In my opinion, the Moon Restaurant in Melaque is still trying to find its niche. The name alone is misleading since there are no tapas to be had there. Considered upscale by those in town who visit the rooftop restaurant above the Casa Leon with the best view on the bay, they’ve taken to offering 2 for 1 nights by offering burgers, ribs and shrimp.
Our first visit this season was to try the cheap burger night. It was too crowded and ingredients on the burgers were scaled down to make up for the discount. Mine had an uncooked piece of bacon about the size of a postage stamp. Called the American burger there was only a light sprinkling of white cheese instead of cheddar. On the flip side, friends went for rib night and came away happy campers.
To be fair, we returned to the Moon last night with a group of eight. We lucked out and were served by Ricardo, in my opinion the classiest waiter in Melaque. Two orders of tuna tartar were shared by the table and the consensus was it was too salty and limey. We ordered ribs, filets, ribeye’s, fish ‘n chips, and the blush fettucine with shrimp for our entrees.
The ribs were fall off the bone, juicy and meaty. The filets were huge and cooked perfectly. There were no complaints from the two rib eye eaters. The fish was lightly battered and served with home cut fries. My pasta was tasty but just slightly overcooked, leaving the sauce a bit dry. There was enough of the filets left over for doggy bags.
No one was up for dessert but there was a birthday boy among us who received a complimentary piece of red velvet cake, topped by a sparkler and song to boot. So, if you just want to stuff your face for a good price, try one of the 2 for 1 nights. But if you want a good meal go on a week night when it is quieter and the full menu is available.
It’s been a while since Cathryn and I posted about a particular restaurant, especially one in Mexico. It’s not that there aren’t any good ones in the country, especially in a beach town like Melaque, because there are. But we get tired of the same old menus with the same offerings, just shuffled around. I’m sorry, but like the locals, I can’t eat tortillas at every meal.
We first met Li Xie a few years back at a house on one of the canals in Barra de Navidad, where she hosted a Chinese buffet in her own home. Everything was homemade – I watched her making the wonton soup right in her kitchen.
The following year, we were thrilled to see that Li opened her own restaurant on Hwy 200, across from the Pemex Gas Station. La Chinita bills itself as a Chinese Food restaurant with Mexican seafood. There is seating inside and out, and the menu offers favorites like wonton soup, spring rolls, and assorted rice or noodle dishes with meats or seafood.
We get to La Chinita at least once a season while we’re in Melaque and actually had Li cater to a group at our apartment complex on one occasion. On our latest visit, Li did up some of our favorites – spring rolls, wonton soup, beef & broccoli, and a mixed fried rice. They also serve adult beverages but we were taking a day off from the booze.
The spring rolls were fresh and crisp with good pork and veggie filler. The soup was actually a bowl, not a cup, and I detected an unusual but nice spice in the wontons. The beef was tender and the broccoli and carrots super fresh. We found generous portions of meat and shrimp in our fried rice. Everything was hot and came quite quickly. The food was simply delicious.
Cathryn and I both give La Chinta an 8 out of 10, our only complaint would be where the restaurant is situated, close to the highway, where we ate less than a meter from our parked car.
I’ve noticed that lots of folks in Melaque and Barra de Navidad have been referring to last year’s post of recommended restaurants to visit. Cathryn and I haven’t been out as much this year but we now have ten places for you to check out. Keep in mind this post contains our own personal opinions.
Something we’ve noticed this year is that Melaque has gotten a lot busier this year and dinner reservations are recommended at many of the restaurants listed.
I’ve included direct links where available:
El Patio de Sabastian – On the main east-west road in town, this place has been consistently good since we’ve been coming to Melaque. It’s only open for breakfast and lunch but offers fresh-squeezed juice and everthing from omelets to loaded waffles that look more like birthday cakes.
El Quetzel de Laura – In Villa Obregon, on the main street to the market, this is another place that is consistently tasty – for breakfast, lunch and dinner. You’ll see many nationals here, attesting to their authenticity. Great omelets, salads and Chile Relleno at reasonable prices.
El Dorado– On the beach beside the newly demolished side of the earthquake hotel, this is our go-to place when we arrive in town with an empty fridge. It offers one of the best views in town, has new comfortable tables and chairs, and delicious food most of the time. The chicken parm and fish are our favs. They have a large menu and take credit cards when the WIFI is working.
Patas – Near the end of the main road into town that runs by Super Hawaii, this little place offers a limited menu but one of the best burgers in town. Their Denver burrito is unique and stuffed with meaty goodness. Cathryn loves their cilantro margaritas and there fresh and warm tortilla chips. With limited seating and no reservations, Patas gets busy during prime dinner time. Consider going a bit earlier or later.
Albatross – A beach bar that’s tucked in behind the Melaque Arts Center and Jack’s ATV’s, Albatross has live entertainment most afternoons and evenings throughout the week. Their food is normally good, but tends to be inconsistent when the place is full and rocking. They’ve got all the typical pub grub like burgers, wings and nachos.
Fer LatteCafé – The place has relocated to the main road that separates San Patricio and Villa Obregon, situated on the east side of the boulevard, kind of kitty corner from Jack’s. I’ve only been there once, for breakfast, and it was decent. The live music was a nice touch. They messed up my order a bit but the omelet and fixings were good. Try the home made sausage patty.
Vanilla Pimienta – Considered upscale, it’s a nice place for a special dinner. Located closer to the beach and on the same road as Jack’s and Fer Latte, the restaurant is on the second floor. The menus changes daily but offers steak, ribs, pasta, fish, and home made desserts. On our last visit we had the mussels, ribs and a filet. I was a bit disappointed in the ribs which were a bit heavy on the teriyaki sauce. Their fresh bread and tomato-oil dip was so delicious we asked for seconds.
Nonsolo Pizza – In it’s new location, across the boulevard from Vanilla Pimienta, we think Nonsolo offers one of the better thick crust pizzas in town. They also have other items on the menu but if you don’t like hot dogs, stay away from ordering sausage. It seems that Fud hot dogs stand in for sausage in Melaque, but they do have chorizo. Being spoiled by the excellent pizza back home in Windsor, we thought Nonsolo’s pie was okay.
Bananas – (Barra) – We’ve always wanted to try this place and finally got there this week. They have a new, clean and colorful location on the same street, just north of the hotel they used to be in. They offer everything from Mexican to American breakfasts, including omelets, pancakes, waffles, fruit, avocado on toast, etc. They food was very good but Cathryn’s omelet was barely warm. Prices were in line with most others.
Besame Mucho – (Bara) – We thought they deserved another shot after last year’s lackluster experience where they short-changed my on my ribs and overcharged us for a bottle of wine. With friends on this visit, we had the fettuccine alfredo, pulled pork, mahi mahi, and shrimp entrees. Portions were large and everything was tasty. The melted cheese appy was okay but the tuna tartar with avocado and mango was awesome. They always have solo musicians for nice background music you can talk over.
There are plenty more places to check out in both towns. Go. Explore. Eat.
Life Written and Reviewed 