Spring is starting, and the nice weather brings interesting cuisine launches in Mexico City. What could be better than enjoying your free time with a delicious meal shared among friends or family, or a business meeting?
Whether you’re having a business lunch, anniversary dinner or are simply interested in changing the same restaurants you always visit, we created a list of the seven new places in different areas of Mexico City that are worth getting to know. Foodies add these restaurants to your list and embark on a cuisine tour!
Nom
People seeking a different cuisine experience must visit Nom in Polanco. Located in the Marché Dumas alley on Alejandro Dumas, Nom is some sort of speakeasy, an open secret with a capacity for only 16 guests. Chef Alejandro Daboud, a Les Roches Marbella graduate, spent many years in that land created gastronomic concepts in a variety of restaurants before returning to Mexico City to launch this interesting concept. This new place offers an omakase menu, meaning the traditional Japanese restaurants where guests sit at the bar and the chef decides what to serve them. In this case, it’s the same concept without being Japanese, they use seasonal ingredients with an emphasis on fish and seafood. They offer a 4-5 course lunch, but dinner consists of nothing less than 9-11 courses, with a wine pairing option. Although the menu changes every day, some of their signature dishes include the foie waffle with black truffles and organic honey, the wagyu steak tartar with caviar, and the hamachi with yuzu vinaigrette and crunchy nori.
Alejandro Dumas 125 Tel: 84343888
Aida Café
There are very few places within the Santa Fe Shopping Mall that truly offer a good gastronomic experience, that’s why this new place, Aida Café, really caught my attention. On the first floor of Via Santa Fe you’ll find this terrace by Grupo Hunan in collaboration with Chef Ana Martorell. The chef originally opened Aromas in Lomas, separated and then devoted herself to creating a variety of gastronomic experiences, including events and cooking courses, before opening this new place, where you’ll feel as if you walked into a French vineyard. The menu offers international dishes with a Mexican twist. The dishes I highly recommend are: the divorced carpaccio with radish and avocado, the corn envelop with mole and green sauce gelatin, the grilled Cesar salad, the shank with Poblano pepper puree and chargrilled tortilla sauce. For dessert lovers, the rosemary cheesecake and caramel envelop, a caramel tamal with mascarpone sauce, it’s delicious!
Vía Santa Fe, Planta Baja Tel: 21678614
Qü-Qoo Kitchen Bar
For those in the Lomas area, Qü-Qoo Kitchen Bar on Avenida de las Palmas is one of those exciting new launches. A restaurant with a great ambiance, incredible decor, excellent drinks and good food, a surprising place from the minute you step inside. The chef behind all this is Irak Roaro, from the renowned Hotel Casa Awolly in Condesa. To start, we suggest ordering the Peregrino with sake, mezcal, lychee and cucumber. For the main course, our favorites are the sea bass tiradito, the suadero and truffles poutine, the ceviche with tiger’s milk, and the hamburger with foie gras and burrata. If you are one of those who can’t finish a meal without something sweet, try the cardamom pastries filled with caramel, you won’t regret it!
Paseo de las Palmas 530 Tel: 84942823
Guli Hagadol
For Mediterranean food lovers, Guli Hagadol recently opened its doors in Polanco to offer the best of Israeli food. It is a casual place on Galileo street, where you can try a variety of salads and pickled vegetables, such as the traditional hummus, babaganoush, cous cous, tabbouleh, rice with lentils, and other entrees. For the main dish, we recommend the falafel wrap in pita bread, or the marinated turkey shawarma on the grill. To conclude this experience with something sweet, you must try the desert delicacy, it features vanilla ice cream with homemade date honey and pecans. If you are visiting for breakfast, you must try the traditional shakshouka, fried eggs in a tomato and green pepper sauce.
Galileo 31 Tel: 5264 5737
Masala y Maíz
Masala y Maíz is a research kitchen, a unique place located in San Miguel Chapultepec. The chefs behind this project are Norma Listman and Saqib Keval, she is Mexican, and he was born in the United States, his parents are Indian farmers from East Africa. They both share an interest in the migration of foods, the culinary techniques of various countries, and the combination of ingredients, achieving interesting dishes. Their ultimate goal is to bring people to the table to share stories and reflect on the many way migrations, flavors and spices have shaped our cultures. The restaurant, formed by one long table, offers a short and interesting menu. Some of their signature dishes include the Makai Paika corn with coconut milk and Kenyan masala (spice mix); the shrimps to peel with homemade masala, pickled cabbage, jicama and peanuts; the chicken thigh with blue corn polenta, and the green mole gordita with chicken, beans and quail eggs. Don’t leave before trying the cardamom merengue with lemon curd, fruits and dates.
*Masala y Maíz is only open for breakfast and lunch, Monday to Saturday.
Calle Gobernador Protasio Tagle 66A, San Miguel Chapultepec Tel: 26141408
Mou’s Original BBQ
If you love BBQ as much as we do, you must know this new place on Río Tiber. It all started in 1988, when three friends at the University of Alabama met Mou, famous in the community of Alabama for his unique way of preparing barbecue and other typical Southern US dishes. After sharing with them his cooking style, recipes and preparation methods, they founded Mou’s Original BBQ, now present in more than 50 cities of the United States. Its specialty are the sandwiches, we recommend the pulled pork, the smoked turkey breast, and the Moy Boy battered shrimp dressed with a creamy tartar sauce, cabbage and pickles, our favorite without a doubt! Pair your sandwich with the mac and cheese or the pork meatballs, they are well worth the calories.
Río Tiber 96 Tel: 59202742
Barrio Shibuya
In Condesa we ran into a small place that offers a relax atmosphere and a deliciously different menu, Barrio Shibuya, a wonderful choice for good sushi, kind to both the palate and the wallet. To start, we suggest trying one of their cocktails, such as the Fresayuzu Martini with strawberries, sake and vodka. To whet the appetite, you can pair it with a grilled shrimp or rib eye robata. Moving on to the rolls, it would be a mistake to not try their own favorites: the seared salmon is a delightful surprise that makes you want to try more. Don’t neglect their yakimeshi options, here they achieve to give it their own touch with fresh ingredients that make all the difference. Ideal o visit as a group and also taste their sashimis, tempuras and teppanyakis
Av Michoacán 103, Condesa
