Kaito del Valle — Restaurant in Mexico City

Atmosphere 8/10 When you come in - all you will notice is an Asian restaurant. No bar in sight. After confirming with the reception, the bar is located on the second floor with a completely different vibe. Upstairs feels a bit like a Japanese dive bar. A lot of “kawaii” details. They also have a private karaoke room, which you can book for 3 hours. And an extra “merch” room. Pretty cool atmosphere when sitting at the bar. And also a nice backbar.

Drinks 4.5/10 Recommendation: - Strongly Japanese (anime) inspired cocktail menu. Plus points for additional cocktail details like the amount of alcohol. However, both drinks I had here disappointed me in taste. Kawaii-Tini did not taste like its ingredients at all (lychee, raspberry, etc.), and the jelly had a rubber-like consistency. The flavors were off. Also, the Branca Carajillo had a strange taste. The cream on top looked nice, but didn’t complement the flavor well. The mezcal tasted too strong here. Both drinks were not well balanced. One drink came without a coaster.

Service 6/10 Minus points because you HAVE to buy some food here in order to have a drink - this is not a cocktail bar concept (and the dish I ordered didn’t even taste good). Hot towels are a nice touch. Water is served only upon request.

#28 Best Bars in North America 2024 according to @50bestbars … ??? As I mentioned above, I don’t really classify this place as a...

I enjoyed Kaito! The entrance is speakeasy style, so it is easy to miss, but if you keep your eyes peeled for the cat logo outside, you'll find the right place. Inside, the industrial chic environment is modern and spacious, with Japanese elements. The drinks are creative, and it was hard to decide what to get because it all sounded interesting, so consider picking a base liquor or two and focusing there. The drink descriptions (e.g. herbal, citrusy, refreshing) helped me choose. The food was good too, especially the takoyaki. The sushi maki are filling too, so one sushi plus one finger food would be a good combo for dinner, or one sushi plus a classic dish if you're very hungry.

This is a good spot for a date night, or 4 people, but probably not many people, because tables seem focused on smaller parties, and the music may make it hard to hear at a table of 6+. Single patrons can get a spot at the bar.

Great experience overall! The ladies who run the show are doing an amazing job, and Kaito is underrated!

Other: They have English-speaking staff and English menus available. They take reservations on OpenTable, which is helpful for peak...

We came here mainly for cocktails and i must say… i do not get the hype. This is second top 50 bar in CDMX (though I agree with a previous review/it’s a restaurant with a bar program not a cocktail bar) that left us unsatisfied.

The cocktails had solid presentation and were well balanced but just not anything that special nor memorable. What really turned me off was how overstaffed the bar was and when I asked for an off-menu dealers choice cocktail, the posse of girls behind the bar turned me down and said they wouldn’t make me something off menu. That I had to in fact, order from the menu. Thats your time to flex and shine. Come on now… why have such a big back bar if you are not going to use it? I felt the bar was lacking some professionalism that one would expect with the accolades. Bougie cocktails for the commoner.

Luckily the food was on point. Solid izakaya and ramen followed up by pretty good sushi. Nice attentive service from the waiters too.

Lastly, a bit confused why you sit at a bar and the bartenders don’t serve while just standing there and...