Food is an expression of love in Mexico. If you are welcomed to any home, the first question asked, is “Are you hungry?” Whether you’re hungry or not, you will be force to eat. A measure of achievement in any household is a clean plate. Mexico has cultivated some of the best culinary chefs.
The world’s 50 best restaurant awards bestowed accolades to two restaurants in Mexico City. The 12th position went to celebrity chef Enrique Olvera’s restaurant Pujol, and the 24th spot went to chef Jorge Vallejo’s restaurant Quintonil. I highly recommend making reservations at least two months before your trip.
If you are like me and forget to make a reservation, you still can taste Olvera’s cuisine at a more affordable option. Olvera’s café ENO and tortilleria(tortilla bakery) Molino-Pujol offer traditional dishes but with a unique flair. The tortilleria offers an avocado taco (a tortilla with an imprinted leaf, avocado and light cream sauce) it is a humble taco, but it’s simply delicious. Both eateries offer tamales that are exceptional and unconventional in dishes such as the huitlacoche. Huitlacoche is a mushroom that grows on corn; in the United States, it is considered trash, but in Mexico, it is considered a delicious delicacy.
Image by hmerinomx.
For traditional Mexican cuisine, I recommend El Bajio. One of Spain’s most influential chefs, Ferran Adia, claimed, “El Bajio, without any doubt, is the best restaurant of Mexican cuisine that I have been in in my life.” The plantain empanada filled with black beans is a godsend. The owner, Carmen Ramirez Degollado, had no intention of ever becoming a chef, but after her husband passed away, she took over her his business. After 40 years, she became a successful restauranteur, and has been invited to train other chefs how to prepare Mexican dishes including the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in Napa Valley. El Bajio currently has nine restaurants throughout the city, and a recent location opened in downtown (El Centro neighborhood) near Bellas Artes.
If you want something sweet Casa Dulerica de Celaya is where you need to go—located in the Centro (near Bellas Artes). The candy shop opened in 1874 and remains a priceless antiquity. It has not been remodeled and continues to make traditional candies in the basement. Suggestion: try the camotes (sweet potato candies).
Chilaquiles with steak.
Photo taken by me.
El Bajio located in El Centro neighborhood
Photo taken by me.
El Bajio Style Eggs -tortillas topped with eggs in acuyo sauce and chorizo topping. Photo taken by me.
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