yestravel

We'll be in SMdA for 6 days next month. would love to have some recommendations for restaurants. We're interested in everything from stands to fine dining-looking mostly for Mex food.

Weekender gave me the following on another post, "We went to the rooftop bar at The Rosewood Hotel every day around 5 for sunset cocktails and bar food. Wonderful setting. Do not miss this.

Other places we enjoyed were La Posadita, Cafe de la Parroquia and Mama Mia."
thanks

estill

We just left San Miguel yesterday. The best meal we had was, by far, a lunch at Aperi in the Hotel Dos Casas. Matteo, the extremely personable young chef, serves a kind of Mexican based international cuisine, using fresh local ingredients. We tried a number of other recommended restaurants but were disappointed except, to my surprise, at the Rosewood Hotel. We, too, enjoyed sunset cocktails on the
Rosewood roof, which was lovely, but it got so cold up there as the sun went down that we were driven indoors to warm up. We had very good salads and a sea bass entree in the hotel's main restaurant. We were very disappointed in the Mexican food we had at Tacos Don Felix and Hecho en Mexico. If we went again, I think we'd try eating at the market, where people whose taste we seemed to share said they'd had very good food. We did have a delicious Mexican lunch in Dolores Hidalgo at a place on the main street named something Vicente's--carnitas and wonderful guacamole. And if you're interested in ceramics, De Talavera at Puebla No. 60 has room after room of splendid traditional pottery.

Our experience at Cafe de la Parroquia was unsatisfactory even before my daughter got sick from her lunch there, so I do not recommend it. Our food was barely mediocre.

I have very much enjoyed reading of your and go travel's trips and hope this one will be another success.

Estill

yestravel

Thanks, estill, for the information. Sorry your daughter got sick. Glad you have enjoyed our TRs.

baldone

One thing to keep in mind is that this part of Mexico is not really known for unique foods such as you'll find in Puebla, Oaxaca, or the Yucatan. That said, San Miguel has some 80-100 restaurants to offer. So, here's some suggestions and comments.
Estill's comments are curious, in that he or she stayed at one of the more exclusive hotels (Dos Casas) and ate there and at one of the more expensive/exclusive restaurants (Rosewood), yet recommends to others to eat in the markets (while he/she didnt) and yet expresses concern about getting sick. So there's a big disconnect there. So, here's some real life suggestions.
Breakfast, Posada de Carmina, Media Naranja, Parroquia. We regularly eat at Parroquia with our personal physician, so no worries.
Lunch/dinner. Posadita, best rooftop in centro. Closed Wed. Hecho en Mexico, Tex-Mex comfort food with live music on Friday/Saturday with Pedro Cartas. Not to be missed. Mi Casa at Institute Allende. One of the better arracheras plus live music with Gil Gutierrez. Not to be missed, check his schedule.
A couple of mostly Mexican suggestions: La Bugambilla, one of San Miguel's oldest and continuously operated restaurants. They've moved twice in the last few years, so that's hurt their popularity. La Dona Candy is your gracious host. As traditional as it gets; spicy salsa. Casa Del Diezmo, on Jesus. They specialize in Yucatan food. Lovely patio. Our one time there was average, but we need to go back.
There are a couple of very popular taco carts on the corner of Ancha de San Atonio/Zacateros that do a huge business. There is also a gorditas place across from the biblioteca on Insurgentes that is very good.
Feel free to ask more questions.

baldone

I will add, Mama Mia's is very popular with the nationals, especially on the weekends. Average Italian/pizza, but a very nice setting close to the jardin. Fish bowl-ish margaritas with lots of ice. Good service, with good live music Tues/Wed/Thurs. Worth a visit when they have music.
Next door is Pueblo Viejo, with the rooftop "Azotea" and their jicama tacos. Very busy on the weekends. Their main floor restaurant has a number of traditional Mexican dishes as well. Their molcajete is good, and with the complimentary chips and bread, you could easily split one and be good.

estill

Without wanting to be contentious, but merely to set the record straight, I did not stay at Hotel Dos Casas, but in a charming small house where we put together some of our meals ourselves. We stayed only a week, which isn't really long enough to get a feel for where one really likes to go to eat. it's mostly a matter of experimenting, which is what we did and why my report may have sounded disjointed. We Ate at Dos Casa's restaurant the first time at the recommendation of our hostess at one of the houses on the Sunday House Tour, which is fun and interesting-and which I recommend. The food was so very good that we went back a second time.

On the other hand, one does have impressions and opinions, and I wanted to pass those few along to Yestravel. I do want to say that Baldone is far more experienced in this area than I, and a much richer source of information--with the caveat that we DID get sick at Le Parroquia,which is the only reason I mentioned a concern with getting sick.

As to eating at the market, we didn't do that because on this trip we didn't manage to work it in, but we wish we had, and I'm suggesting that Yes- and Gotravel might want to do that.

In any case, I wish you happy and healthy eating!

Estill

yestravel

Thanks for your suggestions. Very happy to hear La Bugambilla is still around. One of our favorite dishes, Chiles en Nogada, used to be a speciality there.
I imagine we will eat at the market.
Do we need reservations at any of these places?

yestravel

baldone, do you happen to know the street La Bugambilla is on? In googling it I find it at a couple addresses. thanks!

baldone

Bugambilla is on Mesones.
It would be a good idea for reservations in the evening at Posadita, and if you go for the music at Mi Casa and Hecho en Mexico, then you should as well. Hecho's has no cover, but a $150 minimum per person, and last time we went to Mi Casa, I think the tickets/cover was $150, but well worth it. Gil plays with Doc Severinson when he's (Doc) in town, most recently at Teatro Angela Peralta.
Estill, apologies. I didn't mean to be snarky. As well I am sorry for your experience. One can get a bug just about anywhere.
Here's a link to a good source of local foodie joint reviews, Mexican and otherwise: http://dondayinsma.com/

baldone

Now I'm getting annoying, sorry.
You might want to check out Don Taco Tequila on Hernandez Macias, more traditional tacos in an upscale, but not fancy, setting. There is a place called Mezcalaria, a tapas restaurant on Correo you might check out for their white pepper infused cucumber/cilantro Mezcal margaritas. Very unique. And Via Organica is one of the few places that brew their own beers, they have a Nopal beer for something uniquely Mexican.

yestravel

Not annoying at all -- appreciate all your great information on this thread and my one for Oaxaca. Do you live in Mexico or just visit a lot?

baldone

We live here, after visiting a lot.

yestravel

Thanks again for all your suggestions. We ending our six nights in SMA and have eaten at many of the suggestions. We went to Rosewood and had great drinks and apps, but alas too cloudy for a sunset. We patiently waited to go back, but cloudy
Or rainy subsequent nights. Maybe tonight, but not looking good so far today.

We enjoyed breakfast/lunch at the Tuesday market and this am at the Organic market. Both excellent. The taco stands on the corner of Ancho de San Antonio and Zacatercas is 5 minutes from our apt so we tried tacos there also and they were good. Other breakfasts were are Posada Carmina and Cafe de la Parroquia.

dinners included La Posadita which was ok. I was a touch disappointed in La Bugambilla or I just exaggerated them in my memory over the years. Good meal at Heche en Mexico and we return there tonight to hear music.

We caught a Flamenco sho

yestravel

Oops submitted accidentally. Sorry for all the typos.
We saw a great Flamenco show at Insitituo. Couldn't get reservations to hear Gil Gutierrez but was able to sit right outside on the patio and heard them just fine.

All in all we had some great foods and thoroughly enjoyed our time in SMA. Onto DF tomorrow.

Really appreciated the recommendations.