SMA Day by Day
By Carol Schmidt, Dec 22, 2006

Q: Where are the best cheap eats in town?

In my last column, I wrote about my favorite restaurants where you can get a good meal for under 50 pesos north of the Jardín. 

One of the many readers who wrote to smadaybyday@hotmail.com with more recommendations gave another choice for the northern part of town: Los Dragones de la Reina, Loreto 10B, serves inexpensive and tasty Mexican traditions. A vegetarian reminded me of El Tomate Café on Mesones 62B. Robin Loving wrote to suggest Meson de San José on Mesones, across from Plaza Cívica, with its menu displayed on a wooden stand depicting a waiter to lure you into the courtyard. 

I was also reminded of Gombo’s Pizza, in Col. Guadalupe, Tata Nacho 2 (same pizza as at its sister restaurant, Casa Blanca, at Hidalgo 34), where many dishes and small pizzas fit our criteria.

Now, on to inexpensive restaurants and stands farther south. In the first block of Aldama are two of my favorites, El Ten Ten Pie, very visible on the corner of Cuadrante, and La Posadita, a few doors north of Ten Ten Pie, up a narrow flight of stairs. 

Once you reach La Posadita, go up another flight to the roof, where the view is better than that of the much more expensive La Capilla across the street. You can wave at those in the high-priced seats and enjoy the live music from their roof. The spinach burritos (listed as a salad), the flautas and the best pozole in town are under 50 pesos, though much of the menu is higher. Two can split their excellent large flan.

Over on Hernández Macías, parallel to the Jardín, are two coffee shops that have many items under 50 pesos: El Cafecito in La Buena Vida Bakery, in the same Las Golondrinas courtyard as the U.S. Consular Agent, and Las Musas, inside Bellas Artes across the street. These are nice settings for sitting and talking outside, too. At El Cafecito, pick up two small, orange-glazed doughnuts to go for five pesos and an excellent loaf of bread at the bakery.

One of the most popular restaurants in town is Café de la Parroquia, Jesus 11, open until 2pm Sunday and until 4pm Tuesdays through Saturdays. I counted 32 breakfast and lunch dishes under 50 pesos on our last visit. We always get the tamale casserole and chilaquiles, which includes a bowl of homemade beans, corn tortillas and a chunky avocado salsa along with the bread basket. La Brasserie, which opens in the same location at night, has higher prices.

Torta Mundo, on Umarán 29 near Zacateros, has good hamburgers and sandwiches starting at 12 pesos. 

East of the Jardín are the Bagel Café on Correo 19 and El Correo at 23. Now that the glorious Lebanese feasts are gone with the departed El Bacha, there is still one inexpensive Middle Eastern restaurant in San Miguel: El Harem, at Murillo 7, on the corner of Correo. There is only one table on the ground floor, but do take the narrow stairway to the patio dining area, where you will be surrounded by vivid oil paintings and a good view to accompany your hummus and stuffed grape leaves.

La Alborada at Sollano 11 is a hidden delight. I haven’t tried their pozole, but it’s supposed to rival La Posadita’s.

Right around the corner from Espino’s on Ancha de San Antonio at Codo are two street stands others have recommended, but we’re always thinking of the fish and shrimp tacos and the turkey chili dogs for 15 to 20 pesos at La Palapa, Calle Nueva 8. Crunchy cole slaw is another five pesos, and don’t forget their famous homemade carrot cake.

L’Invito, inside Instituto Allende, is one of many more expensive restaurants that have a few items under 50 pesos on the menu, especially breakfast, but L’Invito qualifies for its 50-peso special Monday through Friday from 1 to 6 pm: a pasta such as four-cheese spaghetti or fettuccini Alfredo, a spinach salad, plus a small scoop of luscious homemade Italian ice cream.

A little farther south in the same block is Los Faroles, only open 7pm to midnight. Gringos have discovered this Mexican taco hideout, but the prices are still low. 

Turn west on Orizaba and first you’ll come to Juancha’s for good Mexican spreads, then Juanita’s Pizza at Orizaba 19. Turn north on 28 de Abril for Cha Cha Cha, and hit El Rinconcito on Refugio 7, all favorites for the Col. San Antonio crowd. I sort of know how to wander around to find Mariscolandia for seafood—ask a local for directions, it’s worth it.

Another popular sandwich shop, Tortitlán, is on Ancha de San Antonio, there is another branch at Juárez 17 in Centro (incidentally, the newest cheap eats place is the new Subway that opened December 17 at Juárez 3, a few doors from Tortitlán). Tortitlán also delivers. 

Another Broasted Chicken is nearby, where two pieces of fried chicken or a hamburger and fries and a soft drink cost 29 pesos. 

We don’t like Domino’s and Pronto pizzas on Ancha, but they fit the price range, and many Mexicans crowd into Pronto for their 37-peso all-you-can-eat buffet of pizza, salad and spaghetti. There’s another Pronto in the food court of the Plaza Real Del Conde mall where the old Gigante is located, by the Gemelos movie theaters, one on Reloj, and probably others in this chain. The buffet spreads looked more like quantity than quality to me. 

Barbecue Bob’s by the Pemex on Ancha de San Antonio sells fresh, organic veggies, and next door is the restaurant where six or eight hefty BBQ sandwiches with two homemade sides such as real potato salad are in the 50-peso range.

Continuing south on Ancha de San Antonio is Café del Sol, Salida a Celaya 34 near Telmex, and the highly recommended but secretive no-name Mexican restaurant next door. It has never been open when we’ve tried to eat there, but friends swear the 28-peso complete dinners are excellent. Try early afternoons, friends say.

Just north of El Maple, the excellent Canadian bakery across from TelMex, are two blue-tarped Mexican stands. The one closest to El Maple is not open often, usually just weekends in the mornings and at night, as most tamale stands are—and it’s our favorite when the TexTamale stand isn’t by the Oratorio. 

The other stand is open most of the time, and it specializes in seafood cocktails. Continue on Ancha on that side of the street, toward TeleCable, and you’ll come to another blue-tarped place that is usually only open weekends, with big crowds for its roast pig dinners.

On the TelMex side of Ancha de San Antonio you’ll see two new, small restaurants specializing in Brazilian and Uruguayan meals, which friends have tried and recommend. 

La Fogata in that same stretch of Ancha is another low-cost Mexican restaurant only open at nights. We intend to try it, based on raves from friends.

In La Lejona, behind the new Mega, on the main road leading into the El Encanto condos, is El Ranchito, another Mexican restaurant with irregular hours, mostly open in early afternoons. They’re supposed to have excellent chile relleno platters for 35 pesos on Wednesdays. It took three tries before we found them open and serving the chile rellenos—on a Thursday—but they were as good as we’d been told.

Finally, Bocatta coffee shop inside the new Mega offers a big slice of pizza and a soft drink for 22.5 pesos, a breakfast special for 29 pesos, and my favorite, a smoked salmon and cream cheese sandwich on a very nice roll with either salad or French fries and a soft drink for 39 pesos. 

Over at their Starbucks-like coffee area, Mega serves two small sweet rolls along with all kinds of coffee specialties, including my favorite, the cappuccino mocha frappe, for 24 pesos. It’s a lunch in itself, and you’ll meet the friendliest people, who stop by after worshipping the russet potatoes and Brie.

Remember to send your questions and suggestions for this bimonthly column to smadaybyday@hotmail.com 


Carol Schmidt and her partner, Norma Hair, run www.fallinginlovewithsanmiguel.com , with SMA FAQs, blogs and forums, and published Falling…in Love with San Miguel: Retiring to Mexico on Social Security, available on Amazon and in local shops