Guadalajara Tequila ToursCantaritos El Güero, Amatitán
Last reviewed September 2026
Cantaritos El Güero is the open-air cantina on the old Guadalajara–Tepic road at Amatitán where most tequila day trips end, and it sells one thing seriously: the cantarito, a mix of tequila, lime, grapefruit soda and salt served in a clay cup. Prices start at MX$110 for the 500 ml size and run to MX$4,080 for a 21-litre jar meant for a table. It opens 11:00 to 23:00 daily, seats several hundred people, and on a weekend the queue to get in can reach three hours. Five of the tequila day trips from Guadalajara finish there and a sixth offers it as a paid stop, which is the simplest way past that queue.
Quick answer MX$110 for the small one, three hours in the weekend queue
A cantarito at El Güero starts at MX$110 for the 500 ml size and MX$220 for the litre, with prices rising by the tequila you choose; the shared sizes go MX$1,360 for 7 litres, MX$2,720 for 14 and MX$4,080 for 21. The place opens 11:00 to 23:00 every day and sits at kilómetro 49–50 of the free Guadalajara–Tepic road in Amatitán, about 50 minutes from Guadalajara. On weekends the entry queue can run to three hours, which is the single strongest argument for arriving with a tour group in the middle of the afternoon rather than on your own at seven.
Key takeaways
- 500 ml MX$110, 1 litre MX$220, the two sizes most visitors actually order
- The 7, 14 and 21-litre jars are for a table, not a person: MX$1,360 to MX$4,080
- Weekend queues reach three hours; tour groups arrive mid-afternoon instead
- Included in the fare on the extended classic tour, two hours with the drinks paid for
- Not on your list at all? Three day trips skip it entirely
What a Cantarito Costs
Five sizes, one recipe, and a price that moves with the tequila you pick.
The menu, by size
The house sells the same drink in five formats, and the published starting prices below are for the base tequila; choosing a premium bottle raises them. Sizes above a litre are shared jars carried to the table, not something one person drinks.
| Size | Volume | From | What it is for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chico | 500 ml | MX$110 | One drink, one person |
| Mediano | 1 litre | MX$220 | The standard order, and the one in every photograph |
| Grande | 7 litres | MX$1,360 | A table of four to six |
| Extra grande | 14 litres | MX$2,720 | A large group |
| Jumbo | 21 litres | MX$4,080 | A party, and a photograph |
What is in it
Tequila, fresh lime, grapefruit soda, orange and a salted rim, served over ice in a barro cup, the clay is the point, because it keeps the drink cold and gives it the earthy edge that a glass does not. That is the classic build; the bar also pours variations with different citrus and different tequilas.
The clay cup is what people carry home. On the barrel-ride day trip the cantarito and its cup are included in the tour price, which is unusual, on most listings you pay at the bar.
The rest of the bill
There is food: seafood and regional dishes, since the venue is a restaurant as much as a bar. Nothing about it is expensive by Guadalajara standards, but almost nothing about the day is card-friendly either. Bring pesos in cash.
On most tequila tours the stop is 80 minutes to two hours with your own tab. The exception is the extended classic tour, where two hours and the drinks are both inside the $46 fare.
Getting There, and Getting In
The address is easy. The door, on a Saturday, is not.
Where it is
Cantaritos El Güero #1 sits on the free Guadalajara–Tepic road at kilómetro 49–50, in Amatitán, Jalisco 46400, between Guadalajara and Tequila, closer to the former, and about 50 minutes from the Minerva roundabout by road.
That position matters: it is in Amatitán, not in Tequila town, so it is not somewhere you stroll to after a distillery visit. The second-class buses run to Tequila town, past it rather than to it. The full transport picture.
The queue
The venue holds several hundred tables and still fills. Google reviewers report waits of up to three hours to get in at weekends, and the standing advice is to wear something comfortable because you will be standing in it.
Tour groups sidestep most of that by arriving in the mid-afternoon window, between the lunch rush and the evening crowd, which is precisely when the day trips reach it, most itineraries here put the stop between 15:45 and 17:15.
Opening hours and timing
Open 11:00 to 23:00, seven days a week. The live music and the atmosphere both build through the afternoon; at 11:00 it is a quiet restaurant with a view of the agave, at 19:00 it is a party.
If a party is not what you want from a day in the agave valley, the listings that skip it are the José Cuervo factory day, the Casa Herradura hacienda and the day trip with hotel pickup.
Which Tours Stop Here, and For How Long
The stop is not equal across the listings, the range is 80 minutes to a full two hours, and only one includes what you drink.
The stop, tour by tour
Every figure below is the operator's own published stop length, read off the listings compared on this site. Only one covers your consumption.
| Tour | Price | Time at Cantaritos | Drinks included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classic tour, extended stop | $46 | 2 hours | Yes |
| Tres Mujeres small-group day | $47 | 2 hours | No |
| Premium route, Destino Agave | $65 | 1.5 hours | No |
| Premium tour with pairings | $65 | 1.5 hours | No |
| Barrel ride day | $89 | 80 minutes | Cantarito and cup included |
| Tequila Trail, Panoramex | $59 | Optional, extra fee | No |
Two hours, or ninety minutes?
Two hours is a long time in a loud room if you are not drinking, and a short one if you are. Reviewers split cleanly on this: one wrote that the extended hours at the cantina were the best part of the day; another, on a premium route, said they would rather have swapped some of it for more time in the Pueblo Mágico.
Both are reasonable. Read the stop length before you book rather than after.
Going independently
You can, and plenty do, it is a restaurant with a car park, not a members' club. The obstacles are the weekend queue, the fact that it is in Amatitán rather than in Tequila town, and the drive home afterwards, which nobody should do having ordered a litre cantarito.
If you want the cantina without a tour, go on a weekday, arrive before 15:00, and arrange your return before you order. The transport options, costed.
Eating, Paying and Getting Home
The cantina is a restaurant with a car park, and the practical questions are the ones nobody answers.
The food, and why it matters
El Güero is a mariscos house as much as a bar: seafood cocktails, aguachile, ceviche tostadas and grilled fish come out of the kitchen all afternoon, which is a considerable improvement on drinking litre cantaritos on an empty stomach after a distillery tasting.
On the tours that arrive here at four or five in the afternoon, this is realistically your second meal. Budget for it in cash, in pesos, alongside the drinks.
Arriving, by tour or on your own
The venue sits on the free road rather than the toll highway, which is why the tours take the slower route home. Every option below reaches it; only one of them solves the drive back.
| How you arrive | What it costs | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| On a guided day trip | Inside a $46 to $89 fare | You get the operator's stop length, 80 minutes to two hours |
| By car | Fuel plus parking on site | Somebody has to stay dry, which defeats the visit |
| By taxi or Uber from Tequila town | Short hop, but few cars in Amatitán | Getting back out again in the evening |
| By bus | Not served directly; the buses run to Tequila town | A walk or a taxi on an unlit road |
Timing the visit
Arrive before 15:00 on a weekday and you walk in. Arrive at 19:00 on a Saturday in December and you queue. The live music builds through the afternoon, so the atmosphere people photograph belongs to the second half of the day, not the first.
If you want both the calm and the band, the mid-afternoon window is the answer, which is exactly when the group day trips pull in.
Questions About Cantaritos El Güero
How much does a cantarito cost at El Güero?
From MX$110 for the 500 ml chico and MX$220 for the litre, with the price rising according to which tequila you choose. The shared jars are MX$1,360 for 7 litres, MX$2,720 for 14 litres and MX$4,080 for 21 litres.
What is in a cantarito?
Tequila, fresh lime, grapefruit soda and orange, with a salted rim, served over ice in a clay cup. The clay is not decoration, it keeps the drink cold and gives it the flavour that makes the drink specific to this part of Jalisco.
Where is Cantaritos El Güero?
On the free Guadalajara–Tepic road at kilómetro 49–50 in Amatitán, Jalisco 46400, between Guadalajara and Tequila town, about 50 minutes from the Minerva roundabout. It is not in Tequila itself, which is why almost everyone arrives on a tour or by car.
How long is the queue?
At weekends it can reach three hours, according to visitor reports, because the place fills even with several hundred tables. Tour groups arrive in the mid-afternoon window between the lunch and evening crowds, which is the practical way around it.
What are the opening hours?
11:00 to 23:00, seven days a week. It is quiet and restaurant-like early, and a full party with live music by the evening.
Which tequila tour includes the drinks?
The extended classic tour at $46 includes two hours at Cantaritos with your consumption covered, and the barrel-ride day includes one cantarito and the clay cup. On every other listing here the bar tab is your own.
Can I skip Cantaritos and still do a tequila tour?
Yes. The José Cuervo factory day, the Casa Herradura hacienda visit and the Amigo Tours day trip do not stop there at all, and the Panoramex trail tour lists the cantarito stop as optional.
Is there more than one Cantaritos El Güero?
The one the tours use, and the one visitors mean, is Cantaritos El Güero #1 on the free Guadalajara to Tepic road at kilómetro 49 to 50 in Amatitán. Imitators and second locations exist along the same road, which is why the operators' itineraries name the number. If you are navigating yourself, search the address rather than the name, and expect the car park to be full from mid-afternoon at weekends.
Do you need to book a table?
No, and you cannot in the usual sense. It works as a walk-in with a queue, which is why the wait stretches to three hours on a busy weekend. Groups arriving on a tour are handled as a group, which is the practical shortcut. On a weekday afternoon there is normally no wait at all.