Dinner at the Bar of El Tigre Silencioso, Roma Norte, Mexico City (The World's 50 Best Restaurants - 50Best Discovery), December 2024

    
     
     

 

Annette and I spent the second half of December 2024 in Mexico City, with Katharina and Diego, who have been living there since February 2024.

 

For an overview, see: 15 Days in Mexico City, at Diego and Katharina's Apartment, December 2024: Daily Facebook Postings

 

This cool Roma Norte spot has a front courtyard laid with stone blocks, set with tables, and enhanced by old growth trees. The interior dining area is set a few steps above and is fronted by ivy-wrapped columns and a wrap-around terrace for additional al fresco dining. Inside, the space features wood plank flooring, stucco walls, a bar, and open kitchen in back.

The menu offers an abundant array of choices, and the creative items are sparked by an intriguing combination of ingredients. Empanadas norteños is a golden-crisped half-moon stuffed with chicharrón prensado and smoked fish. The zesty octopus stew is topped with bits of crunchy menudo and accompanied by freshly made tortillas.

The words “gourmet” and “cantina” are not often used in the same breath, but those are the terms everyone is using to describe this new drinking and dining outpost from celebrated chef David Castro Hussong (Fauna, La Mari). In practice, the upscale Roma Norte neighbourhood hangout blends both paradigms seamlessly. Housed in the 1914-era Casa Balta, with many historic details meticulously preserved, the space feels fancy but unpretentious, and the food and beverage offerings stick close to the same model. Vermouth, dispensed from countertop water coolers, is the house specialty, but other aperitivo options are also available, all of which pair perfectly with the delectable bar snacks (mussels, croquetas, toasts) and expertly assembled larger dishes. If this is the new-school model for future Mexico City cantinas to follow, we’re all in.

El Tigre Silencioso. Located in the Roma district inside Casa Balta, a stunning Porfirian building, El Tigre Silencioso is the latest from celebrated chef David Castro Hussong (of Fauna fame in the Valle de Guadalupe). Described as a “gourmet cantina” because of the wonderful tapas-style dishes that are meant to snack between drinks, El Tigre’s interior is casual yet sophisticated with a hip cantina vibe. Definitely try the Cerdo y Shiitake, a delectable pork and mushroom dish that will have everyone fighting over the last bite. I also loved my cocktail, La Tigresa, which was simply house sparkling wine with orange bitters.