The Cafe Doña Paca has to be one of the best restaurants in the area for traditional Michoacan specialties, and shouldn't be missed however short your stay in Patzcuaro.

The wide ranging menu is every bit as enticing as the cozy dining room, lined with folk art and photographs documenting its history. (One of the photos is of Doña Paca herself, who was the great-great-grandmother of the current owner and whose dowry brought the mansion into the family). The service here is genuinely friendly and helpful. Some tables are available outside, overlooking the plaza and shaded by the colonnades of the mansion.

This is the place to try the charales janitzio or small fried whitefish, a famous local dish. You can also try several typical dishes not often seen on the menus of tourist restaurants; chirupo de la sierra is a meaty stew served with corundas, tasty triangular tamales. Fresh trout is served in six equally delicious ways including with coriander, garlic or sesame seeds.

Included in the price of your room is a full breakfast with choice of Traditional (with corundas and buñuelos) American (with eggs and ham) or Michoacan. All are served with juice or fruit, bread and marmalade and great coffee or tea.

The cafe is open in the evening until 8:30pm - if you want to eat later than this, the adjacent Viejo Gaucho has good Argentinean steaks and pizzas. We find that the ideal plan for the day is to fit our sightseeing between an early breakfast and a late lunch at Doña Paca (the breakfasts are substantial, so you won't be tempted to snack in between) and then to visit El Viejo Gaucho later in the evening when the live music begins.

One final recommendation: don't miss the special Doña Paca cappuccino; it has been lauded in the international press and reputed to be the finest in Mexico!