Guadalajara, known for its burgeoning food and drink scene and proximity to the birthplace of tequila, will host four of the 2026 FIFA World Cup games June 11–26. If you’re one of the lucky folks with a ticket, why not try out some of the best examples of the region’s dining while in town?
In Mexico’s second-largest city, modern, sophisticated cuisine that riffs on both the trendy and the traditional can be found in Guadalajara in abundance, as can some of the nation’s best cocktail bars. But just as we recently wrote about Mexico City, if you want to dig a little deeper and get a feel for Guadalajara’s classic regional cuisine, here are seven restaurants you shouldn’t miss.
Birriería El Chololo
Just a short ride from Guadalajara’s center, Birriería El Chololo sits on one corner of a tiny plaza in Tlaquepaque, a part of Guadalajara’s metropolitan area famous for its cuisine and crafts, and is full to overflowing on the weekends. Massive plates of slow-cooked lamb birria — finished in the oven to create a crispy outer layer — are brought tableside, along with a rich and deeply seasoned consommé (broth) and handmade tortillas. Birria is one of Guadalajara’s most iconic dishes and is something you must try while visiting. This restaurant, with its walls covered in sepia-toned photos of the owners and famous diners, bullfighting posters and other memorabilia, is a classic stop for birria lovers.
Cantina La Fuente
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Founded in 1921, this cantina’s famous bicycle is mounted behind the bar, supposedly turned over in hock by a customer as collateral to pay their bill and never retrieved. For this reason, the bar is often called locally “La Bicicleta.”
Dozens of bottles of tequila — the region’s alcoholic claim to fame — line the bar, and alongside them you’ll find Mexican cantina classics such as tacos dorados, tortas ahogadas and pickled pig’s feet. Musicians wander among the tables, especially on the weekends, including mariachi bands that will play your favorite Mexican bolero for a few pesos.
Pescadería Rosita
@gordogoficial Rapeando en la pescadería rosita 🐠 #rap #freestylerap #viral #gente #fyp #guadalajara #pescaderia #rapeando #viralvideos ♬ sonido original – Gordo G
During the 1940s, the U.S. pressured Mexico to move its Japanese immigrants away from the borders and ports, and Mexico agreed, clustering the community in Mexico City and Guadalajara. Many of the transplants to Guadalajara set up food stands in the market and outside the local bus station, where they would sell their famous caldo michi — a fish soup with carrots, tomato, garlic and MSG.
Today, the local Nikkei community holds tightly to its roots and many members can be found in that same market selling Japanese-inspired dishes (most have long been adjusted to the Mexican palate). The Yokogawa brothers and their stand, named in honor of their mother, can be found in the market during the week and outside in the open-air plaza on the weekends.
Go for the fried rice, the caldo michi and a handful of unexpected sushi combinations.
Ponte Trucha Negro
Serving the Santa Tere neighborhood since 1987, Ponte Trucha Negro has a rambunctious, family-friendly ambiance spreading through its massive dining room from the moment it opens its doors each day.
As Guadalajara is located only about four hours from the coast, it has great seafood at both its high-end and more economically priced restaurants — incidentally, another place I love is the hipster Panga el Impostor in Colonia Americana.
At Ponte Trucha Negro, the spicy shrimp aguachile with cucumber, onion and hot peppers is almost as good as the taco chupe zarandeado, with grilled shrimp in the creamy house sauce.
Add a freezing cold beer, and there is nothing better.
La Torta Loca
@fatphilia.gdl 📍La Torta Loca | Mercado San Juan de Dios GDL | #fatphilia #foodporn #restaurantesgdl #foodie #foodiegdl #recomendaciones #foodiesgdl #quehacerenguadalajara #quecomerenguadalajara ♬ Los Frijoles Bailan – ESTILO CHIHUAHUA
The traditional torta ahogada — a chopped pork sandwich on a hearty roll that’s “drowned” in a tomato sauce that can have a range of spices — is one of the region’s most famous dishes. It’s classic street food, but you can get it in plenty of upscale places with a sophisticated presentation and even a black plastic glove for you to wear so you don’t get its sauce all over you.
But if you want the real experience, you have to get down in the trenches with the locals at the Mercado San Juan de Dios. Here, the tortas ahogadas are messy, impossible and absolutely fabulous.
Birriera de Doña Yolanda
On Sundays in Guadalajara, the city has a massive flea market, the Tianguis el Baratillo, that sets up on its western side. Nearby is one of my favorite birria places that I guarantee you won’t find on any other list, anywhere. I originally got the recommendation from the bartender at De La O, another place I highly recommend.
Run by Doña Yolanda, there’s not much to say about such a simple and gastronomically divine location. But the lamb birria is fall-off-the-bone tender, and the consommé is textbook perfect. Don’t be dissuaded by the place’s disheveled look; just give it a try.
Río Viejo
Opened in 1987, Río Viejo has a massive outdoor patio for all those fine, sunny Guadalajara Sundays and offers a menu of Mexican classics that run the gamut from guacamole with chicharrón to chamorro en adobo (slow-coked pork loin), grilled bone marrow esquites and rib eye tacos. You really can’t go wrong ordering anything off the menu.
Not to mention there’s live Mexican music on the weekends, a perfect time to dabble in Río Viejo’s long list of cocktails and spirits.
Lydia Carey is a freelance writer and translator based in Mexico City. She has published extensively both online and in print, sharing her insights about Mexico for over a decade. She lives a double life as a local tour guide and is the author of “Mexico City Streets: La Roma.” Follow her urban adventures on Instagram and see more of her work at mexicocitystreets.com.
