Cafe Gourmet Mirador, Sucre Bolivia: What a Waste of an Amazing View!!!

by BoliviaBella.com
(Sucre, Bolivia)

Blech! Nuff said.

Blech! Nuff said.

Cafe Gourmet Mirador needs to get its act together and start making a million bucks, like... right now! This restaurant has the best, most awesome view ANYWHERE of the entire sparkling city of Sucre, Bolivia. I don't know what's going on but they need to re-think what they're doing. They are missing out big time on a HUGE opportunity!

La Recoleta is a church and convent situated high above the city of Sucre. It faces a wide plaza, at the end of which is a colonial-style lookout point with dozens of beautiful white arches at the top of a hill. La Recoleta is one of the most visited places in Sucre. You can't get a better view of the sprawling city anywhere. It's stunning!

Café Gourmet Mirador has been built into the hill at one end of the overlook. It has a small darkish inside dining area with big windows and a few tiny tables, but its outside areas are what attracts tourists from all over the world.

The café isn't taking advantage of this opportunity at all. There is a long stone walkway from the restaurant kitchen area to the four outside tables. That's right, just four tables. They have these little round tables with very shabby "umbrella" things that look like they're made of bamboo or sugar cane, a couple of which are falling apart. The chairs are rickety and uncomfortable. It's just not a nice sight. The tables are small and the waitresses can't see them at all from the restaurant area. Guests often have to walk to the kitchen area to ask for something or pay. When you're standing on the mirador looking out over the city, it's an eyesore!

I don't know... I guess from the name and the location and everything I had pictured or expected something way nicer or more elegant or at least well-maintained, you know like in keeping with the dignity that the Recoleta, as a historical landmark, deserves.

Below the kitchen area they have another three or four permanent big stone picnic-table bench type of tables. These aren't shaded at all, can't be moved around, and accommodate up to 8 people. Next to these tables are several large plastic trash cans (???).

The entire place gives you the feeling it was just sort of carelessly thrown together for the backpacker crowd, a sort of park-ish, picnic-ish, hang-out-and-play-chess type of place you'd maybe see on a beach somewhere, like a Jersey shore boardwalk or a "crab shack".

People! Are you kidding me? You're sitting on the primest real estate anywhere in Sucre, your name is "gourmet" (hello?), the food's actually pretty good, and did I mention you've got the best cuppa hot lemonade I've ever tasted in my entire life? I love this place! It's gorgeous! So (shake! shake! shake!) what are you thinking?!

I get that you've got the casual-artsy-beatnik thing going on, but this is Bolivia's capital city, people. So do us, the city and yourselves a favor and capitalize! C-A-P-I-T-A-L-I-Z-E!!!

Cafe Gourmet Mirador
At the Recoleta Plaza
Sucre, Bolivia
Phone: 591-4-643-3038

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May 16, 2014
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this article talks rubbish!!!
by: Anonymous

I have to agree with the previous post. This cafe is fantastic and a real find for Backpacker, Bolivian or flash packer alike.

The food is of a high standerd, the fruit shakes great and the service charming and efficient. Why spoil such a peaceful oasis?! Also a percentage of profit goes to a local children's charity.

It seems (and I could be wrong) to be run by a group of young local girls, I say this as when we were there they were sat round the table discussing changes to the menu. They seem to take real pride in the cafe and grantes whilst limited seating I think that is almost part of its charm.

My only annoyance with this place is that it's not on trip advisor so we could give it the positive review it deserves.


Jul 24, 2013
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What waste?
by: Efrain

How typical! It's been happening for centuries where usually foreigners trying to make a million bucks and depleting natural resources. Why can't you just leave well enough alone. Why is it a waste? We all get to use it, buy a beer and sit on your ass, all day if you have to, and enjoy it. Where's the problem? I live here and I understand not everything is done where you might live, I don't even like the way somethings are done here. However I'm not trying to come and take what's not mine. I see myself as a friendly visitor, if they want my advise they'll ask, if not oh well. Don't wreck yet another cool place because you want to make some @# money. There is an expression where I live, "Welcome to California, now go home". They might apply to you.

Apr 05, 2012
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I totally agree
by: Anonymous

I totally agree with the writer of this article. The café is OK and the food is pretty good, but it's not well-kept. The straw umbrellas are dilapidated and it visually looks awful. Which is sad because the view is AMAZING! Really this restaurant isn't taking advantage of the gorgeous setting it has. It's pretty much just a tourist and backpacker hangout. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I'm packing through Chile and Bolivia myself, so it's fine for my needs, but they really could offer something amazing - from a marketing point of view (let's say a business point of view) they could do something really awesome with this place. This of course, would be commercializing it to Western standards.

But what is true as well, that it's kind of an eyesore. This is a historical monument, and the view of the city itself is beautiful. But the first thing you see is the awful shabby restaurant umbrellas and mangy tourists (including myself) with their backpacks thrown all over the ground around the tables, some even with towels spread out sunning themselves. So it hurts the city, as a tourist destination, to have something like that there. And that has nothing to do with Western commercialization. That I say from the point of view of a tourist.

Nov 16, 2011
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Stop whining
by: Anonymous

Having been in Sucre for 6 weeks and enjoying lunch at the Mirador on more than 10 occasions, I for one and all the friends I shared time with here love the Mirador for what it is. A great value, quality food diner with very comfortable deck chairs and the best view in town where you can just laze around in the sun. Why does everything need to be commercialized to western standards.

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