Las Carmelitas Restaurante Bar — Restaurant in Jalisco

UPDATE:

Read this if you want some more perspective on the incident in July 2018 where the owner's vehicle allegedly intentionally hit a dog near his restaurant. I don't personally know either of the involved parties, but here are some FACTS from a long-term PV resident.

This restaurant is on the top of a hill quite far above sea-level - maybe 1000 ft. The road up to the restaurant is privately owned. Because it's so far up and the hill is so steep, it's a ~2 kilometer, VERY narrow / single-lane, paved, sharply-curving road that definitely requires your attention. At times it's so steep you almost can't see the road below you, with drop-offs on both sides (no guard rails), and you can't stop on the way up or your tires would spin and you'd have to reverse back down.

Keeping all that in mind, two women were given permission by restaurant staff to walk their un-leashed dogs up and then down this extremely steep / narrow private road. They claim that the driver, while coming up the hill, veered his car toward the dog to intentionally run it over, then afterward tried to run them over as well. Besides being improbably sadistic - and sure to cause problems for his restaurant - such a maneuver would be nearly impossible because the road is just so narrow. Any veering and you're off the road (and plummetting to your death). Imagine those terrible roads up to ski resorts in the Rockies.

The ladies also report that (1) the driver then tried to run them over, and (2) that they had to stand in front of his car to stop him from driving off after hitting the dog. How could both of these things happen? Isn't it...one or the other?

Also, how is it that the dogs were SO FAR ahead of them that there was time for them to witness the event, and still get in front of his car to confront him? Who walks unleashed dogs ~50 feet in front of you on a dangerously steep / narrow private road with nowhere to go when a car drives up?

The owner did formally respond to their claims, providing much more info, and corroborating the police report. The women allegedly attacked his car, and the police didn't do anything because there was no visible damage to the dog (what could they have done?). The owner also pointed out the huge number of animals he keeps near the restaurant - sheep, dogs, etc. - which I've seen. It's a small farm. His daughter even owns an animal shelter that he volunteers at.

I share these details because the level of vitriol being thrown here has reached epic proportions, and I've been to the restaurant maybe 5 times - no experiences like this.

It's true the food service is slow, and taste quality & price is so-so. But the view is amazing, and worth your time.

ORIGINAL POST:

Best view of Banderas Bay by a long shot - it's at the top of a mountain (literally).

Food is pretty tasty, although not up to the upscale standard of some other famous PV restaurants. Solid waitstaff, and wheelchair accessible. Surprising menu variety, and decent prices considering how far out/high up the restaurant is. Recommend going in rental car as only other way up/down is via taxi (and their mountain access surcharge. Ubers will take you up/drop you off, but can't bring you down as it's outside their service zone).

An absolute must-go location for a sunset dinner in PV. Even if the food were awful - and it's not - the view alone...

It has been stated the Owner of the Restaurant ran over a Customer's Dog not by Accident. When Police were called the Police know him and it was okay to run over the dog... Somehow I believe there are better places to eat after reading some of the reviews.. Google may remove this review.. as it is close to guidelines about reviews.. The Dog will survive.. The People have been informed as to who to contact about the Owner. Thank You.

WARNING After hearing what a great workout it is to trek up the hill to RESTAURANTE LAS CARMELITAS, my friend and I, and her two dogs, decided to give it a try. Yes, it is a great work out, but one we regret very much now. On our way down the hill, we saw a black SUV on its way up. Out of consideration to the driver, we started to call to the dogs and wave our arms so he would see us. As soon as the driver saw us, he hit the accelerator and veered directly at the dogs. He managed to hit one of them as it was trying to escape off the side of the road into the ditch. The driver managed to fully run the dog over, then set his eyes on us. I stood my ground in the middle of the road, and he was forced to come to a screeching halt less than a meter from me. He proceeded to yell in Spanish to get away from his car, that he did not do anything, and was the owner of the restaurant. He then proceeded to try and continue driving forward despite me standing in front of his car with my hands on the hood. At one point I almost had to jump up on top of it to avoid being mowed down as well. I called the police and was pleasantly surprised at the quick response time. But that did not last long when I realized the cop knew the man, and they exchanged pleasantries right there in front of me. I was told despite the restaurant being open to the public, the street was on private property. Soon I was surrounded by the owner’s friends who were drunk and telling me there were going to take the dog to the vet for us. The cop did nothing and would not even admit to me what the owner did was wrong. Feeling uncomfortable with my physical situation I was in, knowing my friend was at the bottom of the hill with an injured dog, and realizing the cop would rather have a beer with these guys than lift a finger to help, I told them all Karma would come back to bite them in the ass, and made my way down the hill.

The vet says the dog will be OK, so there is the silver lining in the story. But we feel defeated. This man just got away with an act of pure hatred, and I feel terrified that if I make too much of a stink, I will receive retaliation. I beg you all to repost in hopes nobody ever tries to hike up that hill, or chooses that restaurant for their next...

Please be advised to read previous posts!

I visited Las Carmelitas with my husband and 2 children. It was completely deserted, we were the only ones there!

To get there, you must go through a desolated jungle like very narrow road about 1000 feet high, that can be horrible in bad weather. There is no lightning system, so I can’t imagine driving back in the dark! We drove past the guard house, but thankfully we did not have pay an admission fee, since there was no armed guard at site at the moment of our visit.

When we got there I asked our cab driver to wait for us, since you are stuck at the top of this desolated hill. The restaurant accepts cash only!!! I wasn’t aware and my family decided to get back in the cab and eat elsewhere! Both my husband and I had a churning gut feeling of this place! The owner offered to serve us and send some stranger to an ATM with us to pay, “no thank you!”

The view is great, I have to admit, but it’s not worth putting yourself and family at such vulnerable situation. When the armed guard is present and your cab leaves your site, you are at their mercy. The situation can be easily manipulated due to the location and you are putting yourself at risk. This was the only time that I felt unsafe in PV!

I’m surprised this tourist scam is still going on. For your...