Address: Rio Bravo #7, Ajijic
Phone: 376 108 0887
Hours of Operation: Tuesday - Sunday 8am - 3pm
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Directions: From Walmart head west on the Carretera about 2 miles and turn left on Rio Bravo. Canela's Café is 1 1/2 blocks toward the lake, on the right and across from Bravo Theater in the same building as La Mision.. There is ample parking along the street in front of the restaurant
Canela's Café recently moved from the Carretera in Ajijic to share a space with La Mision Restaurant on Calle Rio Bravo. A sandwich board on the street invites customers to come in for breakfast. The Canela's Café/La Mision location is pleasant, with outdoor seating at umbrella shaded tables and an elegant indoor dining room.
We like to dine outdoors, especially during the cool summer mornings in Ajijic.
Co-owner, Nikki Rodriguez, greeted us with menus and took our drink order. The menu seems familiar, almost like a Midwestern diner. This may be a nod to Nikki's first culinary school experience in Nashville, Tennessee, before finishing her studies in Italy.
The menu features dishes such as eggs benedict, BBQ Hash, Canela's Breakfast, Chilaquiles, Molletes, Huevos Rancheros, waffles and biscuits and gravy. Also offered are omelettes, including the Memphis omelette made with BBQ brisket, a vegetarian omelette, ham omelette and meat lovers omelette.
I decided to try Canela's Breakfast advertised as two sausage patties, potato pancakes, toast and 2 eggs prepared to order. I ordered the eggs over-medium because I always get undercooked eggs at local breakfast places, but not at Canela's Cafe - these eggs were cooked perfectly and accompanied by potato pancakes made with real mashed potatoes, just like my Ozark grandmother used to make.
The sausage is made by hand from pork locally sourced from a Guadalajara butcher shop once patronized by Robert's grandfather.
My companion ordered the Memphis Omelette, which was stuffed full of tender brisket and accompanied by those wonderful potato pancakes. He commented that it is perhaps the best omelette he has tasted since living here.
The owners/chefs are young, but they are skilled professionals who carefully choose the best ingredients and prepare each meal they serve by hand, from the sauces to the freshly made bread to the hand-made sausage, to the mayonnaise. Their education and talent is evident in each bite.
Both of our meals came out of the kitchen at the same time and looked appetizing on the plate, though the presentation was not pretentious - another nod to solid Midwestern influences. The dishes featured on the menu are reasonably priced, in keeping with other breakfast restaurants at Lake Chapala.
Our total bill was $365pesos, but I have to confess this included 3 mimosas. Coffee is only $25pesos per cup, the Canela's breakfast was $65pesos and the Memphis Omelette was just $70 pesos.
Though this review focuses on breakfast, the lunch menu features some tempting dishes as well. I plan to return for lunch soon and will amend this review with my impressions when I do.
Phone: 376 108 0887
Hours of Operation: Tuesday - Sunday 8am - 3pm
Directions: From Walmart head west on the Carretera about 2 miles and turn left on Rio Bravo. Canela's Café is 1 1/2 blocks toward the lake, on the right and across from Bravo Theater in the same building as La Mision.. There is ample parking along the street in front of the restaurant
| Canela's Café Entrance |
First Impressions
From culinary school in Avieto, Italy to a small cafe in Ajijic Mexico, this professionally trained young couple, Nikki and Robert Rodriguez, combine their skills and talents to create an eclectic menu that features locally sourced ingredients and proudly hand-crafted dishes.Canela's Café recently moved from the Carretera in Ajijic to share a space with La Mision Restaurant on Calle Rio Bravo. A sandwich board on the street invites customers to come in for breakfast. The Canela's Café/La Mision location is pleasant, with outdoor seating at umbrella shaded tables and an elegant indoor dining room.
We like to dine outdoors, especially during the cool summer mornings in Ajijic.
Menu
| Canela's Breakfast |
The menu features dishes such as eggs benedict, BBQ Hash, Canela's Breakfast, Chilaquiles, Molletes, Huevos Rancheros, waffles and biscuits and gravy. Also offered are omelettes, including the Memphis omelette made with BBQ brisket, a vegetarian omelette, ham omelette and meat lovers omelette.
| Co-Owner Robert Rodriguez |
I decided to try Canela's Breakfast advertised as two sausage patties, potato pancakes, toast and 2 eggs prepared to order. I ordered the eggs over-medium because I always get undercooked eggs at local breakfast places, but not at Canela's Cafe - these eggs were cooked perfectly and accompanied by potato pancakes made with real mashed potatoes, just like my Ozark grandmother used to make.
The sausage is made by hand from pork locally sourced from a Guadalajara butcher shop once patronized by Robert's grandfather.
My companion ordered the Memphis Omelette, which was stuffed full of tender brisket and accompanied by those wonderful potato pancakes. He commented that it is perhaps the best omelette he has tasted since living here.
| Memphis Omelette |
The owners/chefs are young, but they are skilled professionals who carefully choose the best ingredients and prepare each meal they serve by hand, from the sauces to the freshly made bread to the hand-made sausage, to the mayonnaise. Their education and talent is evident in each bite.
Service and Price
We enjoyed the prompt, attentive service by the co-owner, Nikki Rodriguez. She kept our coffee cups full and made sure we had everything we needed.
| Co-Owner Nikki Rodriguez |
Our total bill was $365pesos, but I have to confess this included 3 mimosas. Coffee is only $25pesos per cup, the Canela's breakfast was $65pesos and the Memphis Omelette was just $70 pesos.
Though this review focuses on breakfast, the lunch menu features some tempting dishes as well. I plan to return for lunch soon and will amend this review with my impressions when I do.
