This winter, Guadalajara moves to the center of Latin America’s restaurant conversation. Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants will hold its 2026 awards ceremony in Guadalajara on December 1, with #50BestTalks the day before, on November 30, the organization announced. The Jalisco Ministry of Tourism is the official host partner.
It is the fourth time Mexico has hosted the awards and the first time in Guadalajara, according to the announcement. Last year’s No. 1 was El Chato in Bogotá.
“The arrival of Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants to Guadalajara confirms what Jalisco’s own chefs and producers have been building for years: a gastronomy with its own identity, capable of competing with and standing alongside the best on the continent.” — Michelle Fridman Hirsch, Secretary of Tourism of Jalisco, via PR Newswire
Start with the classics
The announcement itself points visitors toward the city’s signatures: birria, tortas ahogadas, tejuino and jericalla, all rooted in a gastronomic identity tied to Jalisco’s UNESCO World Heritage tequila region and the traditions of mariachi and charrería. Any serious itinerary should leave room for them, ideally over several unhurried days rather than a single weekend.
The tasting menus
Two Jalisco restaurants earned their first Michelin star in the 2026 Mexico guide, elrestaurante.com reports: Alcalde, from chef Paco Ruano, and Xokol, from chefs Óscar Segundo and Xrysw Ruelas Díaz. Xokol also received a Green Star for sustainability, per Travel and Tour World, which reported that the national ceremony was itself held in Guadalajara.
Alcalde already had international standing before the star. It ranked No. 15 on Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants 2025, where it was listed as the only Guadalajara restaurant. With the region’s chefs and restaurateurs converging on the city in December, travelers hoping to book either should plan well ahead.
Where the bartenders drink
Guadalajara’s cocktail scene is arguably even more decorated. On North America’s 50 Best Bars 2026, announced in Vancouver on April 22, El Gallo Altanero ranked No. 10. The list describes it as the “home of hundreds of distillates from independent producers hand-sourced and hand-selected by the bar’s agave-aficionado team,” spanning sotol, raicilla, mezcal and tequila. Mecenas followed at No. 18, a bar where, per the citation, “Locavorism is the name of the game,” led by José Luis Hinostroza and Arturo Santos.
For agave-curious travelers, the pairing is ideal: a tasting at El Gallo Altanero offers a map of Mexico’s distillates, while a day trip toward the tequila region provides the landscape behind them.
Timing the trip
The 50 Best week will also include ticketed Signature Sessions, pop-ups with invited chefs held around the ceremony, according to the organization. Those who prefer the city at a calmer pace may find the weeks before or after more rewarding. Either way, Guadalajara’s moment has arrived on its own terms, built, as its tourism secretary put it, over years.
See all sources
- Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants 2026 heads to Guadalajara, The World’s 50 Best Restaurants (The 50), 2026-08-11
- Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants to Debut in Guadalajara, Mexico, in 2026, PR Newswire, 2026-08-18
- Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants 2025: 1-50 list, The World’s 50 Best Restaurants (The 50), undated
- 7 New MICHELIN Stars in Mexico, elrestaurante.com, 2026-05-26
- Mexico’s Michelin Guide 2026 Pushes Jalisco and Yucatán Into the Global Food Tourism Spotlight, Travel and Tour World, 2026-05-28
- North America’s 50 Best Bars 2026: the list revealed, The World’s 50 Best Bars (The 50), 2026-04-22
Lead image: illustrative photo by Sergio Rodríguez on Unsplash.
