Chambao Polanco — Restaurant in Mexico City

I came here for a special dinner with my girlfriend, when we first entered the host wasn’t welcoming at all, I expected a guide to the elevator but all she did was point and thats it, felt very lost. However the second host was much nicer and sat us down. The establishment it’s self is very beautiful and worth a 5 stars. The food options were insane with lots of starters, entrees, and desserts. As a starter we ordered the octopus avocado salad and the lobster croquettes. The salad was quite simple and lacked flavor, the croquettes were super fishy and definitely needed better seasoning to nullify the fishy flavor. My favorite was the bread basket. It came with fresh bread all different kinds. They brought out 3 butters, parsley, lemon, and volcanic salt. It also came with a side a salsa. The server was excellent serving us and explaining the dishes. Was very attentive. We had multiple signature cocktails, our favorite was the passion fruit one that came in a cool looking class and also the espresso martini. The other ones are very sweet and lack alcohol. As our entree we shared the 28 days dried aged ribeye(medium rare), the octopus, 4 cheese risotto, and the truffle mashed potatoes. The steak was beautifully seasoned but it did come out rare but I did not mind since it was excellent, the octopus was okay definitely lacked seasoning, the sides were both cold and had no standing out flavor. Very disappointed, since the price is so expensive. Lastly we shared the Persian tart, it was delicious. Overall the atmosphere was amazing, with modeling, lots of dancing and amazing music. They made us dance and everything. It was quite an experience which I enjoyed but I wish the food was better. I would definitely come back for the atmosphere and...

Ridiculous place for vapid instagram types.

I’ll start with the food: overpriced but generous with portions; the lobster tacos were overflowing with meat but it didn’t taste of much. The lobster croquettes were not croquettes, just meat in a croquette shell. The steaks were alright, we ordered one to share and the waiter kindly gave me 2 slices of which most of the slice was grisle and fat. Best part of the food was the free chocolate cake slice we got since we were a table for a birthday.

The servers are nice enough but very overbearing and try to upsell everything from the moment you sit down. They parade a jamón around but I’d suggest you avoid ordering any of it since it’s so overpriced.

The weirdest part of this place is that it had a fashion show with the clothes sold in the shop downstairs. Every 30 minutes or so service stops for a guy to play bamboleó on guitar and for 10 women to do a catwalk… I just want to eat my food. They also use an enormous amount of sparklers - every time there is a birthday, someone orders shots, or someone buys a bottle of champagne or a hard spirit these empty headed women and waiters parade it around with sparklers and start clapping. They also bring incense burners (the type you’d see in Mass) around past the tables so really nice if you’re asthmatic!!!! This all becomes quite the disturbance if you’re sitting in the wrong area.

The place is more of a lounge/nightclub. We could hardly hear eachother speak all evening and the chairs were incredibly uncomfortable.

After all of this the managers have the gall to ask you to pay a 15% service charge on an already eyewatering...

If you’re looking for loud entertainment and aged steak, Chambao in Mexico City might catch your eye, but my experience left much to be desired. I rarely write reviews, but this one warrants it.

The restaurant is completely overpriced, with an average cost of around $2,500 pesos per person, including drinks, food, and wine. At that price point, you’d expect a flawless, 5-star dining experience—but that’s far from what I encountered.

I started with a cocktail from their curated mixology menu. After a couple of sips, I realized it wasn’t what I expected. Before I could even address the issue with the server, another staff member abruptly grabbed the drink from my table without saying a word. To my shock, they walked it over to a different table that had apparently ordered it. This lack of professionalism was appalling and unhygienic.

The real disappointment came with the food. My steak was tough and cold, as were the sides. The bread, which was supposed to be served before the meal, only arrived halfway through. When I respectfully brought these issues to the manager's attention, I received an apology, but it felt like a mere formality rather than a genuine effort to make things right.

As for the atmosphere, the entertainment bordered on cheesy. Models danced behind the musicians to showcase merchandise from the downstairs boutique, which felt out of place. That said, the musicians themselves were spectacularly talented and the highlight of the evening.

Overall, Chambao delivers on flashy entertainment but fails where it matters most: food, service, and...