Patzcuaro Hotels and Restaurants

[Hotels] [Restaurants] [Typical Dishes]

Hotels

Most of Patzcuaro's hotels are small and all of them have quaint touches, with very few instances of modern architecture in evidence. Many of them will offer rooms with fireplaces, providing the guest with firewood and slivers of resin-saturated tinder sticks to stoke and light the fire with. These can be especially comforting in Patzcuaro where, because of the altitude, nights and early mornings can be exceptionally crisp. Nevertheless, the presence of a fireplace and firewood does not necessarily mean that the fireplaces themselves will give off a good heat! They're often constructed in such a way that most of the heat ends up going up the chimney...or most of the smoke ends up coming into the room. Still, there's something just wonderful about having a crackling fire in the room when one is bundled up under the warm covers wiggling ones toes after a long day of trekking through the cobblestoned streets, marvelling at the arts and crafts and architecture of the Patzcuaro region...

Note: If you're planning a trip to Pátzcuaro for the Day or the Dead, be sure to reserve well in advance  as the hotels from about Oct. 30 through Nov. 3 can be pretty well booked up.

Patzcuaro Online Hotel Reservations and Availability Search

Some of the smaller hotels in town

Hotel Los Escudos - Portal Hidalgo 73. 30 rooms. (434) 342-0138. 

Mision San Manuel - Portal Aldama 12. Tel. 342-1313, 342-1050

Posada San Rafael - Plaza Vasco de Quiroga. 103 rooms. Tel. (434) 342-0770

Hotel Fiesta Plaza - Plaza Bocanegra 24. 60 rooms. Tel. (434) 342-2515

Posada de la Basilica - Arciga 6, across from the Basilica. 11 rooms. Tel. (434) 342-1108

Browse the Patzcuaro directory for more resources....

[Hotels] [Restaurants] [Typical Dishes]

Restaurants and Gastronomy

Pátzcuaro's restaurants do not hold long hours, often opening late and closing fairly early. If you're caught hungry off-hours, stroll down toward the market where you can usually get some great tacos, steaming plates of chicken and enchiladas and mugs of hot atole. In the early morning, roving carts offering steaming cups of coffee are also available around the Plaza Vasco de Quiroga.

El Patio - Plaza Vasco de Quiroga 19. Good, affordable food a la carte or comida corrida. Open daily 8am - 8pm.

El Viejo Gaucho - Calle Ahumada, around the corner from the entrance to the Hotel Iturbe. Excellent steaks. Hamburgers. Live music. Open Tues.-Sat. 6pm - 12 midnight. Email

Restaurant Cha Cha Cha - On B. Vista just down from the Basilica. Unusual and tasty dishes in a lovely courtyard environment. Live music.

Restaurant Doña Paca - Hotel Iturbe, Portal Morelos 59. Great regional specialties. Open daily, 8am-8pm.

Restaurant Las Redes - Road to the pier, Lázaro Cárdenas 6. Rustic setting. Wonderful comida corrida. Speciality: Whitefish. Open daily 9am-8pm.

Restaurant Los Escudos - Hotel Los Escudos, Portal Hidalgo 73.  Popular breakfast spot.

[Hotels] [Restaurants] [Typical Dishes]

Typical Dishes

The Patzcuaro area is known for homemade ice creams and fruit ices. On the main Plaza (Vasco de Quiroga), in front of Los Escudos, there are ice cream vendors that daily set up their ice cream bins and serving areas on the sidewalk, and amazingly will start selling their freshly-made ices to local and tourists first thing on even the chilliest mornings. Some of the unusual and delicious flavors include corn, tequila, guanabana...

Atole - a thick, hot gruel-type drink made from corn starch and water and/or milk, usually sweetened and flavored. Found all over Mexico.

Buñuelos con miel - fritters with honey. Also found all over Mexico.

Charales - tiny, whole fish in seasoned flour, fried crisp in oil. 

Churipo - stew made with beef and vegetables. Comes with corrundas.

Corrundas - small triangular tamales served with hot salsa and cream.

Pescado blanco - Pátzcuaro whitefish

Pollo con enchiladas - a Pátzcuaro specialty in which are combined mounds of stewed chicken, enchiladas (tortillas with hot sauce) and vegetables. Best at the small street restaurants near the market.

[Hotels] [Restaurants] [Typical Dishes]