy a wonderful meal surrounded by romantic candlelight. We went on a Friday night and there happened to be a musician playing romantic love songs on his guitar. It felt like one of those picture perfect scenes out of a movie. I really enjoyed the lasagna as well as the sangria! If you want to experience a very romantic evening then try it out! Here are more reviews of great restaurants in Guadalajara.
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