It is increasingly difficult to find a Mexican restaurant in Guadalajara that isn’t trying too hard to be “cutting edge” and innovative, or, on the other hand, that resorts to being very casual, loud, with television screens on every wall (looking at you, Casa Dolores), and frankly, vulgar.
Thus it is that Casa Fuerte, on pedestrian-only Calle Independencia in the center of Tlaquepaque, continues to distinguish itself. The street itself has become a “festival marketplace” for the Guadalajara area, with buskers, fortune-telling sparrows, handicraft sellers, etc. It is an especially festive street this month, festooned with bunting in the national colors. The restaurant is in a noble old house, the entrance corridor strewn with fragrant pine boughs. It makes an auspicious first impression. The main dining area encompasses a large patio surrounding a fountain, with dappled light filtering through the trees. Seating is comfortable and generous and tables are spaced apart so as not to feel crowded.
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