La Mesa Restaurant

Address: Carretera Peniente 19A, Ajijic
Telephone: 376 766 2948
Hours: 12pm to 10pm Monday - Saturday. Closed Sunday
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Now featuring live music on Friday evenings. Wine night on Wednesdays - house wine half priced.

Directions: From Walmart, drive west on the Carretera approximately 2 kilometers, through Ajijic.  La Mesa is on the right side of the road just as you drive up the hill after Colon Ave. Park along the Carretera on the wide shoulder.
 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

I had heard some good things about La Mesa before finally deciding to give it a try. The one thing that kept me from visiting before now is the lack of parking. On the afternoon we visited there was plenty of parking on the wide shoulder along the Carretera in front of the restaurant.

La Mesa Restaurant is not clearly visible from the road, and even after I entered the front yard, I asked my companion if we were in the right place.

What a lovely surprise when we walked through the front door and into what felt like a French Bistro. Soft jazz played in the background. There are wooden tables covered in brown parchment and local artists' paintings on the wall. The dining room is light, and airy with large windows and a view of the lake just above the buildings across the street.

Here is a place where you want to spend all afternoon, chatting over lunch and a few glasses of wine - which is what we did.

Menu

We were warmly welcomed by the waitress, and after we were seated, one of the owners came to the table to greet us and offer us a sample of the house chili beans, which were delicious.

We were given two menus to order from, one with the lunches - salads, soups, sandwiches - and the other a dinner menu that featured more substantial fare. We were invited to order from either menu.

We started with wine - an excellent Tempranillo - and the salmon cake appetizer pictured above. The salmon cakes arrived after a reasonable wait. They are made with flaked salmon, chopped potatoes and parsley with a hint of onion. The homemade dill-flavored sauce perfectly complemented the crisp salmon cakes.

As our entrees, we ordered the sirloin steak sandwich and Cobb salad. The steak sandwich was stuffed with tender, thinly sliced sirloin and served on toasted white bread with sauteed yellow, green and red peppers and smothered in cheese.

The Cobb salad is presented in a large salad bowl and topped with olives, tomatoes, avocado, crumbled bacon, cheese, hard boiled eggs and chopped red onions, all on a bed of crisp lettuce with blue cheese dressing on the side.

We also ordered two more glasses of Tempranillo.


Then it was time for dessert. Alfajor piqued our interest, so we asked the waitress to describe it to us. It is an Argentinian dessert, consisting of shortbread-style cookies filled with cajeta (caramel made from goat's milk) and topped with vanilla ice cream. We split this dessert, but I wish I had ordered my own. It was heavenly and different than any dessert I have tasted at Lake Chapala. I was impressed not only by the well prepared food, but also the uniqueness of the menu.

Service and Price  

Our waitress was pleasant, knowledgeable about the menu and attentive. The owner came to our table and introduced herself and welcomed us. We enjoyed the relaxed pace or our meal and never felt rushed.

The price, $490mx, may seem high to some, but once we were in the restaurant we decided to splurge. Honestly, it is one of the best restaurants we have dined at lately and when you find a place like this, you want to do it justice.

The wine prices are some of the best around, at $35mx per glass for a good red wine. We ordered wine, appetizer, two main dishes and dessert for less than $30US.

Now that we have visited for lunch, I am anticipating my next visit, this time for dinner.

 

Our Recommendation ****

This is the best new restaurant in town - a place where you take guests you want to impress, meet friends for dinner or have a romantic lunch for two. The chefs know what they are doing and turn out food that shows off their knowledge and technique.

The restaurant needs a better sign to let their customers know where they are and a more welcoming entrance, but that should not stop anyone from enjoying what has to be the best new dining experience in Ajijic.  I can't wait to return.

Buen Provecho!