El Cardenal Alameda — Restaurant in Mexico City

I was in Mexico City for a long weekend, and my one regret is not having returned to this restaurant.

Restaurant: We walked in on a Saturday, around 4:30 for dinner and didn't have any problem getting seated. The restaurant is located inside The Hilton Hotel and it's very spacious, well-lit, and beautifully decorated. The atmosphere feels very relaxed and everyone appeared to be enjoying their time there. The hostess and the waiters were friendly and attentive.

Food: We had an early dinner and only had an hour to spare, therefore, we didn't order too much food. My friend is vegetarian, and she had the Sope de Fideo that came with a small bolillo (bread) on the side. She also had a salad which included hearts of palm, and it was really good. I ordered the Mole de Oaxaca con Pollo (chicken mole), which was recommended by the waiter. It was served with tortillas on the side and this was the best mole I've ever had! To drink, we both had lemon water with chia seeds, very refreshing. Due to time constraints, we didn't get to try any appetizers or desert.

Price Point: The prices were good in accordance with the quality of the food and the location. I believe our total cost was about $700 pesos for 2 people, which is about $35 USD. I feel that's not only reasonable, but also affordable.

I will make a point to visit this restaurant during my next trip to...

We have been going to El Cardenal reataurant since prior to Covid including centro and Alameda locations. They are very consistent with majority of their food concepts despite the 2 locations we have been to. I can say that we enjoy Mexican Wines and their offerings are impressive and their casa Madero special selection produced for their restaurant is an exceptional choice. As I said earlier, the food is consistent with items like the aguachile the camaron, ceviches, moles, daily specials, lamb and all their fresh fish options are the best EVER and I mean good enough to not worry about eating nothing else while visiting Mexico City. I would like to comment about our last and probably best experience at a el cardenal restaurant. We were at the alameda location for dinner on 2 separate occasions over a 4 night stay in CDMX in August 2024. Our server Marcos Juan is beyond amazing. He's an amazing server and even remembers us from prior visits along with everything we order with the special accommodations and makes sure we are content even when he's not serving us. This is unheard of and truly remarkable. We will ask for him by name and if not available demand the same service. Always make sure to ask for...

We ate here twice while staying at the Hilton Reforma. We were pleasantly surprised by the elevated service culture we witnessed during our visits. The team couldn't have been more attentive and professional. The traditional decor and old school uniforms harkened back to an era when such venues provided a more refined dining experience, even in a relatively casual establishment. Bread and beverage refills were proactively provided, courses were delivered quickly and in the proper sequence and requests for additional salsas were readily accommodated.

The food was all delicious, served hot and with portion sizes that were more than generous. Favorites were the lamb flautas, salmon omele, the quesadillas and the hot chocolate. The tuna steak was of first quality, but a bit too well done for my taste. One of our white wines wasn't available chilled, so they provided an ice bath which took it a while to cool down. Apart from these two minor critiques, everything was perfect. Prices were very fair, especially given the quality and size if the portions. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the restaurant to anyone...