Coco Calala — Restaurant in Leon (Municipality)

The food was superb. Honestly, delicious... Top notch vegan food! I only wish I had found this little gem sooner. I also absolutely loved the ambiance.

Truth be told, as much as I loved the food and the space, I wasn’t going to give this place 5 stars... I thought my waitress was borderline terrible. I really hate to say that, but it’s the truth. She literally barelyyy made conversation... like... at all. For example, she would come to the table, put a menu down, and walk away before we could say a word. Whenever I asked her any questions, she would turn to my boyfriend to answer them. It was extremely off putting.. Yes, my boyfriend’s Spanish is much better than mine (he’s Nicaragüense), but it just felt very rude. Finally, after our food came out, I had to waive our server down in order to ask her for salt. Instead of grabbing the salt, she turned to my boyfriend and told him what time it was and she said that we would need to be leaving soon. I was somewhat baffled and thought I misheard her, so again, I asked her for salt. Again, she turned to my boyfriend to say that we would have to finish our meal quickly since they kitchen was already closed and they would be leaving in 15 minutes. For a second, I honestly thought that she was telling us (or more so just my boyfriend) this to insinuate that she couldn’t grab the salt because the kitchen was locked up or something...? LOL So to confirm, I asked her again if I could have it, and then VOILA! Third times a charm.. she got me some salt! Yay. The whole experience though was such a turnoff :(

My boyfriend and I were getting ready to leave, talking about how much we loved with the food but were disappointed with the service, when we were fortunate enough to meet the owners. Thank God we met the owners! They were fabulous! They absolutely turned everything around with just a little lighthearted conversation. They were friendly and personable, and completely changed the vibe that we were previously walking away with.

I’m so thankful that they came to our table because everything about this place is five out of five stars! I would have hated for one bad experience with a server to have tainted our overall impression.

I will 100% be back ASAP. The food was incredibly...

Highly NOT recommended!

2nd time visiting the place and got the same disdaining look. Tried giving a second chance thinking the first time was simply my perception, but as it turned out. It wasn’t!

We were a group of 3 + a baby. Upon arrival the owner was right at the front-desk. He started by looking at us up and down as we came in. The disdainful look I perceived was definitely not my imagination. I did not share my thoughts to the rest of the group. I asked if we could use the pool and his answer was “Can you read the sign?”. The sign contained all the pool usage rules.

Because multiple tables seemed busy we stayed at a table under a pergola before the pool area. He approached us and said the area is restricted to guess only.

We moved to another table where a couple of acquaintances were. The waiter brought the menu, and we started to get ready to order. It was interesting seeing the owner go to the bar area right after we got the menu.

As some of the gals went to the bathrooms to change into their bathing suits. The waitress approached us to take our order -I thought-. She said the supervisor send her over to tell us we could not use the pool because there were too many people at the tables. I counted the people in the pool, they were 5 in total.

The waitress did not even attempt to ask if I was ordering and simply moved to give the bill to our acquaintances. I proceeded to go tell the rest to leave because they were not going to be able to use the pool.

I can’t believe I had sent guests staying at my guesthouse telling them they have good service. As we left, a family of 5 came in and the welcome was definitely different, and even said they could use the pool.

I can only add that very few times I have felt judged in this way. But never by a Nicaraguan with delusions of...

Coco Calala is wonderful. I stayed there as a guest (and found the property through AirBnB), and also ate at the restaurant. The hosts were incredibly gracious and and helpful , and were communicative for weeks in preparation for my trip, offering helpful tips on transportation, what to expect, suggestions for things to do once in Leon, refererrals to tour companies that took me on outdoor adventures, etc.

Coco Calala itself is beautiful - it's a hacienda-style property with lush, tropical plants surrounding a beautiful pool area, with a small vegetarian restaurant in the back. The food there was AMAZING - fresh juices, sophisticated vegetarian entrees, delicious coffee in the morning, etc.

The property overall is very tranquil and relaxing, and the spacious apartment we rented was stylish, and perfect for our stay. Some practicalities: the apartment is up a flight of stairs. Also, there is no AC (but there are many fans, and the rooms are spacious).

The location is also very central, and within easy walking distance of anything you'd want to see in Leon.

I had a great time there, and highly recommend this property...