This post picks up where the last left off, with great, upscale restaurants that I visited while in CDMX. In the last post, I reviewed my three favorites, Maximo Bistrot, Masala y Maiz and Contramar. In this post, I'll share my experience at five more places I would recommend.
Ticuchi
Ticuchi
Ticuchi is a restaurant by chef Enrique Olvera that focuses on Oaxacan vegetarian dishes. The restaurant is located in the former Pujol space and has a dark, polished, cave-like atmosphere. This tracks, as Ticuchi is named after the Nahuatl word for “bat.” The design and atmosphere draw inspiration from Mexico's cenotes, which I visited during a previous trip to Tulum.
Mezcal Margarita with Smoked Salt Rim
The ambiance reads more like a bar than a restaurant, in my opinion, and the vibe works because Ticuchi has quickly gained a reputation, not only for food, but for being an elite and sophisticated cocktail bar.
Tamal de Esquites
The most ordered and famous dish at Ticuchi is the corn tamal. The tamal is made with tender, moist masa and filled with spiced, roasted corn and cheese. This is a must order dish if you visit the restaurant.
Open Kitchen at Ticuchi
Ticuchi is also known for their tlayudas. Tlayudas are a traditional Oaxacan dish that consists of a large, thin, crispy tortilla. Think, a fried or toasted Mexican pizza. At Ticuchi, you can watch them being made and cooked in the open kitchen.
Tlayuda de Frijoles
Since tlayudas are a speciality of Ticuchi, we made sure to order one. Ours came with black beans, cheese, watercress and pickled onions. I recommend Ticuchi for a quick drink or snack.
Malix
Next is Malix, located in the heart of Polanco and recommended by Michelin for its "free roaming menu that incorporates Mexican cuisine as well as global influences."
The space is intimate and centers around Malix' gorgeous, u-shaped bar. If you visit, check out their wine list which offers some lovely natural wines.
Heirloom Grain Sourdough
We stopped in at Malix for a few snacks. To accompany our first appetizer, the kitchen sent out some freshly baked sourdough bread ...
Pâté
... with our house made pâté. Along with the bread, the pâté was served with a quenelle of olive tapenade and watercress. Slathered on the freshly baked bread, or on its own, it was amazing.
Grilled Eggplant and Choyote Salad
We also ordered this salad made with very thinly sliced and steamed chayote, as well as grilled eggplant, all drizzled with high quality olive oil and sprinkled with maldon sea salt. The salad was mind and palate blowing. We devoured it and almost ordered another. If you have dietary restrictions, it's perfect because it is vegan, vegetarian, gluten free and dairy free, but not flavor free.
Meroma
Meroma
Meroma is a cozy restaurant with great al fresco dining and even better food. The restaurant is a wonderful mid-priced option where, in addition to yummy food, you can choose from various cocktails and natural wines.
Oysters
We started our meal with champagne, which went nicely with the oysters served with a simple mignonette sauce.
Baby Fried Artichokes
Next, we shared the baby fried artichokes with labneh, a Middle Eastern strained yogurt, and crushed black pepper. While artichokes are not necessarily expensive, they are cumbersome to prepare, so I try to order them while dining out when possible. Somehow they taste so much more delicious when someone else has done all the labor to prepare them and extract the prized heart.
Zucchini Flower
We also shared the zucchini flower, also known as a squash blossom. It was dipped in tempura batter, fried and then lightly sprinkled with cheese.
Pappardelle Nero di Sepia
Last, we ordered the pappardelle nero de sepia. The squid ink pasta was my favorite dish. It was served with sea urchin butter, chives, lemon from Malinalco and reserve soy. Conde Nast has said that it serves, "perhaps the best pasta in Mexico City." I don't disagree.
Cafe de Tacuba
On the other side of town in Centro Histórico, we visited one of the oldest restaurants in Mexico City. Cafe de Tacuba opened its doors in 1912.
Cafe de Tacuba Dining Room
If you are a history lover like me, you will appreciate that minimal change has occurred since. Brass chandeliers hang from the ceiling, there is beautiful tile on the walls, talavera, a pottery indigenous to Puebla and Tlaxcala, accents the hallways and mariachis play while you dine.
Cafe de Tacuba is located on Calle de Tacuba, said to be the city's oldest road. The restaurant is housed in a former convent and has been visited by virtually every Mexican president, Diego Rivera and plenty of other locals, celebrities and tourists.
Botana Mexicana
Hoping to get a taste of everything, we ordered the Botana Mexicana, a sampler plate. It included a torta, panuchus, sopes and quesadillas. That was more than enough food for the two of us, but the server insisted we also order the house speciality.
Enchilada de Tacuba
That house speciality is an enchilada named after the restaurant itself. The Enchilada de Tacuba is stuffed with chicken and spinach and then smothered in a cheese sauce, as well as topped with shredded cheese. Once assembled, it is quickly broiled to achieve a tiny bit of crust.
Limosneros
Limosneros
The final restaurant in this post is Limosneros, named after the limosneros walls made of stone and volcanic rock, built in ancient times, that you can still find in Mexico City. Limosneros is owned by the same family as Cafe de Tacuba. Owner, Juan Pablo Ballesteros, describes Limosneros as “Café de Tacuba’s rebellious son.”
Canalla
We launched our dinner with cocktails. I ordered the canalla made with agave mexicano, tamarind, sweet ancho chili and finished with a crushed peanut rim.
Bolognese
Next, we had a Mexican bolognese made of ground beef, flavored with Mexican spices, topped with avocado puree and served on tiny corn chips.
Wagyu Skirt and Stuffed Chili Taco
We also selected two types of tacos to share. First was the wagyu skirt steak taco topped with a prickly pear “pico de gallo,” sweet morita sauce and a slice of torcher fig. We also enjoyed the stuffed chili taco made with a pasilla pepper that was stuffed with pork rillete, picked vegetables and maztuerzo leaves.
Cecina Tartare
The cecina tartare came highly recommended, so we added it to our line up. It was made with beef skirt steak, chorizo and topped with two sauces, fresh herbs and both a pork and cactus chicharron crust.
Oaxaca Croquettes
The Oaxaca croquettes were also delightful. They were stuffed with chorizo, beef and coriander aioli before being deep fried and finished with shredded cheese and a basil leaf.
Cocopaches
Our final dish was the cocopaches made with "nogada" nut sauce, crunchy squash blossoms, smoked chilhuacle, chili and molasses. To confirm, those are indeed insects on the plate, included to celebrate Mexico's culinary heritage. More on that in my previous post about Mexico City's street food scene.
I hope you are enjoying this series about CDMX because there is still more to come, including a museum visit, a boat ride, a hot air ballon ride and a trip to one of the top restaurants in the world. Hope to see you soon.
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