Balcón del Zócalo — Restaurant in Mexico City

I came here for a tasting menu. The chef wanted to use food to make a high concept commentary but lacked finesse and balance of flavors and textures. Or this was a Balenciaga dining experience.

Great views, decent drinks. I recommend getting their a la carte food. The tasting menu I had was not a dive for everyone. There was a mother in her 60’s with her daughter next to us having the same menu, they did not enjoy.

The idea of the menu: uncensored

TLDR: A sensory experience that was style over substance. Food was overall too much sweet not enough savory.

Hierba Santa - commentary about marijuana & smoking. The cracker with leaf does not have the right snap in such a thin cracker. The puffed rice joint tastes like dessert. Then there's a lemon curd that has maltodextrin pieces. Bad texture, almost like chewing sticky sand-- maybe referencing tobacco chewing but the server described it as chewing cheese so the expectation was not met.

Libertad

Great base asparagus flavor, the caviar part got engulfed by the asparagus, making it an unnecessary garnish. It was piped into a ceramic  referencing female genitalia and you eat the dish by licking it, no utensils. The visual seems to be the concept component but not the dish, could have been any puree in ceramic.

Atole with Shrimp tamale

Good flavors, the sauce was lovely and the tamale was fine. I wished that the shrimp was more chopped or somehow blended better into the tamale. The shrimp in here was just placed in the center.  Felt like I was eating plain tamal with shrimp on the side. Not shrimp tamales.

La oreja and la reforma

Big concept seems to allude to the hearing of public opinion and justice served with it. The food was presented with a law gravel. Law gravel was not integrated with the food, just an accessory to the experience.

The sauce in the ear ceramic was fabulous. I wish I was able to eat it like soup but The playing structure does not allow for it. The fried bread with tomato and strawberry gel did not pack a zesty & citrus punch to balance with the earthy flavor of the sauce & pig component. The pig ear cracker sandwich texture was also too chewy.

Balcanazo

Charcoal colored sourdough bread was not sour enough, could pass as a regular baguette. The golden butter that was served was underwhelming. Our bread arrived half toasted.  The center was cold while the exterior was hot. I had to send it back for retoasting. Half toasted bread at a restaurant of this price point is just shoddy. Either serve bread cold or hot, not half and half.

Red mole with beef tongue potato & aged cheese

I think that the usage of the tongue is a commentary about government silencing of protests.

The texture of beyond overcooked beef tongue is just not too mushy and paired with the mashed potatoes felt like eating baby food. There was a need for crunch- maybe crackers or chips. The mole component was too sweet and not spicy enough. The potato component weirdly tastes like vanilla mashed potatoes– not sure why. There was a chocolate shaped mask that pushed the whole dish tasting more like dessert than a main course.

Cubre bocas

Marketed as a palate cleanser. Too sour, kills the palate, could not taste the twinky dessert that follows this dessert.

Tuinky Bz

Tasting like nothing because of the previous dish. It just tasted like slightly sweet dough with unknown filling. The tropical filling was masked by the previous yuzu sorbet.

Diversion

Fun butt plug shaped dessert with mousse & fruit on a biscuit. It was mirror glazed with a dark exterior but the glaze thickness was inconsistent. Parts of the glaze were too thick and made it feel like eating glue.

Petit Fours (complimentary)

Tequila jelly candy - amazing

Chocolate cookie sandwich - okay

Golden chocolate coin with raspberry- bad execution. Chocolate thickness is inconsistent, the chocolate did not cover all of the raspberry and overall the chocolate lacked the sheen of properly tempered and...

I really would love to give this spot a 5/5 review because the location and view are so spectacular, but unfortunately the service and quality of food was so bad, especially for the price we paid, that I'm actually leaving a review to warn others.

I came here with a small group of friends to celebrate my birthday, and we ended up deciding to try the tasting menu. We were all pretty excited, especially since the menu was super vague with only random words associated to each course listed. We were intrigued.

But the quality of the food was just not there. Some of the courses were ok. A few were actually quite good (the taco dish and the desserts were standouts, and the bread with butter was great - if only they had started with that and not served it halfway through!). But there were 2-3 that were straight up bad. Like, so bad I would have thought they were something a little kid would have cooked up to 'try out cooking'. Flavorless, mushy texture, etc.

The service was also INCREDIBLY slow. The amount of food wasn't that much, but the whole dinner took 3.5 hours, and it started off with maybe 2 SMALL dishes over the course of 45 minutes. We were starving, and although it did pick up as the meal progressed we still felt so hungry that we went to get some cheap street tacos afterwards.

Lastly, the whole meal was full of cringy bits that were clearly imitations of what they thought 'fancy' restaurants do (think edible plastic bags, serving a dish on your fist instead of a plate, a guided tour in the kitchen wearing a mask) when all they really should have been doing was just focusing on making the food actually taste good.

Honestly, if the menu didn't cost over 100 USD I may not have felt so bad, but that is the deal. I can't speak to the other food on the menu, so maybe this was just a bad month for the tasting menu (since they do change it), but if I were you I would...

Perched atop a colonial building in the heart of Mexico City’s centro histórico, El Balcón del Zócalo offers a dining experience as breathtaking as its panoramic views of the Plaza de la Constitución. With the Metropolitan Cathedral as its centerpiece, this is a spot where history meets culinary artistry.

Chef José Antonio Salinas curates a menu that balances modern innovation with Mexican tradition. The tableside preparation of guacamole is an entertaining touch for visitors, while locals may find it nostalgic. Standout starters include the peneques de lengua, whose blue corn shells and green salsa create both visual and flavor appeal, and the delicate octopus slices, which are as refreshing as they are beautiful.

Main courses shine with thoughtful preparation: the smoky filete de res en mole negro pairs tender beef with a velvety Oaxacan mole that warms the soul. The seasonal chiles en nogada brings a unique twist with a smoky chorizo-stuffed poblano and a perfectly balanced walnut cream sauce. While some dishes, such as the tlayuda de escamoles, could use a bit more finesse, the chef’s ambition generally pays off.

On our visit, we enjoyed a set menu featuring duck on risotto and grilled octopus. Both dishes were well-executed and flavorful, complemented by the stunning view of the Zócalo at sunset. While the open terrace setting added a touch of magic, it was slightly windy – something to keep in mind for evening visits.

El Balcón del Zócalo is a must-visit for both tourists and locals. The sophisticated yet approachable menu, attentive service, and an impressive wine selection make it perfect for a memorable lunch or dinner. Whether hosting out-of-town guests or rediscovering the beauty of Mexico City, this is a dining experience that reminds us why our capital was once called the “Paris of...