Fratelli La Bufala — Restaurant in Mexico City

I seldom leave a good pizza place grumpy! But tonight's experience was a rarity. The $USD 23 truffle pizza (about 50% more than I pay in a London FLB, strangely) was properly crispy around the edges but mushy on top, and disappointingly not crispy on the bottom, so the oven wasn't hot enough. The arugula on top was wilted and unusually bitter (rather than tangy/peppery). After eating only about half of it and then waiting a while for the waiter to drop by to ask me anything, I eventually just requested the bill. When the waiter asked if I liked the pizza, I told him the truth. Rather than say anything helpful or service oriented, he remained silent and then processed my payment only asking if I wanted to add a tip. I mentioned the same to the maître d', and he did apologize and told me if I came back next week he'd make sure I got a good pizza. Really not a good enough response from a Polanco restaurant. What was I expecting? Well... even in the London incarnations, which are "cheap and cheerful" (and far more authentic) vs "smart and snooty," they'd have given me a limoncello or a dessert... or asked if I'd wanted another pizza... or perhaps even appeared genuinely concerned at the service provided.

In short: I think I was bothered mostly at the value (or lack thereof). At half the price, I'd have just walked off thinking, "well, they had an off night." At his price point, I left......

Reviewing during Covid-19: Fratelli la Búfala will meet all you expectations. Their food was delicious from beginning to end. Tasty soups, capressi salad made with fresh mozzarella, home made gnocchi and pasta (not sure if it was made at the restaurant but definitely tasted fresh). The service was quite good as well, always attentive and around to fulfill any request.

The Ambiense was nice. They have a wide covered terrace and limited sitting inside. All staff wore proper Covid equipment including gloves which you don’t usually see in other restaurants. Metal utensils came in a sealed plastic bag along with a napkin. A standard temperature check and hand sanitizer station by the entrance and, seen for the first time in all my Mexico City restaurants visits: sanitizing wipes in every table, an innovation worth highlighting.

Also, there is a full bar service available.

Highly...

We dined here on New Year’s Eve, and while the food and drinks were exceptional—burrata, Tagliatelle Pesto e Pomodorini, Cacio e Pepe al Pecorino, panna cotta, and cocktails like Gin Berries and Corsia di Oro—the experience was tarnished by a disappointing incident.

The manager offered us champagne to celebrate, which we assumed was complimentary as no price was mentioned. We were shocked to find it added to the bill at Mex$1895/USD$95, nearly the cost of our entire meal. When we raised the issue, the manager was indifferent.

This lack of transparency felt deceptive and marred an otherwise great evening. Transparency in pricing is essential, especially on...