For anyone who appreciates a good burger there is a new, must-visit eatery in Guadalajara. At very reasonable prices, Pig’s Pearls on Calle Morelos serve burgers as good as you’ll find anywhere in the city.
Cooked over a wood flame, and for just 55 pesos, the lamb burgers are unmissable. They come accompanied with goat cheese, olives, mushrooms, onion marmalade and optional raita and chili sauces that complement the burgers perfectly.
Other burgers on offer include sirloin or double cheese and bacon, while vegetarians can tuck into the portbello mushroom burgers.
Taking Moroccan, Greek, French and Argentine influences, the Tapatio staff also cook up foreign classics such as shish kebabs and Argentine-style choripan. The main dishes are served with salad, fries or potato wedges cooked in garlic, and a variety of home-made salsas.
“The main idea was to make international cuisine, taking influences from different countries and adapting them to our own style,” says co-owner Carlos Barba. In order to keep down costs and put a Mexican stamp on their dishes, he says they “try to use ingredients from Jalisco as much as possible, or if not then from the State of Mexico.”
One of the biggest draws is the quality of the locally sourced lamb on offer – not a meat that is common in Tapatio eateries.
“We are only beginning to convince local clients to eat lamb,” said Barba. “They are not used to it here. It is more common to eat barbecued lamb in the State of Mexico and Veracruz, but here they find it strange.”
A fairly small and unassuming eatery in a tranquil neighborhood, Pig’s Pearls has been open for five months and has quickly become popular with Mexican and foreign visitors.
“Around 40 percent of our clientele are foreigners,” reckons Barba, “owing to the number of hotels and hostels in this area.”
The staff are keen to chat with their customers, which lends the restaurant a relaxed, unpretentious ambience. Barba says the overall aim is to deliver “high quality food but in a normal place. We wanted to show you don’t have to go somewhere posh and expensive to eat in comfort.”
An ideal spot to begin a night out, the restaurant is also beginning to sell artisan beers such as Tijuana, Mexicali, Cucapa and the locally brewed Minerva, for 33-36 pesos.
Pig’s Pearls is on Morelos 1349, a few blocks east of Avenida Chapultepec. Opening times: Monday-Friday 1.30-11 p.m., Saturday 2.30-11 p.m.