RVGRINGO Posted August 11, 2011 Report Share Posted August 11, 2011 Since we usually eat supper between 6 and 7pm, we're seldom out of the house and still hungry when the traditional Mexican cenadurias open at 7:00 to 8pm. However, we did find ourselves out and hungry just a few evenings ago and took advantage of the occasion to visit Elba, a local cenaduria (supper place) in our neighborhood; on Zaragosa, just one door north of Lopez Cotilla, where we had eaten once or twice before. There is a menu, as well as some specials framed on the wall. It is a family operation with every generation involved in the preparation of the food and serving the steady stream of diners. Sure enough, we met neighbors there too. We had a pair of beef tacos and a huge Cuban sandwich, with a Coke and a horchata for our beverage. We left satisfied and full after paying the bill; $61 pesos, plus tip. The menu is large and varied, so you'll have lots of choices. Yes, the salsas are hotter than in Ajijic. So, if you are on the Chapala malecon or plaza some evening, give Elba a try. When it is open, there is actually an "OPEN" neon sign over the door. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkgourmet Posted August 11, 2011 Report Share Posted August 11, 2011 Excuse my Ignorance (no, I'm not being snide - just truthful). I've never heard the term cenduria before. Can you explain, please? And do they do take out? Open every day or only fri and sat nights (as we find with several of these family in-front-of-the-house places.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
More Liana Posted August 11, 2011 Report Share Posted August 11, 2011 Excuse my Ignorance (no, I'm not being snide - just truthful). I've never heard the term cenduria before. Can you explain, please? And do they do take out? Open every day or only fri and sat nights (as we find with several of these family in-front-of-the-house places.) Cenaduría translates loosely to 'supper spot'. A cenaduría usually opens up at about 7PM or so and serves till 11PM or until the food runs out. Cenaduría Elba is open every night. I agree, Cenaduría Elba is wonderful. The pozole there is out of this world. Ask for pura maciza (mah-SEE-sah) (just meat) if you don't want your bowlful with slices of meat plus ear, snout, etc. The pozole sizes are small and large; small is a big bowl and large is an enormous bowl. It's served with tostadas and all the usual pozole garnishes: shredded lettuce, sliced radishes, minced onion, dried oregano, powdered chile, sea salt, limón, and table salsa to add al gusto. Add a little of everything till it tastes just right to you. And if you want to taste a traditional drink, at Elba's you can try home-made tepache, an ever-so-slightly fermented drink made of pineapple skins and piloncillo (raw brown sugar cones). You can ask for a little dish of bicarbonato (baking soda) to add a teaspoon of that to your tepache--it gives it a great fizz and is said to settle the stomach. If I were in Chapala I'd go to Elba's tonight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RVGRINGO Posted August 11, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 11, 2011 I suspect that Jeanette may be at Cenaduria Elba tonight. She won't be sorry. It is only a block and a half from our house, so we should learn to eat a bit later and go there more often. On "take-out": Going to a place for a stew, pozole or menudo is a respected Mexican tradition. Just take your own covered container and you will be accommodated. Actually, there are many places in all neighborhoods where that is very common. In fact, there is one which opens on Sundays, and other special occasions, just across the street. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gringohombre Posted August 12, 2011 Report Share Posted August 12, 2011 Anyone know of a cenaduria in San Antonio...and if so what is the location and hours? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RVGRINGO Posted August 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 12, 2011 Years ago, there was one on the opposite side of the street from Mario's Restaurant. I seem to recall that it may have been called, "Cenaduria Doña Josefina", but I may be wrong on that detail. We had good pozole there some 6-8 years ago & the lady was pretty old then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkgourmet Posted August 12, 2011 Report Share Posted August 12, 2011 Great - thanks everyone. The word "posole" always makes me smile. Where Lopez Cotillo,, please? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheapo Posted August 12, 2011 Report Share Posted August 12, 2011 Years ago, there was one on the opposite side of the street from Mario's Restaurant. I seem to recall that it may have been called, "Cenaduria Doña Josefina", but I may be wrong on that detail. We had good pozole there some 6-8 years ago & the lady was pretty old then. She's still there. Was at Mario's on the weekend past, and she was open. Just a little bit down the street. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
More Liana Posted August 12, 2011 Report Share Posted August 12, 2011 Great - thanks everyone. The word "posole" always makes me smile. Where Lopez Cotillo,, please? If you drive from Ajijic, take the carretera into Chapala, not the libramiento. When you get to the traffic light, keep driving forward. The second intersection is Zaragoza--turn left. Drive until you get to a corner with (if I remember correctly) a cantina on each corner. Continue forward about half a block. Cenaduría Elba is on your right. It's very small, so you have to look for it. The person who waits on you will bring you a long ticket to just mark what you want to eat. If you want two large pozoles, put two marks next to that. If you want a large and a small, one mark next to each. And so forth--just keep adding marks next to what makes your mouth water. If you want soft drinks, put as many marks as the number of drinks you are ordering. You can either get them out of the cold case yourself or they will bring them to the table. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 12, 2011 Report Share Posted August 12, 2011 We love their food...my favorite is between the soup and the Sarape? May have that spelled wrong but it is a wonderful dish and very inexpensive... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkgourmet Posted August 12, 2011 Report Share Posted August 12, 2011 So this is in Chapala? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
More Liana Posted August 12, 2011 Report Share Posted August 12, 2011 So this is in Chapala? Yes, Cenaduría Elba is in Chapala. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RVGRINGO Posted August 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 12, 2011 News flash: Ajijic is not separate from Chapala; but is a part of Chapala. 'Downtown' is Chapala Centro, and that is where you will find complete shopping resources, as well as traditional restaurants and lakefront restaurants. The bulk of the 'gringo restaurants' are in Ajijic and only a few are favored by Tapatios. I'll be curious to hear Jeanette's reviews of more traditional eateries, particularly in Chapala: Thomas Casadores Several of the lakefront places on malecon California Bar & Oficina La Leña Superior Elba & other cenadurias Josés Mexican American Cocina Economica in the mercado publico etc........... Time to start walking the streets of 'downtown', Jeanette. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin K Posted August 12, 2011 Report Share Posted August 12, 2011 All this talk about Cenaduria Elba has my mouth watering, especially as we're in New Mexico at the moment where the food, while good, has little to do with what you can get in the real Mexico. Would just add that Memo's in Ajijic while bare-bones has decent pozole and is the only cenaduria in Ajijic proper. The wonderful taqueria El Comal Express in San Antonio has pozole some nights as well. Last but not least, El Zapote is the rare cenaduria that opens early enough for Mexican lunch (around 2 p.m.) and thus can accommodate the desire of some to eat their cena on the early side. Their pozole is a more than worthy rival to Elba's and their carne en su jugo is fabulous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lakeheron Posted August 14, 2011 Report Share Posted August 14, 2011 Duplicate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lakeheron Posted August 14, 2011 Report Share Posted August 14, 2011 I have never eaten there but isn't the name of the large cenaduria on the north side of the highway in Ajijic called Jessica's? I've heard good things about it. There are a couple cenaduria's on the plaza in San Antonio. I'm not sure what they offer besides taquitos. There is a nice little taqueria that only open for cena on the main street, west side, in Chapala, called Chuy's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradshoe Posted August 16, 2011 Report Share Posted August 16, 2011 I have to admit that we stay close to home after 8:00 but we may have to venture out a bit more often. We've been to Jessica's once and love it. We just need to get out more and head to Chapala. Lucky for RV he has such a nice place so close. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheapo Posted August 16, 2011 Report Share Posted August 16, 2011 I have never eaten there but isn't the name of the large cenaduria on the north side of the highway in Ajijic called Jessica's? I've heard good things about it. There are a couple cenaduria's on the plaza in San Antonio. I'm not sure what they offer besides taquitos. There is a nice little taqueria that only open for cena on the main street, west side, in Chapala, called Chuy's. Wouldn't call it a cenaduria; it's really a taqueria. And those you can find all over the place in Ajijic and San Antonio. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
More Liana Posted August 16, 2011 Report Share Posted August 16, 2011 Wouldn't call it a cenaduria; it's really a taqueria. And those you can find all over the place in Ajijic and San Antonio. Excellent distinction, Cheapo. You're absolutely right: even its name is Taquería Jessica. And what great tacos! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RVGRINGO Posted August 27, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 27, 2011 Back to Cenaduria Elba, in Chapala: We went there again last night and my wife had her usual two tacos and a soft drink, while I tried something new; a 'Huarache'. I had never had one before and ordered it just to see what it was. WOW! I'll be ordering huaraches often now; absolutely delicious and enough for a light meal at 25 pesos. They do take longer to prepare than tacos or the other usual sandwiches, sopes, sopas, enchilladas, etc, but they are worth the wait. My mouth is already watering in anticipation of another one. Perhaps you have noticed that I have not described this dish, and I will not. You'll just have to go and order your own to see what it is and to bite into something quite unique. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slobo Posted August 27, 2011 Report Share Posted August 27, 2011 I will be there soon. A couple of times a year we go to a street stand in Rincon de Guayabitos just for the huaraches. Better than any pizza I have ever had in Mexico... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gringohombre Posted August 27, 2011 Report Share Posted August 27, 2011 She's still there. Was at Mario's on the weekend past, and she was open. Just a little bit down the street. Went to check out their time and days....Friday & Saturday only 6pm - 11pm I will go back to try it since I can walk there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaChula Posted September 1, 2011 Report Share Posted September 1, 2011 Since we usually eat supper between 6 and 7pm, we're seldom out of the house and still hungry when the traditional Mexican cenadurias open at 7:00 to 8pm. However, we did find ourselves out and hungry just a few evenings ago and took advantage of the occasion to visit Elba, a local cenaduria (supper place) in our neighborhood; on Zaragosa, just one door north of Lopez Cotilla, where we had eaten once or twice before. There is a menu, as well as some specials framed on the wall. It is a family operation with every generation involved in the preparation of the food and serving the steady stream of diners. Sure enough, we met neighbors there too. We had a pair of beef tacos and a huge Cuban sandwich, with a Coke and a horchata for our beverage. We left satisfied and full after paying the bill; $61 pesos, plus tip. The menu is large and varied, so you'll have lots of choices. Yes, the salsas are hotter than in Ajijic. So, if you are on the Chapala malecon or plaza some evening, give Elba a try. When it is open, there is actually an "OPEN" neon sign over the door. Elba's is the only place I know of lakeside where you can get pozole with choice of chicken or pork. I prefer chicken, and have been very happy at Elba's. The last time I wanted to go there, it was so full we had to pass it up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Go Solar Posted March 18, 2014 Report Share Posted March 18, 2014 See Elba post under "looking for a large metal pot" in other forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.