Cafetin Don Jacks - León, Nicaragua

Cafetin Don Jacks

A little known gem of a restaurant in León is a place called Cafetin Don Jacks. A friend recommended this place to us as having the best burgers in town - and he was right! You will come for the burgers but you will also enjoy all the other items he has on his menu. Do you like curry made with fresh coconut milk? Then this is the place to come.

delicious burger at Don Jacks

As an expat himself, Jack knows that from time to time you will crave a taste from home - or at least foods you used to eat in your home country. He told us that if there was anything we wanted and it wasn't on the menu to just let him know and he would make it for us - all he needed was a days notice. So, taking him at his word and knowing that he makes an excellent curry, I asked him if he could make Butter Chicken for us and some friends. He needed a couple of days to check on ingredients and to come up with a menu but boy, did he come through for us!

Our group arranged to meet at the restaurant at 6 pm and you could smell the yummy butter chicken all the way up the street - long before we got to the restaurant. For a set price, Jack served us family style the following: an Asian style coleslaw, dal, samosas, Indian rice, Butter Chicken, green salad with dressing and naan bread. For a little extra we could have a piece of coconut ice cream cake. Everything was fantastic.

We loved the whole meal and will always remember it as one of the BEST meals we have had so far in Nicaragua.

If you want to enjoy a great meal at Cafetin Don Jacks, here is how you get there: it is located opposite Clinica Mercedes -  1 1/2 blocks east of La Union grocery store.

Indian rice - Cafetin Don Jacks

Butter Chicken served family style - Cafetin Don Jacks

Samosas with a cucumber raita - Cafetin Don Jacks

fresh Coconut ice cream cake - Cafetin Don Jacks

Once you have finished your delicious meal stay a while and enjoy a relaxing game of pool.

pool table - Cafetin Don Jacks

Pan y Paz - León, Nicaragua

delicious bread - Pan y Paz, Leon, Nicaragua

Pan y Paz is one of our secret treats in León. We enjoy it for many reasons.... the baguettes, the pan y pasas, the quiche, the fresh fruit drinks ....

This is the kind of place where you can relax and enjoy a nice light lunch or just a simple coffee and treat in their courtyard patio. When we are on the go then we take their bread home as an addition to our spaghetti dinner or we make a sandwich with their multi-grain triangles with homemade egg salad - yummy!

Pan y Paz is a traditional French style bakery and they use only natural ingredients using ancient French recipes. To our delight they use butter rather than margarine in their products - it makes all the difference in how they taste!

You can find Pan & Paz right in the center of León, just 2 blocks from the Cathedral and Central Park.

Address:  From the corner of the banks, 1 1/2 blocks west

Telephone: (505) 8956 5076 or (505) 8631 2760

They are open Monday - Saturday from 7 am - 7 pm

They have wifi if you need to stay connected.

Quiche at Pan y Paz - Leon, Nicaragua

Pan y Paz - Leon, Nicaragua

yummy treats - Pan y Paz, Leon, Nicaragua

fresh rolls at Pan y Paz - Leon, Nicaragua

El Mediterraneo Restaurant in León, Nicaragua

The other night we joined some friends for dinner at El Mediterraneo here in León. El Mediterraneo is one of León's higher end restaurants set in a beautiful colonial building.

We had some questions about the menu and asked if any of the staff could speak English. Fortunately, one of the young fellows spoke English and was able to answer our questions and then he became our waiter.

The food at El Mediterraneo was good, but not spectacular. Service was efficient but they didn't check to see if we would like coffee or dessert. This seems to be a problem with most of the higher-end restaurants.

All in all - we enjoyed our meals and we would recommend a dinner at El Mediterraneo.

Directions:
Ave 2 NO 2 1/2 blocks north of Parque Ruben Dario, across from Lazybones Hostel, Leon, Nicaragua

Chicken cordon blue at El Mediterraneo in León, Nicaragua

rice and salad served with the main plates

Chicken Pimiento with fries, salad and rice - El Mediterraneo, León, Nicaragua

Large Pizza at El Mediterraneo Restaurant - León, Nicaragua

Shrimp Pasta - El Mediterraneo - León, Nicaragua

Tsunami Taco Bar, Las Peñitas

After spending a fantastic day on the beach in Las Peñitas we were waiting for the bus to go home when I noticed a sign outside of the Tsunami Taco Bar - Pan de Banano.

Banana Bread! I hadn't had any in ages and since I LOVE banana bread we thought we would grab a piece for the road - are we glad we did. It was melt in your mouth fantastic! We have always wanted to try this little place for their tacos but somehow the timing has never been right. However, we figure if the banana bread is this good then we have got to get back to try the tacos.

If you want to find the Tsunami Taco Bar it is located on the main road when you enter Las Peñitas, across from Playa Roca. If you decide to try it out - please leave a comment for our readers.

another beautiful sunset in Las Penitas

New Lunch Spot in León - Heydo

After a long, hot morning of checking every second hand store in town (or at least that's what it seemed) we were ready for something to eat. We came across this quaint, little cafe - Heydo - and were pleasantly surprised.

The menu includes a nice selection of sandwiches, paninis, wraps and salads. They also have fresh, natural juices and a variety of hot and cold coffee and espresso. Not to be missed are the delicious desserts.

Are you on vacation and need to keep connected? This is a good location to grab breakfast and catch up on all those emails with their free wifi.

They are located north of the cathedral beside the Galeria de Arte de Occidente. Be sure to check them out when you are downtown.

Mexicana Wrap

Panini

Interior of Heydo

Delicious desserts at Heydo

Exterior of Heydo

Coffee Break - Casa del Cafe, León, Nicaragua

Yummmm. What could be better after a long, hot walk around town than relaxing with your favorite coffee and a tasty dessert?

Casa del Cafe is a good choice - it is centrally located - just off the Central Park.  They have a nice selection of all your hot and cold favorites and WiFi so that you can keep connected. This small cafe does not have air conditioning but is kept cool with a number of ceiling fans. I was excited to see that they have an awesome selection of cheesecakes - my absolute favorite dessert!

You will want to note that Casa del Cafe is not friendly to those on a tight budget. One medium Granizados de Frutas and one large Carmelatto  came to $108.21 cordobas - you can get a couple of lunches including refrescos for this price. However, every once and a while the treat is worth it! I can't wait to go back and try some cheesecake!

Location: North of the Cathedral, beside Bestwestern Las Mercedes Hotel.

Where do you go in Leon, Nicaragua for that special dinner?

El Meson Real Restaurant -  Leon, Nicaragua

A few weeks back we had some guests visiting from Granada. They had heard some good things about El Meson Real and wanted to see for themselves if it lived up to their reputation. We decided to tag along since we had also heard what a great place it was.

El Meson Real is a small place - there only seemed to be about 10 - 15 tables. The menu is written on a chalk board which you see when you enter the restaurant. On your right is a long counter  where Chef Gustavo creates the restaurants signature dish - Paella. Although no one at our table ordered the Paella it looked and smelled delicious!

The menu has a nice blend of seafood, beef and fresh fish (I don't recall if there was any chicken on the menu). I opted for the Churasco Steak with Chimichurri and Pat chose a filet of grouper. Both meals were absolutely the best we have had so far in León - I wish I knew where he purchased his beef from because it was so tender. Most of the entrees are priced around $200 cordobas - they would be far more back home! The price of our meals, drinks and tip came to about $700 cordobas. A nice touch was that Chef Gustavo personally cleared our plates and inquired whether we had enjoyed our meal.

The only complaints we have in regard to our experience was that their website indicates that there is a 2 for 1 Mojito and Sangria special from 5-7 pm.  We arrived just before 7pm and inquired about the special but the waitress said that they no longer had it. The other thing was that we weren't asked if we would like any dessert or coffee. However, neither of these things dampened our enjoyment of the meal.

So... if you are looking for that "special" restaurant or you just feel like a splurge you won't be disappointed if you head to El Meson Real.  You can find them at:


Parque Ruben Dario 220 vrs. al Norte, Leon, Nicaragua

Chef Gustavo making Paella at El Meson Real - Leon, Nicaragua

Churasco with Chimichurri Sauce at El Meson Real - Leon, Nicaragua

Grouper (veggies were on a separate plate) at El Meson Real - Leon, Nicaragua

Taco Mible Restaurant, León, Nicaragua

We LOVE Mexican food! If we hadn't moved to Nicaragua we would have moved to Mexico solely for their delicious cuisine.

We have walked past Taco Mible many times and I must admit it doesn't have a very appealing look from the outside.... but, looks can be deceiving as we have found out. We finally broke down and tried this little place about a block and a half up from the Poet's Corner. The menu is limited but definitely has some of our favorite Mexican dishes.

The interior is nothing fancy and there are only a few tables. The service was quick and the food was hot and delicious. The day we visited they didn't have any pop available so we had licuados instead. They offered you a choice of fruit combinations and the resulting drinks were delicious.

In our opinion Taca Mible has the best Mexican food that we have tasted here in León. If you decide to give Taco Mible a try, please leave us a comment and let us know what you think of it.

Interior of Taco Mible

Flautas at Taco Mible

Shrimp Quesadillas at Taco Mible

Menu from Taco Mible

Asados Pelibuey

Asados Pelibuey Restaurant

Have you tried Pelibuey yet? Humm? What's Pelibuey you might ask.... It's a cross between a goat and a lamb we were told and it tastes really good! And on those words off we were to try this delicacy. Once we arrived at Asados Pelibuey we realized that we had actually eaten there last September when we visited León but not being very adventurous we opted for the chicken.

The street view of this restaurant is very unassuming and you might be inclined to give it a pass. It looks like it is strictly serving take-away, but if you enter the building you will find a nice little courtyard with some tables where you can sit down and relax.

Asado Pelibuey

The menu itself isn't very long - asados (bbq) of either pork, chicken, beef and of course Pelibuey served with a side of rice, beans, salad and tortilla. We noticed that you could also order maduro (fried ripe plantain) or even the plantain chips (which are my personal favorite). Service is quick and the food is plentiful and delicious.  The price is excellent - it will only set you back 60 cords for a plate of food and a coke.

Want to cook Pelibuey at home? They have fresh meat for sale - just ask at the counter.

Location: 2 blocks north from the Poets Park (just down from Lazybones Hostel)

Asados Pelibuey

Asados Pelibuey interior seeting

Asados Pelibuey kitchen

Asados Pelibuey cooking plantain

Asados Pelibuey grilling meats

So.... is Pelibuey really a cross between a goat and sheep? Well, from what I read it is a domestic sheep native to the Caribbean, Mexico and South America. It is a breed of "hair sheep" that doesn't grow wool and it does kinda look like a goat....

Pelibuey

Quesillos - A Nicaraguan Treat

Quesillos Tipicos de Mi Tierra

Recently we stopped by Quesillos Tipicos de Mi Tierra restaurant in León for lunch and had our first taste of these popular "comida rapida". The restaurant seems to be a popular choice for lunch since it was filled with students from a local high school, but don't worry the service is fast and efficient.


Quesillos are originally from Nagarote and La Paz Centro in the Department of León but can now be enjoyed in other parts of the country. They are often served "to go" in little baggies, but we enjoyed ours in the casual dining area. They are an inexpensive choice for lunch at only 23 cordobas for a single.


The ingredients are simple: corn tortilla, Nicaraguan cheese, finely chopped pickled onions, sour cream and salt. If you would like to try and make quesillos at home I found a recipe on line at Nicaraguan Food website.

Quesillo (Leon, Nicaragua)

Pizzeria Antonino - León, Nicaragua

We have always enjoyed going out to eat. In fact, you could call it one of our hobbies. So when some friends suggested we go to one of their favorite spots we weren't going to turn down the opportunity!

Pizza in León? How good could that be you may ask.  Well, let me tell you - it was delicious. The pizza they serve is thin crust and comes in two sizes 16" and 12".  Since we can never agree on what to put on a pizza we had a 16" pizza with 1/2 Hawaiian (ham and pineapple) and 1/2 meat lovers (pepperoni, salami and ham).  Their menu has a number of different combination pizza's or you can design your own.  They indicate that they serve buffalo wings but our friends tell us that they have never been available when they've asked.

The prices are pretty good too. We had a 16" pizza as indicated above with a beer and lemonade for 260 cordobas or approximately $11.00 CDN. Surprisingly, there were two pieces left over for lunch.

Location -  Parque de los Poetas, 2 1/2 al Norte (just north of Lazybones Hostal)