Xokol

One of the finest meals I've had in my life! Highly recommend the tasting menu. It will take you on a flavor journey like no other.

During our week-long visit to Guadalajara, we heard many great things about Xokol, so we decided to give it a try. Fortunately, we were able to reserve a table for Friday evening. However, I’ve heard that making a reservation for the same week can be quite challenging. Xokol is an outstanding example of fine dining. We enjoyed every aspect of our experience—the food, the atmosphere, and the service were absolutely amazing! I highly recommend visiting Xokol if you find yourself traveling in Guadalajara.

Amazing place! The atmosphere was warm and inviting, with a cozy setup and an open kitchen that allowed us to see everything being prepared. The food was absolutely delicious, beautifully presented, and every dish had its own unique touch. The staff was incredibly friendly, taking the time to explain every detail about the food and the restaurant’s concept, which made the experience even more enjoyable. Highly recommend this spot to anyone looking for a memorable dining experience in Mexico—truly a gem!

Delicious! Would come back in a heart beat. Our waitress was attentive and extremely helpful. The food was well presented.

This place was amazing. It is beautiful inside and very unique dining experience. The service was amazing. And the food was out of this world.

The experience is undoubtedly one of the main reasons this restaurant is often packed. Reservations are definitely required. The setup is "family style" with all customers sitting at one long table. Service is personal and very attentive, and the food choices are interesting and very flavorful. Don't expect typical Mexico prices and portions though. This is fine dining. Some guests next to us who were from the US said the oysters were the best they ever had. I myself stuck with the beef short rib which, while not fall off the bone tender, was very good, especially with the sauce and vegetables. I will certainly be back here again. Especially since they serve Raicilla which is near impossible to find.

Great restaurant in Guadalajara. Nothing pompous as few we tried in the city. We had a great service of international standard. Food was accustomed to our diet, and we appreciated it. We ordered their tasting menu and we were happy with it. Next time we will try their menu dishes. Interior is inviting, black but not cold. Recommended!

We went to Xokol during May, after I’ve read about highly recommendable places in Guadalajara. We tried the tasting menu (9 courses) for $1200 each. The food was excellent, a lot of corn-based traditional dishes with a modernized twist. The one missing star is due to two of the courses not as well balanced as the rest. Still, creatively plated with the stars of the show being a fantastic combination of deserts, as well as the mushroom-corn risotto. It took quite some time until we could order drinks, but once the service started it kept a very good pace. Our server was charismatic and was able to explain the dishes in English. Unfortunately they did not have a printed or digital version of the tasting menu, which would have been nice in the beginning. The ambiente was very nicely done, with a long table where everybody was seated. Strange to be so close to other guests in the beginning, it quickly felt very comfortable, establishing a quite approachable way of high-class dining. The only problem were the moths coming down from the ceiling every now and then. Most probably they infested the corn cobs on the ceiling. It wasn’t a big issue for us, considering the entire experience. In total, a very recommendable dining experience that is fairly priced. Looking forward to come back here someday.

This was a great tasting menu for the price point, there is no doubt about that. At the equivalent of about $85 you will leave stuffed. Not every dish was a hit, but 3 (a charcoal-grilled oyster with clarified butter, a ceviche with blue spirulina, and a fish dish over mole) were top tier. Even the dishes I didn't love were inventive at least (eg there was a crab and elote dish that imo didn't work at all but I appreciated the attempt). Service was excellent, pacing of the courses was on par with Michelin-starred dining. My complaints are minimal but: 1. There was no menu. I understand tasting menus can change daily or even multiple times a day, but I don't think it's unreasonable to expect a print version as a take-home memento 2. There was a wild imbalance of sweet/savory courses. I was absolutely stuffed beyond belief by the time dessert rolled around, so I wasn't necessarily mad about this, but the dessert was a tiny palate cleanser followed by a light granita followed by a tiny tiny bite size marquesita. I would have gladly forgone 3-4 savory courses for a more "desserty" dessert 3. Wines by the glass are incredibly limited, and not explicitly listed on the menu anywhere. I believe they had one white, one red, and one orange. Their cocktail program, if you can call it that, is drab. They do not offer a pairing with the tasting menu. Imo, it's a mid-tier restaurant masquerading as high-tier by offering a tasting. With that said, the price is right and the food punched above its weight. But if they want to be taken seriously in the fine dining world they need to fine tune some stuff.

Going to Guadalajara? Well, here are a few local specialities you MUST try: Tortas Ahogadas(drowned sandwich) Tepache-fermented pineapple drink Pajaretes-"Mexican Starbucks" iykyk Tejuino(fermented masa drink) Birria de Chivo(the authentic birria, goat meat) Nieve de Garrafa(hand churned ices) Tequila(duh!- FORTALEZA is the only one you need to go to-Reservations needed) ALSO, Do the tasting menu at Xokol(CHO-COL). That is, if you can snag a reservation...it's THAT POPULAR! Chefs Oscar Segundo and Xrysw Ruelas Diaz take your tastebuds on a journey through regions of Mexico with a non-GMO(illegal in MX)corn driven menu with many varieties I've never seen or tasted in my 30 year culinary career. The same goes for the varieties of beans, local produce, meats, and seafood utilized in their tasting. All diners sit on one well lit long communal table and they have a clever system of seating diners without overwhelming or crowding anyone. Corn cobs hang from the ceiling, a shelf of different bottles of fermented items add to the vibe, and the open working kitchen is a bonus! I was able to snag a 6pm reservation (right when they open) so we were the first ones in the dining room, so we were sat in the center of the communal table in front of the kitchen which I honestly feel is the best seats in the house! Courses are explained in detail(Spanish or English) and the best way to enjoy each item. Definitely try drinks off their unique cocktail menu as well. I started with a TEPACHE DE GUANABANA and Mrs.Q started out with a drink called LECHUGILLA. Both drinks were very unique and tasty. The tasting menu can change daily, depending on availability and seasonality. Here's what we enjoyed: Amuse Bouche: Fresh tortillas, Sal de Grano, con Chili Macha Local Blood Clam 4 Color Taco with local fish and fish skin Chicharron Smoked Marlin Empanada Pumpkin Mole with Red Corn Sourdough 4 Bean Soup with Red Corn Tamale Crispy Local Fish(Charales) Taco with Hoja Santa Shell Local Turkey Taco with Plantain Shell Pork Cheeks with Habanero Salsa Mango Sorbet with Habanero Gelee Fresas con Crema Pumpkin Dessert (Chilacayotes) Mignardise Definitely a must if you're in Guadalajara. ALOHA!!!

Corn is the name and the reason for the fame! Featured on Eva Longoria's "Search for Mexico," my friend made reservations in advance for the chef's tasting menu! (I think it is a 13 course menu). The chefs use native corn varieties in their dishes and every dish was an absolute delight! Every dish was brought out with an explanation of the ingredients, where they come from, and how to best enjoy the dish! There were so many dishes that I can't even remember everything - there were roasted oysters in bone marrow, a delicious fermented bread that I couldn't get enough of, various colored bean purees, tender beef tongue, melt in your mouth pork belly with super crisp skin, a raw fish tostada type of dish topped with beautiful flowers, and more that my simpleton brain can't remember! Dessert was a strawberry shortcake that tasted like a creamy strawberry ice cream bar! So good! The inside is simple yet stunning! The dark walls highlight the colors of the beautiful food and a colorful, larger than life, painting of an old lady who is holding the sacred corn. You are seated at a long, communal table, encouraging conversations amongst diners! Thanks to the couple sitting next to us, we ordered a donut dessert since it looked so good and they raved about it! Everyone at Xokol was an absolute pleasure!! Kudos to Xokol!!! :)

100/100 would recommend.. amazing customer service, ambiance was impeccable and what is there to say about the food . Wow lost for words on how delicious everything was. We had the chefs tasting menu. Hats off to the chefs. It was a night to remember.. we will definitely go again when we are in GDL. We even bought t-shirts ..

What an experience! We made a last minute call for reservations and thankfully we got seated. We went with the Chef's eight course meal. Along with 4 dessert courses. We enjoyed a few drinks, with some refreshing Lager local beer. The service is outstanding, every dish is delivered with elegance and an explanation of the Chef's inspiration. Very unique experience and completely recommend. Ambiance is awesome, you see the Chef and the crew working quickly while focusing on their patrons.

I appreciate the design of the restaurant. There is open seating, large picnic table style. I was a party of 1, sat in between a group of 5, and a group of 4. So, I'm sitting directly next to people, and across from people that I don't know. It's an interesting dining experience. The kitchen is completely open and viewable by all. There is a light over the entire table, which is great for picture taking into really examine your food, it's become popular for low lighting at these fine dining restaurants which I've never liked. I ordered the volcano shrimp, and the Tejocotes for dessert. Both were good but I would have preferred a smaller sampling of dishes. Odd that I wasn't offered the tasting menu, I didn't know that was an option until after I ordered. Interesting ingredients like corn smut, atrina maura, quelites and more. Much of the menu I didn't understand so I asked the server about each dish and they were extremely knowledgeable.

I recently spent a weekend in Guadalajara and chose Xokol as my "must try experience" instead of Alcalde which had been on my radar for the past several years as it's one of the best restaurants in Mexico. After reading that chef Paco Ruano of Alcalde raved about the young chefs at this restaurant, I knew this was be the restaurant I would eat at the first night in Mexico. I arrived not knowing that the tasting menu was available at my 7 pm reservation. I wanted to go all in and went with the 10-course tasting. There wasn't a menu available for the tasting you had to go with the whims of the kitchen team. I would not suggest this experience with picky eaters. You'll probably want to order one of the fermented beverages they offer. The one they recommended is the guanabana drink. What you'll see is a very long communal dining experience where you'll be seated with strangers. By the end of the night, most likely they will not be strangers any longer, but similar adventurous eaters. I'm not sure if 7 pm was the American hour, but most of the people looked like Americans. Around 8 pm, more Spanish speakers or more locals started to arrive. The service was very good compared to other restaurants Mexico. I got checked on several times, but it wasn't perfect. I was left without a beverage at one point and had to call someone to bring me something else. At times plates, dishes were brought to the table without an explanation. A couple times, two servers arrived and explained the dishes in Spanish. So no, service was not perfect so you should probably not expect it to be. I sensed that they did try aim to please. As you can see from the photos, different shades of heirloom corn were used to make the tortillas. I don't think they were purposely made colorful for Instagram, but they do make the pictures look highly Instagrammable. It's too bad they didn't offer a souvenir tasting menu I could take home with me as a souvenir. There were some visual imperfections in the dishes so not sure if there is a quality check before being sending a dish to a table -- the pig wafer dish was served broken for example. At the end of the night, you'll want to come back. The gentleman from New York who sat across from me came back after previously dining at the restaurants when it was a more simpler, less trendy looking restaurant. Óscar Segundo and Xrysw Ruelas Díaz are definitely pushing the envelope in the food scene in Mexico and are chefs to watch as I root for them to get placed on the "World's Best Restaurants" list.

Last night my friends and i opted for the food tasting experience. We had 10 courses over 2 hours. Every thing was unique and delicious and made with traditional ingredients. By the end we were satiated and very impressed. Highly recommend.

Im giving this a four, but keep in mind there are some hit and miss dishes on the menu. So depending on what you order, this can be either a fantastic experience or a mediocre one. The longaniza sausage taco was pretty boring. The sausage is slightly dry, although has a good spice to it. The beans were nothing special, and the avocado slices were just there. My least favorite dish of the the entire meal. The pulpo Taco was simple yet excellent! The pulpo is soft and tender, but still has a small amount of give that doesn't make it mushy. The whole combo of everything felt like an oyster: creamy, springy, and the taste of the ocean. The esquites de maices was nothing I thought it would be, yet it ended up being my favorite dish! The shaken shrimp is pretty good as well. Any time you get a corn tortilla, it's a matter of execution into pre historic techniques. Every bite blooms with the taste of corn. The tepache is ok. I wish it had more of a lactic acid taste. Not sure how they make it, but Ive had better. The pollen tarte is a light fun way to end the meal. This is certainly not for a smoker, as it's highly nuanced and sits all in the nose.

Literally a garage door on the outside but the food was really creative and tasty! They use a lot of indigenous ingredients and techniques that make for a very unique and special experience. Really loved the homemade tortillas and salsa and the pork gorditos.

The four stars are for the aesthetic and ambience of the restaurant. The restaurant is absolutely gorgeous. However, it is extremely warm inside. The food was just OK for me. By far my favorites were the different tortillas they served along with the hot salsa. The standout dishes were the shrimp and the baked oysters. The beef tongue and the pork triangle dish were just OK. The desserts were good. My favorite being the chocolate tart. Service was decent.

One of the more memorable meals that I have had in my life. The interior is extremely unique. Seating is at one long table which makes for a communal experience. The thoughtful nature of each dish is incredible. I wish I could have tried more. I have never eaten molé that was so deliciously savory and fresh. I would like to go back to try more. Oh and the dessert!! I don't order dessert often but I did here. Mocchi donut. The cream inside was not overly sweet either. Yum!!!!

This place was awesome. Everything from the ambiance to the food. The attention to detail and the respect paid to tradition is very impressive.

Very traditional and sophisticated Mexican food. Salsas are very hot and delicious. Tortillas are out of this world. Our waiter was very friendly. Would definitely come back!

Great delicious food Another level of flavors Great drinks as well If I ever come back to Guadalajara I'll stop by again

A local recommendation brought us to this tiny, 30 community seater eatery. Xokol stands for the indigenous corn with different color. The owner explain that they work directly with farmers to harvest heirloom corn once a year. Their price reflect the fair trade aspect but still, $6-12 a plate for such a high quality entree is totally a steal. They specialize in tortilla, tamal (things that has to do with masa) and mole. The recommendation is two plates per person. We ordered a total of 8 plates to share and they course it out for us. Everything we had were prepared with precision, the sauce is impeccable with superb quality ingredients. Owner explain that menu changes monthly and they sell the masa to other restaurant in the day time. One needs to be up for communal seating as it's a super small place and they got 3 large table with 4 bar seats. In terms of drinks they also got some interesting fermented beverage that is worth trying. I highly recommend and will be back for sure!

wow oh wow what an amazing experience and wonderful food. I recommend definitely ordering the guanoabana drink, that alone was one of the best things I've ever had. The story behind the restaurant is amazing, the only thing wrong with this restaurant is that I wish it was open more often because more people deserve to eat here