¡VIVA ELVIRA!: AN ADORABLE BREAKFAST SPOT OFF THE SIDE OF THE ROAD IN MEXICAN WINE COUNTRY
The Cost -$10 per person
The Atmosphere – Viva Elvira is located in the town of San Antonio de Las Minas, which is in Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico’s wine country. The restaurant is located just off the main road, not far from the region’s only traffic light and the Santo Tomás winery. The restaurant is almost entirely outdoors and the tables are on the dirt floor but there’s something really charming about the setup. There are colorful Mexican flags and decorations around the area and even a play area for children. The restaurant also has a very cute small building that houses the bathrooms, the cashier, and a small shop. Reservations are accepted and casual attire is appropriate. One thing to note: when we got there we were not told the credit card machine was broken and when we asked to change dollars into pesos, we were given a terrible exchange rate. Luckily, after we said that we were not going to change money at that rate, the credit card machine started working and the restaurant added a 3.5% surcharge on the bill to use it.
There’s nothing like waking up in Mexican wine country after an incredible day of wine tasting and no better way to start the day than with a delicious Mexican breakfast. That is what we were in search of when we went to ¡Viva Elvira!, a restaurant that opened a few years ago that serves a breakfast that features some traditional Mexican staples including your favorite coffee and hot chocolate drinks as well as options that are more frequently found in Southern California than in Baja California.
The Order – Cinnamon Roll, La Norteña, and a Doña Blanca.
The Great – Many a breakfast in Mexico starts off with a Mexican sweet bread, whether it is the traditional shell-shaped concha or a less traditional, but commonly served cinnamon roll. At Viva Elvira, you have your choice of the two plus more and for this meal, we chose the Cinnamon Roll. After selecting your treat, the restaurant warms it up for you but the cinnamon roll could have been warmer. The icing was drizzled on top of the sizeable roll, making it look and taste even more delicious. The cinnamon roll is definitely big enough to share between two or three people if each person is also ordering a main course but it is also perfectly acceptable to eat with some coffee or hot chocolate on its own.
The La Norteña was one of the two entrées ordered and it did not disappoint. A good portion of stewed shredded beef with eggs (we chose scrambled egg whites), the dish also came with a side of avocado, cheese, some cilantro, and refried beans. The beef was stewed with green peppers, onions, and tomatoes, and was very good. It was super soft and juicy and went really nicely with the eggs, avocado, and beans to make for a nice, full meal to start the day. This was a dish I’d gladly order again.
The Good – The Doña Blanca was the other entrée ordered and it was basically a fruit bowl with some yogurt and amaranth, a quinoa-like grain that has a slightly stronger, earthy taste. While there was a nice variety of fruit in the terra cotta bowl including blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, grapes, blueberries, and guava, the majority was bananas. The yogurt, which came in a separate bowl, wasn’t bad but it certainly wasn’t anything special; it was topped with the amaranth which didn’t do much to elevate the dish from your run-of-the-mill bowl of fruit with some yogurt. The Doña Blanca is fine if you want a lighter option but it is nothing you are going to remember for the rest of your life.
The Verdict – I didn’t have the highest expectations upon entering Viva Elvira but it proved to be a solid option for breakfast in Mexico’s Valle de Guadalupe. Especially given the cost of about $10 per person, I’d return to the restaurant for another meal. However, I’d make sure that their credit card was working in advance or take pesos with me to avoid having payment difficulties again.