If you are into food, I think you will like Guadalajara. As a big city it offers a huge variety, from best Mexican cuisine to all kinds of international dishes! And no matter if it´s a simple taco stand or an upper-class restaurant, in Guadalajara you´ll get an unbeaten value for money.
I would even say the city would be worth a visit JUST for the food! During my time there I aimed to try every recommendation I got and, as an outcome, here are – only and exclusively – my absolute favorites (and believe me, I had a hard time narrowing them down to seven!).
Sidenote: Apologize the bad photo quality. When it´s about food I´m more the “ok, go!” and less of the “wait, let´s take a nice picture!” kind of person.
Tomate – cheap, simple, mexican
A taco restaurant in Chapultepec at which the waiting line gets endless around 9pm. You can easily share one portion for two people, it´s cheap and crazy good. Especially if you like meat and cheese, this is your place to go. They barely have anything else on the menu, but what they serve is of great quality.
If you´re going to Guadalajara, I probably won´t be the last person who recommended you this place because, let me tell you: Mexicans don´t need anything except a lot of meat and cheese to rate a place with five stars. At least that was our conclusion after five months there.
Mercado Mexico – everything your heart desires
A more upper-class place to go if you couldn´t decide for one type of food. They have a big variety of dishes from all over the world ranging from Mexican specialties to Chinese food. The concept is easy: you get what you want from one of the stands and sit together with your couple or group in the middle of the market.
And I promise, there´s something for everyone. The perfect place to prevent marital disputes over the choice of restaurant!
La Condenada – international cuisine, great views
Read closely, this is a hidden gem. La Condenada is located a bit outside the center on the “Cerro del Tesoro”, that translates to “hill of the treasure”. I think what they really meant by “treasure”, when choosing the name, was this restaurant. Up there you don´t only have an amazing view, you as well get best international kitchen and a crunchy, italian pizza that´s a pleasant diversion to the cheesy, tasteless ones you´re often served in Mexico. Aaand you can self-select the ingredients!
Tacos La Choza – extraordinary tacos
You thought taco stands couldn´t be fancy? La Choza reveals the opposite! I didn´t try their duck tacos, but if you order a normal “arrachera” (beef) taco, you´ll get to enjoy the finest meat grilled rosé and a huge variety of souces and toppings for a total of about 2€. It´s not the classic, simple taco place, but in my opinion it´s a place you shouldn´t miss and although all the options on my list have a great value for money, I think this one has the best!
Tacotip: Ask for “taco de harina”! While the “typical” Mexican taco is made of corn, most foreigners (and often even the Mexicans themselves) prefer the ones made of flour. As those are usually bigger, it might be a little more expensive.
Dainzu – best mexican food
Another hidden gem that´s not on the typical tourist´s list! This little, colorful restaurant in Providencia, a district of Guadalajara, serves the best, most authentic Mexican food while still offering a good variety of alternatives. I loved this place!
Providencia btw. is an area with many really good coffee shops and restaurants. It´s right next to the nice park “Bosque los Colomos”, so you could easily combine your lunch with a visit to the park and a little stroll through Providencia´s safe streets.
Cabanna – the best seafood in Guadalajara
Located a bit north of the center you can find “Cabanna”, a high-class restaurant that serves amazing seafood. I recommend trying different combinations of Tostadas and Tacos instead of ordering only one course.
Make sure not to miss Cabanna´s signature taco “Taco Gobernador” with grilled cheese and shrimps. I promise you won´t regret it!
And if you didn´t find what you were searching for (although I hope you rather found more than that!) or you just don´t feel like eating in a restaurant, I highly recommend to visit a market and try some real mexican streetfood. “Mercado Libertad” and “Mercado San Juan de Dios” are both great options!
Let me know if you visited one of the places above, I´d love to know what you thought about them!
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