21 Best Restaurants in Guadalajara, Mexico

It's difficult to beat Cerveceria Chapultepec when it comes to finding a quick snack and a cold drink. Throughout the day, you'll find tacos, desserts, and many beers, and everything costs 20 MXN.

Chiles and Beer serves quick (or not) meals throughout the day, to be washed down with—you guessed it—beer. Their burgers are big and tasty, but it's the seafood that stands out, particularly the aguachile, a type of Mexican ceviche that hails from Sinaloa. The classic version is made with fresh raw shrimp or fish, cucumber, red onion, lime juice, and chilies that have been pulverized with water—hence the name.

At high meal times, travelers will find lines of locals and tourists alike extending out the door of this traditional Mexican restaurant in El Centro. While the decor is plain, the food is among the best in the city. Items worth testing include the queso fundido (cheese fondue) and the enchiladas. If you're staying in West Guadalajara, there's a second restaurant at 405 Terranova in Providencia.

Considered one of the top restaurants in Ajijic, this Argentine favorite has locals and tourists waiting in a line down the block to get inside. Many go for the arrachera (flank steak), lamb, or carpaccio. Reservations are a must on weekdays, but the eatery doesn't take them on weekends, so get there early.

The only gastronomic brewery in Chapala, it offers craft beer and delicious food including burgers, burritos, tacos, and salads.

If you are looking for a traditional Mexican experience, there's no better place to go in Tlaquepaque than El Parián. At this large complex with a central patio shared by 18 different restaurants and bars, everyday is a Mexican fiesta! Mariachis perform all day long and tequila flows easily. The cuisine might not be the best in town, but it's quite good. 

A covered patio invites you to sip margaritas while listening to live trova (romantic ballads). Musicians play Tuesday to Friday evenings and on weekends during the leisurely lunch hour. Try one of the steak or chicken dishes, the burrito, or the classic chiles en nogada in the colors of the Mexican flag. The staff is friendly and helpful.

Come to this intimate bit of Bavaria on the lake for German cuisine like sausages and goose or duck pâté. Main dishes come with soup or salad, applesauce, and cooked red cabbage. For dessert indulge in plum strudel or blackberry-topped torte. Come on the early side, though; this restaurant closes at 8 pm.

This Tapatío institution has held the Guinness World Record for fastest restaurant service: 13.5 seconds for a table of six. Lightning-fast service is made possible by the menu's single item: carne en su jugo, a combination of finely diced beef and bacon simmered in rich beef broth and served with grilled onions, tortillas, and refried beans mixed with corn.

Food in this "Old House" is exquisite, the location is serene, and the service is very good. Located inside Hotel Solar de Las Animas, it's open to the public.

Eat on a covered patio overlooking a grassy lawn and a small pool at this low-key restaurant. In addition to Mexican standards, the menu has Italian pasta dishes. Service is friendly, and there's live music—ranging from Mexican pop and rock to blues, jazz, guitar, and harp—most nights.

One of the city's best non-Mexican options is this delicious Argentinian restaurant with decades of success. Steaks are their specialty, but they also offer a wide array of dishes including fish, pasta, and salads. An outstanding cava will also delight wine lovers.

Locals and visitors come here for tasty traditional Mexican food in a simple family-friendly restaurant. Try the pozole, which starts with hominy and a protein as the base, and comes in three types of broth. Red pozole is a thinner broth that uses dried, red chilies; green pozole broth is rich and calls for fresh, green peppers; and white pozole is a thinner broth without chilies.

La Moresca serves great Italian food in a trendy, upscale setting. Unlike most restaurants in Zapopan, it is open on Sunday. Reservations are recommended.

Twentysomething Tapatíos flock to this modern Italian restaurant for delicious pasta and pizza dinners and stick around for the hip martini bar scene that follows. This is Guadalajara at its trendiest.

This highly acclaimed Indian restaurant is not to be missed. What it lacks in character it makes up for in cuisine.

This grandly turreted brick building was once the summer home of the Braniff family, former owners of the defunct airline. The house specialty is chamorro, pork shank wrapped in banana leaves. A patio overlooks the boardwalk and is inviting in the evening.

If you're into trying local favorites, this is the place to order lengua—beef tongue—or chicken mole, which has a sweet twist. The pork loin and barbecue ribs are also worth a taste. For dessert, order the flan with cajeta (a local soft caramel sauce); it's homemade—literally made in someone's house and delivered nightly to the restaurant.

One of the most sophisticated restaurants in Guadalajara, Santo Coyote offers top-notch Mexican-fusion cuisine, like delicious tacos el negro with lobster and traditional Mexican sopa de tortilla. Set in a wide indoor/outdoor space, the atmosphere couldn’t be more spectacular with outstanding lighting, a huge palapa, and a beautiful garden. This is the place you would take that date you are trying to impress.

A true Tapatío (Guadalajara native) will tell you that these are the best tacos in town. Don’t expect anything fancy; it’s just a clean and functional taqueria where everything is about those exquisite tacos.