Carmelitas Café — Restaurant in Guerrero

I really wanted to like this place, especially after reading the mountain of glowing reviews, so, on Valentine’s Day, the missus and I popped in for what we anticipated to be a little romantic brunch. She had been once before, for me, this was my first visit.

We were promptly seated in a mostly full but not packed dining area. Light, breezy and pleasantly located away from the bustle of central Zihua things started off well. She ordered a Topo Chico, (carbonated water). I inquired about black tea. There was none so I ordered orange juice.

After 20 minutes, nothing had arrived. Flagged a passing waitress about the water, our original waitress was busy elsewhere, and she appeared a few minutes later and with a plain glass of water. Thanks, but where’s the Topo Chico and can you at least take our order? Sí señor… “chilaquiles for me and a fruit plate for her, gracias”. 5 minutes later the Topo Chico arrives and after another 5 the fruit plate.

For a country that has an abundance of fresh fruit, the plate was small and poorly presented. Think of a platter laid with a quarter cup each of several different kinds of fruits covered with a tablespoon of yogurt and topped with a little bit of granola. Nothing special there and certainly nothing different from what you can make at home.

Don’t understand why restaurants fail to comprehend the necessity of serving everyone at the same time but the staff at Carmelita’s clearly don’t. I wait another 25 minutes, no exaggeration, for my chilaquiles, finally flag the waitress, she tells me the kitchen is soooo busy but they’ll be along momentarily. Thing is, chilaquiles is a dish you can assemble in under a minute. It ain’t complicated.

The chilaquiles finally arrive along with a glass of warm o.j., lovely. In the meantime the fruit plate is long finished, and along with it, the possibly of enjoying our brunch together. Oh, and the chilaquiles??? Not the best or the worst I’ve ever had but at that point all I really wanted was the check. Final thoughts, no service, no tip, and never to return.

My missus also wanted to mention the fact that other ppl came, ordered, ate and LEFT while we...

We had an exceptional breakfast experience at Carmelita’s Café, and I can now see why it’s so beloved by locals and visitors alike. Everything we ordered was deeply satisfying and beautifully prepared — starting with the tongue (lengua), which was incredibly tender and flavorful, accompanied by a chipotle sauce that was smoky, rich, and absolutely perfect.

The pancakes were light and fluffy — among the best I’ve had in Mexico — and the elote tamal was soft, warm, and bursting with corn flavor. We also tried two prehispanic drinks, pozol and tescalate, which were a fascinating and delicious window into regional culinary traditions. It’s rare to find a place that offers this kind of deep cultural food experience in such an accessible and inviting way.

The setting is also worth mentioning — a lovely open-air patio full of life and energy, with a mix of locals and travelers. And most memorably, the owner came by to chat with us — warm, thoughtful, and clearly passionate about excellence, local ingredients, and honoring the culinary heritage of the region.

This is not just breakfast — it’s a cultural experience. Highly recommended. Come hungry and curious. You’ll be very...

The hotel we were staying at had free order from the menu breakfast included in the rate, so we had eaten that daily and then eaten out for other meals. But it didn't feel right not to enjoy at least one breakfast in this food amazing town - so we did a little searching and it led us to Carmelitas. What a great place! Not only is the food amazing, but the service and open air patio area for breakfast is exactly what I like in my Mexico breakfasts! Our Spanish is getting better with each trip, but we still needed some help with some things on the menu. The staff was very helpful and made sure we got exactly what we wanted. We ended up getting one each of what were considered the house specials. Huevos Motulenos and Huevos a la pasilla..... both without plantains. We also started with a "pastry" it was a sweet corn cake of some kind. The meals were different that we had ever ordered before, but both very good! Very very good, but oh we didn't need all that food... we left stuffed and all for the equivalent of about $17 US with the great exchange rate. We have added another great restaurant to our "return to" list for...