Culinary travel is no longer a niche — it’s the norm. According to Hilton’s 2025 Trends Report, 50% of travelers will book restaurant reservations even before booking their flights, and 1 in 5 will travel with the specific aim of experiencing new cuisines or sought-after restaurants during their trip.
Few destinations are better for a food-focused getaway than Mexico, where world-renowned chefs and heavenly street food combine, and even a humble taco stand can earn a Michelin star. But where can hungry tourists go for the perfect cuisine-centered escape? Guadalajara, a city many affectionately call Mexico’s “most Mexican city,” is increasingly stealing the capital city’s culinary shine, drawing visitors ready to dig in.
Cultural Capital
Landlocked Guadalajara has long languished in the shadow of Mexico City, as most “second cities” do. However, locals know Guadalajara is, in its own way, a contender for the title of Mexico’s cultural and culinary heart.
“Guadalajara is considered the most Mexican city as it is the birthplace of the three Mexican icons: mariachi, tequila and charrería'” explains Gustavo Staufert, CEO of Guadalajara Tourism. Few outside of Mexico will know of the livestock and horse handling traditions known as “charrería” or their immense cultural importance throughout the country. However, mariachi and tequila are some of Mexico’s most beloved — and famous — cultural traditions and icons. Their immense legacy still draws countless visitors to this cosmopolitan city every year, whether for a simple tequila tasting or the world’s largest mariachi festival, “Encuentro Internacional del Mariachi y la Charrería,” held every August.
In addition to being the home of some of Mexico’s most significant icons, Guadalajara is also home to some of its most recognizable foods, like birria, tortas ahogadas, carne en sus jugos, and pozole. These dishes speak to a rich spirit of culinary innovation that carries on even today. “Local gastronomy plays a very important role in Guadalajara’s culture, and that has been key to the steady global recognition the city’s culinary scene has achieved in recent years,” says Staufert.
Culinary Chops
Just a glance at this year’s World’s 50 Best lists, which celebrate restaurants and bars around the globe, reveals Guadalajara’s growth as a culinary destination. Though Mexico City is home to four of the 100 restaurants on this year’s list, Guadalajara’s Alcalde also claims a spot.
The Spirit of Guadalajara
Everything from fine dining to street food in Guadalajara is fantastic, but as the birthplace of tequila, this city’s bar scene has to be something extra special.
Guadalajara cantinas range from the bare-bones Cantina La Fuente — where patrons have been grabbing beers from coolers lining the walls for over a century — to tongue-in-cheek tiki bar-inspired De La O Cantina. Of course, a visit to Guadalajara isn’t complete without stopping in the town of Tequila itself. Sure, you’ll have to dodge a fair number of booze-soaked revelers, but you’re guaranteed a first-class education in tequila at world-class distilleries like Casa Sauza, home to Hornitos.
The city’s innovation continues to set it apart, agave or otherwise. Guadalajara is also home to El Gallo Altanero, which took home spot No. 48 on the World’s 50 Best Bar list this year. Hidden away on the second floor of a cafe in Colonia Americana, it doesn’t look like much from the outside, but you’ve not seen anything yet. The bar is a faithful homage to tequila, offering an encyclopedic menu and continued innovation. It’s a perfect fit for a neighborhood oozing so much style that Time Out named it the “world’s coolest neighborhood” in 2022.
Beyond the Flavors
When it comes to everything to see and do in Guadalajara, sipping and sampling through the city is just the start. In the city’s charming historic center and UNESCO-designated Hospicio Cabañas, Mexican muralist José Clemente Orozco painted some of his most profound pieces.
The “magic town” of Tlaqupaque, just 20 minutes outside downtown, is home to cobblestone streets leading guests to galleries and ceramics workshops like the impressive Taller Paco Padilla, which itself is worth the drive.
Despite its inland location, the city is easily accessible from the rest of Mexico and beyond. Guadalajara’s international airport, among Mexico’s best-served for both national and international flights, recently added direct flights from Oakland, Fresno, Denver, Las Vegas, Miami, and Orlando, among other U.S. cities.
A new highway between popular Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara is also cutting down the trip to the coast from a five-hour journey to just over two hours, making it a day trip-worthy destination even for those who prefer to stick to the beach. Whether it’s the cuisine of Guadalajara that is calling your name or any of the city’s other gems, that’s something to celebrate.
