Mestiza Polanco | Best Restaurant in Polanco — Restaurant in Mexico City

We went to the restaurant for Christmas dinner. It was one of the few upscale, popular restaurants in the area that was open during Christmas so was pretty crowded. We had made reservations but still had to wait for nearby 20 minutes to be seated. The vibe was pretty lively and there was a DJ too!

We had the fish in white sauce and lamb. The food seemed a bit overrated. The fish sauce was too tangy. Didn’t find the flavours well balanced. The lamb was very well cooked but no spices and felt even salt was less. There was some spicy sauce in the plating but not sufficient to make every bite of the lamb delicious. The complementary sauces and bread assortment was awesome and helped us finish our mains.

We had the pistachio gelato which had olive oil. A new flavour and must say that it pleasantly surprised us. The sweetness of the gelato was well balanced with the saltiness of the olive oil. And pistachio flavour was a creative choice for the menu vs vanilla and chocolate. If nothing else, the ice...

Fairly new restaurant (opened a couple of months ago) which is actually quite amazing. First of all... The place. Decoration is pretty nice. Ambient music is good (or perhaps the DJ was inspired that day haha) and there's plenty of parking in the surrounding streets. Worst case, you could use the valet parking. Regarding service... Somehow there's just the exact level of attention to the customer to make the experience very comfortable. You don't feel annoyed or ignored... It's just perfect. Now, food... Lots of "simple" stuff such as tacos, tostadas... But perfectly executed and with a very balanced flavour. Extra point for th cocktails... Tasty and visually appealing. Perhaps there's room for improvement with their desserts as there was nothing catchy. We ordered the banana cheesecake but it was not outstanding.

Best of all... Not really expensive. And everything is worth its price.

Definitely a must...

Mestiza: Solid Food, But Missing the Vibe

To be honest, Mestiza gave me some mixed feelings, especially for a restaurant from the same group as Rosa Negra.

The food itself is actually good—I can't deny that. The tacos of arrachera and the shrimp tacos were both excellent, and the chocolate cake for dessert was a perfect ending.

But here’s the thing: it just felt... off. The place was almost entirely empty, which killed any kind of atmosphere. The decor also didn't feel up to par with the rest of the group's places; it just didn't have that same energy or style.

Ultimately, while the food was great, there was nothing else there to make it a memorable experience. It's just good food in an empty space, and for that reason, I can't really...