A New Look at the Food and Drink Scene in Jalisco, Mexico

Jalisco has a great culinary offer, which has been the inspiration for renowned chefs, who have taken this cuisine to the big leagues. These are some restaurants where you can delight yourself with innovative mixology, enjoy dishes based on local ingredients or savor fusion dishes in some of the best restaurants in the state, winners of important worldwide awards such as the Traveler's Choice or the Latin American 50 Best Restaurants.

Jardín Nebulosa

Food & Travel magazine nominated Jardín Nebulosa, in the Magical Town of San Sebastián del Oeste, in 2019 in the category of "Best New Chef" to Alex Gómez, who has developed a culinary style based on the ingredients produced in that region of the Sierra Madre Occidental. On December 31, 2017, it opened its doors with a menu featuring authentic dishes such as huitlacoche cream, guava puree, or myrtle gravy, which change according to the season.

The restaurant's next menu will include, among other dishes, mushroom stew with roasted tomatoes, veal bones, and mint in a crust of dehydrated blue corn. In its young life, Jardín Nebulosa has received the "Spirit of Excellence in Tourism" award from the Excelencias Group and the "Outstanding Culinary and Travel Experience" at The Taste Awards.

Where: Gral Aguirre # 110, Centro, 46990 San Sebastián del Oeste, Jalisco.

La Docena

Awarded as "One to Watch of Latin America's 50 Best Restaurant and Glenmorigie" in 2017, La Docena has a comfortable terrace to enjoy music and be surprised with its menu, ideal for a good round of drinks while you fill your table with its wide variety of dishes.

In the beginning, La Docena offered po'boys, hamburgers, and oysters presented in different ways. But since then, chef Tomás Bermúdez has added specials and seasonal dishes. Seafood, meats, fish, and no protein does not bow to his good taste and seasoning. We recommend trying the irresistible oyster with the bull. Not for nothing is it number 40 on the list of Latin American 50 Best Restaurants.

Where: São Paulo 1491, Providencia.

Icú, Captivating Innovation

Icú, the cuisine of Mexico, arises from the friendly and creative teamwork of chefs Mauricio Leal and Josúe Benitez, who founded the restaurant in December 2017 in Puerto Vallarta. A few years later they won the award for "Best New Restaurant in Mexico" by Food Travel Readers Awards 2019 and their nomination for Trip Advisor's Traveler's Choice 2020. They define the restaurant's style as an "intimate architectural project" that offers a close encounter with the dishes and chefs in a very individualized service.

The restaurant offers a tasting menu of 5 to 9 courses and a changing menu every three months. For the chefs, it is very important to involve traditional recipes of Mexican food, supported by local products. Some of their most famous dishes are lamb crusted with chili peppers in wine and mole sauce. Smoked marlin tamale in tomato and chipotle sauce with cheese and ranch cream, as well as fish with chorizo in oyster sauce.

Where: Francisco Medina Ascencio 2550, Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco.

Veneno

As part of the twelfth anniversary of the Restaurant & Bar Design Awards, the Mexican restaurant Veneno, based in Guadalajara, Jalisco, was decorated with the award for "Best Design in America", as well as in the "Best Ceiling" category of the renowned Restaurant & Bar Design Awards 2020, where more than 100 countries participated. Its ceiling was created by brothers Mauricio and Sebastián Lara and is inspired by the archaeological site of Paquimé, Chihuahua.

Behind its modern architectural proposal is the work of Monteon Arquitectos Asociados and Pragma Estudio. It has an innovative mixology proposal where the cocktails clover lover, poison dog, and rabbit stand out, while its gastronomic offer, led by chef Cadena, stands out for its flavors of the Guadalajara cuisine with dishes such as crab steak, shrimp chorizo, or hanging duck.

Where: Av. Américas #1254 Int. P1-A5 Col. Country Club. Guadalajara, Jalisco