Karen’s Place

Karen Blair flew from her home in Manchester, England, for a visit with her father, who lived in Bucerias. That was 1992. And, that was just the beginning.

These days, at Karen’s Place she’s featuring “Sunday Carvery”, a delicious rotation of prime rib and yorkshires, turkey with all the trimmings, and this Sunday, August 2, she’s offering roast leg of lamb with mint sauce. Make your reservation now, the seats quickly fill up. Feel comfortable…Karen’s Place is taking all precautionary measures and adhering to all safety protocols as required, to keep staff and customers healthy and safe.

Karen took a few minutes from her busy life to sit down with us at the restaurant. As a businesswoman, wife and mother of two teenagers, she has her plate full, so to speak. We enjoyed listening to some of her stories, sprinkled with laughter.

After annual visits with her dad Jeff, and his wife, Dresden here in Bucerias, Karen came one year and stayed for three months. Of course, she “loved it here, and decided to come back, not with the intention of opening a business but just for another visit, maybe with thoughts of living here for a while.” Within a week, she had a job at Paradise Village, and by the second week, Jan offered Karen a position as a waitress at Mark’s Bar & Grill. “I had no intention of ever staying.”

Fast forward to 1998, when Karen’s Place first opened, “Right there where those condos are,” she says, pointing to the Costa Dorada complex. “For the first four years I was over that side and then I moved it over here. When I first opened I used to cry every night. I hated it. Oh, it was awful. I thought I couldn’t do it. After being open for about three months, it did start getting busier, for that year. I think when you first start any business it’s pretty hard on you.” Now, Karen says the most difficult thing is, “Day to day, keeping your standards as high as you want them to be. You always have to be full of energy to keep it as the business you want. The easiest part is having really good people that work with me. They are a joy, and they are really great people that want to help and do a good job. Julissa has been our cook since day one, and a lot have been here a long time, most around 10 years.”

“Whatever money was available I’d reinvest, make a new plan, just growing it, really.”

The current location first seated thirty people. Not only has Karen’s Place become physically larger, but her list of loyal customers becomes longer every year, with many finding their favourite menu item or barstool. Breakfast, lunch or dinner, the quality of food and service never declines. Want to sit on the beach nearby? Servers will happily bring drinks and menus!

Home to what we call the Happy Hour “10 Second Pour”, you’ll find a friendly crowd, chattering and bantering among friends and top-notch staff, enjoying oldies through the speakers, and raising ice cold glasses. In the evening, enjoy a classy dining experience, watching the beautiful sunset and starry skies; often with live music, and occasionally featuring Karen’s husband Rigo, as a member of the Brazilian jazz trio, Tres en Bossa. You may even hear her daughter sing a song or two, if you’re lucky.

Aside from all her responsibilities, Karen loves paddle boarding and the sea life she encounters while on the bay. She also rides her bicycle as part of her fitness routine, but not as often as she’d like.

Karen has a flair for, and a diploma in, flower arranging. She’ll organize your wedding, right on the beach, with decorations that will make any bride feel like a princess, and the elegant dining tables, adorned with candles and even more flowers, will have wedding guests thinking they’re royalty.

Speaking of love, we know how you already feel about going to Karen’s Place. We will, no doubt, run into you there one day very soon. Don’t forget to make your reservations for every Sunday Carvery. Cheers!

Many thanks to Karen, as well as Alex, everyone’s fave “Morning Manager”, for providing most of the photos.

Please note: group photos and music photo were taken prior to the pandemic. Currently, no live music is scheduled, and proper distancing protocols are in place.