Possibly the most original and authentic menu in Ajijic can be found at Johanna’s.
Set off on the mountainside lateral just east of Revolucion, the restaurant serves almost exclusively German entrees with a host of starters from everywhere. Taking over from co-owner Johanna Schmidt, the current Mexican owners have done an extraordinary job of retaining the quality of dishes from the original German recipes. Preparation is done entirely in house, which means everything is house-made, from starters to the luscious strudels. There is not a Costco product in the house was the answer to my question.
Starters included goose pate, snails, potato pancakes with applesauce and herring, beet salad with house dressing, spinach quiche, white asparagus with butter sauce and Tzatziki salad, among others. I note these appetizers for one reason: to show the global variety and clever kitchen handiwork that is Johanna’s hallmark.
The entrees with one or two exceptions are German or Austrian. Two variations of Veal Schnitzels, Eisbein (pig’s shank), filet steak Leipziger-style with Dijon mustard and dill sauce, bratwurst and a compliment of German-style fish dishes. There’s even a chicken Schnitzel and a salmon dish, Schnitzel-style. Schnitzel, for the curious, simply means “slice.” Although it has become synonymous with hearty, savory German food.
I asked for Sauerbraten. It was not on the menu. And, although it’s one of the most popular of German meat dishes, it fails to surface at Johanna’s. (Unavailable according to the manager.) I settled instead for a favorite Hungarian dish, goulasch. It came with trimmings of wonderful red cabbage, spatzle and roasted potatoes, all of which exemplified the restaurant’s house-made freshness and flavors. Other dishes at our table were the wienerschnitzel with capers and similar sides, lamb with sauerkraut and potatoes and the above-mentioned pan-fried breaded salmon, which I tasted and found exquisite.
The wine selection was dashing: a global mix from every continent. A selection of imported German beers were also available from Moniger.
What could have been a fetching little Hansel and Gretel indoor setting behind the mock timber-framed facade (think neo-Tudor) is instead a nondescript interior of bright lights and Mexican décor unlike anything European. Some will recall the quaint four-foot high cottage that sat in the Jacaranda at the restaurant’s curbside. Gone now, the cottage added an iconic bit of European whimsy that came to be identified with the restaurant. That said, the atmosphere is perfect for crowded tables and joyous banter.
At Johanna’s, what does seem quite German is the staff’s efficiency. Prompt day-ending activities like flipping chairs onto tables and resetting the layout begin at just before 8 p.m., no matter what. One could be in the middle of proposing marriage at their table, but if you haven’t sealed the deal by 8 p.m., you’re out of luck. So it’s Johanna’s for the full German zeitgeist.
This article title? Translation can be found at any table in Johanna’s.