Weekend in Guadalajara, Mexico: A Perfect Getaway

One weekend in Guadalajara, and I was incontrovertibly, irrevocably under her spell. After a birthday/Labor Day trip to Los Angeles last year fell through, my boyfriend and I spent an afternoon cobbling together Plan B. Our vision constituted of a getaway that was both lively and relaxing, indulgent and yet wouldn’t, you know, bankrupt us.

A cabin on the coast of Mendocino? Wine-tasting in Sonoma? Treating ourselves to a trifecta of tacos, beach, and sunshine in San Diego?

Nope. Turns out, we ended up across the border. I never could resist the call of a cheap flight and a new destination. Oh, and what a destination it was! Over a long weekend, we became fervent fans of the city’s quietly trendy Americana neighborhood, vibrant culture, and of course the out-of-this-world food. Only a four-hour flight away from San Francisco, this is surely not going to be my last weekend in Guadalajara! Planning your own weekend getaway? Read on to see what you absolutely can’t miss.

Where to Stay for a Weekend in Guadalajara

NEIGHBORHOOD: Americana or Lafayette

I’d move to the Americana neighborhood in a heartbeat.

Avenue Chapultepec is the nerve central of modern day life in Guadalajara. It’s lined with busy restaurants, sports bars, cafes, and boutiques, the place to see and be seen. Through its middle runs a leafy sidewalk for pedestrians. Lovers strolling hand-in-hand checking out the weekend craft market, kids screeching happily aboard their toy scooters, their grandparents supervising from benches. And just a couple of blocks away, you’ll find the Colonia Americana neighborhood. Dotted with stately colonial mansions, and home to the city’s chicest cafes and hotels, Colonia Americana is undeniably the cool kid on the block.

Lafayette is Americana’s neighbor, on the other side of Avenue Chapultepec. This is technically where our hotel was located, but I spent so much time crossing between Lafayette and Americana that they blurred together in my mind. Lafayette is a smidge quieter and more residential than Americana but both are exceedingly safe and perfectly located. I’d highly recommend staying and concentrating your time in either.

HOTEL: Hotel Demetria

What a treat it was to stay at Hotel Demetria!

A world apart from any other hotel I’ve experienced, Hotel Demetria is sleek and freaking sexy. It feels like crashing at a fancified archaeological site or history museum. All dark tones, tons of interesting stonework, and dim lighting. And look at how cool even their slippers and wine-glasses are:

Best of all, the hotel staff was extraordinarily kind. We were welcomed with drinks and a tour of the hotel, and felt so taken care of throughout our whole stay. Also, bonus points for a mean breakfast buffet and for being perfectly located too. Definitely consider basing your stay here.

Food & Drink in Guadalajara:

Being the glutton that I am, eating made up… oh I don’t know, like 95% of our weekend itinerary. Surprisingly, most of our favorite food and drinks were all found within a few of blocks from our hotel. I’m telling you, Americana is the place to be! If you’re enjoying your own weekend in Guadalajara, trust me and make time for the following:

Breakfast & Cafes:

• Cafe Palreal: no question, my favorite find in Guadalajara. Everyone knows about this amazing breakfast spot, so you’ll want to arrive early to put your name on the list. Their coffee is wonderful, but the absolute standouts here are the lonche de pancita (a crunchy, hollowed out baguette brimming with pork belly, beans, avocado, and more) and the encacahuatadas (breakfast enchiladas swimming in a spicy peanut sauce).
• Fitzroy Espresso Bar: we only had time for a quick (but great!) coffee here, but the food also looked delicious. Loved the atmosphere too – if I were a student, I’d camp out here with my textbooks all day.
• La Cafeteria: I didn’t make it here, but it was on my list to stop by for some chilaquiles. Looked so tasty!

Bars & Quick Bites:

• Romea: lovely little wine bar that served as a re-fuel station for us after a morning of sight-seeing. They have huge cheese and charcuterie plates as well as other light bites (and lunch options too, I think) that really hit the spot.
• Cerveceria Chapultepec: cheap drinks, greasy food, buzzy atmosphere. What else could you want from a cerveceria?
• Patan Ale House: this is the spot for you if you’re a craft beer connoisseur!
• Guilty Cocktail Bar: we actually stumbled across the place after dinner one night, and loved this fun spot. Dim lighting, quirky theme, amazing drinks.

Lunch & Dinner:

• Santo Coyote: this was on a short list for dinner options, but we didn’t end up actually eating here. I’ve heard the food is great and the entertainment is fun, but may feel a tad kitschy.
• El Sacromonte: is well-loved for their soups and friendly staff.
• Pig’s Pearls: I was reluctant to hit up a burger place in Mexico when there’s a world of tacos begging to be explored. But we learned the hard way that everything closes early on Sundays (or perhaps it was just because of the holiday weekend). Silver linings: Pig’s Pearls was awesome. Really flavorful burgers, great beer selection, and everyone was so friendly!

Fine Dining On the Cheap (Kind Of)

Confession: if it was the cheap flight that first stoked the flames of going to Guadalajara, it was its bevy of fine dining options that closed the deal. A bevy of fairly affordable fine dining options, that is.

For my boyfriend’s birthday dinner, we picked from Alcalde, Bruna, and Allium. All sounded absolutely incredible. We ended up going with the tasting menu at Alcalde for its marriage of local flavors and modern originality – and wow, it was an excellent dinner. I’m talkin’ a white chocolate foie gras mousse for dessert! A brilliant journey of colors, flavors, and textures.

We were keen on grabbing a last minute table at Allium the evening we arrived, but a thunderstorm rolled in and nixed the idea (we would’ve had to walk three blocks in the storm). Instead, we checked out the hotel’s Restaurant Demetria and were actually really pleasantly surprised. Their duck mole flautas and octopus tostadas were really tasty!

Weekend Adventuring in Guadalajara: Food Tour in Colorful Tlaquepaque

Can you say ‘Tlaquepaque’ (Tuh-lock-uh-pock-uh) ten times fast?

I certainly couldn’t. But that didn’t stop me from booking a food tour and wholly pigging out there. Tlaquepaque is a tiny, colorful town, about twenty minutes outside of central Guadalajara. Known for its ceramics and mariachi bands, Tlaquepaque serves as a great outing for cultural learning. And we chose to absorb its culture though food – through Mexican Food Tours’ Tlaquepaque Food & Tequila Tasting Tour, specifically.

Out of all that we did in Guadalajara, this was my favorite. It started out at a crowded food market where we learned about staple ingredients in Mexican cooking. After a tortilla master saw me salivating over the fluffy disks he was churning out, he handed one right over for me taste. Best tortilla I’ve ever had. Our guide then threaded peeks into Mexico’s history through samples of so many local goodies (torta ahogada! the ultimate drunk food! birria! a refreshing cazuela made with fresh citrus and tequila!). It’s humbling to realize just how much I did not know about our southern neighbors.

Afterwards, we worked off a minuscule fraction of our three hours’ worth of feasting by shopping for crafts, poking our noses into jewelry boutiques, and admiring all of Tlaquepaque’s hues.

Celebrating in Guadalajara: Mexican Independence Day Parade in Centro Historico

Imagine our delight when after walking around for miles checking out cathedrals and markets and old, gray theaters we come across a parade. Or more accurately, a Mexican Independence Day parade in wait of actually parading. We see hundreds of people on horseback adorned in beautiful, traditional garb. Men are handsome in suave gauchos and sombreros, the women are breathtaking in full, colorful skirts. And the kids in mini versions of both! Be still my heart.

For blocks we walked, taking in each of the different variations of dress, the festive songs, the horses impatiently stomping their feet. When the parade commenced at last, they snaked alongside an admiring crowd. Good cheer and a shared pride was abundant. Viva México!

For My Next Weekend in Guadalajara

To be honest, there was so much more we could’ve and should’ve done:

1. Pay homage to tequila in its birthplace of Tequila, Mexico
2. Take a day trip to Lake Chapala (a fellow tourist we ran into in our hotel elevator mentioned that this was his favorite excursion)
3. Explore the Cultural Institute Cabañas and more of Centro Historico

But alas, we fit in as much as we could while still saving room for the sweet relaxation that is a part of any true getaway. As for more exploration… well, that’s just an excuse to return for another weekend in Guadalajara, I say!