The insider’s guide to visiting Guadalajara

Guadalajara is home to several spectacular cathedrals and churches, like the Basilica de Zapopan.

When I first came to Guadalajara in 2009, I could hardly have found myself in a more contrasting environment from the small southeast England town where I grew up. The nation’s second biggest metropolis and the home of tequila, mariachi music and charrería (Mexican rodeo), Guadalajara is the most traditional of Mexican cities.

The bright colors, rich culture and daily chaos gripped me from the outset and I ended up relocating there permanently in 2011. Having now spent over five years covering Guadalajara for local and international media outlets (Vice, The Guardian, etc.), I could no longer live without the warmth of its people, the year-round sunshine and the amazing local cuisine.

Here’s nine things you must do when you visit the city:

Las Nueve Esquinas is one of the best places in Guadalajara to eat birria.

Explore the historic city center: Downtown Guadalajara has it all. Gaze in awe at the fiery murals in the Cabañas Cultural Institute; shop for souvenirs in the labyrinth-like San Juan de Dios market; eat birria, a delicious local goat stew, while being serenaded by mariachis in the Plaza de Las Nueve Esquinas; then sip a tequila at La Fuente, one of the city’s oldest cantinas.

Check out Mexico’s hipster scene: Avenida Chapultepec and the surrounding streets comprise Guadalajara’s hipster district. Lined with trendy bars, cafes, restaurants, taco stands, craft markets and open-air spaces for concerts and dance-offs, it is the place to be on Friday and Saturday nights. The hippest joint to end the night is Pare de Sufrir, a much loved mezcal bar where eclectic DJs and live bands have crowds dancing until the early hours.

Decorated with thousands of bones, Hueso is one of Guadalajara’s top restaurants.

Eat in a restaurant made of bones: Guadalajara is home to many excellent but affordable restaurants but few offer as unique an experience as Hueso. With a pure white interior, an open kitchen and an ever-changing menu of gourmet dishes, Hueso feels tasteful, not macabre, despite the 10,000 bones that line its walls…

Click here to read this article in full at Inside Hook.