Eating and Drinking in Mexico City in 2022
EATING AND DRINKING IN MEXICO CITY
Just got back from a week in Mexico City, one of the reasons I haven’t posted in a couple of weeks. CDMX (as it’s called) is a great destination for its arts, culture and food. The food that we had on this trip was to die for.
Lucky for us, we managed to snag a reservation at Pujol for lunch, but more about that later. The food in general was terrific, with so many restaurants to choose from. CDMX has quite a large number of International ethnic restaurants: Japanese, Chinese, Indian, Italian, etc. among others, especially in the touristy areas but we stuck with the local cuisine. Though every meal was good, I will describe only some of our more memorable meals below. Also Mexico is much more affordable compared to the US or Europe (remember $1 = 20 pesos).
Our first night we went to a restaurant in Polanco named ‘Cabanna’, the local branch of a small chain. I had the most wonderful shrimp and fish tacos with shots of tequila. I’ve had lots of tacos in L.A. and elsewhere but these were something else. The well seasoned shrimp was lightly grilled and wrapped in a crispy cheese layer and then placed in a tortilla with a slice of avocado – simple and yet perfect! We also had poblano peppers stuffed with shrimp and topped with a tangy Asian style sauce – it was mouth watering.
https://cabanna.com.mx/sucursales/polanco/
Inside Cabanna
The following day we tried another highly recommended restaurant: ‘Balcon de Zocalo’ which was situated within a hotel on a terrace overlooking the Zocalo square – the historic heart of the city. The restaurant is beautiful with killer views of the square with the cathedral, Aztec ruins and the Presidential palace below and yet far from the hustle and bustle. This time I opted for ceviche and vegetarian tacos of seasonal flowers, stewed mole and honey and washed it down with local beer. The tacos were sweet and savory and very light. I would highly recommend this restaurant for the great views, moderate price, wonderful service and excellent food.
https://www.balcondelzocalo.com/
One night we went to the ‘Rosa Negra’ in Polanco. We didn’t have reservations and the restaurant was packed, but they seated us right away. This is a branch of a small local chain of restaurants. It was great for dinner as they had live music and a wonderful ambiance. At one point, we were each handed a candle to hold, the lights were dimmed and we joined the waiters in singing ‘Sweet Caroline’ together. It was great fun. This place is expensive, but worth every penny. We had ‘street corn’ with cocktails and then I had whole fried fish which was outstanding.
Our most memorable meal, as expected, was at ‘Pujol’. Named among the top 25 restaurants in the world for several years, and in the top 5 in 2022, this is a destination by itself. We watched Netflix’ ‘Chef’s Table’ which featured Chef Enrique Olvera and his vision for ‘Pujol’. We’ve also been to his local L.A. restaurant ‘Damian’ and had mixed feelings. However ‘Pujol’ was something out of this world. The restaurant itself is stunningly beautiful with a very Scandinavian minimalist decor and feel. We opted for the tasting menu and I ate things (snails, ant roe, etc.) that I would have never eaten otherwise. The tasting menu consisted of 7 courses (check the menu below), which we had with a bottle of wine. My favorite was the talyuda with brussel sprouts. Unfortunately, I didn’t care as much for the much hyped ‘mole madre’, though the presentation was unique. Even though the food did not meet my expectations and was disappointing, the whole experience with the outstanding service and ambiance makes this a must visit and should be on top of anyone’s visit to Mexico City. This is definitely worth the splurge. We also noticed that a line had formed outside when we left and so people who could not get a reservation were let in after the lunch service.
We also went to an old former bullfighting ring and its associated restaurant ‘Arroyo’ in the southern part of the city, on our drive to Xochimilco. The food here, especially the mole was very good and they have a great selection of tequilas.
We also tried a number of street vendors and the ‘El Pastor’ tacos all over the city were inexpensive and super tasty. In summary, all the food we had in Mexico city was excellent and visiting ‘Pujol’ at least once in a lifetime is a must.