Makal — Restaurant in Jalisco

My husband and I ate here to celebrate the closing on our home. We are vegetarian so we chose the vegetarian tasting menu and added the cocktail pairing. What we liked: The food was great. We liked most all the dishes we were served. The staff was very friendly and welcoming and they explained each dish and cocktail as it was brought out. They were also very attentive and brought out the next dish/ cocktail in a timely manner. I do like that the cocktails had a little Halloween twist to them. It’s fun and did not feel super gimmicky. I think that the tasting menu is fairly priced for what you get as well. After cocktails, food, bottled waters, and a shot at the end, +tip we spent over 9k MXN.

My constructive criticism as someone who has dined at a handful of restaurants that offer tasting menu experiences with similar price points: -I would have wished that the server asked if we wanted to do a la carte or tasting menu before having us order drinks. We wouldn’t have ordered a cocktail and also added the cocktail pairing but our drinks were already on their way when we were asked our dining preference. Since we were celebrating and we really wanted the full experience, we had full cocktails plus the pairing and it just seemed like a little too much. -The lights were far too bright. It really cheapens the experience. PLEASE dimm the lights. It will make a world of difference. -The hanging flowers are cute but far too low. Our server kept having to dodge and weave and still kept getting hit and dropping the decorations. Either hang them up higher or get rid of them. Its distracting. -I would not recommend this place if you are a strict VEGAN. I think that theres still a bit of knowledge to be learned about dietary restrictions for vegetarians and vegans. Our server recommended we order a shot of tequila at the end and offered us cricket and tequila worm salt, we are vegetarian so we tried to politely explain and it seemed like he didn’t understand and brought it out to us anyway. I am completely used to my family misunderstanding my dietary restrictions but I would expect more out of a restaurant of this caliber to know better. Same with dairy. My husband and I can eat it but vegans cannot and some dishes had it. We definitely had a great time. I would go back but order a la carte next time. I highly recommend going at least once and doing the tasting menu. Our server was great and even gave us each a shirt when we told him what we were...

We always try a new restaurant when we come to PV and this was our new place for 2024. Let's just say, we were NOT disappointed. We knew ahead of time that we wanted the 10 course tasting menu - that is thier speciality - I am glad we did. I got the wine pairing and my husband got the non-alcoholic beverage pairing to go along with the meal. His drinks were very fun and very tasty. The wine pairing was thoughtful and complimentary to each dish. The star of the night, however is definately the food. Such fun, inventive, and very tasty courses. Our favorites - the tomato and cheese with vinagarette, the mushroom ceviche (outstanding - I can see why they keep it on the menu), The broccolini with a white mole was so delicious, and the arancini with chihuahua cheese was lovely. The deserts were very good. The service was impeccable. Our servers - EFrain and Luisa were outstanding. Luisa was very knowledgeable about all the food and told us exactly what we were eating in detail. She also was well versed on the wine and cocktails that accompanied each dish. EFrain was so sweet and also well versed in the food and drinks as well. The all worked very well together for a memorable evening. Now about some other reviews - I did not find the dishes salty at all - they were well seasoned each in thier own right. We heard other come in and ask right out for the ala carte menu which was provided to them without hesitation. They did not try to dissuade anyone from the tasting menu but did mention it was a good way to taste the food the restaurant has to offer. The venue was well appointed and we did not find it overly loud as it filled up for dinnertime. While it seems that the price is high for the food, I feel the price adequately matched the quality of the food and experience. All in all this is definately in the top 5 meals we have every had out and we will definately be back. They did mention that the menu changes 2 times a year so we will be excited to go back next year and taste the new additions!!!. Thanks Makal for a...

12/20/2024 I had the tasting menu + cocktails with all-star server, Lorena. The restaurant, Chef Diego Guerrero, and service team all live up to their Guía México Gastronómico Top 250 status.

*Amouse Bouche - 5/5 no notes *Creole Salad - 3/5 a little boring, it wasn’t giving Creole but it was a nice simple caprese-esque salad *Fungi Birria - 5/5 one of my favorites - introduced me to chochoyotes which were my favorite part of the dish (similar to gnocchi but made with masa). Birria was quite salty but it didn’t detract from the dish. *Watermelon Tiradiro - 5+/5. Transcendent. *Cauliflower Taco - 4/5 the elements were each delicious but combining them in a taco was quite a clumsy experience for me. Perhaps smaller portion or smaller cauliflower presentation? *Pacific Style Fish - 4.5/5 Each element (snapper was fish of the day) was delicious but I didn’t feel they went together. “Lacked cohesiveness” *Pollo con Mole - no rating since I’m not a mole fan yet, but I did finish my plate…. :) *Baby Pork Belly - 4/5 once again delicious but hard to fit in a taco *Season Sorbet - 4.5/5 the plating was so beautiful. Delicious sorbet. Could do without the honeycomb style cookie - it didn’t add anything for me. *Autumn Tart - 3/5 each aspect of this dish was delicious but it lacked cohesiveness in a way that I found disorienting. *Petit Fours - 4/5 a sumptuous bite

The cocktails were all delicious, artfully crafted, well-presented, and complemented the dishes! (I finished with a drink made of 43 and a shot of espresso. Not in the tasting menu but probably my favorite.)

Thank you again to the staff and kitchen at Makal! A truly...