Mexico City Crawl (Rosetta, Pujol, Máximo, and bonus pics!)

Hi everyone!

Been meaning to get around to posting this, but I went to Mexico City several months ago and tried to eat as many tacos as I could while checking out a few Michelin-starred places. Not all pics of my dinners, especially the taco omakase at Pujol, are included, but I tried to include all the highlights!

1. Rosetta
2. Savoy cabbage tacos with romeritos and pistachio pipián (a light bite to start – the pipián mole was extraordinarily delicious and had the texture of a mousse with a savory, cheesy taste. The kind of thing that makes vegetarianism easy)
3. Baked suckling pig (underwhelmed by this one – the meat was ok, but the skin lacked the crispness I found at Belcanto in Lisbon. The onion garnishes were headscratching-ly basic and the carrot puree was basic)

I brought my mom here because it was a more accessible and less intimidating menu than ones found at other starred establishments in CDMX. She enjoyed her meal just fine but we both thought it was nothing special. Top 50 placement is a joke. The most memorable moment of the night was when she accidentally lit her menu on fire with the open flame candle because it was so dark inside. I had to plunge her menu into her water glass. Service was excellent, though.

1. Pujol (taco omakase)
2. Lobster salpicon, artichokes (delicious and refreshing, stirring the dish to unearth the tender morsels of lobster underneath harmonized all of the ingredients together. Brilliant contrasts of taste and textures. The oils that dotted the surface were fragrant and added notes of complexity to the dish)
3. Octopus taco (chile güero not pictured – clean flavor with a tender texture and a slight char, met all my basic standards for good octopus. The chile güero brought a touch of heat and brightness)
4. Pork tlayuda, castacán (my favorite dish of the night and beautifully presented, the pork had explosive flavor and a wonderfully satisfying supple texture. Tiny dots of habanero brought the heat but not too much. The shell was crunchy and supportive, making for a proper platform to deliver the flavor. So good)
5. Soft shell crab taco, Szechuan pepper, green mole, jasmine rice (a close 2nd place favorite, I never knew I needed Mexican/Japanese fusion like this. It ate like sushi. It ate like a taco. The cucumber salsa brought a citrusy freshness. The green mole was smooth and buttery. The crab was fresh and crispy without being crunchy. I can’t imagine a more inventive taco than this.)

Pujol has been polarizing as of late. It wasn’t my favorite 2-star restaurant (the title currently belongs to CODA in Berlin) but the highs were very high. I didn’t include some pictures of underwhelming dishes (fish chorizo empanadas, dessert, etc.) Overall I had a great time, and I thought the Mexican drink pairing was interesting as well. Sitting at the bar created a cool atmosphere that I enjoyed greatly. It was a bit overpriced and overhyped, but I don’t feel robbed. It also very clearly wasn’t an omakase by the literal definition, but I’m ok with playing a little fast and loose with the denotation. I thought the property itself was beautiful and this was before the recent renovation.

1. Máximo
2. Sweet onion cooked in whey, Comté cheese, cruffin (an absolutely insane dish and insanely rich – I wish the creamy, salty, buttery flavors were tamed and balanced by other flavors but it was quite satisfying for the first two bites. Not sure what I expected but it was a lot. Unhinged but I respect it for what it is)
3. Lamb birria “sincronizada”, pickled onion, organic beans (this may have been my mistake – this dish was so cheesy and slightly greasy, which turned me off a little bit after the first course. I wish there were 3x the amount of pickled onions just to get rid of the film of fat on my tongue. I couldn’t finish it, although the lamb was tender and flavorful. I felt like I was going to explode. Note to self: get some veggies next time)

I think I approached this a la carte meal with the wrong idea. The two dishes by themselves were pretty good, if not very good, but together, they had to roll me home and I didn’t feel good about myself. The cheese got me good. Máximo gets a lot of love on here and I don’t doubt that that it is great, I just didn’t see greatness on the day I went. The dining room is stunning, however, and service was Michelin-quality (this is before they got their star). I’d like to try their tasting menu if/when I return.

1. El Turix (I’m either an idiot or a genius, but I stopped by for exactly one taco before heading into Pujol and ate it on the street. Glorious. The kind of warm, tender, tangy pork that invigorate your salivary glands. My favorite taco of the whole trip.)

2. Tacos los Cocuyos (who can resist a bubbling cauldron of meat? Hit the spot for a quick, affordable lunch and satisfied my taco quota for the afternoon. Not the best tasting tacos I’ve ever had, but the place is legendary and deserves recognition)

3. Panaderia Rosetta (one of the best bites of my trip was the kimchi quesadilla, which I had for breakfast. Just outstanding. I was surprised to get such high quality kimchi at a place like this, but it’s crunchy, spicy, umami-packed shreds melded beautifully with the melty cheese. The guava roll was top-notch as well.

If you have any questions, let me know!