Chac Mool Is Cool in Chacala

Byline: Capt. Pat Rains

CHACALA, Mexico — Cruisers visiting Chacala should check out the Chac Mool Café.

I loved this little café when I first discovered it three years ago. Having just come ashore on the dinghy beach, I followed my nose to the enticing aroma of coffee beans being roasted somewhere under the palm trees.

Chacala is a small but popular anchorage known for its coconut palm plantation behind a pretty beach. Chacala is located 35 miles northeast of Punta Mita, or 25 miles south of San Blas.

Chac Mool — named for the Mayan god of rain — was then located near the port captain’s office, and the friendly little café was open more frequently than was the port office. Chac Mool Café has long been famous for organically grown coffees, including cappuccinos and frapuccinos — and it is open for breakfast.

Emilia and Arturo, the owners of Chac Mool Café, recently moved their main restaurant to a better spot — next to the beach plaza with the arches.

The menu has expanded, as well. Along with serving coffees for breakfast, Emilia and Arturo now bake special breads. Their lunch menu has fresh salads and giant burritos and wraps. For dinner, they specialize in fresh seafood dishes, popcorn shrimp and custom pizzas. If you’re ashore later in the day, they now have a wine bar along with the coffee shop.

Chac Mool is cool — more than another beach cantina. Emilia and Arturo’s food is so good that they also cater weddings and parties at the posh villa development nearby. As a fun gathering spot, Chac Mool has earned a reputation among musicians and performers that draws them to the small stage beneath the arches, where they can play under the stars to the “applause” of gentle surf.

For more information, email Emilia and Arturo at chacmoolcafe@hotmail.com.