Traveling for the San Miguel de Allende Writer’s Conference? Or perhaps another event at the Hotel Real de Minas?
I’m an author (and book marketing expert) based here, and I’m happy to share my insider tips.
Welcome to The Lainey List - Your essential San Miguel de Allende toolkit from a local!
Best Restaurants near Hotel Real de Minas
Rustica (Breakfast/Lunch) - Local’s favorite. Good coffee and wide ranging eclectic menu in a lovely courtyard setting. Exit the Real de Minas front lobby and go right on the main road. Note: it can get busy and have a line, especially on the weekends (4 minute walk from Hotel Real de Minas).
Panina (Breakfast/Lunch) - New in town and a new favorite. Great pastries and sandwiches and great coffee. Exit hotel lobby and take first street on left (2 minute walk).
Buonforno (Breakfast/Lunch) - One of my favorite bakeries in town, also has a cafe. On same street as Panina just a little farther (5 minute walk).
Ten Ten Pie Al Carbon (Lunch /Dinner) - diverse Mexican menu. I’m a fan of the steak and shrimp tacos. On same road as Panina just a few steps farther (3 minute walk)
Soltribe Cuisine (Lunch/Dinner) - a vegan’s dream but don’t let that put you off. The food is super tasty. Right next door to Real de Minas (turn left and it’s upstairs in the Mercado Sano building just past Oxxo (1 minute walk).
Lolita (Breakfast/Lunch/Early dinner before 6pm ) - great Mexican food (which FYI is not the same as Tex Mex that you mostly get in the States). Exit lobby and right on the main road (2 minute walk).
Asia Orient Express (Lunch/Dinner) - excellent Asian food at reasonable prices (Pho, Mongolian beef, orange chicken, noodle dishes). Exit lobby and right on the main road. It’s in a courtyard right at the back (2 minute walk).
Pork Belly (Lunch/Dinner) - Meat eater’s heaven (brisket, pulled pork, pork belly tacos, burger, BBQ ribs). Exit hotel lobby and take and first left (4 minute walk).
I put all my restaurant recommendations in San Miguel and around the world on Google maps if you’d like to check that out!
Best Coffee Shops to Work in san miguel
Check out this post for the best coffee shops to work in town.
What to do with a Free Hour in San Miguel de Allende
A few “off the beaten track” ideas if you have just an hour (or two) to spare!
more THINGS TO DO tIME IN san miguel de allende
My favorite San Miguel de Allende Experiences.
Some general San Miguel tips:
Don’t:
Drink the tap water (trust me on this, don’t even brush your teeth with it). On the other hand, ice in tourist restaurants is fine. All restaurants, even the smallest will use filtered water for ice and drinks (because locals don’t drink the tap water either).
Panic over the early morning fireworks. You’ll often hear loud gun-shot type bangs early in the morning. This is a fun tradition that’s part of our town (often they are being released from the churches). Luckily it’s only on feast days (which seems like most days sometimes!).
Throw toilet paper in toilets in older buildings - You’ll often see signs about this. And they mean it (it’s not a mistranslation). Even basic paper will back up the fragile plumbing in our oldest buildings. You do not want to be that person who didn’t listen and closed up a small cafe’s only bathroom!
Forget the altitude. Many are taken by surprise when they realize we are at 6,200 feet (higher than Denver). You may feel out of breath or take longer to walk somewhere than you’d expect. Standard altitude advice applies here: drink lots of water, and be reasonable on the alcohol (the effects of those margaritas may be greater than you realized!).
Use the ATM at the Real de Minas without checking it first. Unfortunately, this particular machine has had fake scanners attached to multiple times in the past. Personally, I avoid that ATM one and use ones around the main square (El Jardin) or at the airport.
Break an ankle. Our streets are very uneven. Wear heels at your peril!
Discount our wineries (Because you didn’t know decent wine is now made in central Mexico!). Not only do our local wineries make a great place to visit if you’re on a longer trip, but the quality of the wines produced in Guanajuato and Queretero states may surprise you. My favorites to visit: Dos Bujos, San Miguel Vineyard, La Santissima Trindad.
Do:
Walk around town. San Miguel is a beautiful, safe, walkable city. Please don’t limit yourself to the area around the hotel - get into centro and experience our gorgeous town (10 -15 minutes walk to centro from Real de Minas.
Bring a jacket or sweater at night - we’re in the mountains and the temperature drops fast once the sun sets.
Generally, feel safe taking taxis. If you’re in town (let’s say centro to Real de Minas) you shouldn’t pay more than 100 pesos (current as of early 2024). Note: there is one taxi driver recently who has several times grabbed at women to distract them - and then stolen their wallet from their purse (often but not always when the passenger is drunk). But I mean it’s one guy - in a city of 150,000 people, so not a cause for general panic. Uber works fine here, too, there just aren’t very many of them.
Visit at least one rooftop bar where you’re here. Here’s my favorites list of Rooftop Bars in San Miguel.
Get in some shopping. There are many beautiful hand-crafted goods that will cost much less than than in the United States. Plus, you’re supporting our local economy and trades. The city of Dolores Hidalgo (45 minutes away) is famous for tilework, and Leon (2 hours away) is famous for leather goods (shoes, bags, cowboy boots). You’ll find all of that for sale here in San Miguel.
Try some of our world class restaurants. Some personal favorites are Derek, Atrio, Inside Cafe, El Pegaso.
Shopping Recommendations
Honestly, I’m not your ‘shop til you drop’ kinda gal, but here’s a few of my faves:
Mercado de Artesenias is a beautiful multi- block craft market that is totally worth a stroll. Hand-crafted clothes and embroidery, lots of Dolores tiles in all kinds of decor items, metal work, jewelry.
Claudio Bo Designs - Claudia uses hand embroidery from Oaxaca to create beautiful and unique clothing pieces, along with hand crafted jewelry that I adore.
Camino Silvestre is a great shop for gifts, specializing in beautiful, ornate hummingbird feeders. They also have pottery, candles, some books, and other unique souvenirs. You have a good chance of spotting hummingbirds if you hang out long enough in their inside courtyard. Two different locations.
Bag Colorin - My favorite store in the Mercado de Artesenias is owned by a local Mexican artist and has a mix of artwork (much of it hers) and souvenirs. It’s the store with the bright pink walls and murals.
Local art - we have many great artists both Mexican and foreign who have decided to make San Miguel their home. So many fabulous galleries in our town to wander. You can visit Fabrica La Aurora, which has a wide range of galleries in one place - in a converted historical building which was a textile factory. French Doors art organizes regular shows and art dinners.
Cowboy boots. If you want an inexpensive pair of gorgeous boots (often embroidered) head to the regular (not tourist) San Miguel Market (which is located next to the top of the Mercado de Artesenias), or the Mercado San Juan de Dios (the part with clothes is along Avenida Guadalupe).
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