Gay clubs, colonial churches and tequila!

Guadalajara

Guadalajara City Guide 2023

Guadalajara is a cultural hot spot in Mexico, which isn’t surprising considering it happens to be the second largest city in the country. Full of tequila, dancing and mariachi, Guadalajara is both traditional and edgy. Its gorgeous colonial center is juxtaposed with a surprising array of plazas, clubs, colonial churches, as well as over 30 gay bars!

For a month, my boyfriend and I stayed at the very northeastern edge of the Colonia Americana barrio, which Time Out magazine voted as the “coolest neighborhood in the world” cerca August 2022.  It certainly lived up to its title, with a shocking amount of art, pulquerias (pulque is a drink I write more about below), gorgeous people, dynamic street life, street food and so much more.

The Colonia Americana neighborhood is rapidly gentrifying to the dismay of some locals. The part we stayed in was triangulated between Villaseñor, Centro and Colonia Americana. What we loved about it was the proximity to Mercado San Felipe, where we treated ourselves to bags of green juice from vendors, tried different kinds of fruit and bought supplies for our daily taco dinners. 

We also befriended a chef at a restaurant in the Mercado called Yunaites Menjurjes Pueblerinos, which serves classic Jaliscan dishes beyond the tired classic, “Torta Ahoghada” (which is the street food that Guadalajara is best known for). I highly recommend their exceptional brunch, (with the best blue mesa tortillas!!) which showcases the variety and diversity of regional cuisine in Jalisco.

We also liked that area for its proximity to the Templo Expiatorio, which is one of the most impressive Neo-Gothic churches in Mexico and possibly the world. The square it sits on also offers dancing, events, street food, vendors and people watching galore.In addition, we weren’t too far from the center of Guadalajara nightlife on Chapultepec Avenue. Chapultepec has so many bars and restaurants that are highly diverse (as is their clientele). 

If nightlife in Guadalajara intrigues you, Hostel Hospedarte Chapultepec might be the best place to stay. There’s a very friendly cat who cuddles on hammocks with guests, as well as a bar, tons of common spaces and different room options. This hostel has a sister location inCentro, if you prefer to stay closer to the Palacios, Plazas, Churches, and Museums.

Regardless of your choice, you can join the bar tour on Thursday nights at Hostel Hospedarte Chapultepec, even if you’re not staying at the hostel. During our month, we opted for an Airbnb loft, which was reasonably priced and offered a green space to share with other guests. There are tons of options for airbnbs, as well as hotels across the city, including in the ritzy and beautiful area of Zapopan and the touristy and fun manufacturing and crafts area of Tlaquepaque.

For amazing local eats, check out Mercado San Juan De Dios, which is famous for being the largest covered market in all of Latin America. It is on the enormous San Juan De Dios street, which used to be a huge river (and still sort ofiswhen you look at the foot and car traffic from a bridge above). This market has over 3,000 stalls, and the second level has hundreds of restaurants to choose from. If that sounds a little overwhelming, smaller mercados like Mercado San Felipe also have delicious food vendors.

There are some amazing vegan (& non-vegan) Tacos on Av Ignacio L. Vallarta and C. Juan N. Cumplido. Down the street, there’s also a hot dog vendor called Hot Dogs El Chino which converted me from hot dog hater to lover. The toppings (or rellenos) are truly insane.

TOMATE Taquería is the absolute best, and I’m not the only one who thinks so!! Get there early to avoid a line! Tomate is such a good classic taqueria we had our thanksgiving meal there (a lot of al pastor tacos) and they also have some of the best agua frescas in Mexico.

We also loved El Fenix with its beautiful view of the Templo Expiatorio. The food is just good, but the people watching is fantastic.

Our favorite restaurant of all was an Argentinian Steakhouse called Mil Ocho Noventa. The steak there is to die for, and the chocolate cake is exceptional too!

Our favorite bakery, Panificadora El Abuelo, was also near the Templo Expiatorio, it’s open late and has seating and coffee, as well as a huge variety of baked goods made daily. 

We also loved Belial, Coctelería + Cocina, which has incredible coffee, a beautiful outdoor patio and delicious brunch.

A bartender in Guadalajara asked if I had ever tried Pulque, I hadn’t. He explained,“It’s what the virgins would drink before they were sacrificed, and their hearts were taken out of their chests. We are very lucky to be able to try it.”

That got my attention. An ancient drink so exclusive that only high priests and virgins before their executions had the honor of sipping it?? The first taste reminded me of when my boyfriend tried to make his own ginger ale. The liquid fermenting in the jar on top of his fridge had a similar taste – fizzy, sweet, subtle. The main difference comes down to the texture, which is… thick, and a little slippery. Pulque is made from the agave plant. A different sort than tequila. 

Although tequila might instantly come to mind when you think of drinking in Guadalajara, it’s the Pulquerias which I was most drawn to. Pulque is often blended with other things to create different flavors at textures. The best pulque I’ve ever had was berries & cream at a little pulqueria called La chukirruki. La Ultima Lucha Pulqueria also has great options, and different locations.

We also took a tour to the town of Tequila. Most of the tourists there were domestic, and that served as our first lesson on how Mexicans know how to party (and party, and party, and party…..) I was wasted long before lunch was even served! Before I fell into a stupor, I did get to learn more about the different types of tequila and ‘plant - to - shot glass’ process. I recommend trying all three major types: blanco, reposado and añejo. (But maybe not all at once!) If you want to check out bars on Chapultepec Avenue, and make some friends while you’re at it, I recommend the bar tour on Thursday nights at Hostel Hospedarte Chapultepec, which is open to anyone who would like to join !

As I mentioned before, there are a LOT of queer friendly clubs. Some of them recommended to me by locals include Babel, La Casa De las Flores, Xico and Envy.

Guadalajara is incredibly vibrant and dynamic, and there is so much to do and see! The city shape shifts throughout each day, and it can be difficult to plan ahead for this reason. Being open to spontaneity and staying curious will serve you well. Some of my favorite memories from Guadalajara were just going on walks and encountering events on the street. A deceptively simple but important tip is: Bring good practical shoes, as Guadalajara sidewalks are a hot mess. (Which means they also are not very wheelchair-or mobility issue-friendly.)

My personal favorite is Genesis Disco! Pronounced with a Spanish accent as “Hennessy’s” it’s a totally unique time capsule. They only play 70s, 80s and 90s music (with a focus on 80’s!) The newest music they’ll ever play (at the very end of the night) is early 2000s Lady Gaga.

The dance floor lights up, the clientele is highly diverse, there’s a great smoking deck, the beers aren’t too expensive and there are huge tv’s which play music videos. It’s an EXPERIENCE.

If you’re looking for a more contemporary club that’s open ‘til 5am and bursting with a party vibe, Bar Americas might be the best fit for you.

If you need a tarot card deck, a new shirt, or a cute gift for a lover, try the outdoor Sunday Market in Parque Revolucion.

If you need handmade crafts, tiny toy cars or want to rock out to Mexican Ska music, check out the Tianguis Baratillo flea market on Sundays (Note: my friends who live in Tlaquepaque said that area is dangerous during the day, though we had no problems.)

If you need reliable, stylish, and (potentially) higher end clothing, check out Zapopan Mall or Liverpool.

If you need a cd with miscellaneous banda music burned onto it, try a vendor outside of Mercado San Juan De Dios. (And if you need almost anything else, Mercado San Juan De Dios may have it—or at least have someone who knows where you can find it.)

The historic center of Guadalajara is home to many beautiful plazas, monuments and museums. As well as some incredible churches!

Don’t miss Museo Cabañas, which is both a history and art museum, with 57 modernist frescoes by the famous Mexican muralist Jose Clemente Orozco.

The MUSA Museum of the Arts at the University of Guadalajara also has an original Orozco, as well as rotating exhibits and a stellar permanent collection.

This being said, my favorite art museum was actually the Museo de Arte de Zapopan which had a beautifully curated assortment of innovative contemporary work in every conceivable media form.

I really wish I had also checked out the Museo De Arte Huichol Wixárika, which is a museum that highlights and honors the Indigenous Wixarika (Huichol) culture. The Museum of Paleontology is also supposed to be a show-stopper for history nerds. The City Museum of Guadalajara was also enjoyable, though large wings of it were closed down for renovations cerca Dec 2022.

If you love nature, Guadalajara isn’t necessarily the best place to go. As the second largest city in Mexico, it can feel overwhelmingly metropolitan. Luckily there are lots of green spaces throughout the city. Parque Agua Azul is a haven in the city, with butterflies, birds, grass and ponds. There’s also a lot of trees on streets, which makes for broken sidewalks due to tree roots (but also makes for welcome shade and a greener city.)

Taking a day trip to Tequila, Lake Chapala or getting to one of the hilly areas outside of the city for a hike is also a possibility. If you want somewhere quiet for a nice walk or reverie, there are beautiful cemeteries in the city, as well as some remarkable churches. Some of the best are: Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Zapopan, Templo Expiatorio del Santísimo Sacramento, Parroquia El Sagrario Metropolitano and the Guadalajara Cathedral.

Guadalajara does some things really really well— nightlife, tequila, impressive churches and old colonial architecture, a great LGBTQ+ scene, pulquerías, indoor and outdoor mercados, art, a wide variety of food, people and places. But on the flip-side, it’s not the best place to go to experience serenity or nature, though you can work to find those things.

Stay safe (especially around Chapultepec at night), be respectful and don’t drink too much tequila!