Food

What to eat in Comala

Comala’s food is built around one great idea: the botana system on the plaza. You sit down, order drinks, and rounds of free small plates keep arriving, so the meal is really about drinking slowly and letting the kitchen feed you.

The botana rounds

Expect a rotating spread of Colima-style bites: local sausages and pork, beans, tostadas, chicharron, cueritos, sopitos (small masa cakes topped with meat and salsa), and whatever the kitchen is running that day. You don’t order the food; it comes with the drinks. The trick is pacing your drinks so the plates keep flowing without burying you.

What to drink

• Ponche de Comala, the town’s fruit-based liqueur, sold in flavors like tamarind, pomegranate and coffee. It’s the local souvenir bottle too.
• Local coffee. Comala grows and roasts its own; a morning cup is a genuine pleasure, especially with the volcano in view.
• Beer and tequila-based drinks if you’d rather; the botanas come with anything.

Where to go

The restaurants under the arches on the main plaza (Los Portales) are the classic spot and where most visitors do their first botana afternoon. The second-row and side-street places off the square are just as good, usually cheaper and less crowded.

Approximate prices

Botanas are free with drinks, so your bill is essentially what you drink, roughly a modest per-drink cost that adds up over a long afternoon (approximate). A bottle of ponche to take home is inexpensive. Come hungry; you won’t need to order a separate meal.