Between Steemit, Youtube, Facebook, and conversations with travelers and locals in person, we've been told repetedly that we must go to Tlaquepaque (tell-ah-keh-pah-key) a couple dozen times. Yesterday, we took a Guadalajara bus tour that brought us to that very city (one stop of four). Due to the tour bus schedule, we couldn't spend nearly as much time there as we would've liked; however, we laced up our shoes and explored as many streets as possible in a few hours.

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The city was unique and beautiful. The was no shortage of great artwork, craft beer, and excellent restaurants. The biggest struggle we faced was choosing where to sit down for lunch. All parts of the city we saw were meticulously clean and well maintained. No matter where we turned, there was something interesting to see, and, like most places in Mexico, no shortage of vendors.

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This was one of our favorites streets. It was decorated with colorful umbrellas strung from building to building. Not only was it aesthetially pleasing, it also provided some delightful shade. And, of course, no shortage of photo ops.

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We love this photo because it not only pictures the vibrant-colored umbrellas but also their octagonal shadows on the ground.

Representing Steemit, holla!

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Here, we walked through an open door from the street where it appeared like there might be more vendors. We stumbled upon something even better. Check out the artwork painted on these trees! With all the ridges and grooves, I can't imagine this was an easy task!

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In front of many of the windows, you could find small, metal birds sitting on the bars. It's small touches like this that can give a city so much more pesonality. Each small detail like this was so pleasing.

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You can enjoy a beer while you hang out in front of these hand-painted murals at a local cervecería.

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This vendor knew what she was doing! She kept her piggy banks in a pig pen so they couldn't escape.

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You can't go to any city in Mexico without checking out El Centro (the center). They all have neat architecture and most have carefully manicured gardens. This photo was taken from a gazebo-shaped structure in the center of El Centro, which you'll also find in most cities. Surrounding the gazebo were similar plants, flowers, trees, and benches.

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After doing a bit of exploring, we decided to stop by a restaurant called Zaquán. We initially just came here for drinks but ended up getting some grub as well. Admittedly, calling it "grub" is completely inappropriate given how high-class and delicious everything was.

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We got these tequila shots for $2 USD each. On the rim they put a tasty sweet and salty chili salt. At the bottom of the shot glass is a gelatin-like ball filled with peach juice that explodes in your mouth. I (Jordan) am a bit of a pansy when it comes to taking shots, but didn't have any trouble with this one. It was still strong, but they managed to fill it with flavor.

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Next, they brought us out a small, complimentary appetizer with cheese, olives, grapes, a balsamic reduction, and sweet pesto. We were told to dip the skewer in all the sauces and eat everything at once. It was a surprising combination of flavors, but somehow they made it work. This too was really tasty! We're sensing a pattern here...

At this point, we weren't planning on eating, but everything was too good! We had to order some food!

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I decided on this lasagna which was about $7 USD. It might not look THAT appetizing, but it may have been the best plate of food I've ever eaten! The lasagna was incredibly flavorful, and it was topped with a spiral of freshly-melted, delectable parmesan cheese. The plate was also garnished with an edible flower and small gelatin balls (similar to what was in that shooter) filled with passionfruit juice. Those, when mixed with the pesto-drizzled salad, provided a flavorful, fruity punch.

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The perfect companion for my lasagna was this amazing $3.50 USD passionfruit margarita! These drinks were no joke, either. After one shot and a margarita, we were feeling quite alright :)

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Maddie had the berry salad which was about $5.50 USD. It had a generous portion of raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries accompanied by freshly-chopped walnuts and a raspberry vinaigrette. Everything sat on of a bed of spinach. It was a refreshing taste of healthiness to counterbalance all the crema-covered elote (cream-covered corn on the cob) and other Mexican treats.

Check out that unique bowl, too!

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To accompany our meal, they brought out some complimentary garlic bread. Topped with fresh herbs and small pieces of chopped garlic, it might also be the best I've ever had.

The meal and drinks were more expensive than most of our meals here in Mexico. We were splurging a little bit at Zaquán Restaurante y Galeria, but it was well worth the money! A meal and drinks like this in the US would cost 3X (or more) what we paid and we'd probably only experience it after waiting in line for two-hours because it blew up on Yelp.

This is such a unique little city and this post doesn't come close to doing it justice; there's so much more to see here. If you ever find yourself near Guadalajara, be sure to give yourself a day in Tlaquepaque. We're sure you won't regret it!

Stay tuned for our video showcasing our entire tour in and around Guadalajara.

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We use this action cam to shoot our videos.

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Curious to learn more about us?
Check out @wadepaterson's 20 Questions with TangerineTravels.

Until next time,
@sharingeverybite (Maddie)
@shenanigator (Jordan)
(and Laska the Siberian Husky)

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