San Miguel de Allende is known for its variety of dining options – from street food to fine dining. We tried as many options and we could in our one week stay. Here are the highlights.
Margaritas and Opera at Tio Lucas
Our first night we popped into a restaurant called Tio Lucas on Mezones street not far from the main square. Lucas is the owner and doorman. He stands at entrance welcoming in guests and then visits the tables. By the end of evening and two strong margaritas for us, he was sharing his love story of 26 years with this third wife. Initially we weren’t enamored with the menu and started with some delicious boozy margaritas. Later a two man band started singing opera music in the tiny dining room. We decided to stay longer for another round and ordered a cold marinated ceviche like shrimp dish. Pleasant first evening in SMA. https://g.page/RestauranteTioLucas
Sunday Brunch at Hotel Boutique Tres Fuentes
The town is very busy this weekend and many nicer restaurants require reservations which are hard to get. After taking our obligatory Covid test in a trailer near Juarez Parc, we wondered around looking for a hotel brunch setting. Tres Fuentes was the perfect fit. Buffet brunch in a lovely garden setting with live jazz music. We were able to get a table without a reservation. Just perfect.
https://g.page/tresfuenteshotelboutique
El Pavo Real de Campo – Wine and Food Pairing outside of town
We took a $15 cab ride about 15 km outside of San Miguel centro to a winery owned by an American/Mexican family. It is a beautiful propery that they are just getting established. We were the only guests on a Friday night and had a great experience. Their chef prepared five courses for us to pair with a bubbly, two whites and two reds – all but the first of Mexican origin. It was a fun evening getting to talk to the owners and their kids and five dogs – it would be even more fun to attend one of their weekend events on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon with live music and tables setup in the yard. We bought a white and a rose to try at home. Chef Hugo gave us a ride home as we may have had a hard time getting a cab home at 9pm without a prior plan. Make reservations from their Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/elpavorealdelcampo
Food Tour in SMA
We signed up for a culinary tour with SanMiguelFoodTours. Highlights of the places we enjoyed:
Don Taco Tequila – a vegan restaurant
Estoril (in a hotel) – lovely beet salad
La Azotea – a rooftop restaurant known for is jicama shrimp tacos.
Andanza in Casa de Sierra Nevada hotel on Hospicio for Tres Leches dessert.
Breakfast or lunch on outside terrace at Inside Cafe on Insurgentes. We tried a delicious veggie grilled cheese with side salad, the french toast and chiliquiles with eggs and veggies. Nice selection of coffees including a kiwi flat white.
Rooftop Sunset at Seline
SMA is full of rooftop terraces, brs and restaurants. But they are hard to get into without a reservation, especially on a busy holiday weekend. On our last evening we lucked into a sweet table at Seline Hotel facing west on Sunday evening. Margaritas, modern tapas and this view!
