Restaurante Nicos — Restaurant in Mexico City

I can see why this place is so popular, the food was exceptional! It’s a casual spot with table side mezcalitas, guacamole and other food as well (the chamorro en carnitas were incredible). They have seasonal selections so the menu rotates. The food is local and everything was special and exceptional! The higos en mole de pistache was so unique, balancing the earthy flavors of pistachio with the sweetness of the figs. The chamorro en carnitas al tepache con salsa charra was probably the most delicious pork I have ever eaten anywhere, fall off the bone tender, melt in your mouth! It tasted like savory comfort and the sauce was perfection. My fiancé got the costillos de cerdo en pepian, and it was also really delicious. We ate all of the generous portion sizes and I decided we couldn’t skip dessert, so we ordered the buñuelos Yucatecos with mead honey so light fluffy and a hint of sweet; I ate more than I planned - 5 of the 7 pieces. Because it’s a local place they do not have a menu in English, so if you don’t speak Spanish plan ahead on what to order or just use google lense and pick- you really can’t go wrong. I can see why they not only ranked in the worlds top 50 restaurants 6 years, but also why they earned a Michelin star in 2024. It is worth the trip if you want an elevated meal in Mexico City without spending as much as other fine...

Being generous with the two stars!

On ordering the tasting menu we weren’t asked about allergies. We informed them that one in the party was highly allergic to an ingredient and confirmed it again with a second waiter. Second dish came out covered in it. They then took it to the kitchen, removed the ingredient and returned the same plate 😳🙈 Naturally this course was not eaten.

The pork dish was just fat with barely any meat(inedible). The other dishes lacked any flavor or real balance of flavors and the desert was sprayed all over me because of an empty cream canister which they hadn’t checked (sent back because half was all over me).

Most surprising of all was the moment we were presented with the bill which offered zero discount even though four of the seven dishes were actually sent back to the kitchen.

Also you would think, as a chef, you would go talk to the table with so many errors but nada.

Lastly every single dish was brought out with the exact same garnish. I mean come on… have some imagination please.

Second star awarded because the waiter seemed truly embarrassed but clearly there was no leadership not decent chef in the kitchen so...

We had a superb meal and experience at Nico’s. It reminded me of Chez Panisse, Bayona, and the old Union Square Cafe, in that it combined warm and authoritative service with marvelous food. There was no pretense, just excellence. My wife and I started with a cauliflower salad and a pumpkin stew. The ingredients were crisply fresh and the flavors were subtle delights. For main courses, we had a delicious and moist whole fried fish and a gorgeous chicken mole. Nico’s knows what it is—a mainstay for knowledgeable locals and a few lucky tourists like us. There are more prominent restaurants in Mexico City and some where you can sit side by side with captains of the universe down from New York or LA, happy to have been directed to their destination by the concierge at the Ritz. My experience at such venues is the same as at imaginative NY restaurants that pride themselves on their local ingredients and a stateless cuisine. Sure, but why bother with that sort of thing in Mexico City? Nico’s is the...