Guadalajara’s Midtown Mall – located on Avenida Lopez Mateos in Colonia Providencia, across from the American School – is well into its second year but is quickly trying to strip the Andares Mall of its mantle as the most dynamic of Guadalajara’s upscale commercial centers.
After a somewhat sluggish start to life, the stylish, open-air mall is now going full-tilt with many popular stores up and running. Among these are Miniso (Japanese items), Old Navy, Aeropostale, Benetton, American Eagle, Hugo Boss, Petland, Mac Store, Rolex, Macame (jewelry), Prada, Vans, Sketchers, Best Buy Express, Devlyn (glasses), Sally Beauty, Lego, GNC, Nutrisa, and many other smaller outlets. There’s a Fresko supermarket and La Europea liquor store, as well as Santander and Bancomer bank branches.
The open-air Midtown Mall is one of the city’s newest and most upscale commercial centers.
Formal restaurant options include Vicente Asador de Brasa (Brazilian), D’Frank (signature cuisine, highly rated on Trip Advisor) and Cantina La Imperial (Mexican). Fast(er) food is available at McDonalds, Subway, Fresh Salads, Pandaroll (sushi) and Don Cabron (meats and tacos). The Bake and Cake Kitchen offers freshly baked items, while cups of comforting java can be found at Starbucks, Flor de Cordoba and La Crepe Parisienne. Ice cream junkies can get their fixes at Dolphy and Santa Clara. Then head to I-Cycle, I-Motion, Comando and Title Boxing Club for workouts!
Adjoining the mall is the new contemporary Hilton Hotel Midtown, with 225 guest rooms, ten meetings rooms, a restaurant, open-air pool and other luxury amenities. While the hotel appears mostly focused on business clients, reviews from visitors to the city for other reasons have been positive.
The mall’s Mercado Gourmet zone, which opened at the end of January, offers a more informal dining experience.
An addition to the mall at the end of January was the Mercado Gourmet zone, which features a range of independent, tasty eating and drinking options, including vendors of tacos, sushi, pastries, nuts, Caribbean food, poké, ice cream, coffee, and more. This could be described as an upmarket food court, which comes with its own games area, complete with ping pong and billiards tables. Although not yet full, this zone should prove popular with customers seeking a more informal eating experience. Outlets already set up here include Cafecho (coffee), La Bresca (arepas), Onigiri (sushi), Casa Poké, Belka (cookies), Celestino (tosatdas), and Coco Company (waffles).
The mall also has a Cinépolis VIP movie theater complex, with eight screens offering a super comfy viewing experience – but at a higher cost!
Musicians entertain the public most days of the week at 6 p.m.
Like upscale Andares, Midtown is now offering regular entertainment, not only to draw clients but keep them in the mall (and spending money!). Musicians perform at 6 p.m. Thursday through Sunday (and occasionally on some other days of the week) in the mall’s spacious central courtyard, while free workshops (for kids and adults) are scheduled most Saturdays at 4 p.m.: cupcakes (February 8), wooden chests (February 15), painting piggy banks (February 29). This month, a chess tournament is planned on Sunday, February 16, 4 p.m. and children’s storytelling on Saturday, February 22, 4 p.m.
For more information about Midtown mall, see mid-townjalisco.com.mx.