La Clandestina — Restaurant in Mexico City

UPDATE: owner (ironically also named Karla 😅) went above and beyond to make things right. Really appreciate and respect how much they care about their bar and their brand.

-- tl;dr: avoid due to horrible service (Karla). I'd recommend going to Tlecan or Mano Santa. If you must, at least go next door to La Lavanderia (same menu and much nicer waitress).

Side note: if you actually want to go somewhere where they care about mezcal and will help you learn what you like, go to Mezcalia nearby. The lady there, Linda IIRC, is very kind, knowledgable, and super passionate about mezcal.

CDMX 2024 #75, Cocktail Bar #6, Mezcal Bar #3: I had come here a few years ago, and decided to bring my in-laws here as they had never tried mezcal. When I asked the waitress, Karla, which mezcales she recommended for people who have never tried mezcal, she recommended getting a jarra/pitcher. How would ordering a large volume of a single type of mezcal be the best way to have people learn about the nuances and differences in mezcal? Whatever, she tried to upsell, no big deal.

I then chose 3 different mezcales (and a cocktail) and requested 30ml of each. She then repeated my order and clarified dos onzas. I said un onza, 30ml to confirm. Upsell #2, still whatever, not a big deal.

When she brought out the mezcales, she put the three of them down and mumbled which was which before walking away. I couldn't hear her, so we didn't know which was which. I get it, some people dgaf but there was only one other table she was working, so I'm not sure why waiting on us was that difficult. She then brought the cocktail and immediately turned her back and walked away.

When I asked for the check, I paid with credit card. She didn't ask if I wanted to add service which was weird. She gave me the receipt and walked away (her trademark 😅). I then noticed she'd added 15% without asking me. I had read about this happening in places around Mexico, but it's never happened to me (during my time traveling around the country or living here in cdmx).

I can respect someone's commitment to making it clear they hate their job, doing the bare minimum, and then taking a 15% tip without asking. Because of Karla, I will not be back at La Clandestina. Luckily, fixing the tip with my credit card won't be a problem, but it is another hassle Karla has...

Service is horrible here. We arrived right when they opened, were seated and then waited about 30min to order. When our order was taken I let the server know what I wanted and he said the wrong drink name. I corrected him and he sneered at me and told me that's what I ordered. I corrected him again and told him the drink I wanted. He came back with the wrong drink and walked away.

His bad attitude might have been from speaking to him in Spanish (I'm fluent in both and just wanted to go with the flow). After that it was a hassle to get more drinks, server just avoided our table and those around us. We would have ordered more drinks but after that service experience we just wanted to leave.

We wanted to request our bill and every server just disappeared. We got up and walked to the bar counter to close out and no one preparing drinks can close you out. We had to wait for a server.

In all it's not a place I would recommend, service takes too long, they will play games with you and act like they don't want you there if you don't present yourself to be affluent. There are other great bars not too far from here with way better...

I am not someone that knows my mezcal so maybe take my review with a grain of salt? Was that punny? Because they put salt on the rims of the cocktails. Maybe? I hope so.

My husband and I really enjoyed this place the first time we came so we've returned a couple more times and always have a wonderful time. It is probably our favorite bar in the world, but we also don't get out a lot, so maybe take that with a grain of salt too.

We haven't mustered up the courage to try their mezcals, but we really enjoy their mezcal cocktails.

By far, our favorite is the hoja santa. It's got macerated kiwi and just the right amount of sweet and mezcal balance. It is probably the best cocktail I've ever had. The aquacate is a close second, with a bit more sweetness to it and incredible pops of fruity flavor. The other house cocktails on their menu - habanero, pepino and jamaica are also very good. I like the spiciness of the habanero. I also like that they give you a little complimentary cricket in the jamaica.

Service has always been very attentive and friendly despite our terrible Spanish. It's a...