Di Vino Dante — Restaurant in Jalisco

Visiting Di Vino Dante doesn't begin with visiting Di Vino Dante. Whether you enter via the restaurant entrance or, before closing hours, via Galleria Dante's entrance, you are hit with loving art and a wave of divine energy that doesn't come easy with words and is felt throughout the body. You're unsure what this feeling is. However, you are conscious of it and subconsciously want to embrace it, for it brings you to life. There is no doubt that the gallery and wine bar complement each other.

Arriving on the second floor of this magnificent structure, with its history and progression over decades of thoughtful work, you'll find an open floor plan beckoning you to travel about, find a table on the mezzanine, or post up on a stool at the bar, where you'll discover Jazz, a fantastic mixologist/barista, a true artist practicing her craft. From a cappuccino to a margarita to a specialty drink—even Jazz's creations—or even to a simple beer, you will feel welcome and at home. Your choice of wines varies from region to region worldwide, allowing you to try the mindfully selected options without the puzzlement of infinite choices.

Whether you are dining for tapas, ordering so much with your group—or solo—that you never make it to the second course, you won't be disappointed with the food. In fact, you'll understand why, in the first place, you gravitated to this incredible establishment and are now having a wondrous dining experience.

If you are here for brunch, the smoothie bowls pair nicely with a two-for-one mimosa, as can the avocado toast. Di Vino Dante's flatbreads for lunch are a must. The dough is soft and fluffy yet firm and crispy where it ought to be, providing you with a bite your taste buds will dance and thank you for. The bread itself, aside from the pizza dough, is made in-house and goes well as it is, or you can add oil and vinegar and a smear of butter.

You won't go wrong with the tapas: beef carpaccio, black tuna salad, tuna sashimi, meatballs, etcetera, etcetera. My family and I ordered the entire menu. The ingredients are fresh, and the evidence lies in the completed dish resting in front of you and then in the flavors as they hit your taste buds.

Perhaps I am biased, considering I have known the owner and restauranteur my whole life, not to mention the Guarniere family as a whole. But that's not the case. As a writer and author, a speaker of the truth, I know what I feel and what I am looking for in a dining experience. It is all about the experience. And the energy and ambiance you feel from visiting Di Vino Dante will stick with you after you leave. You'll want to come back for more, for better, better than before, for, as any artist—chef, barista, entrepreneur—knowns, we are always looking to reinvent our craft and be better than we were a moment ago. We are constantly striving for growth and to share that with...

Although this restaurant is pretty, I will never go back there because the service was not just bad, it was atrocious! They were very few people in the restaurant on a Friday night. The space is lovely since it overlooks the courtyard of the Dante gallery, and its walls are hung with colorful paintings. However, it’s quite warm since it has no air conditioning and it is upstairs, so it’s like the heat in an attic. Although there were very few diners, we got almost no attention throughout the evening. When I mentioned to the waiter that it was very hot And asked why they didn’t have any fans, it turns out they did have fans. But no one bothered to bring them out to make the diners more comfortable. And I had to ask several times to get a fan near our table. Since we were uncomfortably hot, and they had lots of fans, they could’ve surrounded us in advance and made us very comfortable. But it was quite apparent that nobody That worked there was at all concerned with our comfort. Yes, the delays were along to get any service at all and to get any food. But that was not the worst of it. The worst of it is that no matter how many times I asked for things like more water, it was never supplied.. I had to call out in a high voice, several times before someone came, and then went back to find our appetizers. I ordered the ratatouille, and it was not really ratatouille. Ratatouille is a vegetable stew In a tomato saucewith eggplant. The eggplant was not stewed, it was lightly cooked And chewy., which is not a healthy way to eat, eggplant and certainly not appetizing. It’s a shame because I love ratatouille, but this wasn’t it. I asked for a plate of lemon wedges to be brought with my main fish course, and it wasn’t.. I had to ask for it twice more. The fish was mediocre. Then again we sat with no service or attendance for an infinite amount of time, until I needed to shout several times to get some help. I asked where our desserts were. This alarm prompted some action. But dessert was only brought for my companion.. I had asked for a chocolate cake for dessert. When I had to call out and ask what happened to my dessert. The waiter said they didn’t have any chocolate cake. He didn’t bother to tell me that to ask me what I would like to have. By this time, my companion had finished his dessert. After a long wait and asking two more times, I finally got a dessert.. That cannelloni was the only really good thing of the whole evening. And then no one. I attended us and we didn’t see another waiter anywhere. Again, I was shouting in a loud voice to get some attention to get the check. Our waiter didn’t bother to come back. When we tried to pay with cash, we were told that the cash register was closed and we couldn’t get any change. I suggest that if you want to have a pleasant evening, you choose...

Our meal here started us off on one of the best New Year's ever! If you have never been here, do not miss this restaurant. It's in a huge art gallery and as you enjoy your meal you are surrounded by amazing art, sculpture and a variety of huge tropical plants. I was a little surprised when we arrived to find that there was a single prix fixe menu for NYE - with no other options available. But we took a chance anyway - this was our second visit (we ate here a year ago) and knew the food was excellent.

We were not disappointed. The first course was a lovely salad, followed by tuna tartare (melt in your mouth). After each course the amazing attentive staff would ask if we were ready for the next one - you are not rushed out of the door! The service is impeccable.

The next course was grilled duck breast, which was soft and incredibly tasty. We accompanied the meal with a Mexican rose - yes you might think that was risky - but it complemented the food perfectly and was not sweet.

As this was New Year's Eve, at our table we found decorative masks and beads with musical instruments. We were serenaded throughout the evening by the most amazing musicians - we would easily have paid just for the entertainment alone. Real professionals on the guitar!

For dessert we were served avocado ice cream, which I thought at first might be a bad combination (though I love avocados and I love ice cream - but together?) well of course the chefs here are no dummies. The ice cream was smooth as silk, sitting on a base of crunchy caramel and chocolate. Pure delight.

We thought dinner was over but then our waiter arrived with a bottle of champagne, two flutes and two glasses of green grapes. Just a gesture from Di Vino Dante to usher in the New Year! We lingered over our drinks, enjoying the music until it was time to head down to the Malecon and ring in 2020.

For all that, the price of our evening was much less than a comparable dinner at any of Puerto Vallarta's top...