At the end of last year, we traveled to Guadalajara for a friend’s wedding and spent our free afternoon in Tlaquepaque. It was a short, but sweet, visit filled with delicious food, ‘cazuelas voladoras’ (flying casseroles), and cool stores.
In this guide, we share seven reasons why you too should visit Tlaquepaque:
Note: if you are just adding this place in your itinerary to take a picture under the colorful umbrellas you saw on Google or Instagram, stop. We’re not sure how often they change them, but the ones we saw were colorless, full of dirt and broken. Not a pretty picture. Still, it’s a place we consider worth visiting.
What to do in Tlaquepaque
1.- Eat a Torta Ahogada
When we arrived, the first thing we wanted to do was to eat ‘Tortas Ahogadas’ (a bolillo bread filled with pork meat and covered in a spicy tomato sauce), so we asked around and almost everyone recommended El Abajeño restaurant. They said: “good Mexican food, fun atmosphere, and reasonable prices.” And that’s exactly what we experienced: live Mariachi music, big loud families, and some tasty tortas.
If you’re worried about the spiciness, the dish comes with the hot sauce and tomato sauce in two separate bowls. We suggest that you slowly mix both before pouring the entire thing over the torta. Warning: the hot sauce is very spicy, so adding half a teaspoon might be more than enough.
2.- Drink a Cazuela Voladora
In the land of tequila, this local drink is a must. It comes in a large clay ‘cazuela’, and it has tequila, grapefruit soda, orange juice, lemon juice, and ice. If you like Margaritas or Palomas, you’ll most likely love it.
Most restaurants have it on their menu, but the famous spot is called El Parián, a kiosk at the center of town with many bars/cantinas surrounding it. Choose the busiest one.
3.- Visit the Ceramic Museum of Tlaquepaque
This tiny (free of charge) museum will give you a glimpse into the local craftsmanship. It won’t take much of your time, and you’ll see gorgeous ceramic pieces made with different techniques, some dating back to the 18th century.
4.- Walk down Andador Independencia
Here, you’ll find tons of shops with gorgeous Mexican goods, mainly focused on fashion, homeware & jewelry. At the end of this street are the famous umbrellas you see in Google or Instagram.
You must stop by a place called Nuestros Dulces. They have a wide variety of traditional Mexican candy and an amazing Tequila selection. A very touristy place, but for a good reason.
5.- Buy Tequila!
You’ll find a couple of stores in Andador Independencia packed with Tequila options. Prices vary according to quality, label, and presentation. We saw bottles that could easily belong in a museum!
If you want something different, ask for a ‘Tequila Almendrado’ (Almond Tequila), it’s very sweet, like a digestive liqueur. Or, try the ‘Crema de Tequila’, which is very similar to Bailey’s. They’re both tasty and won’t burn your throat.
6.- Go inside this gallery
Amongst all the shops in Andador Independencia, there’s a hidden gem called ‘Galería del Corazón de la Tierra’ that you must visit; especially, if you’re an interior design enthusiast. We spent hours here, absorbing every little corner, and adding everything to our wishlist.
The store is filled with unique handmade pieces collected from indigenous towns around Mexico and Guatemala: bed linen, sofas covered in traditional embroidery, accessories, lamps, clothing, etc. Even if you don’t buy anything, this is the perfect place to admire our beautiful local crafts.
7.- Make a souvenir stop
In front of El Parián, the kiosk with all the bars, there’s a market called Mercado Benito Juárez. On the top floor of this building, past the food market and the parking lot, there’s a big ‘Mercado de Artesanías’ with tons of stalls selling local crafts.
Tlaquepaque is very well known for its ceramic and blown glass, which you can find here at extremely cheap prices. Of course, one of the first things that come to mind are the blown glass tequila bottles and shot glasses.
Have you been to Tlaquepaque or visited other parts of Jalisco? What else would you recommend to do in the area?
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Useful information
Map
We’ve pinpointed all the sites mentioned above on to this map, to save you some time!
Hotel
We stayed in Downtown Guadalajara in this colonial hotel.
Other posts you may enjoy:
- 5 Tequila cocktail recipes: from the best bars in Mexico City.
