Carmelitas Café

We had an exceptional breakfast experience at Carmelita’s Café, and I can now see why it’s so beloved by locals and visitors alike. Everything we ordered was deeply satisfying and beautifully prepared — starting with the tongue (lengua), which was incredibly tender and flavorful, accompanied by a chipotle sauce that was smoky, rich, and absolutely perfect. The pancakes were light and fluffy — among the best I’ve had in Mexico — and the elote tamal was soft, warm, and bursting with corn flavor. We also tried two prehispanic drinks, pozol and tescalate, which were a fascinating and delicious window into regional culinary traditions. It’s rare to find a place that offers this kind of deep cultural food experience in such an accessible and inviting way. The setting is also worth mentioning — a lovely open-air patio full of life and energy, with a mix of locals and travelers. And most memorably, the owner came by to chat with us — warm, thoughtful, and clearly passionate about excellence, local ingredients, and honoring the culinary heritage of the region. This is not just breakfast — it’s a cultural experience. Highly recommended. Come hungry and curious. You’ll be very glad you did.

The most delicious food in all of Zihuatanejo. Family run for over 18 years, the love they put into every dish and the service is palpable. The chilaquiles were exceptional and the off the bone pork ribs were out of this world. The coffee is amazing too. I travelled around the whole of Mexico and this place stands out. It’s no wonder they are in the best 250 restaurants in Mexico. Award winning quality. Enjoy!

2024.12.15@11:50 - it is hard to see the sign for the restaurant when you are on foot. I was seated quickly. I was waited on quickly. Waitress and receptionist both spoke English. My food was served quickly. The dining room is cool and comfortable with much greenery. Omelet of bacon and cheese was no problem. I had to ask for butter and marmalade for the toast. Plate was decorated with veggies and a small cup of tasty potato cubes. There is some noise from the highway but it didn’t over power.

A delightful breakfast experience. Customers are a mix of tourists and locals. Coffee con canela is hot and fresh, served with milk, American coffee also available. Made in house pan dulce is offered on a dessert cart wheeled to your table after drinks are served. The most special sweet bread is the incredible cinnamon roll, which our server was very proud to offer. I am so glad we took her up on it, because it was soft and just, mmmm *chef's kiss* perfecto! Staples like eggs mexicana, huevos rancheros, and motuleños are on the menu, along with fresh juices, milk fruit smoothies, fresh fruit plates with yogurt, and so much more. Coffee is roasted in house and offered for sale as whole beans or freshly ground. Highly recommend you try Carmelita's for breakfast or brunch!

A real nice, local restaurant with quality food and great service. We ate here twice for lunch during our stay. Very convenient location. Parking is tough, but we walked the second time. Very clean, modern bath room as well. Would definitely recommend to anyone who wants some local food options.

Absolutely delicious, and 100% authentic food. The staff and cooks here are so kind and welcoming. Everything was just so flavorful and fresh. If you are in Zihuatanejo this is a must place to try for breakfast/lunch. Pricing is very reasonable as well. I highly recommend the chilaquiles, huevos con chorizo, enchiladas, café de olla and all of their juices (pressed in house).

Everything was good! The servers are extremely dedicated on making a good experience. Good was good.

A plant filled oasis - off a busy street and a bit hard to find; I had on my list of restaurants to try. Casual, clean, open and airy. Food was good, our server was excellent, friendly and engaging. We had tamales and apporreadillo( recommended by our server) an egg dish with shredded beef and fresh tortillas! Great experience and atmosphere.

Not located neat the Malecon, it is still downtown. You would drive by it without even noticing it. There is a reason this place has so many reviews. Carmelita, the owner, is there everyday checking on things and making it all perfect. Amazing breakfast. We love the pancakes. WORTH A TRIP!

Very friendly service. Sweet settings outside under the roof with many fans. A lot to choose from. Dessert cinnamon bread is must try so leave some space for it:)

Thought the service and food were fabulous. Clean, friendly and deserving of all the star reviews. We all ordered three different things and no one was disappointed. The cinnamon roll would have been better if I had hot coffee for dipping cause there was no icing and on the drier side than I am used to. I opted for the green juice, yum!

After exploring the area and walking for hours, we decided to try Carmelita's for brunch. WOW. We started with tamales de elote or uchepos. Reminded me of Michoacan. The green juice was delicious and extra cold!!! Loved this place and returned one more time before flying home to Washington, luckily Carmelita was there and we got to meet her and chat about the history of Carmelita's. Will always remember this spot!

Great food and service. A must if visiting Zihuatanejo/Ixtapa. If you're lucky, they'll have the tuna salad available.

HAVE BREAKFAST HERE!! This place deserves every star and more. They have the most coffee options, American coffee, cafe de olla (the best option!), latte, espresso, cappuccino, iced options. You cannot go wrong. Add a piece of their own baked pan dulce. The Roll Coqueto (cinnamon roll) is the best cinnamon roll I've ever had. Next the entrees. Pick a specialty item. The huevos motuleños is the best breakfast item I've ever tried in and out of Mexico. Layers of tortilla, chorizo, eggs,plantains, avocado, all covered in a delicious salsa. The flavors mix together to create a fiesta in your mouth. We even came back for this dish the following morning. The service is also excellent. They are so attentive and so kind. Based on how they helped the English speaking tables nearby you'll be in good hands if you don't know español. The abundance of fans also keeps you cool as you enjoy your meal. Come visit! You won't regret your choice and you'll even find yourself coming here more than once!

Excellent! Take a visit to this breakfast and lunch spot and you'll be delighted. The coffee is amazing, try the cinnamon coffee, a light but yummy flavor. The chilequiles with eggs was a perfect dish to start the day. Homemade tortillas and refried beans, super tasty. The staff was all very friendly and welcoming too. Highly recommend!

This place is amazing. And the food and service is wonderful. When visiting Zihuatanejo or if you live there this restaurant is a must!!! Great Lattes and juices.

Unbelievable breakfast! Fresh juices Great coffee Beautiful pasties Friendly staff Outstanding atmosphere- very clean Best tortillas I have ever had! Would love to take a cooking class here the next time we visit. Can't wait to wear my apron and hat with the bakeries logo!

Cute restaurant and the Service was great! Our waitress was delightful! Food was pretty good too.

Great hidden gem. Private parking area, great service, and excellent food. Will return for sure.

Amazing! We had lunch here and it was the best meal we had in Zihua. If you are not in downtown it's worth a ride here for breakfast or lunch. The homemade corn tortillas were delicious, light and served fresh and hot. Carmelita works and cooks in the restaurant and she is a delightful person to meet. She obviously takes great pride in her food and restaurant. Very friendly servers, clean, and prices are very reasonable. Highly recommended!

High ratings deserved. Service very attentive and genuinely friendly. Variety on menu excellent and food very well prepared. Flavorful with a bit of heat, just enough. Beware they don't take credit cards. I tried to pay with US dollars but one of my $50s had a small tear in it. They said banks won't accept. Long story about successful resolution but at one point, they said, "no problem, next time". I said we were going home tomorrow and they said, "well, then next time when you are here". Rather amazing. Was able to get a loan from our driver to resolve it but very impressed with their genuine friendliness.

Breakfast was amazing! Scrambled eggs with chorizo. Ambience was lovely as well. Even got a picture of Carmelita watering her plants out front. I would totally recommend this restaurant.

Best typical Mexican breakfast in Zihua! Great service and fairly priced! Highly recommend!

Amazing food at this place!. It's a little off the tourist track but not too far and really nice atmosphere. Molé, Chilaquiles, enmoladas, huevos, con chorizo were fantastic. Homemade hot off the grill tortillas! Marianna was the best server in Zihua. Lovely margs.

Very Delicious Breakfast. I had the pork ribs, which is a traditional dish of the area. My wife had the red Chilaquiles, which is a traditional Mexican dish. ...and freshly ground coffee and cafe De la Olla. Some freshly baked Mexican Pastries - ALL very Delicious!! We highly recommend this place.

Walk or taxi from downtown It's just on the other side of the street markets. Delicious breakfast! Friendly staff. Super clean and shaded for comfort.

Fabulous, clean and healthy food, prepared, it seems, with love. Try the zucchini dish!

I love this place, it's so delicious. They are the most accommodating restaurant we've been to in Zihua with such delicious food. Both breakfast and lunch are a must visit. Breakfast is super busy and lunch time slows down. We shared the chile relleno with shrimp and no cheese and it was perfect. The guacamole and salsas were super fresh and my favorite so far in Zihua. Tacos dorados were tasty and so were the enchiladas. Their agua fresca stole the show, we added a tequila shot and it was just a great afternoon. Sylvia made our breakfast extra special, She's attentive, kind, understanding and best of all amber smile is contagious. It's outdoor, has a cute vibe, with fans. It is cash only and good for families. Their packaged coffee is a great purchase. Everything is made fresh and is delicious, highly recommend while your visiting.

You know you are in a great place where more locals than tourists are waiting for a table. We had the honor to be served by Carmelitas' daughter and have Carmelita herself come to our table. We all had something off the special menu and there was no disappointment. There are several great options and it's hard to choose. But we learned that you can order two items in smaller portions as one meal. It was a lovely option to enjoy more than one of her delicious creations. Coffee was great. Orange juice was some of the best we've ever had. Recommend you add a fruit plate for the table too - freshest available and a great start to the meal.

My family had breakfast here and it was okay. The space is cute, with lots of plants, but it does not allow for a breeze to pass through and I found myself sweating as I sat and ate breakfast (we were there in April.) The fruit plate was delicious, but I have found that the fruit at most restaurants here in Zihua is above average. My daughters had chocolate muffins and a cinnamon roll and they were both okay. My wife enjoyed her coffee, enough so that I asked to purchase a bag of ground coffee to go so that we could make it in our hotel room, but they only had whole coffee beans to sell on that morning...disappointing. My wife had chilaquiles and I had huevos rancheros and they were both just so-so. There were not many tables dining when we arrived at the restaurant, but our food still took quite a bit of time to come out and by the time we were finished with our meal, the restaurant had filled up with people. As a result, it took a little while for them to clear our plates after we were finished eating. When our plates were cleared, I asked for the check and it took at least 10 minutes before it finally came. My family got up and went to wait outside where they might at least catch the occasional breeze and I sat at the table dripping sweat just waiting for a check. That was frustrating.

We've visited Carmelita's twice so far for both breakfast and lunch to seek refuge from abusive pricing at the resort where we were staying. I mean, who pays USD $75 for 4 fried eggs, 3 strips of bacon, 2 slices of corn bread and 2 cups of coffee? Great place, great service, great value and recommend it for all.

Love love this place for Sunday breakfast. The beef tongue is so good and service is spot on.

Needed a quick bite since we woke up late,the time we arrived there not a lot of people but the staff were very friendly they speak both English and Spanish.Food was great and drinks were also really good the pancakes they served were crispy and buttery,tacos dorados were also amazing!!The chicken was juicy and the salsa they give you was great.Ate there 4 times in my stay there they remember you pretty quick.The decor of the place was super comfy.It's an open cafe with lots of shade(they also give you a fan directed towards you),Parking can get a little tricky but still manageable.Overall a wonderful place!!

Another beautiful day in Zihuatanejo, cool crisp air...and here I am with my boyfriend sharing a plate of shrimp tacos in this busy cafe. The staff here is wonderful...really, he suggested some interesting places for us to visit. If you are in this side of Mexico, visit this place.

Amazing breakfast! Super friendly staff. Cafe de olla con Canela is superb. Will add to the my "visit again" list.

Beautiful restaurant! Great Art work was seen on the walls!Tasty food! I definitely will be back!

Really friendly and really good everything. A little hard to find if you follow Google Maps because it kind of takes you to the back side of the restaurant, but there is a parking lot that you can turn into if you go from that way. This place is great for tourists because they speak english but it is far from inauthentic. We were a little nervous traveling to Zihua because of the travel advisory but Carmelita's was our first stop after landing and we instantly felt at ease. Everything was delicious, the guacamole, the whole fried fish of the day, the shrimp tacos, the tiritas (Zihuas signature version of ceviche), the margaritas!! (they pack a punch). Though we didn't make it we were told they have late night tacos Thurs-Sat, which sounds amazing especially given how delicious our lunch was! Definitely recommend.

Great food, well made & the service was great considering it's in Mexico ("Mexico time" is a very real thing). Coffee was good, not bitter and the jugo verde was some of he best I've had. Don't miss out on the pastries, especially the cookies. The cinnamon roll isn't your typical US style, smothered on frosting... less sweet and a little dry, but still tasty!

Everything was amazing. Cafe de olla with pan dulce for starters was mind blowing. We ordered chilaquiles, omelet and the best hotcakes everrr! The staff was incredibly attentive. I can't wait to go back!

Had such an amazing breakfast on my last day in Zihuatanejo. I ordered food as recommended by the staff, including zucchini blossoms today, which I had in tortilla with cheese. They make their tortillas fresh to order. The coffee they serve is excellent and made in Mexico. Be sure to purchase a bag of coffee beans on your way out!

Love Carmelitas!! We've been to Zihuatanejo twice and eaten here both times. My favorite has to be the basket of pastries that are brought around for each person to choose something. I chose a nut and coconut bread with hat was phenomenal. Fresh orange juice is delicious. My only complaint on that is that it is not cold. We had 4 in our party, everyone got something different. Pancakes were great, as well as two authentic Mexican breakfast dishes, I can't remember their names!!! But a must-stop-here restaurant when in Zihuatanejo!

I'm so impressed with this restaurant. Each trip back to Zihua, this is definitely on my bucket list for a couple of meals. The chilaquiles are fabulous as are all other menu items. The pastries are delicious and the fruit juices fresh squeezed. Thank you Carmelitas staff for making this such a great restaurant!

Absolutely the freshest, best prepared local seafood recipes we have enjoyed in Zhua. The staff is top shelf and knowledgable on every facet of your experience. I guarantee you will be impressed. Rick C CADILLAC BLUES BAND TX

Super great breakfast spot. If you're in town definitely stop by and have some breakfast. Walking distance from el centro or el mercado. Outdoor-ish interior. Open air so it does get a bit muggy. Food was great. Had the chilaquiles with carne. Beans tasted home made and the chips still crunchy even with the chilaquile green sauce. Overall a great experience. Go there and enjoy it.

I just get the best requeson en Chile verde ever!!!!! Take a look on the board with menu Sabroso!!! That's the most Mexican flavor, puerco en Chile rojo, requesón, costillas de puerco... woow Real mexican gome food!!

Carmalita's is rated #1 on TripAdvisor and the food stands up to that rating. Carmen (Carmalita's daughter) was very hospitable as was the staff. Food is fresh and flavourful, authentic and well priced! We tried the whole fried fish (a must if you come), tuna steak amongst other dishes. Drinks were also excellente. Our 3 kids were also happy with their food, accommodating less spicy versions of their Mexican dishes. We're planning our second visit later this week!

If I lived here you would find me at Carmelitas every single day. ZERO complaints. Everyone is so friendly and accommodating. The breakfast menu looked wonderful but we came at noon so requested the lunch menu. We had the chicken flautas and Swiss enchiladas. The flautas were so crispy and packed with chicken. I didn't love the enchiladas but they were great, I just am not a huge cheese fan but husband is. They toasted a pastry for our toddler and brought it out with the best strawberry jam I have ever had. This place just truly takes you away from any care you have in the world. You could spend hours in here. They even blew up a balloon for my little one, made her day.

WOW! So everyone we saw here in Zihuatanejo recommend this place and we finally made it for breakfast today and it did not disappoint. We were lucky enough to have Carmelita the 3rd (the restaurant is named after her grandmother and her mother started it) as our server. Thoroughly enjoyed hearing the history of their family business and descriptions of each traditional special. We each ordered a different daily special with roots to Zihua and all were absolutely delicious. They also have fresh handmade corn tortillas and excellent Coffee from the Chiapas region. Oh and don't forget to try the delicious pastries as well - particularly loved the coconut/walnut bread.

decided to see what the number one restaurant in zih was about, at least according to trip advisor. The food was good, they made special arrangements. I felt it was a little touristy for what I'm used to, yet they still didn't accept credit cards. It's also difficult to find. The meals were great though and the coffee was infused with canela (cinnamon). The staff was friendly but super slow, like over an hour to get the bill. They make fresh tortillas in front of you, but thought some of the local tortilleras were a little better. I think I went in with very high expectations, and it delivered. Wasn't perfect but great place

Centrally located cafe with reasonable breakfasts- have your taxi driver bring you here, then go shopping!

From the atmosphere to the service to the food we were super happy with our visit! I got the pork ribs with tamale and was in heaven. We will definitely return for a 2nd meal before we leave.

There's a reason Carmelitas is numero uno on Yelp and Trip Advisor! We had to check this place out based on its reviews and recommendations by the locals and It exceeded our expectations! Not only was the food incredible, the service was outstanding! We went on Mother's Day for breakfast and took the waitresses advice and ordered the special dish Relleno de Puerco which is only cooked on special occasions and made specific to Z down to Aculpulco. It was to die for!!! Delicious pork stew with handmade corn tortillas. If you come to Z, go to Carmelitas. But make sure you go in the beginning bc you'll want to go back!

Carmelita's was one of the best meals we had on an amazing trip to Zihua. Friendly, great vibe, terrific food with great recommendations. We will be back to Zihua and when we do we will definitely go see our new friends at Carmelita's!

One of the best meals we had in Zihua! The restaurant is owned by three Carmelitas..grandmother, daughter and granddaughter. We were served by granddaughter Carmelita. She was so friendly and knowledgeable. She basically recommended what to order and she was spot on! Next time we're in "Z" we'll be eating here at least twice!!! Thanks Carmelita for a great time! Take the short taxi ride, you'll love it!

3 1/2* Carmelita's Genuine Mexican cuisine Very popular, especially for breakfast Food is good; service is a little slow Have some interesting dishes to try

My brother and I stopped in yesterday on the way to the airport for a quick lunch and I must say we were NOT disappointed. The servers were very attentive, yet not over-bearing. We got the cucumber-lime water with sugar to drink and it was excellent. To eat we ordered the shrimp/cheese chile relleno and chicken enchiladas with mole (called "Enmoleadas" on the menu). All the ingredients tasted fresh and the vegetables were cooked to perfection. The mole had a great balance of sweet/spicy just like any good mole does. Overall the ambiance, food and service were superior to any other restaurant of this type that I've tried in the area. I would definitely recommend. Gracias Carmelita y pronto nos vemos!

A friend recommended Carmelitas to us for breakfast. We were welcomed and enjoyed our meals. The Huevos Rancheros and Huevos a la Pasilla were both eggsellent!! Fantastic service and delicious food!