The block of Calle San Martín between López Cotilla and La Paz still has a number of nice older homes, and mature, shade-giving trees.

It maintains a bit of the esprit of old Guadalajara. In the middle of the block, across the street from an immense white beaux-arts mansion, you will see a Roman yellow courtyard with vines and trees. These are the Demetria Bungalows, an old coto now converted into extended stay apartments. In front of one of the converted storefronts, you notice a few bistrot tables on the sidewalk and well-dressed people chatting and enjoying themselves over an espresso or a glass of wine. You have stumbled upon Tercio - open for breakfast and comida only.

The menu is small and doesn’t seem to change, and is heavy on beef, rounded out by options that include salad, soup, chicken, pasta and sandwiches. The day I was there every table was taken, but the place exuded calm, casual elegance and contentment. It felt more like a place off Calle Amsterdam in the Condesa neighborhood in Mexico City than Colonia Americana in Guadalajara.

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