A Budget-Foodie’s Guide to Guanajuato: Local Dishes You Can’t Miss
If you’ve been following us for a while, you know we prioritize value over price. We’re willing to spend more when it feels worth it, but for most things, we tend to keep costs low. Food is essential—we need it to survive—but we’re not out here chasing “culinary experiences.” We just want tasty, satisfying meals that don’t blow our budget.
With that in mind, here’s a breakdown of where we actually ate during our six weeks in Guanajuato, Mexico—the good, the decent, and the one place we wouldn’t recommend.
Overall, we did pretty well. When you’re in a new city every month or two, finding solid, affordable meals is a mix of luck and Google reviews, and so far, our success rate is pretty high.
Navigating the Food Scene in Guanajuato
Google Maps: Not Always Your Friend
Speaking of Google reviews, we should mention that in Guanajuato specifically, Google Maps proved to be unreliable. Many local gems simply aren’t listed at all, while others appear with completely inaccurate locations. We often found ourselves wandering down colorful callejones (alleys) only to discover that the restaurant we were searching for was actually several blocks away from its pinned location—or sometimes, existed only in Google’s imagination. This made our food exploration more adventurous than anticipated!
While we still used Google Maps as a starting point, we quickly learned to ask locals, follow our noses, and embrace serendipitous discoveries. Some of our best meals came from places we stumbled upon rather than ones we deliberately sought out.
For travelers heading to Guanajuato, consider this your warning: come with flexibility, a sense of adventure, and maybe a backup plan when Google Maps inevitably leads you astray.
Online Reviews: A Mixed Bag
Because many restaurants are clustered together and decorated in the same style, especially the fondas at the Mercado Hidalgo, we noticed that some travelers mistakenly reviewed the wrong place. It became pretty obvious when the photos didn’t match the menu or dishes we saw in person.
It’s not uncommon to see a review raving about a specific meal, only to realize it was actually from the adjacent eatery. To get a more accurate read, we found it helpful to cross-reference reviews with local recommendations and our own explorations.
Another heads-up for budget-conscious travelers: when browsing Google reviews, be aware that prices mentioned are often listed with the symbol “$” but in Mexico the $ is also used to represent pesos, so the price of $100–$200 might seem steep until you realize it’s in pesos, which is far more reasonable.
(Note: Prices mentioned in this article has been converted from Mexican pesos to US dollars, and is the cost of the meal for the two of us. Some prices shown are rounded off, when we paid cash I converted at 20 pesos per US$ rather than dealing with the math to use the conversion rate I got from the ATM of 20.53 or 20.18)
Our Recommendations for Budget-Friendly Places to Eat in Guanajuato
Great Budget Bites in Guanajuato
🥪 Juancho Tortas – $12.33
This spot looks a little rough, but wow—the tortas were phenomenal. Seating is mostly upstairs via a narrow metal staircase, adding to the adventure. The best part? When the dude brought our sandwiches, he pointed at one bottle of sauce and said, “Regular.” (we had established while ordering that my Spanish is extremely weak) Then he pointed at the other, looked up at the ceiling like he was deep in thought, and shrugged. “Mucho,” he finally said. He was not wrong—that sauce was crazy spicy and oh so good.
🥪 Tortas La Guerre – $6.50
That’s 40 pesos for a torta and 25 pesos for a soda! Fresh veggies, great flavor, and a solid sandwich for the price. I had Milanesa de Res, she had Milanesa de Pollo, and both were very good.
🌮 Taco Cart – $6.25
Our first night in town, we grabbed two bistek tacos (25 MXN each) from the taco cart down the block. They were so good that we stopped back later after our walk and grabbed two more bistek and one chorizo to take home. No regrets.
🥪 Tortas El Vagavundo – $6.80
A solid torta option with a sweeter bread than the others. Not as many vegetables as tortas la Guerre, but still fresh and filling.
🍕 Pizza Window – $3
Hard to beat a slice and a cup of soda for 30 pesos. The pizza was served cold, which we didn’t expect, but the crust was decent, and they didn’t skimp on toppings. The drink is just a small plastic cup filled from a big bottle of Coke but, c’mon, what do you expect for a buck and a half?
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Los Delicias de Lula – $15.25 to $19.00
A true hidden gem (and we don’t use that word lightly – seriously… there’s a tiny little sign and that’s kinda hidden behind some trees). We liked this place so much that we ate there three times while we were in Guanajuato. The hotcakes were fantastic—firm, fluffy, and slightly sweet. I had Huevos al Gusto with chilaquiles. The scrambled eggs were fully cooked, and the chilaquiles rojos were mild but satisfying. If you like spice, the red salsa on the side has plenty of kick. The green? Too much for me.
We visited again for dinner because I wanted Enmoladas but they didn’t have them that day so I settled for enchiladas suizas which were good but I had mole on my mind, so… Sandra had milanesa de pollo and that was some seriously tasty chicken. We got the ‘agua del dia’ as our beverage and went with guava rather than hickama. ‘Agua del dia‘ is not a specific flavor; it’s whatever fruits looked good at the market that morning, turned into a heavy juice.
Then we went back for breakfast again. 03/15 $17.50 huevos a la mexicana and hotcakes plus fresh OJ and coffee. The Huevos a la Mexicana has a bit of heat scrambled into the eggs. I got chilaquiles rojos as the option again and that mild red sauce was a great companion to the eggs
🍴Tacos el Paisa 2 – $7.25
Tortas – one bistek and one bistek con queso and a couple bottles of soda to wash them down. Great variety of salsa / pico de gallo to dress up the torta. There were two different pineapple heavy options; one pretty mild, the other slightly spicy. There was a green sauce that looked like liquid avocado but was definitely not, it had a good amount of heat and flavor. I did not try the plain red salsa; previous experience tells me that any salsa that color and consistency tastes like burning. These are very basic tortas – no veggies, just meat. Although you can get grilled onions on the side. They were also slightly larger than the ones at either la Guerre or Tortas El Vagavundo
☕Cafe te Arte – $19
Now located in the lobby (which is NOT on the ground floor) of Hotel Spa Casa del Sol Guanajuato the balcony seating has a great closeup view of Iglesia de la Compañía. Pretty good breakfast of waffles with fruit and cheese and two coffees. The sign is not visible from any distance away; we were within 20 feet going “It’s gotta be right here somewhere” before we finally found it. Since it’s a hotel entrance, the gate will probably be secured and you’ll have to be buzzed in by reception. Balcony seating is two tables for 2 (each on separate balconies, très romantique… sorry, wrong country… Muy romántica), so if it’s a busy time you may not get to enjoy the street view.
🌮 mexFonda la Tia – $15
Located just outside of the Mercado Hidalgo, on the upper level. Enmoladas were fine, a very mild mole. Carne asada was a bit tough but very tasty.
Decent, But Not Standouts
🥚 Los Huacales – $16.21
Breakfast here was fine, but nothing special. I had chilaquiles rellenos rojas plus a scrambled egg, and she had chilaquiles verde—though there was a minor language mix-up, so her chilaquiles weren’t rellenos as intended. By the time the food arrived, we were hungry enough that we just rolled with it.
chilaquiles rellenos rojas plus a scrambled egg (scrambled egg arrived later) 
chilaquiles verde
Splurge-Worthy Meals
🍽 Casa Valadez – $44.55
A step up from our usual haunts, this place felt fancy—white tablecloths, sharply dressed servers, and actual tableware. Everything, including the attentiveness of the wait staff was on point. She ordered a burger that was the size of a baby’s head (a real ‘unhinge your jaw’ sort of thing)and cooked to perfection, and I had divorciadas, which were excellent.
and cooked to perfection
🍽 La Capellina – $46.83
Just up De Sopena from the Teatro Juárez, this was another splurge meal, but a good one. Nice restaurant, pleasant staff. The caramelized onion and duck pizza was great (though Sandra would have preferred more of the caramelized onions as they were a tasty addition to the pizza), and the Calzone Vicenza was flavorful, if a bit salty – but so many things are to me. I tried my best, but I couldn’t finish it—not surprising, considering, I ate a slice of her pizza as a QC check and we had salmon carpaccio as an appetizer so, without those factors, I could have done it.
The One Place We Do Not Recommend
🍗 The Bad Chicken Place – $19
That isn’t actually the name. We still don’t know the actual name. The menu and the signage didn’t match (and even the signs on the front and the side are different…. and that should have told us something, but there were non-touristy looking people eating there, so we thought we’d give it a try). Located on the outer edge of Mercado Hidalgo; if you stand facing the two levels of fondas (look for Fonda Lolita sign) this place will be directly to your right on the lower level, This place was a true disappointment. The food was bland and forgettable, calling the service “indifferent” would be giving too much credit and pricing was high compared to the competition.
Final Thoughts: Budget Dining in Guanajuato
Over six weeks, we ate 16 meals out for $278.44—an average of $17.40 per meal. Our cheapest meal? $3 for pizza and sodas. That was $3 for both of us. Most expensive? $46.83 at La Capellina, but that included an appetizer. Casa Valadez came in close at $44.55 (with a beer).
There are several small eateries inside Mercado Hidalgo, we had carnitas at one of them when we did the street food tour and they were very good; our guide said that the same people actually run like 4 places all clustered right together. He also offered a bit of advice for deciding where to eat inside the market – if there’s no one sitting there, pick a different one. On the outside of the market building – on the left as you’re facing the building – there is a group of fondas on two levels. At first glance it looks like one big open area restaurant but it’s a cluster of really small places with no clear dividing lines between them.
For budget-conscious travelers, Guanajuato offers plenty of affordable, delicious options—just choose wisely, and don’t be afraid to test your luck (and your spice tolerance). 🌮🔥
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