I sat down recently and counted, surprising myself, that I have logged visits to 24 of Mexico's 32 states, for pleasure or while reporting. Querétaro is a mountain charm. Nuevo León is the muscular colossus of the north of the country. Campeche, a green beauty. Everywhere I go in this country, I find new wonders. Then I visited Colima and realized that Mexico is an endless cornucopia that will never overcome a traveler's curiosity.
Have you never heard of Colima the size of a button? Don't worry. A lover of Mexico may be vaguely aware of its important port at Manzanillo or the state's spectacular volcanic complex. Otherwise, Colima is not usually on the radar of visitors. The tourism industry consistently ranks among the smallest in Mexico.
However, it is a refreshing, contained and relaxed culture, with foods that can only be found here. The depth of its riches is laid out in an ambitious recent series of culinary guides written by a group called Colima Knows.
Use these handy dining guides for all your summer trips, near and far.
The state has international airports in Manzanillo and Colima, which could be called Burbank-sized, largely accessed by connecting flights from Mexico City. Weekend travelers also arrive by road from Guadalajara. There are a few boutique or mid-range hotels in downtown Colima or the nearby town of Comala, and a few resort hotels in Manzanillo. If you go, here are some things to do for a trip to Colima that is sure to be surprising.
-
Share via
Try the tuba
Glass of composite tuba, a fermented drink made from the sap of the coconut palm.
(Daniel Hernandez/Los Angeles Times)
Colima's traditional devotion to the tuba becomes evident as you travel through the region and watch vendors congregate on busy street corners or in central plazas with gourds or jugs of milky liquid. It's tangy, crisp, and infinitely refreshing for tropical temperatures. Go the “composite” style: tuba poured over ice and garnished with crumbled walnuts and pieces of russet berries, turning the liquid pink. El Camellón de la Tuba, a well-known stand near the center of Colima, was the best thing I tried on my visit. Avoid tuba that looks too brown or tastes too vinegary. * El Camellón de la Tuba, Avenida Constitución 2008, Centro, 28017 Colima, @camellondelatubaoficial
Savor Nico Mejía's restaurants in Manzanillo
Colima ceviche from chef Nico Mejía.
(Daniel Hernandez/Los Angeles Times)
La Sal, cheerful and striking in an old carriage house at his mother's house in Manzanillo, launched chef Nico Mejía's fame as a destination cook in 2020. Earlier this year, he moved La Sal (Colima's coastal lagoons produce excellent salt) to a plot of land directly on a beach facing the Pacific. The restaurant crafts refined regional favorites like Colima ceviche and dry pozole tostada, and mixes cocktails with tuba. the one with white walls Rangel House is Mejía's magnet for internationally inspired local food. Not far away, Mejía's partner, Melissa Santamaría Mora, runs an excellent bakery called Santamaría. These are restaurants on par with any you would see in Guadalajara or Mexico City. *La Sal Playa, Avenida Lázaro Cárdenas 797, Playa Azul las Brisas, 28217 Manzanillo, @lasalplaya_
Drink award-winning beers from Cervecería de Colima
Cervecería de Colima is one of the most acclaimed breweries in Mexico.
(Daniel Hernandez/Los Angeles Times)
Winner of the 2025 Mexico Beer Cup for best large brewery, Cervecería de Colima has been my choice for quality, consistency and innovation since I first tried their pale ale, Páramo. I would compare it to any other of this style. Over the years, I have found that almost everything Cervecería de Colima makes is satisfactory. I enjoyed the session IPA called Piedra Lisa, the brilliant Colimita pilsner, and the brewery's recent addition to the non-alcoholic beverage market, Colima Cero. The headquarters outside the city of Colima offers tastings, and in February, co-founder Esteban Silva and his team opened a tavern in the city called Estación Colimita. When a restaurant anywhere in Mexico offers these beers, I know they know what they're doing. * Colimita Station, Avenida Constitución 1401-local 1, Jardines Vista Hermosa IV, 28017 Colima, @cerveceriadecolima
Enjoy coffee and a casual dinner in Comala and Colima.
A cucumber and mezcal cocktail at a rooftop bar overlooking Colima's central plaza.
(Daniel Hernandez/Los Angeles Times)
Comala is a postcard-worthy town a few kilometers north of Colima. Those familiar with Mexican literature will recognize the name as matching the fictional town in Juan Rulfo's 1955 novel “Pedro Páramo,” the groundbreaking book that Gabriel García Márquez says inspired his magical realist masterpieces. The connection is coincidental, but a certain air of charm hangs over the cobblestone streets and tiled roofs of Comala. According to Silva, who lives near Comala, the restaurants that stand out here are Cuaxiote, De La Suerte and Hacienda Pascual Nogueras with chef Alan Ramos. In the city of Colima for coffee and a good meal, visitors should check out Puerto Café y Cumbre, a restaurant and bakery that stands out in a scenario of growing maturity and ambition. * Cuaxiote, Degollado 81, Centro, 28450 Comala, @cuaxiote
Bite into Colima's iconic dry pozole
Dry pozole is the characteristic regional dish of Colima.
(Daniel Hernandez/Los Angeles Times)
It's Colima's most famous regional specialty: all the ingredients and most of the preparation of a traditional white pozole, just without the liquid that turns it into a stew. Its origins are uncertain, and one story suggests that a cook at the Manzanillo market left a pot of pozole on the fire and forgot about it. When he returned to find the broth had dried out, tradition is that the cook spread the remaining meat and corn dough on toast, and dry pozole was born. Find it in the local markets, diners, diners and restaurants that surround the central plaza of the city of Colima, like the new ¡Aqui Es Colima! of Ramos. * Here is Colima! Portal Morelos 1, Centro, 28000 Colima, @aquiescolimaporgloriadedios
Explore the ancient history of Colima
Ceramic figure of the extinct Mexican dog breed tlalchichi, originally from Colima.
(Daniel Hernandez/Los Angeles Times)
The main pre-Hispanic site in Colima is La Campana, a network of streets and structural bases that is believed to have been established as early as 1870 BC. C. in the Preclassic period of Mexico. The archaeological zone is located right next to the urbanized Colima. In the former hacienda community of Nogueras, near Comala, there is an impressive museum featuring historical and archaeological artifacts, and the aforementioned Pascual restaurant. The museum displays ceramics of an ancient dog native to Colima, similar to Mexico's best-known native hairless dog, the xoloitzcuintle. The tlalchichi breed from Colima is similar, with shorter legs. Although sadly now extinct, the tlalchichi is the state's unofficial mascot, incorporated into signage, marketing, and tourist trinkets. *Alejandro Rangel Hidalgo Nogueras University Museum, Nogueras s/n, 28450 Nogueras, eat it, @alejandrorangel_udec
