36 Hours in Guadalajara with Wild Common
Summertime Guadalajara
May and June in Guadalajara can be some of the toastiest months, weather wise. In July, the rainy season begins and starts to cool this bustling city and the surrounding areas down but if you’re visiting in the hot months, there is still plenty to do and explore. This is a great time of year to stay in Colonia Americana where the streets are lined with 100 year old flowering trees and there are plenty of cafes and shops to pop in to to stay cool.
Friday
3pm - Stay - Casa Habita
Our favorite place to land and expand in Guadalajara is Casa Habita in Colonia Lafayette/Americana. Put your bags down and head up to the rooftop pool and bar to cool down and slide your way into the Guadalajara vibe.
“An original house designed in the 40's joins a contemporary new construction, with thirty- seven rooms and suites. Unifying these spaces that are so different, but complementary, has been possible thanks to the interior design of Dimore Studio, who together with Grupo Habita, opened the doors of Casa Habita in September 2015. Welcome to your home in Guadalajara. Art, design, fashion and architecture merge at Casa Habita.
Two individual sites, the original house with the lobby, bar, restaurant, pool & terrace, flows towards the new building, where the thirty seven rooms and spaare located. These two areas merge, giving the feeling of a unified space while keeping their own identity.
Like other Grupo Habita hotels, Casa Habita features a pool bar with a swimming pool, terrace and chill out areas to relax. These leisure areas are located on the rooftop of the main house.”
Guadalajara tips: Neighborhoods in Guadalajara are known as Colonias, if you want to sound like you are in the know, use “Colonia Americana” instead of just “Americana.”
Grab plenty of bottled water at the local Oxxo as you’re in another mile high city, and you have a good amount of agave spirits sipping on the docket for this trip. Aim for 3.5 - 5 liters of water a day - no joke, we aren’t doctors but we are professionals at having a good time! We also like to pack a good supply of LMNT Electrolytes to keep our sodium levels balanced.
Image Courtesy of Mezonte
5:30 Lace up your sneakers and head to your 6pm reservation at Mezonte
20 min walk
Getting there: Make sure to take Calle Libertad, known to locals as one of the most beautiful streets in Guadalajara.
Mezonte: Calle Argentina 299, Col Americana, Americana, 44160 Guadalajara, Jal., Mexico
Founded by Pedro Jimenez Gurria, Mezonte as a company is technically a non-governmental organization (NGO) that is dedicated to “protect and spread information about traditional mezcales through tastings, videos, texts, academic, biological, cultural, gastronomica aspects, conversations, etc…focused on promoting solely traditional mezcals, especially those from Jalisco and Michoacan.” Here we’ll focus on the “tastings” piece as Mezonte HQ is one of the most in depth libraries of agave spirits anywhere in the world.
“It's not a cantina, it's not a bar.It is a place to share experiences and knowledge that enrich our knowledge about our biocultural heritage. With different didactic and documentary materials we can get closer to the reality of the mezcal culture.
In the Mezonte tasting room:
We’ve had team “meetings” and shared many good times here with industry folks and friends, diving into the world of agave spirits and its impact on the rest of the planet.
Mezonte is open 4pm to 8pm Monday through Friday, you should reach out at least 2 weeks in advance for reservations - zule@mezonte.com
8:30pm - Tacos at Carne Asada “Los Gueros” / A stroll around Parque Expiatorio
5 minute walk
Carne Asada “Los Gueros”: C. Prado 185, Col Americana, Americana, 44160 Guadalajara, Jal., Mexico
Just around the corner from Mezonte is my favorite local carne asada taco spot. A small dining room full of old photos of Guadalajara, Christmas lights, and delicious aromas of carne asada al carbon welcomes any visitor, for a fraction of the price you’ll pay anywhere else in the colonia.
Grab a couple of tacos and a cerveza to fuel up and digest the Mezonte experience. For a post cena walk, head a few blocks over to the Parque Expiatorio to see the greatest neo-Gothic style architectural works in Mexico aglow in the dusky summer hours.
Parque Expiatorio: C. Manuel López Cotilla 935, Col Americana, Americana, 44160 Guadalajara, Jal., Mexico
Image Courtesy of Viator
10pm - Dancing, and more Mezonte agave spirits at Pare de Sufrir… and snacks
During your Mezonte visit, it’s likely your hosts will mention that they have another establishment in the neighborhood that is a bar, called Pare de Sufrir. In full, the name is Pare de Sufrir Tome Mezcal - “To End Suffering, Drink Mezcal,” a phrase we can relate to. It is Mexico so the party doesn’t start until later in the evening but whether it is a live band or local DJ, the music always gets turned up and dancing continues into the wee hours of the morning. Bar snacks available.
Take an Uber home and rest up, the fun continues.
Saturday
8am - Load up on breakfast / Burpees in your room or Stretch your legs in the hood
Today you’ll have a fair bit of time in a car and a fair bit of Tequila sipping, so first, prime the pump with substantial breakfast and some movement.
We are active folks here at Wild Common so even if we stayed out late the night before, we’ll get up for a walk around the neighborhood, or for some of our more hard core teammates, burpees in the room followed by the sauna. Whatever your pleasure, get up and get your blood moving, it’s good for you!
The Casa Habita restaurant opens at 8am for more upscale fare, or walk across the street at 9am when the Tamagoshi Food Cart opens. Tamagoshi serves only one thing and that one thing is their expertise: egg sandwiches. My favorite? The Persea: a fried egg with guacamole, spinach, salsa macha on toasted ciabatta style roll. Closest thing I can get to a bodega egg and cheese that sustained me for years in NYC.
Reminder on Oxxo trip for water and snacks for your drive!
11am depart for your 12pm tour at Cascahuin (book a car or driver to get there!)
1 hour drive there 2 hours for tour, 1 hour back
Destilería “El Cascahuín”: Av Ferrocarril 140, San Juan de Dios 45350 El Arenal,Jal., Mexicois
Of course the true highlight of your 36 hours is a visit to Destilería “El Cascahuín,” the birthplace of all Wild Common Tequilas. The folks of El Cascahuín are the absolute best hosts and will show you all around the property, from the stone ovens, to stone tahona, to the roller mill, and barrel room. We don’t want to ruin all of the surprises but know that you’ll end up in Jardin del Cascahuín with outstanding Tequilas in your glasses, with birds chirping in the background, and bougainvilleas waving their purple and pink branches in the breeze.
Make reservations at least 2 weeks in advance and be sure to mention you’d like to taste the Wild Common line up - they may even have some tasty secret experiments for you to sip on.
4pm - Lunch at palReal
Café palReal: C. Lope de Vega 113, Arcos Vallarta, 44130 Guadalajara, Jal., Mexico
Did you take a little snooze on the ride back to town? There is no shame in that, but now, it’s time to wake up, have some lunch, and get back to business.
If you made any new friends last night, you may see them here at palReal, a popular place to enjoy leisurely weekend lunch after morning activities are through. Chef Fabian Delgado Padilla and his crew, also known for Cantina De La O, and Caligari Cafe, started a renaissance for food and coffee service when they opened Café palReal. The menus are full of hand drawn illustrations by co-founder Isaac “Redman” Padilla Munoz and you really can’t go wrong with any selection from their vast offerings.
Guadalajara tip: Lunch maybe starts at 2, more likely 3, and dinner, you’re looking at 8pm at the earliest.
6pm - Siesta at Casa Habita
Self explanatory, take a dip, take a nap, wait for the sun to set.
9pm - Drinks at Gallo Altanero
Gallo Altanero: Calle Marsella 126, Col Americana, Lafayette, 44160 Guadalajara, Jal., Mexico
There are no reservations at this Guadalajara hot spot, and lines can be lengthy especially since they were named No 14 of 50 Best Bars in the World 2024 so head there on the “earlier” side of the evening, around 9 should be good. The menu changes daily and the bar is stuffed with agave spirits that only pass the highest of standards from their exceptional leadership and bar team.
Sunday
Sometime in the morning: Coffee / Breakfast / Sauna - in whatever order you prefer
Biolento is a neighborhood cafe set in a beautiful outdoor garden setting just a few blocks walk from Casa Habita. Get yourself a glass of jugo verde and perhaps a Celerino or “cold brew” from their extensive carta de bebidas. My favorite dish is the Huevos Griego, a sunny side up egg, on house-made pita, with tzatziki, spinach salad, goat cheese y salsa macha.
Image Courtesy of Grupo Habita
Sometime after that: Walk or take a house bike out to the Villa Recreativa
Each Sunday a few major streets of Guadalajara shut down to car traffic and open up to bicycles, skateboarders, runners, dogs, roller skaters, really anyone who wants to get out and move. You’ll see the active folks of the town out and about here especially during this season when most other outdoor activities are on hold with the heat.
