Guanajuato Restaurants

I was told by several sources that Truco 7 was the place to eat for good, cheap food. The first time I ate there, I ordered the enchiladas pollo verde, hoping for some spicy verde chile. What I got was pace picante sauce on chicken enchiladas. The second time I ordered the pollo con mole. It was as if they poured pure chocolate sauce on my enchiladas, not my idea of good mole. Although my friends said they all enjoyed their meal there, I have since spoken to some locals who have told me the service and food have gone downhill in recent years.

Not sure about the whole name, but it is the restaurant that belongs to the hotel "Posada Santa Fe" located on Jardín Unión. I did not stay at Posada Santa Fe, but the restaurant is open to every visitor. they have tables on the street and sitting there to eat is quite pleasant, since the garden is quite pretty and there is a nice atmosphere. I don't recall much of the menu, I remember I ate some pasta to recover the energy after walking all morning, and I also remember I was quite pleased with the food, so a double recomendation for the place, both for it location and for it's flavor.

In my opinion one of the most interesting things about traveling is knowing new things, and food is one of the best thinks to taste; when I visit a new place I always try to eat the local dishes. In the case of Mexico the best way to eat the most typical and lest touristy mexican food is visiting the markets that exist in every city.
Guanajuato is no exception, the market is a cheap and delicious place to eat, the food court is beside the main building in the market and there you'll find many places to eat, they all serve more or less the same so it does not makes much difference in wich place you decide to eat.

Favorite Dish: The typical dish in Guanajuato are the "Enchiladas Mineras", enchiladas is a food eaten in all Mexico, but they vary from place to place according to the kind of sauce they use. The enchiladas mineras from Guanajuato were tasty, and they are served with carrots, wich as far as I know only go with this dish in this version.
Being a touristic place you can ask your enchiladas not to be very spicy, in case you don't want to face the mexican guajillo chili.

Great location - terrible food. Their arrachera steak was the worst I have ever had and I have lived in Mexico for 25 years. My wife's chicken was also terrible. Avoid this place.
They do not even taken credit cards.

Favorite Dish: none

La Bohemia is a small restaurant conveniently located in Guanajuato's main plaza (Jardín de la Unión) that opened for business on April 2, 2009. Don't let the recent opening dissuade you from eating there, though. The owner has more than 42 years of experience in the hotel and restaurant business. When this property became available a few months ago, the owner decided to combine his two existing restaurants and move to the new location.

The restaurant offers several breakfast choices including omelets, eggs, chilaquiles, French toast, pancakes, a fruit plate, and cereal. For lunch and dinner, it offers everything from quesadillas, hamburgers, and sandwiches to steak, fish fillets and stuffed chicken breasts. The menu also includes several soups, salads, appetizers and desserts.

For a filling meal that won't break your budget, try the meal of the day for $55 pesos. The menu rotates from day to day and includes your choice of two soups and two entrees, salad, rice, bolillos (French bread-type rolls), and a fruit drink. The owner says he has about 50 different meals that he plans to rotate for the meal of the day.

Vegetarians who eat eggs and cheese can have a good meal here as the menu offers a couple of meatless egg dishes, chilaquiles, cheese enchiladas, mixed vegetable salad, green salad, guacamole, beans, quesadillas, queso fundido, several soups, and spaghetti.

Besides coffee, tea, soft drinks, and fruit drinks, the restaurant offers a wide variety of alcoholic drinks.

The service is very good. The food is tasty, well-prepared, and attractively presented.

One thing that impressed me was that the silverware and napkin for each place setting were placed in plastic bags instead of sitting open on the tables.

There are four sets of French doors along two sides of the restaurant, which are kept open during business hours. It is pleasant to sit inside but still have a breeze and be able look out into the plaza. In the evenings, you can listen to the music of several mariachi bands that stroll around the Jardín.

The restaurant is open from 8:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. and also offers delivery.

Coming soon: New, more comfortable chairs and the menu in both English and Spanish

Favorite Dish: My favorite dish so far (though there are many other choices I can't wait to try!) is milanesa de pollo. This is a chicken cutlet (pounded very thin) that is lightly breaded and fried. It is served with a mound of rice and vegetables, and a small salad (more like a garnish) of shredded lettuce, a couple of slices of cucumber, a slice of tomato and a drizzle of salad dressing. The milanesa was cooked just right....not greasy or too crispy. The salad dressing tasted freshly-made.

The dish was attractively presented and the food was fresh and very tasty. The price ($55 pesos) is about average for downtown Guanajuato.

1 more image

I ended up at El Canastillo de Flores one morning for breakfast when I couldn't find the restaurant I had been looking for, and my stomach was getting a little too grumbly. The location right in Plaza la Paz is excellent for beautiful views of the church and people walking past (especially when you sit outside). It just looks adorable. Their breakfast choices are cheap and simple, so I opted for french toast, hoping it would be like the french toast I'd been served at a Mexican home for breakfast. Instead, I was served a plate that can only be described as sugar with a touch of egg and toast. Look at the picture- you can see the thick sugary coating all over the french toast. If you're looking to get your kids all loaded up on sugar to start their day, this is the place for you. Otherwise, breakfast elsewhere!

Panaderia La Luna is a great place to pick up fresh baked goods in the morning, especially if you're staying on the east end of town (for example, at Casa Mexicana or the official Hosteling International hostel). Follow my bad directions below and surely you'll get there sooner or later. In the "historic center", baked goods go for about five pesos each, whereas at Panaderia La Luna they're closer to half that. Get there early in the morning (around 8:30) for the freshest muffins (that taste like angelfood cake), rolls and mini-loaves around.

Favorite Dish: DIRECTIONS:
I've searched and searched for an address for this little bakery but I can't find one! Basically, if you're walking to Cafe Tal, heading uphill, just keep going. Go past the market (you can take the pedestrian bridge if you want) and the bakery is a few doors up on the right. We timed the walk from Casa Mexicana (a hostel) and it's four minutes- if you've walked more than six or seven minutes you're definitely on the wrong track.

1 more image

El Tapatio is a cute hole-in-the-wall type place directly across the street from the university. It serves a variety of traditional Mexican dishes, and posters featuring photos of the food can help you decide what to order if the menu fails you. I opted for a Guanajuatan speciality- enchiladas mineras. These cheese-filled enchiladas come with a big scoop of sauteed carrots and potatoes on top (as well as the prerequisite extra cheese). The food was good and the service was great- the waiter recognized the people I was eating with from a former visit and joking asked them when they'd be back again.