A short drive from Cuernavaca, Morelos, into the mountains of the neighboring State of Mexico brings you to Truchas Los Alcatraces, a rustic trout farm/restaurant.

The trout are brought in from elsewhere and held in tanks with moving water from a mountain stream.

The restaurant with rustic wood furniture boasts a splendid view of the hillside with lush wild vegetation and domesticated flowers.

The trout tanks and a large reservoir provide several sizes of fish with different prices on the menu. There are small, medium, and large portions and different weights among those categories. I chose a grande of a medio kilo (500 grams) with garlic sauce. My less ravenous friends chose servings of 250 grams without the garlic or al diablo (picante). The plate includes French fries and a salad, or one can order side dishes. For appetizers, there are enormous sopes, quesadillas, and other Mexican antiojitos, soups (including a huge Sopa Azteca or tortilla soup), and a shrimp cocktail (not very fresh tasting), and numerous other choices. Several beer and liquor choices are priced reasonably.

The restaurant has a reputation for slow service, but the service on March 31, 2023, gave new meaning to “lento.” I suspect it would be worse on a Saturday or Sunday. There was only one waitress on a Friday afternoon.  She did not arrive to take drink orders until fifteen minutes after our arrival. The beer arrived fifteen minutes later. The appetizers took another fifteen minutes, and the trout arrived fifty minutes after placing the order. My friends and I took a walk around the grounds, down the hill to the tanks and around the garden. If you go with a group of friends, a lively conversation would add to the picturesque setting.  

The remote setting makes web service dubious, so credit cards can’t be charged.

I took advantage of access to fresh fish to take home three trout that weighed one kilo, for 275 pesos. A friend always takes home several more for his smoker. I grilled mine directly on the gas grill and they held together nicely. The burned skin peels off easily and the fish is delicious with only salt as a condiment.

How to Get There:

Driving from Cuernavaca, take Subida Chalma. The restaurant is about 35 minutes west depending on speed. About 20 minutes up the hill, the highway changes its name to Carretera Cuernavaca-Ocuilan without signage. When the road forks, take a right turn at the sign to Mexicapa and proceed another ten minutes until you see the large sign on the left side, Truchas Los Alcatraces. The road has many curves and lacks a shoulder, so drive carefully, and avoid night-time driving. There have been fatal accidents. Plan enough time and patience for a leisurely afternoon.