Lonche de pancita at the best restaurant in Guadalajara

50 Great Restaurants In Guadalajara Jalisco By A Local 2024

ByPaul Hudson Posted on Updated on

Guadalajara is not your average city. There is nothing else like it in terms of size and diversity in the rest of Mexico. The region is famous for traditional Mexican culture but also happens to be cosmopolitan and modern. This article is a comprehensive list of the essential restaurants in Guadalajara across an array of cuisines, neighborhoods, and price points.

Guadalajara has spellbinding traditional foods, restaurants representing most of Mexico’s regional cuisines, and a booming international scene. All of a sudden there is world-class sushi, lots of Korean BBQ, regional seafood, casual Venezuelan, and a uniquely Mexican natural food movement, among many more.

I have lived in Guadalajara since 2009 and spent many years working in the local hospitality industry. I still have a ton of contacts working in the top restaurants in Guadalajara who fill me in on the local gossip.

A little bit of research will help you make the most of your travels and find the best Guadalajara restaurants and bars for the occasion.

This list focuses predominantly on restaurants in Guadalajara. I have written extensively about the regional food and drink scene.

An Overview Of The Guadalajara Restaurant Scene

Green salad at Xokol Restaurant in Guadalajara

Guadalajara is a world-class destination for food that is still under the radar. Mexico City gets all the hype but we have better birria, seafood, and tequila bars. People around here know how to eat and enjoy having a good time.

What makes Guadalajara such a cool place to hang out is the balance of modern and traditional schools of thought, that you encounter every day. You see it in the architecture, and how people think, but most importantly, you see it in the food.

Some of the best food I have ever tasted comes from a family that has spent four generations preparing one, single dish. Then, for your next meal, you eat with a chef who has worked in the top kitchens in Europe and applies molecular gastronomy techniques to rare Mexican ingredients.

I want to help you find your next great meal and I am trying to throw dozens of options at the wall to see if anything sticks. These are my favorite Guadalajara restaurants to eat and be entertained, and I hope you find one or two that you absolutely love.

Los Yuntaites is one of the best restaurants in Guadalajara
whitefish ceviche at palReal restaurant in Guadalajara
Dulce de Coco dessert at Loló Resaurant

The Best Restaurants In Guadalajara, Jalisco

This is a very subject list from someone who has spent a lot of time exploring Guadalajara and learning about the culture of food. I like to think that this list has improved greatly over the course of the last six years that I have been revising it.

Without further ado, let’s jump into the best restaurants in Guadalajara.

1. Café palReal

Encacahuatadas and lonche de pancita at Café palReal
A flat white and the menu at Café palReal
Taco de lengua en mole at palReal Cafe

It would be a shame to only eat at palReal once. The breakfasts get all the hype but the lunch menu is just as delectable. The real treats are the special events that Chef Fabian Delgado plans with his friends who also happen to be celebrity chefs. It is a chance for people who really love hospitality to get together to throw parties with spectacular food.

There is so much to taste at palReal it is going to take you a few visits to wrap your head around the whole menu. Most people start with breakfast, come back later in the week for lunch and if they are lucky, can reserve an event while they are in town.

palReal is a wonderful place to learn about Mexico and rare Mexican ingredients. You will have to learn to pronounce the names of ingredients that are not in Spanish but in the languages of the native peoples like xoconostle, chilacayota, and encacahuatadas.

I particularly enjoy the different mole sauces that are prepared as specials. Many of them are made gluten-free. Recently, I have been ordering the ceviche specials because I am always delightfully surprised by new flavors of a dish I thought I knew really well.

The coffee is some of the best in Mexico. Two of the founding partners have a coffee roasting company that won the best roaster in Mexico award. They serve small-batch coffees from all over Mexico and the servers can describe the characteristics of each coffee like it was a fine wine.

2. Birriería La Victoria – As seen on Netflix

Birriería La Victoria in Guadalajara Jalisco
Goat birria is one of the best foods in Guadalajara

La Victoria is a small piece of Guadalajara’s history serving one of the best birrias in Mexico. This place has been serving food since 1948 making one dish and trying to perfect the craft. This particular birria is a favorite of local celebrity chefs like Paco Ruano, Fabian Delgado, and Nico Mejia, and was featured on the birria episode of Las Cronicas del Taco.

This birriería is a local institution and a testament to what Guadalajara was like back in the day. The walls are covered with commemorative editions of the local newspaper as the owners remember what Guadalajara was like when they opened the restaurant.

The most common way to order a birria is in a bowl with broth. You can select the cuts you like or choose a mixed bowl. The most popular cuts are probably the spine and the ribs. If you like a little less fat you can choose a loin cut. The machito is a piece of liver wrapped in tripe and it is absolutely delicious.

These guys catered both of my sons’ baptisms and I was blown away by the family’s reaction. The Mexico City side of the family all went for seconds saying they had never tasted a birria as delicious as La Victoria.

This simple establishment is easily one of the best restaurants in Guadalajara. There is a lot of great birria in Guadalajara but La Victoria really stands out.

3. Xokol Tortilleria, Molino y Antojería

Duck tostada at Xokol
Xokol is one of the best restaurants in Guadalajara
A fancy taco at Xokol in Guadalajara

There is a building movement of traditional foods and ingredients in Mexico. Small farmers and heirloom ingredients are fighting back against industrialized farming. Xokol prepares heirloom varietal corn tortillas in the morning and operates a world-renowned restaurant in the evening. Both chefs have been lauded as some of the best young chefs in Latin America by the San Pellegrino Young Chef Award.

I used to think about Xokol as the place with the heirloom corn tortillas and that does them a disservice. Yes, these are some of the best tortillas you will ever taste but that is just the beginning of the adventure. Xokol is one of the world’s great restaurants that will introduce you to a number of ingredients you thought you knew but taste way different in the heirloom varietal form.

Chefs Oscar Segundo and Xrysw Ruelas have an ancestral connection with food and agriculture but they have also trained in some of the top kitchens in Mexico. Both of them have an incredibly broad view of what can be done. Plus, they have access to ingredients that most people have never heard of or tasted.

Xokol is kind of a cult favorite in Guadalajara that isn’t in many tourist guides. The restaurant seats less than 25 people in the open space. The kitchen is right in front of you. You will feel the heat from the comal. You will also be talking about the meal for weeks to come.

4. Menuderia Chela

A delicious bowl of menudo

The sign reads, “Traveler who came to Guadalajara and didn’t come to Chela, didn’t come to Guadalajara”. This humble restaurant hidden inside Mercado de Abastos is iconic and has served some of Mexico’s most famous people.

It is decorated with pictures of the matriarch with presidents, musicians, and pillars of industry. And not just your average run-of-the-mill musicians. I’m talking about the one and only Don Vicente Fernandez. Not only is that man one of Mexico’s most treasured recording artists but he knows how to eat.

Then there is Emilio Azcárraga, owner of Televisa and backer of one of San Diego’s favorite restaurant groups. These people, pillars of society, know good food and Doña Chela is the godmother of menudo in Guadalajara.

Chef Paco Ruano of Alcalde Restaurant, the 41st best restaurant in Latin America in 2020, had his Instagram profile picture set to himself slurping down a bowl of soup at Doña Chela’s.

5. Restaurant Allium – Farm to Table

Allium is a little ahead of the times in Guadalajara. Chef Adolfo Galnares is originally from Mexico City but he studied at the Culinary Institute of America in New York City and has brought the farm-to-table movement with him to Guadalajara. He is sourcing and growing ingredients that nobody else has, and you can taste the difference.

You can’t find heirloom tomatoes in Mercado de Abastos but Chef Adolfo has friends that are growing the best tomatoes in Jalisco. The cheese platter is a treasure trove of high-end goat, sheep, and cow’s milk cheeses made in Atotonilco, Jalisco. The salads change with the season and are worth the trip alone.

I highly recommend the pork belly in chile poblano sauce and the duck breast in two types of cherry sauce. We also loved the flan de elote dessert. Full bar with a creative cocktail menu.

  • Address: Av Providencia 2411-Local 106, Providencia, Guadalajara
  • Hours: 1:30 PM – 11 PM Tuesday thru Saturday, 1:30 PM – 5 PM Sunday, Closed Monday
  • What To Order: The menu changes but the duck and the pork belly are great
  • Pro Tip: Take your server’s recommendations
  • Social Media: Instagram
  • Telephone: 33 3615 6401

6. Tripitas Don Ramón

Crispy tripe tacos at Tripas Don Ramon

Easily one of the best taco stands in Mexico, Tripas Don Ramón is a destination. They are so busy that other taco stands have come to set up right down the sidewalk or sell desserts across the street.

The tripe tacos sold at Don Ramon’s place are fried super crispy and then slathered in tomato sauce. Sometimes if the tripe is fried to crispy they become dry like a pork rind. The tomato sauce makes it juicy and brings all the pieces together.

The place is a destination and is packed all the time. There will most likely be a short wait. Parking is complicated but there are viene-vienes for blocks in every direction helping people who are going to eat tripe with Don Ramón. Highly recommended.

7. Restaurante Alcalde

Alcalde Restaurant is one of the best restaurants in Mexico
Alcalde Restaurant is one of the best restaurants in Mexico
Alcalde Restaurant Guadalajara

I like to think about the Guadalajara food scene before Alcalde and after Alcalde. Chef Paco Ruano put Guadalajara on the map as a destination for Haute Mexican cuisine. He has convinced the locals to try new things and paved the way for a modern foods movement.

For a long time, the fancy restaurants were all international. There were nice Mexican concepts but they were more traditional than modern.

I love sitting at the kitchen bar to watch all the action.

Chef Francisco Ruano has been making the world take notice of Guadalajara since opening Alcalde in 2013. After training in Puerto Vallarta with Thierry Blouet and later in Denmark with renowned NOMA chef René Redzepi he is back in his hometown winning awards and blowing minds.

Ruano describes his food as simple but this couldn’t be farther from the truth. The guy is methodical and each dish has multiple layers; visually stunning, multiple textures, and lingering subtle nuances. Alcalde is a must-see when in Guadalajara. The frijoles puercos appetizer, the duck entree, and the rice pudding dessert are especially decadent. Full bar and reservations are highly recommended.

  • Address: Avenida México 2903, Vallarta Norte, Guadalajara
  • Hours: 1:30 PM – 11 PM Monday thru Saturday, 1:30 PM – 5 PM Sunday
  • What To Order: Frijoles puercos appetizer and the rice pudding dessert
  • Pro Tip: Make reservations if you want to eat on the weekend
  • Social Media: Instagram
  • Telephone: 33 3615 7400

8. Cenaduria Doña Guille

Enchiladas at Doña Guille Cenaduría
Pozole at Doña Guille Cenaduría
Retro chic pink decor at Doña Guille in Guadalajara

Let’s get past the absolutely fabulous retro decor with pink walls and wavy recessed mood lighting. This place is an absolute classic and the food just happens to be some of the best in the city.

I’m kind of a nut about enchiladas and these are like the ones you get in the pueblos. You can watch the ladies frying them up to order. They aren’t made in advance and reheated. The chicken ones are good but I absolutely love the cheese with chopped onion enchiladas.

They also happen to serve the best pozole that I know in Guadalajara. I like eating green pozole in Mexico City or white pozole in San Ysidro. The Guadalajara red pozole is a close third.

You can’t leave without getting a tostada with a pickled pig’s foot. Ask them to take it off the bone if you are new to eating patita.

The aguas frescas are excellent and you will want the liter. Order the big one.

9. La Docena

Raw scallops at La Docena Punto Sao Paulo Guadalajara
La Docena is one of the best restaurants in Guadalajara
Grilled Shrimp at La Docena

Mexicans love seafood but La Docena is taking that love to a whole new level. Chef Tomas Bermudez is well-traveled and has fused his travels into a new type of Mexican seafood restaurant. With a little bit of Baja California, a little bit of Louisiana, and a touch of molecular gastronomy, La Docena has broken the mold of traditional Mexican seafood joints.

Recently listed as one of the best restaurants in Latin America, La Docena has expanded into Mexico City and opened a high-end sushi bar that is unlike anything else in the city.

Make sure to try the grilled oysters in clarified butter, grilled young octopus, and something from their live seafood bar. Full bar available with some special wines from Baja California.

10. Menudería y Carnes Asadas Alfonso

Machaca con huevos and a menudo broth in Guadalajara
Menudo at Carnes Asadas Alfonso in Guadalajaras

I used to live a couple of blocks away from Mercado de Abastos when I first moved to Guadalajara in 2009. The market is an excellent place to eat with a wide variety of options and Carnes Asadas and Menuderia Alfonso is a local favorite.

When I first started exploring the market, I would always skip Alfonso’s place because it was consistently full and I was kind of timid. One day the host recognized that I was lurking and found me a seat right in front of the tortilla lady and it changed my life. 15 years later the same waitresses are still working there teaching me about Mexico.

The menudo is exceptional. I started out ordering just the broth while I warmed up to the texture of the intestinal cuts of meat. The carnes asadas are very good. I prefer the lamb but that is a special occasion. Nowadays, I almost always order the machaca con huevos but the lengua en salsa verda, and chiles rellenos are all exceptional. If you don’t want to get a full order of carne asada you can just order a taco or quesadilla.

Mercado de Abastos is the wholesale market and has some of the best produce in this part of Mexico. The recipes are not complex but homestyle made with the finest ingredients available.

11. RinTinTin Café

RinTinTin is one of the best restaurants in Guadalajara
RinTinTin is one of the best restaurants in Guadalajara
RinTinTin is one of the best restaurants in Guadalajara
Blue corn gordita with eggs

RinTinTin is a cult favorite that is kind of under the radar. The owner has one of the best social media presences in Guadalajara and I constantly run into publications of major celebrities like Gael Garcia Bernal and Alan Estrada (Alan X El Mundo) raving about the place. Besides the design and marketing, the food is designed for foodies.

Everything is delicious and there is a level of nostalgia in the homemade pop-tarts. The cinnamon rolls are some of the best in the city and the chilaquiles are one of my staples. Oh yeah, and there is seriously good coffee.

12. Birriería Las 9 Esquinas

Talavera tiled kitchen in the Birrieria de las 9 Esquinas

The Plaza de las Nueva Esquinas is not a restaurant but a plaza surrounded by a number of traditional restaurants and cantinas. The plaza is famous for excellent birria and pitayas (cactus fruit).

Before there was a fountain in the plaza, there was a watering hole for mules and cantinas for mule drivers. This is where they would both come to drink before and after traveling.

Birrieria de las 9 Esquinas is probably the most photogenic of the restaurants with an art deco exterior and an open kitchen with Talavera tiles on the inside.

Next to the Birrieria de la 9 Esquinas is the Pilon de los Arrieros Restaurant. The name is a reference to the history of the plaza. The food at the Pilón de los Arrieros is excellent and the atmosphere is beautifully decorated with local artwork that looks like it was taken from Tlaquepaque.

  • Address: Calle Galeana 379, Zona Centro, Guadalajara
  • Hours: 8 AM – 9 PM Monday thru Sunday
  • What To Order: Goat birria and machitos
  • Pro Tip: Both Las 9 Esquinas and el Pillón de los Arrieros are owned by the same family
  • Social Media: Instagram
  • Telephone: 33 3327 2043

13. Campomar Restaurante

The hottest thing in seafood these days is Nayarit-style cooking.

Campomar Restaurant is ample but there is always a wait. The concept hails from Ixtlán del Río, Nayarit, just outside the State of Jalisco.

Our server scoffed when I asked if they use Jugo Maggi or Salad Inglesa in the ceviche responding that their ceviche is all-natural. The seafood options range from classic to exotic.

The orange ceviche with shrimp and Bay scallops are exceptional. Another test I have of seafood restaurants is the quality of their bean tacos. I want to see the ingredients and how well they prepare simple food.

Campomar is excellent but beware that many of their salsas are professional-level spicy.

14. Yunaites • Menjurjes Pueblerinos

encotijadas at los Yunaites in Guadalajara

Chef Fabian Delgado of palReal fame opened Los Yunaites in the Centenario Market just blocks from where he grew up. A close personal friend and business partner is from the town of San José de Gracia on the far side of Lake Chapala right where the State of Michoacan begins.

The area is famous for cheeses and migrant farmworkers who would seasonally travel to the United States. They are affectionately called Los Yunaites.

The name of the restaurant roughly translates to concoctions from the villages. They are looking for unique, gourmet experiences that are common in the country but rare in the city.

Eating at Los Yunaites is like taking a trip to the pueblos without leaving the city. There are country-style, artisanal ingredients, and recipes that people in the city don’t see very often.

The cumin-flavored mole is a family recipe from Tequila, Jalisco. The tortillas come from a Mazahua community that grows heirloom varietals. The encotijada with huitlacoche is like an enchilada but with a salty and creamy Cotija cheese sauce rather than a chile sauce. It is typical of the pueblos around, you guessed it, Cotija, Michoacán, the place that’s famous for cheese.

Los Yuntaites is an absolutely quintessential Mexican culinary experience that you have to check out while in the area.

15. Birriería Chololo

A steaming bowl of birra at Chololo's in Tlajomulco

Chololo is easily one of the best Guadalajara restaurants that all travelers must experience to understand Jalisco food. We have been celebrating Fathers’s Day at Chololo for the last few years which makes me a little nostalgic.

The original brick-and-mortar location is in Tlaquepaque but the Hacienda is the big restaurant on the highway to Chapala. All goat meat, nothing modern. It is awesome to see those huge clay ovens still churning out my favorite local food. Here is a list of some other great birria restaurants.

This is the most expensive birria that I know of. The mixed kilo to-go costs $750 pesos and the special kilo (all carnaza) costs $850 but is worth every centavo.

16. Tikuun Comedor Local

It is refreshing to see young chefs looking at Mexico for their inspiration. Carlos Espinosa is one of Mexico’s most exciting young chefs who just happens to be working in Guadalajara. Tikuun is the sort of place that the chefs love to eat. The food is exciting and adventurous.

Expect lots of exotic meats, sauces, and ingredients. The presentation is an Instagrammer’s dream as every last leaf and pedal has been placed exactly where it needs to be. This is independent Mexico. No Corona, no Cuervo, just recipes that may be skipped a generation and got a fancy new presentation. This needs to be on your list of restaurants to visit soon!

17. Carne en su Jugo del Calle Garibaldi

Carne en Su Jugo, Kamilo's 333, Guadalajara, Jalisco

Carne en su jugo is a simple dish that is oftentimes included in travel guides as a must-see. I think it is a little overrated because of the Guinness Book of World Records thing. It is satisfying but not life-changing.

The dish is a beef soup with thinly sliced beefsteak that is cooked to retain the braising liquid. The liquid is mixed with a tomatillo (tomate verde) to make the broth. They add bacon, beans, cilantro, and onion just before it is served. The bacon is usually crispy when it hits the table.

It is a heavy soup. People from other parts of Mexico joke that Jalisco loves sauce. They drown everything in sauce. Carne en su jugo is more carne than soup. It is heavy. It is like meat drowned in sauce.

In The Santa Teresita neighborhood, there is a street called Calle Garibaldi. On Garibaldi Street, there are three or four of the best carne en su jugo restaurants all on the same block. Karnes Garibaldi is a little more corporate with branded merchandise in the supermarkets and a Guiness World Record. Kamilo’s 333 has a rustic country feel with old time photos and antiques lining the walls. De La Torre is humble and homestyle but carne en su jugo is usually made a home by grandmothers.

All three restaurants serve tasty meals and are important Guadalajara restaurants.

18. El Abajeño

A plate of BBQ lamb at El Abajeño

Spending a Sunday in Tlaquepaque, dining at El Abajeño, and listening to mariachi is a uniquely Jaliscan experience.

The outdoor patio is lush, the tequila flows and all is right in the world. El Abajeño serves traditional Jalisco-style food in a large restaurant that seats hundreds of people. They even have their own parking lot but it is always full on a Sunday afternoon.

I like the barbequed lamb. The carnitas a fried in unique regional style that is different from the Michoacán style. I have never gotten a bad meal here. Try something new like a molcajete with panela cheese and a green sauce.

The name Abajeño comes from the people who inhabit the lowlands, as opposed to the highlands of Jalisco. It is regional cuisine.

19. Maru Toledo’s Rancho El Teuchiteco

Bean tacos and nopal cactus appetizer at Rancho el Teuchiteco

Maru Toledo is a cultural anthropologist and cookbook author who travels Mexico documenting oral traditions related to culinary history. She has events at her ranch, El Teuchiteco, where she prepares food with a specific theme and gives a talk about the history and cultural significance of the recipes they are serving.

THIS IS NOT A RESTAURANT. Do not drive out here unless you have RSVP’d and paid for the event in advance. You can find more information on her events on the Facebook Page.

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Things to do in Tequila, Jalisco and the Valles Region

20. Enora

Enora is one of the best additions to the Seattle neighborhood in a long time. The concept is from some of the finest minds in local coffee, and international coffee for that matter.

Even if you don’t live anywhere near Enora, it is worth driving over there to spend the day. Avenida Aurelio Ortega is one of the most beautiful streets in the metro region with a huge park down the middle and mature shade trees. It is quick to walk to downtown Zapopan and the transit center.

I guarantee that you will enjoy getting coffee and breakfast at Enora. There is excellent service and excellent food but the coffee is out of this world. There is a reason they win so many awards for great coffee.

21. El Fogón Del Pibe

Bife de lomo steak cut tableside at el Fogón del Pibe

I worked with the manager of el Fogón del Pibe back in 2014 at another restaurant in Guadalajara. I have seen his transformation from an individual contributor to an experienced restaurant manager. He and his family are from Argentina with ties to both Buenos Aires and Mar de Ajó. Besides food and besides service, this restaurant understands people.

This is my favorite Argentine-style steak in Guadalajara at a fair price. Some of the other local steak restaurants can be outrageously expensive for just average quality products.

El Fogón del Pibe has excellent steaks, a superb wine list, and educated service.

One of the most important parts of this restaurant is the kids’ play area. There is a supervisor to make sure everyone is having fun and nobody is fighting. Parents can eat a meal in peace while the kids climb and play in a safe environment. They are packed to the brim on Sundays as parents order one more Fernet and Coke.

22. Tortas Ahogadas Clement’s

This is the only torta ahogada to make my list of restaurants. Most of my favorite tortas are street stands. Clement’s is a fast casual restaurant with counter service but no servers. All the tables are in doors and there is nothing to worry about during the rainy season.

The star of the show is the pork belly. You can get tacos dorados (crispy tacos) or a torta ahogads sandwich, but make sure to order them with the pork belly. It is always the first to sell out on a busy weekend.

I used to work at a restaurant a block away from this place for four years. They became an integral part of my Guadalajara experience. When actor Diego Luna comes to town, this is where he eats.

23. Mammut Pizza Terán

Mammut has one of the best pizzas in Guadalajara is a hip space that meshes perfectly with the Colonia Americana.

My favorite pizza is the white pizza with ricotta cheese garnished with a radicchio and butter lettuce salad. I first tried this combination at a place in North Beach San Francisco years ago and I have been obsessed about ricotta on pizzas ever since.

I really like how they are transforming abandoned industrial spaces into modern businesses. The basement is a perfect wine cave and even cooler that you can see down into it from the dining room.

Make it a point to try one of their spritz cocktails. The Aperol is great but they have a few specialty spritz cocktails that nobody else is making.

24. Brick SteakHouse

The meat at Brick SteakHouse is excellent but we had some of the best service that I can remember while eating out in Guadalajara. Our server had exceptional recommendations and an encyclopedic knowledge of the menu.

I love that they bring out the different cuts of meat to explain what each cut is and which ones have bones and which ones do not.

We ordered great salads, the kids ate almost all of their pasta while giving the thumbs up, and they have a couple of nice wines by the glass.

Brick was named one of the top 100 steakhouses in the world with good reason. They serve one of the best steaks in Mexico.

25. La Panga del Impostor

I am going to go out on a limb and say that Guadalajara has some of the best seafood restaurants in Mexico. I love Mexico City and all but Guadalajara edges out the capital in my opinion.

This is where the cool kids and the foodies in the know like to hang out on the weekends La Panga del Impostor is one part nostalgic trip to a sleepy fishing village and one part chef-driven menu.

Chef Antonio De Livier is one of Mexico’s most beloved TV personalities, leading the show Cocineros Mexicanos. He has been all over the country and combines regional cooking with innovative recipes.

The birria de almeja is a seafood lover’s take on a classic Tapatio dish. The dried shrimp aguachile with cecina is one of the best dishes that I tried in 2017. And the taco de chicharron prensado with octopus is reason enough to get to know the Panga.

La Panga has a selection of ice cream flavors that are a gourmet version of a Mexican childhood.

26. Juni-ko

This closet turned sushi bar is one of the hottest tickets in the Guadalajara restaurant scene. This is not your typical Mexican sushi but the real deal, high-end Japanese-style sushi like you would find in Los Angeles or Mexico City.

Nobody in Guadalajara has a selection of exquisite fish that Chef Daisuke Maeda has brought in specifically for this sushi bar. I tend to judge a sushi bar on the quality of its sea urchin and I can say, without a doubt, that is the best sea urchin I have tasted three hours away from the beach. 

There are only 15 seats at the sushi bar and reservations for more than two people can be hard to get. It is expensive but that is to be expected for the quality and selection.

27. Suehiro

Old school, Japanese-owned Guadalajara restaurant that is the real deal. It’s part sushi bar, part teppanyaki, and part museum. The place is enormous and will be full on a Sunday afternoon.

They have gluten-free soy sauce and if you know your way around a Japanese food menu you will be able to find some great options. Suehiro has excellent service and is one of Guadalajara’s favorite restaurants.

28. Mariscos Don Vergas

I have never actually eaten in the restaurant but I got in the habit of ordering food to go.

The name may be vulgar but the seafood is spectacular. The owner and chef is a protege of famed Pujol chef Enrique Olvera.

One of their specialties is the callo de hacha scallops that are the size of your hand. It is hard to find better scallops outside of Sinaloa or Sonora. Don Vergas gets the best of the best.

This is very good Sinaloa-style cuisine.

29. Ponte Trucha Negro

Ponte Trucha Negro is another classic Guadalajara restaurant serving a unique style of local seafood.

Just be aware that the seafood pozone doesn’t actually have any corn in it. I had heard about the seafood pozole at Ponte Trucha Negro but didn’t know that is wasn’t actually pozole but a warm seafood cocktail. What sets it apart from every other cocktail that I have tried is the diversity of seafood and the absence of ketchup.

I highly recommend eating at Ponte Trucha Negro to get a feel for the style of seafood that Jalisco has. This place is a local classic.

The restaurant is located in the Santa Teresita neighborhood but on the side that borders Downtown Guadalajara

30. El Sacromonte

El Sacromonte is a nostalgic trip through old Mexico. The old house that has been converted into a restaurant is a time capsule of a foregone era. It also launched a very successful restaurant group.

A piano player at the entrance is the first clue that you are in for something special.

The menu reads like a greatest hits album of Mexico’s most famous and historic personalities: Salads named after Dolores del Rio and María Felix, and entrees named after my favorite neighborhoods in Puerto Vallarta and Mexico City.

This is my favorite restaurant to take my mother-in-law for her birthday. She can tell me stories about the menu items for hours. People who know traditional Mexican food will love this place.

Service is impeccable and much of the waitstaff have been there for decades. During chile enogada season this is my go-to restaurant. Full bar available.

There is a bar off the entrance that is not used at the time but is something that Ernest Hemingway would have loved. The places feels like it is right out of the 1930s. They rent it out for partied but are not using it at the moment.

31. La Tequila Cocina Mexicana

A monumental collection of tequila bottles

May be considered a touristy restaurant but that shouldn’t affect your ability to enjoy this place. Besides the vast collection of rare tequilas, the menu includes exotic dishes from across the country.

The tlayudas are excellent. On the weekends they sell lamb barbacoa out of a shack behind the restaurant that is top-notch.

A number of years ago, I was talking with my buddy Ricky, the manager of palReal, about our favorite restaurants in Guadalajara. La Tequila has a reputation for being a touristy restauarnt but both he and I love this place. Many people consider it to be touristy because it is expensive by local standards.

If you get a chance, I think you will enjoy the experience.

32. Casa Luna

Casa Luna restaurant dining room

Casa Luna is easily one of the most beautiful restaurants in the Guadalajara Metropolitan Region. The restaurant is located in Tlaquepaque but you would have a hard time knowing where Guadalajara ends and Tlaquepaque begins. You know this is Tlaquepaque because of the folk art decorations in the historic mansion. The entire place is very Instagram friendly.

Classic Mexican fare is served. This is one of my favorite places to enjoy chile en nogada.

33. Habanero Negro

I hate to call Habanero Negro hipster but the place is located in the heart of the Colonia Americana and stacked with bicycles on Sunday’s Via Recreactive. I think the only reason I say it is hipster is that they have an agave-nerd selection of artisanal Mexican spirits.

The food could easily be taken from a roadside restaurant in the Yucatan.

The partners of Habanero Negro are real foodies. They have several other highly successful restaurants and bars like Salon Candela in Downtown Zapopan and are active on social media. I learn about where to eat all over Mexico from these people.

They know about great culinary experiences and you should eat at their restaurants.

34. Mochomos

The bar and dining room at Mochomos in the Landmark Mall

Mochomos is a high-end Mexican steak house from the northern state of Sonora. The restaurant opened in the ultra-luxurious Landmark shopping mall to huge crowds and long waits even though the place is huge. Besides a great steak, this is the place to be seen by the social elite on the weekends. There is a lot of social capital inside the beautifully decorated restaurant.

Grupo Costeño is responsible for the Mochomos concept. They also have an even higher-end concept in Plaza Andares called Cuerno that I have not had the opportunity to visit yet. It is really high on my list but it is pricy. I have heard excellent things about the steaks and the service.

35. Dainzu

Oaxaca is a long way away from Guadalajara both geographically and culturally. Dainzu makes it feel a little bit closer. It is a longtime favorite local restaurant in an upper-middle class neighborhood.

I am a creature of habit and I dream about tlayudas. The tlayuda with tasajo is very good. The chapulines are fresh and crispy and for the most part whole. Don’t forget to order a horchata rice water that is garnished with cantaloupe and nuts.

36. Veneno

Veneno is a restaurant in the Panoramo food court in the Mil500 tower on Avenida Americas. There are a lot of great restaurants in the building but Veneno combines an award-winning design concept with a satisfying menu. This a really fun place to have dinner.

In 2020, Veneno won best design in the Americas by the Restaurant & Bar Design Awards just in time for the pandemic to ravage the restaurant industry. Thankfully, they survived and today they are absolutely packed. The design feel like a cross between the Star Wars cantina and the archeological sites in the north of Mexico like Paquimé, Chihuahua.

The menu is high-end, seasonal Mexican that feels like it has been influenced by the Valle de Guadalupe and the Valle de Parras wine regions in the north.

Best International Restaurants in Guadalajara

This is one area where Guadalajara really shines. Second only to Mexico City, Guadalajara has better international fare than both Monterrey and Tijuana. Many of these restaurants have been around for decades.

People love to move here from other parts of the world. Many of them know how to cook.

37. Il Duomo

The best Guadalajara restaurants
flambeéd ribeye steak at Il Duomo restaurant
The best Guadalajara restaurants

Il Duomo is one of the best restaurats in Guadalajara that tourists never hear about. This restaurant launched a hugely successful restaurant group that has spread to Querétaro, Leon, and Monterrey. The service and the food are both exceptional.

The menu is Italian and the Italian Chamber of Comerce recognized Il Duomo with an Ospitalitá Italiana certificate for promoting authentic Italian food and wine culture. You have got to see their wine seller. This is one of the best places in Guadalajara to drink good wine.

I have enjoyed excellent risottos, suckling pig, quail and a ribeye flamayeed in grappa and foie gras butter.

38. Loló

Loló is another concept by the iconic Guadalajara restaurant group responsible for the I Latina and Anita Li. The difference is that Loló is located in the Plaza Andares Mall which is a massive undertaking. The restaurant is swamped with people day and night.

I love everything that I have tried at Loló but both my wife and I dream about the dulce de coco dessert. It is one of the most simple items on their menu but it never ceases to amaze.

If you happen to be in San Francisco, CA you can find their sister restaurant in the Mission District.

39. Restaurante SSAM

All of a sudden Guadalajara has a solid repertoire of Korean restaurants. I am really starting to rethink my criticisms of the Asian food that is available in Guadalajara restaurants. There are casual options in the market, after-work beer swigging, and all-you-can-eat joints, and there are sophisticated yet casually elegant options to choose from.

Restaurante SSAM fits into that sophisticated yet casually elegant category. Inside and out the experience is absolutely enchanting. A beautiful space on tree-lined Calle Morelos, educated and attentive service, and one hell of a kitchen make Restaurante SSAM a name that you need to know.

40. Casa Morenos GDL

A fat stacked Venezuelan arepa

If you don’t know about Venezuelan-style arepas, you don’t know what living is. Just look at the reviews that this restaurant has on Google Maps. Casa Morenos has quickly grown into a hub of the Venezuelan community in Guadalajara.

A Reina Pepiada is a classic chicken salad sandwich with avocado. My favorite is called the Influencer which has shredded beef, plantain, white cheese, and avocado. Make sure to order a passion fruit juice to go with it.

41. I Latina

From the time you walk in the door, you realize how important the music is to these people. Whether it is live music or a carefully crafted playlist you will catch yourself grooving all night long.

You can tell the owners are well-traveled and love to bring back the tackiest treasures from abroad. The ceramic pigs lining the bar, the throw rugs hung on the wall and the stuffed animals (fake?) playfully adorning different rooms makes the restaurant one of a kind.

When it comes to the kitchen, the chef is no-nonsense. These guys were some of the first people in Guadalajara to start using sous-vide and the consistency in their food is tireless.

The food is nouveau Mexican with some international flair. The shrimp in green curry is very good, the beef short rib entree is out of this world and I am still trying to find out who makes their desserts because the coconut and choco banana ice creams keep me up at night.

Full bar and reservations are highly recommended because everyone knows that these are some of the best Guadalajara restaurants.

42. Tacos Providencia

Baby back rib tacos in Providencia Guadalajara

An absolute Guadalajara classic restaurant. This place always comes up when I ask people what their favorite tacos are. A lot of people talk about how they have memories of coming here with their parents and grandparents.

Tacos Providencia is more of a high-end taco shop with waiters and decent sized tables. They spend a little extra money and buy good quality meat which they cook correctly.

I love that the beef rib tacos are served on the bone. It is a little extra work to take it off the bone but cooking it on the bone adds more flavor.

43. Happy Fish

Fish tacos at the Happy Fish Restaurant in Guadalajara

While most of the attention goes to Taco Fish La Paz, and I agree they have a good taco, the award for the BEST fish taco goes to The Happy Fish.

The Happy Fish has a little bigger menu and I always seem to order those tacos/tostadas that they don’t have at Fish Taco La Paz.

The other difference is the salsa bar. At both restaurants, the tacos are served dry and you decide how you want to dress them. The salsa bar at The Happy Fish has more options and is in better condition.

Both Taco Fish La Paz and The Happy Fish are great options that have been around forever, but I recommend The Happy Fish just a little bit more.

44. Tomate Taqueria

Tacos de asada and pastor at Tomate Taquera on Av Chapultepec

By far the most famous taco shop in the Colonia Americana and right in the middle of the Avenida Chapultepec bar district. This place is wildly popular with the after-drinks crowd. They specialize in everything al pastor: tacos, quesatacos, and fortachones.

They sell some beers but the house favorites are the flavored lemonades.

45. Napoles Pizza

Neapolitan-style pizza in Guadalajara

46. Pig’s Pearls

The best burgers in Guadalajara at Pig's Pearls

Growing up in San Diego we are spoiled with great burgers. Finding a good hamburger in Guadalajara can be a challenge.

Thankfully there’s Pig’s Pearls. The burgers are on the smaller side but that lets you order a salad and a bone marrow appetizer. I am partial to the lamb burger and the bacon maple syrup burger and can never decide which to order.

Beer and wine only but they have a great selection of local microbreweries.

Best Guadalajara Dessert Restaurants

47. La Postrería

Molecular gastronomy desserts at La Postreria Guadalajara

Chef Jesús Escalera Ciscares is kind of a big deal in the world of culinary arts. Originally hailing from Sevilla, Spain, he has worked as a pastry chef at three different Michelin Star restaurants (El Bulli, Casa Marcelo, and The Fat Duck) before relocating to Mexico and winning even more awards.

Eating at La Postrería is a surreal experience. It almost feels like something out of Alice in Wonderland where the desserts look like mushrooms and flowers but are in fact confections.

They started with a small location in Providencia but are expanding rapidly. The new location in the Colonia Americana is perfect for the hot days of summer. The newest location in Tijuana is attracting a lot of attention in San Diego.

48. Churros La Bombilla

Churros la Bombilla is a longstanding Guadalajara tradition. My wife has been coming here since she was a teenager. Guillermo Del Toro, the Academy Award-winning director from Guadalajara eats here whenever he is in town. The place really is a Guadalajara institution.

The churros and hot chocolate are delicious but I was surprised how good the coffee is.

There is often a line at the door but everyone is super excited to eat here and everyone is in a good mood. The wait goes quickly. Make sure to check this place out when you come to visit.

49. Momotabi Mochi Market

I am in love with the mochi ice cream balls at Momotabi. I have never been to Japan but the fact that there are Japanese people working here makes me think these are authentic Japanese-style mochi. Even the descriptions are written in both Japanese and Spanish.

The true test is from my four-year-old son. He loves these things and suggests we get mochi every weekend. I suggest you give them a try.

Guadalajara Restaurants Map

All of my Guadalajara restaurant recommendations have been placed on a Google Map for your convenience. I invite you to play with the map and see if there are some hidden gems around the corner from your hotel. There is an element of cultural identity in each of them and the food is guaranteed to be spectacular.

I have been writing this list since 2018 and updating it quarterly. Several of the best restaurants in Guadalajara have had to close. If you find any errors in my list, I would love to hear about them in the comments section so that I may keep it up to date. If you have some recommendations, I’d love to hear about them too.

Guadalajara Restaurants FAQ

These are the most commonly asked questions about Guadalajara restaurants that I see in the Facebook groups.

What are the best restaurants in Colonia Americana Guadalajara?

The Colonia Americana is home to many of the best restaurants in Guadalajara. The neighborhood is urban, hipster, and a little rough around the edges. The restaurants tend to be smaller and many of them are owned by individual proprietors as opposed to established restaurant groups.

RinTinTin Cafe, Fitzroy Espresso Bar, and El Terrible Juan are excellent cafes.

Tikuun, Pig’s Pearls, and El Sacromonte are awesome restaurants.

Casa Trapiche, El Gallo Altanero, and Rita Perez are fun bars with a good selection of drinks.

What are the best restaurants in Guadalajara Centro?

Downtown Guadalajara doesn’t have a great selection of great restaurants. The best restaurants are humble and long-running. There are three traditional markets with excellent food and drink. Mercado Alcalde has an incredible birria, Mercado San Juan de Dios has the tortas lokas and tripas doradas, and Mercado Corona was rebuilt with a hipster food court in mind.

Piso Siete, the restaurant on the seventh floor of the DoubleTree hotel has a great view of the Plaza de Armas and an enjoyable brunch.

I have always enjoyed the pozole at La Morenita del Santuario. On the street outside of the Santuario de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, there are street vendors that sell buñuelos. This has been the place to sell buñuelos on the street for over a hundred years.

What are the best rooftop restaurants in Guadalajara?

Rooftop Restaurants in Guadalajara

Nadim Roof
Tom Top Floor
Se7enta Azotea
Piso Siete
Wandor GDL Hilton Midtown
Matilde Mi Amor
Hard Rock
Voco GDL Pablo Neruda

Are there any Michelin Star restaurants in Guadalajara, Mexico?

Unfortunately, there are no Michelin Star restaurants in Guadalajara. Michelin just moved into Mexico in 2024 and only has coverage in a few places.

There are a number of chefs who have worked at Michelin Star restaurants in other countries before returning to Mexico to open their own restaurants. Paco Ruano, Adolfo Galnares, and Jesús Escalera Ciscares are just three of the chefs with Michelin Star work experience. I’m sure they are on the radar of the Michelin judges when they start reviewing restaurants in Mexico.

Final Thoughts: Best Guadalajara Restaurants

I feel uniquely qualified to write this article because I have been living here for so long.

All of the top Google searches are bloggers who parachute in for a long weekend and try to summarize the Guadalajara restaurant scene having eaten at these restaurants only once.

I have lived in Guadalajara for ten years of which I have spent five years working in Guadalajara restaurants.

The contacts that I have made give me a unique perspective about restaurants that are opening and why others are closing.

Paul Hudson making tortillas

Restaurateurs typically know how to eat well because that is their industry and they need to know the market. Their employees have gone on to work in other kitchens and dining rooms, their purveyors supply other restaurants and everybody talks.

This list is based on my personal experiences but it is highly influenced by the conversations that I have with people within the local industry as well as national and international guests.

My wife and I love to eat out and try everything new. I am using this blog as a way to document the things that I love and think that you might like too. These are my favorite Guadalajara restaurants.

Paul Hudson is a food, travel, and surf enthusiast who writes about Mexico on his blog Playas y Plazas. Originally from Southern California, Paul has lived in Guadalajara since 2009. He has a BA in Global Economics from UC Santa Cruz (Go Banana Slugs!) and speaks English and Spanish fluently. He can often be found exploring the Pacific Coast of Mexico looking for isolated beaches, fun waves, and exotic foods.