I'm not sure if this really counts as a restaurant review or cantina review, but I'm not starting a new category - you can get food and drink here and that's enough. Our hosts in Guadalajara said we had to come here for a couple principle reasons - it's one of the best places to see Mariachis and drink tequila (two of the three things you MUST do in Guadalajara), and it's the largest cantina in the world - ok, I'm intrigued. Set in a grand old building with a garden courtyard in the Tlaquepaque area of the city, El Parian is actually a cluster of cantinas all co-operating as one.
Depending on the individual section you sit in, the food is "standard" for Guadalajara - which means it is pretty great for bar food anywhere else in the world. What stands out will be the very impressive menu of tequilas. Think Mexico is all cheap? Work out the exchange on some of the premium varieties on the bottom of the list.
The setting is fantastic, open air, trees, and a great building in itself. The entertainment is just what you came for, roving bands of mariachis for hire - at times four or five playing simultaneously around the courtyard. A few times a day, the central bandstand fires up with the main band along with a nice review of regional music and dance from around the country - you came for a taste of culture right? Sure, on the surface, it seems a bit touristy, but with good friends, tequila and mariachis you can't help but have a great time. Go to the main plaza in Tlaquepaque and it's just southeast - look for the big sculpture of the mariachi, and it's the big building behind.
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