Tlecan — Restaurant in Mexico City

Don’t really understand why it’s in the 50 best list. The drinks weren’t bad, but they felt rather ordinary.

I tried the ocelóyotl (carajillo), pulque colada, and the negroni cacao.

The carajillo felt more like a crowd pleaser rather than an expertly crafted cocktail with nuance. It was a bit too sweet, which covered up the taste of other ingredients. As someone who’s also into coffee, I thought the cold brew flavor was just average. And I couldn’t really tell it was made with mezcal, so the opportunity to have the spirit shine was lost. You can tell by the picture that the froth was not so frothy but very bubbly foam. And the garnish was thrown on incohesively.

The pulque isn’t for everyone, but I thought it was one of the more creative drinks on the menu. This one was the most balanced of the three. I’ve tried a few different pulques and was excited to see what they can do in a more complex cocktail, but I felt like it was lacking depth.

The negroni was the biggest disappointment. It was really heavy on the vermouth. I also couldn’t have told you it was made with mezcal, which is unfortunate for a spirit forward drink. I also didn’t really get much of the cacao note either. I know this variation could have a lot of potential as someone who’s experimented with cacao/coffee/non gin negronis, but this one didn’t show me anything different, or even what it claimed to be.

It appeared that all of the drinks are premade, as witnessed by sitting at the bar and seeing no mixing, just shaking or stirring. I’m all for optimizations, and I do think this method greatly increases the throughput of drinks served, but you probably can’t ask for alterations or customizations. This is more of a personal nit that most won’t care about, but I would’ve liked to see nicer glassware at a bar supposedly of the 50 best caliber.

As for the ambience, it is kind of small and can get very crowded. It’s mostly standing room except for a few seats at the bar. It’s hard to enjoy while standing because it always feels like you’re in someone’s way. I wouldn’t recommend going with a group larger than 3 maybe 4. There’s a lot of incense like fragrance, a bit smoky, and not much air circulation, so it might not be comfortable for people more sensitive to that.

All in all, the drinks were okay but nothing special. It’s a fine place to grab a drink when it’s not too crowded and you have no expectations. But for dedicated cocktail enthusiasts, it fell a bit flat. Especially because none of the drinks really highlighted mezcal despite the entire menu being based on it. Imo Handshake and Limantour had a lot more creative and tasty drinks, and I would send cocktail nerds there instead of...

In our opinion Tlecan is the number one cocktail bar in Mexico City. Every time we have gone it has been busy without artificially holding people up at the door. They have some really great cocktails and provide excellent service even when they are super busy.

They have maybe six different snack mixes that they offer for free and they are all so good. The people around you are talking about them and sharing them. Even the one with some crickets in it is delicious! I know it sounds weird, but we loved them. Crunchy with salt and lime.

Their cocktail program is top notch, and every drink we have tried has been very nice. I personally am a fan of their Margarita Kauil (spicy margarita) which is such a great combination of sweet and heat.

We were initially skeptical as their website is very minimalist as is the bar decor. In hindsight that speaks volumes about the quality of their drinks and service. If you know, you know.

The music is really great too. I don't know how to classify it, but sometimes it sounds like electro polka. Whatever it is, it is deliciously fun.

When we went to Handshake Speakeasy after waiting 1.5 hours in line, there were 22 open seats. It seemed like a racket. I feel that Handshake, Rayo and Licorería Limantour are overrated and how Licorería Limantour made the top 50 list is beyond me.

We've been to a lot of great bars around the world and Tlecan is up there with our favorites alongside The Keefer Bar in Vancouver, Attaboy in New York, Bar Trench in Tokyo, and Here nor There in Austin.

It is our favorite in Mexico City and has such a great vibe. Thanks so much Mary Anna, Lalo, Elliot and Miriam! I don't know how you do it, but keep doing it. Looking forward...

“Highly rated,” but unsure why. Don’t get me wrong, as far as swanky cocktail bars go, this was one of them, however and it’s a big HOWEVER, the “Instagram fame” is clearly all the clout it has. While we miraculously managed to avoid any line getting in, this place routine has 30+ minutes lines to get it. Again, we made it in right away, but we were quickly ushered to the rear of the cattle car (it’s actually a little smaller than a cattle car), dodging every Instagram model posing with their drink, and then crowded into our closest (literally) and newest friends for the next 30 minutes. No seating, no relaxation.

Now, the wait staff were actually ok! They navigated the Insta-model-maze effectively to take orders and deliver drinks in a reasonable time, so hands-down, the 3 stars go to the wait staff.

How about the drinks, you may ask. I mean, it is one of the top 50 cocktail bars IN THE WORLD after all!! Okay, I liked my complex drink. It’s unmemorable but was tasty in the moment. $20 for a cocktail in CDMX is pricey but we knew what we were getting into. My wife’s drink on the other hand!! A simple mojito tasted like plain soda water for the first three quarters of it, and then the ingredients kicked in at the bottom — a delicious strong shot of white rum, lime, and sugar!! A logical follow-on question would be, why didn’t you try mixing it. Well, too much ice and we “saw” the bartender “mix it.” So, another $20 for a not so good and far too memorable drink.

All in all, if you’re looking for your Insta-fame, go for it! But, there are far better places in CDMX to get a...