Merotoro — Restaurant in Mexico City

Upon entering Merotoro in Mexico City, you're immediately swept into a warm and inviting ambiance that sets the tone for an evening of what you'd expect to be fantastic dining. The staff here deserve a round of applause, as the service is impeccable and they truly go above and beyond to ensure a great dining experience.

However, as it often happens with upscale dining, expectations can be a double-edged sword. The actual food experience fell somewhat short of the bar set by both the atmosphere and the prices.

The Fish Ceviche stood out in the sea of otherwise mediocre offerings. The quality of the ingredients was apparent, and it was well balanced with tangy and refreshing flavors. This dish was a welcome splash of excitement, a dance of citrus and seafood that managed to strike a wonderful chord.

Unfortunately, the rest of the seafood offerings were more of a low tide. The Pulpo (Octopus) dish, usually a star in many contemporary Mexican restaurants, was a bit of a letdown here. The dish seemed lackluster and lacked the excitement you'd anticipate, especially given the price tag attached to it. The flavors felt one-note, failing to sing the song of the sea that well-prepared octopus usually delivers.

Further on, the Fish Fillet was no more than mediocre. It lacked the finesse and careful attention to detail one would expect from a restaurant of Merotoro's caliber and price range. It wasn't bad, per se, but certainly not a symphony for the taste buds as one might hope from a high-end establishment.

To top it all off, the bill at the end of the night seemed rather steep for what we got. Quality dining is an investment, and I am more than willing to pay for an exceptional culinary experience. But in this case, the price failed to match up to the experience.

In conclusion, while Merotoro boasts excellent service and a beautiful atmosphere, the food sadly does not reflect the high prices. It's a decent place for a fancy outing, but prepare your wallet and lower your expectations when it comes to the culinary experience. It is my hope that Merotoro will improve its offerings to meet the standards its...

Drastically underwhelming and nowhere near as good as most other CDMX restaurants on Michelin, Eater, and Infatuation guides; go literally anywhere else.

Food: Average at best, though effectively mediocre. I.e. The greens and fennel salad is completely ordinary and forgettable. The best part of the beef tartare-- the charred avocado-- is so scarcely present that it feels like an afterthought; The chapulines/grasshopper on the tartare are a clever addition but feel like a gimmick for tourists. Neither the grasshoppers nor the avocado are enough to make up for the underwhelming taste of the underlying tartar, which is far from the French tradition and more like an oily carpaccio. Lastly, the chocolate cake is incredibly dry and felt overcooked; the chocolate sauce it is smothered in, the nut sauce it is plated on, and the ice cream are good but not enough to make up for the bland taste and texture of the cake.

Atmosphere: The restaurant is far less vibey than the average Roma Norte restaurant. For example, the lights are absurdly bright, the tables and chairs uncomfortable and out of place for a Michelin restaurant, and the bathroom consists of narrow stalls with poorly installed + maintained wall tiles.

Service: The waiters were perfectly average but did not meet Michelin standards. They did not introduce the plates or explain the ingredients; they did not explain the restaurant concept nor provide context or recommendations on the best known dishes. There was no banter whatsoever even though half of the tables were empty. They did not check in a single time to see how the meal was going, to ask how I liked the dishes, or to ask if I wanted to newly order a drink.

In short: I don't understand how this restaurant has the hype it has. You'll have a better experience at probably any other restaurant you see on lists from Michelin, Eater, or the Infatuation, so just go...

I don't write reviews often but we had the worst experience at Merotoro. My friend and I tried this restaurant based on the stellar reviews and Michelin rating. Not only was the food very disappointing, but my friend got food poisoning which incapacitated her for 4 days now. I reached out to the management before writing this review but got no response. Here are the details: we went midweek without reservation and were promptly seated. Our server was great. My friend ordered the lamb chops and I ordered what was supposed to be a char-grilled dorade fish but was really sauteed and not char-grilled. My dish was very average, definitely not worth the price or Michelin rating. The lamb chops were awful. Chewy, hard, as if they had been cooked frozen, or reheated or stayed under the lamp way too long. The worst lamb chops I have ever had in my life. The taste was off and stale. We discreetly complained to the waiter who apologized profusely, but neither the chef, nor the manager talked to us, and we were not offered any type of compensation. An hour later, my friend started feeling sick (she was perfectly fine going into the restaurant) and has been home bound for 4 days now which ruined the rest of our trip, including prepaid tours. I email the restaurant to complain and give them a chance to address our situation but my email was completely ignored. This place is not worth the money, the food is very disappointing, and they don't really care about your satisfaction (our waiter was great so it is not a reflection of his service). We had far better meals in other restaurants that were...