By Freda Rumford from the December 2010 Edition
Key:
I – International
M– Mexican
B – Buffet
S – Sunday
D – Daily
A – A la Carte
Best Western Brisas del Mar (Las Brisas) I M D
Every day this hotel in Las Brisas offers a pretty hearty buffet. Good location, right on the beach although parking currently, due to the road improvements make parking somewhat of a nightmare.
Bricios (Las Brisas) M D A
This is a new venue for breakfast but so far everyone has been most pleased with the offerings and service.
Candiles (DT. Colonial Hotel) I M D A
The restaurant has just been down sized and has lost some of it’s splendour, in the oldest hotel in Manzanillo, but the food is still good, reliable and reasonably priced. Great place to stop when shopping down town. They still have Paella on Fridays,
Camino Real (Salagua) I M SB D A
This hotel is tucked around the corner behind La Pergola. Hard to find but the setting is lovely. Reviews from this restaurant are very mixed as quality of both food and service is not consistent. One day it is wonderful, while another it is not worth making the effort to go there. Familiar wait-persons have appeared and disappeared, so they quite possibly have some problems to sort through. This could be a great place for a special occasion, so far, not so.
Chipotle (Las Hadas corner) I M D A
This previously great place for breakfast is, unfortunately going downhill and quality of both food and service is not always up to standard. The situation on the corner is far from perfect as the buses find it a great place to blow exhaust fumes. Hopefully they will improve quickly.
Country Club ( By old toll road) I M SB A
Wed – Sat
This location is extremely hard to find which is possibly why when everywhere else in town is going crazy, this is a serene setting. The sunday buffet is very reasonably priced, has mostly Mexican dishes but also fruits and cereals, changes every week. Open for breakfast and other meals also Wed -Sat.
Dolphin Cove (Rest. Paraiso) I M D A
Situated on the Dolphin Cove Bay on Ave Tesoro this restaurant is difficult to get down to for any but the most agile. Whilst service and food is reasonable it is not sufficiently outstanding to make the journey worthwhile. The beach road has been cut off for traffic which the biggest problem. Great place to see the sunsets with a cocktail.
Don Andres Ranch (Las Garzas) M S B
This restaurant in an idyllic setting has had a checkered career over the past few years. Now back in the hands of Don Andres, he is determined to return the restaurant to its previous high quality, Also open for lunch and dinner. Check new hours with your waiter.
El Caballito (Next to El Fogon) I M D A
A personal favourite, the service here is always good despite being an extremely busy restaurant with both families and businessmen. The food is excellent, reasonably priced and the selections wide and good. It is possible to order extra potatoes for breakfast with no beans if that is your preference. The chef will also do a little tailoring to your meal (such as adding a little extra cheese) so that it is not a cookie cutter meal.
El Caribe Las Brisas I M D A SB
Martin usually opens for the winter season for breakfast and occasionally on Sundays with a buffet but this can vary.
El Marinero, Hotel Marbella I M D A S B
Good food well presented. Sunday Buffet Brunch with mostly Mexican fare. Reasonably priced. Easy parking on hotel lot.
Juanitos (Santiago) I M D A
Another favourite place. The food here is always the same good consistent quality. The service is good and friendly and prices reasonable. At Juanitos, you always know what you are going to get. It can be annoying to have to line up for breakfast, especially on Sundays or holiday weekends but the line moves fast.
La Kaminata (Brisas Crucero) M D A
New to the Manzanillo culinary scene, the meals here have been pronounced excellent by several people. Unfortunately on the day we chose to go for breakfast, so did the rest of Manzanillo and the meal and service was lacking. It is very promising however and we will give it another shot. Whether this becomes another favourite remains to be seen.
La Pergola, (Salagua) I D A SB
Being the restaurant for a small business mans hotel, they are open every day for breakfast from 7 a.m. till 1 p. m and every first and third Sunday for Buffet Brunch. The food under the guidance from Chef Wolfgang is usually good to excellent but if a large crowd arrives, be prepared for a wait at the brunch table.
La Posada (Brisas) I D A
This has been a Manzanillo favourite for years although a very well kept secret. At one time they were open only to guests of the Posada and a favoured few but are now open for breakfast to the public. Most who have eaten there regularly pronounce it wonderful and the only place to have breakfast.
Palma Real (Across from La Boquita) I M D A
This is our friend Dennis’s favourite place. The food is good, service fantastic and friendly and the prices reasonable. It is an awful journey to get there as the road winds round below Vida del Mar and is often riddled with potholes but it is also possible to park on the sand bar at La Boquita and walk over the bridge. Everyone should try this place at least once.
Roca del Mar (Next to Hotellito) I M D A
This is a nice little restaurant where I had the best cheese & spinach omelette ever. The menu is small but varied and the prices and service reasonable.
Beware of the sweet rolls they offer at breakfast time, they are delicious but are a la carte which is a surprise on the bill. The setting is lovely, right on the beach but, unfortunately, this is a place one forgets is there.
Simplemente Deli (By Office Depot) I M D A
International deli foods with a Mexican flavour, we have enjoyed the Molletes here, which are toasted buns with beans and cheese topping, then we request fried eggs (Huevos estrellados) and bacon on top! Wonderful!! They do have other selections also. Word has it that the coffee is not brilliant but it is constant refills, rare here. Service is good and the prices reasonable.
Schooners (Santiago Hill) I S A
We are currently waiting for information as to whether this popular restaurant will be open for breakfast on Sundays only. Last year it was just great and we especially enjoyed the Eggs Benedict which
“T” laboured over to perfect. Good food, good service good people. Another family favourite.
Tesoro Hotel, Karmina Palace, Las Hadas I M D B
All are typically large hotels with an inclusive price for buffet, quite expensive by comparison but great for a special occasion. There is a large assortment of foods to choose from. Outside of winter season could be chiefly Mexican dishes.
VIPS (Walmart) I M D A
We have only had a sandwich here which was of dubious quality but welcome any reviews.
Out of Town Restaurants Next Page
OUT OF TOWN
We have been advised that there are 42 restaurants in Melaque & Barra offering breakfast! We have only sampled a few.
Roosters (Melaque) I M D A
This is an all time favourite restaurant of ours with owners Joyce and Gary Pittman meeting, greeting and making everyone comfortable. The menu is typically Canadian with some International (their famous Belgian waffles) Eggs Benedict on the weekends and eggs and bacon WITH
HASHBROWNS. They are now on the beach at their 4th location and let us hope this is to be the last move they have to do. Definitely this should be on everyone “must go to “ list. Opening a second location in Barra de Navidad.
Maya ( Melaque) I D? A
We have heard great things about Maya but every time we have attempted to go they have been closed. So we cannot give you opening hours at all.
This one is a wonderful “mystery” restaurant.
Ramons (Barra de Navidad) I M D A
We found this restaurant by accident when the Barra de Navidad Hotel one was closed one time.
We were greeted by “Nacho “ of Ramons calling out to us “Eggs, bacon, hash browns and coffee?” and that is exactly what we had. We have returned many times since and although it has been said that the kitchen needs a clean up, but we have had great food here. Breakfast anytime of day!
Barra de Navidad Hotel opposite Ramon’s I M D A
Good when they are open which cannot be guaranteed, but no matter, Ramon’s is always there!La Guacamayas Restaurant Bar – Hotel María Isabel Colima
Arguably one of the best buffet in the state of Colima served daily 7am-12noon, could probably boast 100+ items, eggs and omelettes cooked to order. Fresh Juices, and wait-staff that most of them speak English.
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Most knew her as Freda Rumford. Freda Anne Vickery was a founder, editor, and contributor of the Manzanillo Sun magazine. She was one of the founders and, took over being President of the Manzamigos, when her husband Nigel, died. When she first came to Manzanillo, she got a job writing for the Guadalajara Reporter and used that as a foundation for her later humanities work. Freda was born in the East side of London in 1934 but grew up in Norwich. Freda’s early life was one of overcoming things. As an example, she was born with a lisp but one of her first jobs was being a telephone operator after some extensive elocution lessons. She met and married a young military man and, like so many others, they and their children moved to Canada for his employment opportunities and she ended up working for the Hudson’s Bay Company in cosmetic sales in Calgary. They moved to BC and then to Manzanillo, for her health, which flourished in the tropical weather. After Nigel died, she later married Kirby Vickery. She later became ill and finally lost the battle with cancer on the 27th of February 2016.
