Mexico City

Cantinas and Botanas: (Mostly) Free for All

For those of us who like a long, boozy lunch unimpeded by thoughts of going back to work – at least once in a while – there is no better place for it than a Mexico City cantina. Although they are mostly no-frills establishments lit by fluorescent bulbs, cantinas have as much personality as London pubs, Paris cafés or New York bars.In a far from egalitarian city, they are the most democratic institutions. Anyone who can afford the price of a drink (which limits the population drastically) is welcome. Cantinas draw their biggest crowds in the traditional Mexican lunch hour, anywhere between 2 and 5 p.m., and a meal in one is usually a drawn-out affair.

Mexico City

Riviera del Sur: The Neo-Cantina

A few months ago, El Portal, one of our favorite cantinas in the Colonia Roma, shut its doors without any warning or fanfare. As we had been customers there for about 15 years, this was a great disappointment, and we were curious when we found out it had reopened. Happily, its current incarnation – as Riviera del Sur, a restaurant that specializes in food from the Yucatán peninsula – promises to be as much of a mainstay for us as El Portal ever was.

Mexico City

Hamburguesas a la Parrilla: The Real Hamburgers of Mexico City

In the past couple of years, in the fashionable neighborhoods of Mexico City, a panoply of high-class hamburger joints has opened. To delineate their distinction from anything to do with Mexico, most of them have names in English, and their menus offer burgers fashioned from ground sirloin, Kobe or Wagyu beef, with toppings as diverse as imported Stilton, caramelized onion and even foie gras. Their decoration is similarly varied, from sidewalk café to faux diner to intimate and candlelit. Perhaps predictably, at these emporiums the clients pay as much for a burger as they would in New York, Los Angeles or maybe even Tokyo.