Highly Recommended: What to Eat in Valle de Guadalupe

Sometimes food tastes really good.

I know that's a bold statement, but if you combine the right setting and a talented cook - food tastes really really good.  In Valle de Guadalupe this combination happens all the time.      

Here's are some dishes you can find in the Valle that taste really really good:

The Troika food truck is parked outside of the Vena Cava winery.  It's a great place to take a break from wine tasting.  Order the lechon (suckling pig).  The meat is juicy and the skin is crisp. Troika provides all the fixings to make tacos, but I prefer eating it straight.  It's pure gold that pairs really well with a cold beer.

It's hard to pick just one dish from Finca Altozano's menu to make this list, but if you twist my arm I'll nominate the grilled octopus.  Octopus on its own doesn't have much flavor, so they grill it on a wood fired stove and then toss it in a sauce of soy, ginger, citrus and peanuts.  The resulting flavors are a delicious blend of Asia and Mexico.   Sublime.  

Cocina de Doña Esthela is a treasure.  If you ask local chefs where they like to eat in the Valle, more often than not they'll reply, "Esthela's!"  It's traditional home cooked Mexican food.   On weekends they serve a delicious borrego birria (sheep stew).  I like to order the tatemado version where they crisp the meat and serve the juice on the side.  Handmade tortillas and queso fresco send this dish to the stratosphere.

There is a stand on Highway 3 just before it merges with Emiliano Zapato called Las Gueritas.  We stopped there for lunch last Friday and ordered plates of codorniz (quail).  The quail is sourced from a local farm, marinated in pineapple juice and spices, and grilled to order over charcoal.  It's served with rice, beans and a small lettuce salad.  Admittedly the setting (right next to Hwy 3) is not ideal, but the quail tasted so good we didn't mind at all.

So, here's one for the list that I need to try.

Yep, I haven't tried it but it comes highly recommended. On four different occasions I have asked locals where to find a good taco in the Valle, and the answer is unanimous.  The birria cart on the highway in San Antonio de las Minas.  I know the exact location (south side of Hwy 3 just east of the traffic light) but we haven't been in that area at the right time.

Obviously the Valle has much more to offer than this short list, and I'm really looking forward to doing more research in order to add to it.

Suggestions?

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Annotated List - Restaurants in Valle de Guadalupe