30 Reasons to Love San Miguel de Allende Right Now

We think some of the best things to see in San Miguel de Allende are found on a plate. We hope you’ll tag along as we rediscover our city over the next few months, finding new dishes from chefs who are so talented, you’ll want to try their entire menus.

Whatever your passions are, we’ve got you covered so don’t book your return ticket home just yet. We’ll give you other inspirations worth chasing: shops, classes, galleries and adventures - some that can push you out of your comfort zone; a place we haven’t been to since we moved to San Miguel.

And just as we were catching our breath from the opening of two new restaurants, La Dona (San Francisco 32) and Bar Margaret (Mesones # 3) the increase in activity continues.

After success in the cities of Leon and Querétaro, Bruno Cucina (Mesones #58) opened in SMA. We had our first tasting there this week; impressed with the unusual dishes on the menu, including fabulous Ox Cheek Nuggets and Al Mattone (chicken) cooked on a brick. Alejandro de la Vega is the new young chef and turning out a Tiramisu that was silky and authentically Italian was Maria Guadalupe Suarez Mendez (Lupita). We’ll be back for two more rounds. In the mean time, live music is featured starting Thursdays through the weekend.  

Partners from Mexico City will introduce another new star next month, Santiago & Macarena cocina contemporanea, in the Essentia Hotel at

#63 Mesones. 

Meanwhile, renovations are under way in the space in back of Plaza Colonial (Canal #21) with an added rooftop, bringing a more casual, Mexican restaurant (think exceptional Pozole) to Centro in the next month.

Cent'anni Ristorante got a facelift (Canal 34) and Ruta de la Milpa’s (Canal #18) new chef, Chef Jorge Corcega, brings his philosophy, which is totally focused on the products of the milpa and the Mexican countryside, to SMA. Also, Los Milagros has moved up the hill (Salida Real a Queretaro #91) to offer another gorgeous view of SMA.

Opening in Mercado Sano (Ancha de San Antonio #123, San Antonio) is Boado del Cielo, featuring tastings from Chef Vanessa Romero. We’ve known Chef Romero who has been cooking in Mexico for over 25 years and has been on the food festival fast track for the past 5 years.

Also at Mercado Sano, one of our favorite chefs, Gabriel Ordonez, is doing a pop up on Saturday; making burgers of Short Rib, Chuck and Top Sirloin. The burger is served on a fresh potato roll baked by Mesa Grande, is piled high with caramelized onions and smothered in his own secret sauce. Go try it; he’s there every weekend. As the juices ran down my chin, I’m reminded that this is how a great buger needs to taste. The meat, purchased from KOE across from Los Frailes, is the carnicería that many food lovers in SMA are raving about. We’ve heard that the steaks are the best in town; a New York Strip so tender you can cut it with a fork, priced at $105 pesos. Koe Sma Boutique de carnes is at Relámpago 1, La Lejona, 37765 San Miguel de Allende, Gto. Hours Daily 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM  
Phone: 415 138 0236

Also, a congratulations to Chef Great Ortega Casanas on the TEN year anniversary of MiVida restaurant today. This is a huge accomplishment which we will be celebrating tonight. 

Now, we’ll dish up 30 more reasons to love San Miguel de Allende right now. Add them to your growing list because, come September, we’ll turn around and feed you 30 more.

Buen Provecho!

David Jahnke Cooking Class Lab

Chef David Jahnke has the #1 cooking school in SMA and now he’s landed on the top again; he’s listed among the best cooking classes in Mexico.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g150768-Activities-c36-t203-Mexico.html

He’s shown us the Tuesday Market, even though we’ve been there a hundred times, sharpened our knife skills, tossed us into the thick of making moles and taught us that we can prepare fish to absolute perfection in a pan we never, ever visualized cooking in.

Congrats to the Maestro, who first appeared in our guide to SMA cooking schools back in April, 2017. His teaching style sets him apart; he’s one of the best instructors we’ve run across in the 50 years we’ve been cooking.

Contact him for a class schedule at david.jahnke@gmail.com. Sign up early as many of the modules sell out.

La Dona

I’ve never met a problem a dessert couldn’t fix so we did a dessert tasting; picking all four on the dessert menu at La Dona – the Chocolate: Esfera de Chocolate de Metate; Corn: Pan de Elote; Rice: Arroz con Leche de La Dona and Sugar: Bunuelos.  Chef Juan Arroyo Pineda's team, neXtia alumni Chef Juan Manuel Galvan Lopez and Pastry Chef, Vichenza Salinas, offer a delicious selection of desserts made from high-quality ingredients, resulting in multiple textures and visuals; some way too beautiful to eat. In fact, we can never decide which our favorite is; we love them all.

What else did we savor at La Dona besides a round of desserts? Arrachera, perfectly cooked in a wood fired oven, a baby corn appetizer with Huitlacoche, and another taste of their remarkable, signature dish, roasted cauliflower with dehydrated tomato.

Make a reservation and go before the rest of SMA finds out that La Dona is one of the best, new restaurants in SMA. We know it; soon, you will too.

La Dona

San Francisco #32, San Miguel de Allende

Hours: Monday – Wednesday: 12:00 Noon - 10:00 PM

Thursday – Sunday: 12:00 Noon - 11:30 PM

Sunday: 11:00 AM - 9:00 PM

Chef: Juan Arroyo Pineda

Lucky Tuk Tours SMA

Since many of the expats in SMA are without a car by choice, we thought that Tuk-tuks would be a perfect mode of transportation here, especially after a month long trip to Guatemala, where we took them every day.

Tuk-tuks will soon be transporting locals and visitors to cultural and culinary landmarks around the city. You can design your own tours and book a Tuk-tuk for the entire day. We got a preview ride and it was so much fun, Tuk-tuks will be our preferred method of transportation in SMA.

One of our favorite performers, Johnny Favorite, is behind the project and we can’t wait for his new fleet of Tuk-tuks to hit the streets. More information will surface as this project rolls in to SMA this September.

Visit www.luckytuk.com

Raspados (pictured above)

Juan’s new street cart in the Jardin serves up Mexican shaved-ice slushies called

Raspados; a fruity ice drink that’s often hit with a sweet, salty, savory and spicy 

condiment with gummies as a garnish. 

You can beat the summer heat and buy the small one, which I mistook for a 

large, for just $25 pesos or get one in a SMA commemorative cup for $95 pesos. 

The cart is located just across the street from Bella Italia restaurant at Portal 

de Guadalupe 12. 

Cafe Casa Blanca 7 and Fatima 7

As you enter the beautiful Hotel Casa Blanca 7, you get the best of two worlds – Café Casa Blanca 7 downstairs and Fatima 7 on the rooftop.

Just last month, we listed 18 sandwiches that convinced us the best meal of the day can be found between two slices of bread. Now we’ve discovered #19, thanks to a little help from Chef Donnie Masterton. We can’t get enough of the smoky Pastrami, tasting it for the first time on a burger that ran as a special at Birdie’s.  Chef J.J. Castenada brines the pastrami for a week, enhances it with an herbal rub for another five days, cooks it on a smoker then puts the meat in a sous vide until it’s textbook perfect. The sauerkraut is also delicious and homemade. Selective breads are now baked in-house at The Restaurant, like this rye bread that gives the sandwich a magnificent and much needed crunch.

Any meal at Café Casa Blanca 7 must be finished with this Budino of chocolate with hazelnut praline. The best dessert in SMA? It’s got our vote.

Happy Hour Friday starts at 4:00 PM; enjoy two for one with special prices on beers, wines, spirits, Mezcalitas and Margaritas. The Margaritas are made with Don Julio Reposado, one of our favorite tequilas. It was so smooth, we had to order a second.

At Fatima, you’ll want to try everything on the menu so the only thing in doubt here is if the table is going to be big enough for all of the food you order.  The menu is a mix of small plates, flatbreads, tagines, grilled meats and fish, Moroccan style vegetables and delicious breads and spreads.

What’s your motivation, besides the great food, for making a reservation right now? Early-birds get the best views, with so many temples in your initial sighting. SMA’s would-be historian, Jose Yanez, pointed out all TEN: Templo de Nuestra Senora de la Salud; Templo del Oratorio de San Felipe Neri; San Columbano; Nuestra Señora de Loreto; Iglesia de San Francisco; Tercera Orden; Parroquia de San Miguel Arcangel; Church of the Immaculate Conception of Las Monjas; La Santa Escuela de Cristo (San Raphael) and La Ermita.

Café Casa Blanca 7 (downstairs) Fatima Rooftop (upstairs)

Juares #8

Café Casa Blanca 7 Hours: Breakfast: 8:00 AM – 11:00 AM/Comida: 11:00 AM – 10:00 PM

Fatima Hours: Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday: 7:00 PM -10:00 PM. Thursday, Friday and Saturday: 7:00 PM - 11:30 PM.

Closed: Monday 
Chefs: Donnie Masterton and J.J. Castaneda

Cervecería Dos Aves 

It’s amazing that we have one of the best microbreweries in Mexico right up the hill and I had never been there until today. Take advantage of the proximity and visit the tap room, now open every Friday from 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM. You’ll love their flight; ours was six beers: Pale Ale, IPA, Rye, Triple Belgian, Saison and Stout. The Triple Belgian was the one that may make a beer drinker out of me; having more noticeable malt sweetness.

Also, once a month on a Saturday, they bring in a restaurant around town to do food and beer pairings. The next one is August 10^th when Dos Aves pairs up with Taco Lab (Relox 18 at Doce 18), starting at 1:00 PM.

Mark Taylor and Francisco Kameko have established Dos Aves as one of the premier craft beers in the world; taking it International when they won a gold medal for their Stout Imperial at the 2018 International Beer Cup in Yokohama Japan. In fact, they’ve won so many awards since they started in 2012, we quit counting.  

Ceveceria Dos Aves

Relampago 4 La Lejona, Second Section, 37765

Tap Room Hours: Friday 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM

Food Tours

When I first came to SMA back in June, 2013, the food scene was owned by a few chefs and a handful of restaurants. 2016 changed all that with new restaurants opening almost every week. Every day, someone is discovering what we already know: San Miguel is one incredible place to eat!

SMA has many great food tours, but for those of us that like to find things on our own, the thrill of the hunt is often half the fun.

If you’re craving an authentic, SMA food experience, we’ll make it easy for you. We’re posting a self-guided food tour next month that highlights all of the best food to eat in SMA. What you find on your own is the other half of the magic.

Art Leap Adventures

Happy Art owner, Marti McGinnis, conducts ongoing paper mache classes with Meagan Burns through Art Leap Adventures. Here, Sarah Martin shows off the spirit mask she created in Marti’s “Spirit Mask Paper Mache” workshop. Marti’s classes are some of the most popular in SMA so sign up early as they frequently sell out.

Go to https://www.artleapadventures.com/papermachelevel1.html for a list of all the classes that Meagan Burns offers through Art Leap Adventures.

Also connect with Marti on her website http://www.happyart.com/. You’ll see our favorite project; the Less is More Comic Project, documenting her commitment to consuming less in 2019.

Café Sombra

We loved this cozy, new coffee bar in Colonia Guadalupe where meeting your neighbor is easy; there are only 7 stools and most of them are occupied by devoted regulars.

Café Sombra serves some of the best coffee in the city, along with a carrot cake that’s made by the owners’ mother. Order Patricio’s signature drink, a Pinguica, made with Tonic water, Pinguica and Expresso. We’re told it cures everything, including too much tequila the night before.  

Café Sombra

Esquina con, Calzada de la Aurora, Mario Talavera 8, Guadalupe

9:00 AM – 5:00 PM – Closed Wednesdays

Mariachi Music

Mariachi music is the soundtrack of the rich life here in Mexico so we couldn’t resist catching some of SMA's best musicians offering their rendition of the songs we’ve been in love with for over 50 years.

Besides, we can think of at least a million and one reasons to give you a midnight serenade.

La Unica

On the advice of Chef Lucy Noriega, we went to La Unica to taste the

Chamorro. It was superb; a split for two+ that’s mixed with an Adobo chili mole sauce. This is the best main courses we’ve eaten at La Unica so it has got us wondering about all the other meat cut options on the menu, like Rib Eye and Arrachera. We also fell in love with the lava cheesecake; not your standard cheesecake by any means.

Make a reservation for the rooftop. The view from our favorite table, #5, is the most spectacular. It puts you on the “other side” of the Parroquia and it’s exquisite. Go at 5:00 PM to avoid the crowds.

La Unica

Sollano #14
Sunday - Wednesday: 1 PM - 11 PM
Thursday - Saturday: 1 PM - 2 AM

Lamb and Mezcal Festival

This past year, the 9^th Annual Lamb and Mezcal festival was the best year for food; every chef pushed it over the top. It was exciting to have new chefs in the competition. Participants included Chef Armando Pratz; Birdie’s Burgers; Mio Bistrock; Mama Mia; Los Milagros; La Única; Mama Mia Campestre; Mezcal-Art; Live Aqua Urban Resort San Miguel de Allende; San Miguel Gourmet and Tupinamba. Congrats to Lorelai Cordova of Mio Bistrock food truck, who took home the FIRST prize, preparing a delicious dish of Lamb Kafta with a Greek Salad that was served with three sauces: Greek Tsatziki, Harissa and Morita with Mezcal.

Birdie’s Burgers offered a Lamb burger with a Mezcal and Tamarind sauce. We thought the flavors were superb. Lucky for us, it was featured at Birdie’s in Doce 18 as a special the following week.

In all the years we’ve known Chef Armando Pratz, we don’t think he’s used the same grill or recipe twice. This year, he made an amazing Lamb Seekh Kabab with roasted green, white and red cabbage and a magical mix of peppercorn, allspice, anis, cinnamon and other spices. A sauce of hierba santa was added when the lamb was cooked in the sous vide. We loved the variety of textures in this dish. 

Mama Mia Campestre scored points when Chef Cecy introduced their entry; Lamb with camote amarillo y gremolata. A trip to their organic garden and restaurant in Atotonilco is on our calendar for this Thursday. Adal, one of our favorite bartenders in SMA, was also part of the Mama Mia staff.

La Única, Mezcal-Art and the other restaurants did an amazing job creating dishes that were both original and flavorful. Los Milagros took second place with a traditional barbecue taco cooked with guajillo, onion and garlic and Live Aqua Urban Resort San Miguel de Allende was third with a Lamb BBQ bun with reduction sauce; much like the Bao buns, now in many of the restaurants around SMA.

One of the highlights of the festival was a round table discussion featuring four Mezcal experts including one of our favorite personalities and the Queen of Mezcal, Lala Noguera. We were delighted to see Chef Lucy Noriega, Karla Fernandez from Living and Travel and Chef Marcela Bolano of Marsala, cocina con acentos at the festival. SMA’s Martin Lopez, of Mezcal Buen Vieje, was one of the experts on the panel. We know the discussion will continue as the Mezcal culture is experiencing rapid growth in both Mexico and around the world.

Hats off to organizer, Billy Mervin, for preserving the festival’s status as one of the best food festivals in SMA; it’s also the longest running.

We think the best thing about food festivals is that they introduce you to so many new chefs and restaurants. Most everyone we know ate more than the required six entrées to vote. The Mezcal? Well, the festival was on a Saturday and you know what we do on our day off! See you next year.

Globo San Miguel

To commemorate our 50 years in Mexico, we took a hot air balloon ride over the Pyramid of the Sun. In fact, we can’t think of a better way to celebrate a town than to get a birds-eye view of the magnificent landscape that made you fall in love with the city in the first place.

Globo San Miguel Tours

San Antonio 14, San Antonio, 37750

Daily flights over San Miguel de Allende and the surrounding countryside

Phone: 415 114 2174

Email: reserva@globosanmiguel.com

Casa Parque

Casa Parque is a place that we recommend to out- of -town visitors looking for that authentic taste of Mexico. Owned by Belmond Casa Sierra Nevada, the setting is such that you feel like you’re eating outdoors. We love its casual atmosphere almost as much as the food, created and prepared by Chef Mariel Beiza and Pastry Chef Ruben Yanez Hernandez, who also teaches cooking classes at Belmond Casa Sierra Nevada’s Sazon Cooking School. The chefs introduce new recipes often and the flavors always surprise us, like the Amuse-bouche, an Esquites (corn) with mayonnaise, lime, and seasonings; Chicken broth with squash blossom, Poblano chile, Panela cheese and fresh corn; a local tomato salad with grilled panela cheese, cactus leaf and guajillo vinaigrette; Soft shell crab taco with purple cabbage, pico de gallo and chipotle sauce; Banana crust empanada stuffed with chocolate ganache, vanilla cream and local chocolate ice cream and Bunuelos “de viento” covered with sugar, cinnamon on peppermint sauce with ice cream.  

Belmond Casa de Sierra Nevada Casa Parque
Santa Elena #2, Centro San Miguel de Allende
Daily 7:00 AM - 10:30 PM
Chef: Mariel Beiza
Pastry Chef: Ruben Yanez Hernandez

Atrio

Our list of great food goes on and on and the only thing better than the Boa Bun is two of them, not to mention the Rib Rice and Red Snapper.

Atrio’s one restaurant where we’ve eaten the entire menu and turned around and did it all over again. Now, there are many new things to try, including all of the Spring, 2019 specials. That’s one thing we love about this restaurant – they change the menu often.

With Chef Arturo Sandoval in the kitchen, Atrio captures a top spot among the best restaurants in SMA.

Snag a reservation for this rooftop because those in-your-face views of the Parroquia will render you speechless. It’s unquestionably the best view of SMA’s most iconic church.

Atrio

Cuna de Allende #3

Daily 1:00 PM – 11:00 PM

Chef: Arturo Sandoval

Mercado Rural

Because nothing is better than having breakfast the first Sunday of every month with this pint-sized entrepreneur and my two, want-to-be grandmothers.

This small but intimate mercado is a real Mexican market experience. Don’t try to bargain; you’re getting incredible prices to begin with.

Mercado Rural

In front of Via Organica

Calle Margarito Ledesma # 2 | Col. Guadalupe, San Miguel de Allende 37710
9:00 AM – 4:00 PM

We Love A Parade…

If there’s one thing SMA knows how to do, it’s to throw a parade, complete with elaborate costumes, bands and plenty of dancing. We love the mini- parades and practices held in the neighborhoods that lead up to the big day in June, Dia de los Locos, where this year, 15,000 people were in the procession and another 100,000+ were watching.

Our favorite time for annual celebrations are: The Processions during Semana Santa (Easter); El Senor de la Conquista (the first Friday in March); Las Fiestas Patrias (September 16^th – Mexico’s Independence Day); Dia de los Muertos (November 1^st  – November 2^nd) and Las Posadas – celebrated the nine days before Navidad (Christmas). There are many festivities surrounding these holidays. Above, Rogelio Bautista, the captain of the Voladores de Papantla, marches in the parade on Mexico’s Independence Day, September 16^th. The ritual of the Voladores is a astonishing dance; the participants climb a 30-meter pole. Tied to rope, they launch themselves to descend to the ground. It’s one of our favorite holiday rituals.  

If you want to throw a street parade like we did last November, call Maeirza Gonzalez Celaya at the Mojiganga office at San Francisco #62 and they will plan everything for you: the city permit, the tequila donkey, waiters, mariachis, and you can even have a Mojiganga made to look exactly like someone you love. Call 415 152 4566/cell 415 117 1863 or email hermesa012@yahoo.com.mx

Birdie's Burgers and Taco Lab

We hit up Birdie’s Burgers for a quick lunch and the special of the week was a burger with smoked pastrami and sauerkraut. The smoky, thick cut pastrami made this burger one our favorites and the best special that Birdie’s has done this year. On a scale of one to ten, we can’t give you a number because this one was off the charts. If you love homemade pastrami like I do, you’ll not be forgetting this burger any time soon.

And while we were there, we had to make sure that Birdie’s legendary hamburger, made of Canada de la Virgen beef and colossal chicken sandwich, along with Taco Lab’s Crispy Taco Trio and Marina Girl Salad didn’t feel neglected. We want to write home about these four favorites as well.

There’s nothing we loved more than having an excuse to eat French fries in the morning. You can now go for a two-for-one breakfast on Friday using your VIP card. Besides, where else can you fill up for $50 pesos?

Birdie’s Burgers and Taco Lab changed the culinary landscape in SMA with their arrival back in 2016. In the land of upscale fast food, these are two of the best.

Birdies Burgers/ Taco Lab
Doce 18 Concept House at Relox 18
Daily: 10:00 AM – 10:00 PM
Chef: Donnie Masterton

Panio

Just when we thought there was nothing more heavenly than this would-be-croissant, the Cruffin de Limon, we discovered a new favorite: a Kouign- amann. This Breton cake was described by the New York Times as the fattiest pastry in all of Europe; all the more reason to order it. And you haven’t lived large until you’ve devoured a Kouign-amann piled high with homemade, vanilla ice cream.

We’ll be posting a list of the best pastries in SMA this fall; these are two of our favorites.

Panio Atelier du Pain
Salida a Celaya 69
Doce 18 at Relox 18
Daily: 8 AM - 10 PM

Nicasio comedor mexicano

Chef Pablo Nicacio has always owned it when it comes to authentic Mexican cooking. Both the Hot Cakes and the French toast are like eating your favorite dessert for breakfast, only better. The Hot Cakes come with generous slices of the most flavorful pancetta. It’s so good in fact, we’re usually back the very next day to do it all over again.

We’ve had so many fabulous, Mexican dishes at Nicasio, you’ll not be disappointed in anything you order.

Nicasio comedor mexicano 
Hidalgo 28
Sunday 9AM–5PM
Monday - Saturday 9AM–7:30PM except Tuesday closed

Chefs: Pablo Nicacio and Hugo Tepichin

Luna Rooftop Tapas Bar

You’ve taken so many people to Luna Rooftop, don’t you think there should at least be a chair with your name on it? Try the Parroquia seats, and savor the 360 view of Centro. We guarantee that you’ll never want to go home.

Make reservations as there is frequently a wait now, especially on the weekends.

Luna Rooftop Tapas Bar at The Rosewood Hotel

Nemesio Diez #11, Centro, San Miguel de Allende 37700

Monday – Saturday: 2:00 PM – 11:00 PM 

                                                     Photo: Ki'bok

Ki'bok Movie Night

Every Wednesday night at 7:30 PM, Ki’bok coffee offers a movie night,

that comes with a glass of red or white wine, popcorn and chips for a token $100 pesos. They announce the movie the Monday or Tuesday before on their social media pages. https://www.facebook.com/Kiboksma/

This past week,The Last of the Mohicans, a 1992 American epic historical film set in 1757 during the French and Indian War was shown. In the series, they have also shown Molly’s Game and Bohemian Rhapsody.

Ki'bok
Diez de Sollano y Dávalos #25
Daily 8 AM - 6 PM

Mama Mia

Adal Garcia, the head bartender at Mama Mia in San Miguel de Allende, will tell you that Mama Mia makes the best Margaritas in town. We know it’s the strongest and the hundreds of visitors who walk through the door every day will agree.

Don't forget to bring your posse, although with Adal, you never need an excuse, a holiday or a companion to have that perfect SMA fiesta.

Mama Mia
Umaran #8
Daily: 8:00 AM – 12:00 Midnight except Friday – Sunday closes at 3:00 AM

La Sacristia Café and Café Zenteno at Bellas Artes

This café is in a small, garden setting, with most of its seating outside. Despite a limited breakfast menu, there are plenty of good juice blends and smoothies to keep you healthy. Our morning spread included a delicious green juice blend with pepino, spinach, pineapple, parsley, ginger, coconut water and orange for $45 pesos and Huevos a la Flamenca; their signature breakfast casserole with eggs, chorizo and ham for $120 pesos. For anyone who likes a more lightly spiced tomato sauce, this is your dish.

With 4 locations, including a spot inside Bellas Artes, where they make the most divine smoothie called a Armonia, Zenteno’s take a nod for some of the best breakfast smoothies in town…not to mention the coffee.

La Sacristia Café

Canal #36 Corner Zacateros

Hours: Sunday – Tuesday and Thursday – Friday 8:30 AM – 6:00 PM

Wednesday: 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM

Saturday: 8:30 AM – 7:30 PM

Café Zenteno at Bellas Artes

Hernández Macías Street # 75

Hours: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Sunday: 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Fat Boys

So, who took this burger off the backyard BBQ? Seriously good USA meat; grilled and smoked, then served on a fresh bun with a pile of ultra-thin French fries.

Manager, Ulises, is doing the cooking until they find a new chef. We say don’t bother because Ulises cooked this one to perfection.

Make your own party; bikers and tango dancers take center stage.

Fat Boys

Calle Cinco de Mayo #5, San Miguel de Allende

Hours: Thursday 1:00 PM – 10:00 PM

Friday – Saturday 1:00 PM – 2:00 AM

Sunday 12:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Galeria Puerta Abierta

Can you think of places in SMA where you can buy a small gift? We don’t know of many. Here at Galeria Puerta Abierta, you’ll always find well-priced, unusual items that you don’t see at other stores in SMA. We love the many painting techniques used by the owner, Juan Luis Flores. There are works by various Mexican artists including one-of-a-kind designs by the mother and daughter team of Rochelle Rodea and Maylen Pirsch.

Inquire about Juan’s art classes at juanluis65@live.com.mx

Galeria Puerta Abierta

Inside La Sacristia Café

Zacateros and Canal

Owner:  Juan Luis Flores

Opens: 11:00 AM

Lima502

After staying in Lima, Peru for a month and falling for those Peruvian-Japanese fusions, who knew there would be a restaurant in our own back yard that would offer a parallel fix.

We tried a fried rice dish, Arroz Chaufa, that combines chicken, steak, egg and vegetables with soy sauce, sesame oil, ostion and other flavors fast fired in a wok.

Many of the dishes, including the ceviches, Linguini, Nikkei and other favorites, are between $100 - $220 pesos. Wash them down with another Peruvian choice - a potent, slightly mind-altering, Pisco Sour. 

Lima 502

Mercado Del Carmen

Pila Seca #19

Delivery: 415 566 4782

Monday - Thursday 1:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Friday - Saturday 1:00 PM - 11:00 PM

Sunday 12:00 Noon - 7:00 PM

$150 peso Lunch Special with drink of the day

12:30 PM - 3:30 PM Monday - Friday

Street Art Mural Walks

If you thought that SMA was perfect just wait; these murals make the city even more attractive and colorful. The street art, painted by local, national and international artists, runs the gamut and are all part of a project, Muros en Blanco, started by local, mixed media artist, Colleen Sorenson.

Every Monday, Thursday and Friday morning, Colleen conducts a walk to highlight the history of all the frescos in the Guadalupe neighborhood. Meet on the street in front of Via Organica at Calle Margarito Ledesma 2, Colonia Guadalupe. No advanced reservations are required; you just show up. The tour is from 10:00 AM-12:30 PM. The cost is $300 pesos. The money goes to fund the Muros en Blanco project.

Bar Margaret at Hotel Amparo

If the photos from our last post weren’t convincing enough, try these on from Chef Kenten Marin’s Fourth of July feast, complete with slow-smoked ribs, grilled chicken thighs with white sauce, potato salad, Texas toast, cole slaw and fruit cobbler.  I’ve always looked forward to meaty, smoked ribs on the Fourth of July but it was the chicken with white BBQ sauce that won me over this year. It’s my favorite dish in 2019 so far.

There’s some pretty remarkable French toast and a selection of fruit for breakfast. You’re also on with some of the best coffee in town; it’s the only place with a La Marzocco machine that serves Buna coffee.

Don’t forget to stop by Bar Margaret, where bartender, Gabriel Avila, builds his magical, liquid remedies. We can’t think of any better way to end our week.

Hotel Amparo Bar and Restaurant Margaret

Mesones #3

Hours: Tuesday to Saturday: 5:00 PM to 9:30 PM

Breakfast and coffee: Daily starting at 7:30 AM

Sunday Comida and Chicken Dinner: starting at 1:00 PM

Chef: Kenten Marin

Vinedos San Lucas

Paradise found! We were here just four years ago for the grape harvest and it’s amazing how much Vinedos San Lucas has grown up, including the lush grape vines that pepper this stunning property. With magnificent restaurants and invincible, natural beauty, this is the place to fall in love with SMA all over again.

Mark your calendar for Vinedos San Lucas’s Beer Festival on October 12^th and the annual grape harvest - the Fiesta de la Vendimia - on October 19^th.  

Check their website, www.vinedossanlucas.com, for updated information.

Vinedos San Lucas

 Km 26 Carr. Querétaro -San Miguel de Allende, Pie de Gallo, Gto.

Remember to look for the rest of the list - thirty more - in September.

All photographs ©Susan Knight York unless noted.