Merotoro opened in 2012 in the busy streets of La Condesa in Mexico City. The Chef Jair Téllez, founder of Laja a restaurant in the Valle de Guadalupe in northern Mexico, decided it was time to open a restaurant in the city. Merotoro is simple yet sophisticated, the place itself is not pretentious at all but the food speaks for itself. It was recognized as one of the 50 Best Latin American Restaurants in 2014, this just proves my point that the food is outstanding. It had been recommended to me by various people, and even though it has been around for a few years I had never tried it before. It was time to go check it out and write a review about this foodie hot spot.
Although the restaurant is casual the service is flawless, I had read some complaints of the service but my experience was superb and food came out very quickly. The menu is divided in four courses (cold appetizer, hot appetizer, main course and dessert), this is the type of restaurant where you read the menu and you crave everything on it. Unfortunately I couldn’t eat it all but its a great excuse to go back. The menu is mainly fish and seafood but there are other signature dishes apart from this. It is important to mention the place is expensive compared to other restaurants in the city, but its definitely worth the visit!
I had lunch with a friend and we decided to order different dishes so we could try a little bit of everything. For starters I got the sierra ceviche with avocado, poblano and onion it is served with salt crackers, the flavor and presentation of the dish was outstanding. My friend got the beet salad with fennel, nuts, and a grape vinaigrette which was also delicious.
As a main course I got the chicken breast with broccoli puree and salted vegetables while my friend ordered the grilled extraviado ( a fish from the Gulf of Mexico) with pea puree and black olives. The mix of the broccoli puree with my chicken created an interesting mix of flavors.
This restaurant is great for business meetings, nights out with friends or with a date. I would leave the kids at home so you can really enjoy the overall concept and the gorgeous food this restaurant offers. Chef Jair Téllez is one of the chefs which are changing the gastronomy scene in the city making it more cosmopolitan and diverse. As he mentioned in a Eater interview a few years ago he wants his local customers to talk about their experiences in restaurants in Mexico City not only about the ones abroad.
