La Mayor — Restaurant in Oslo

Long story short: I recommend this place! If you want a more in-depth review, read on.

I got the 5-course set meal with my partner. I have attached photos of all the courses for reference.

Drinks: We had a bottle of sauvignon blanc which was really, really terrible... Nutty and sour? Genuinely 1.5/5 But I ignored that and drank it anyway because it was 700 kr and I felt awkward that it had already been opened!

We tried two of the cocktails: the Paloma, and one which was "spicy" with tequila I think. I would recommend the spicy tequila one for someone looking for an interesting drink to entertain their tastebuds, and the Paloma for someone who wants a long, fruity cocktail.

Food: We had a complimentary small bite of beef tongue (?). Whatever it was, it was SO good. Probably my favourite dish and it wasn't even part of the menu! 5/5

1st course: scallop, orange and pomegranate ceviche. It's not what I would typically think a ceviche is, but that's what it was described as. The scallops were tasteless themselves, but had that nice squishy texture. All the flavours came from the really really flavourful soup, which was passion fruit and spice. It wasn't necessarily something that I would like to eat more of, but it was (and I know how pretentious this sounds) entertainment for my tastebuds. 4/5

2nd course: tamal. I have no recollection of what was in this to be honest, except that it was in a jalapeño sauce, but it was delicious. 5/5

3rd course: white fish tacos. I can't remember what fish this was, but the concept was that it came in this sauce with pineapple in the leaf plate, and soft tacos were served on the side to give one the option to build their own taco. The fish didn't stand out to me, it needed salt, but once I salted it it was good enough. 4/5.

4th course: octopus in mole sauce. I had never had mole sauce, from what I remember of the description it is a very complex sauce that contains chocalte amongst many other things... I wasn't a massive fan of the sauce, but I know that it is authentically mexican and it's just a preference. I could tell that the sauce was good, even if not my taste. The octopus was cooked perfectly though! Not rubbery at all. I was so so impressed by this because I adore a well-cooked octopus. It's so hard to get one that's nice and soft and well-seasoned like this. Just for the cooking of the octopus, 5/5

5th course: deep fried dessert with orange zest and ice cream. This isn't a dessert I would order otherwise, but given the previous dishes, it was a great choice. It complimented the previous flavours very well. It was sweet enough, but also refreshing with the orange zest. 5/5

The service was very good. The waitors explained the dishes well and were incredibly professional - made it feel like a...

The portions felt quite small for the price, even though we ordered à la carte — it almost felt like a tasting menu instead. The aguachile was a bit too salty for my taste and didn’t quite meet my expectations. The saving grace among the starters was the molotes de plátano (which supposedly contained grasshopper). It was delicious, though it would’ve been nice if the staff had explained it better — I was expecting to actually see pieces of grasshopper.

For the mains, the birria left me a bit confused since it wasn’t served with tortillas, and instead of the traditional sauce, I received salsa verde. It didn’t quite hit the mark. The cochinita pibil was okay but could’ve used a touch of lemon to brighten the flavor. As for the tortillas, I didn’t enjoy them much — the texture and taste reminded me of potetlomper rather than authentic tortillas.

For dessert, I really enjoyed the tamal de chocolate — it was very tasty and reminded me of home. The pie de queso bola, however, didn’t quite appeal to me.

All in all, I think the portions are not reasonable for the price, and considering the inconsistencies in flavor and presentation, the experience didn’t fully live up to my...

I’m so glad that the place like this exists in Oslo now. So people understand that Mexican food is not only tacos. Mexican cuisine is actually officially considered a cultural heritage of himanity by UNESCO. The team behind La mayor introduces you to delicious and complex Mexican cuisine where traditional food making meets local Norwegian ingredients and a modern view on things. We have tried their 5-courses menu and were blown away. All the dishes were delicious, but my favourites were halibut with chili, pickled cactus and charcoal pineapple (omg !) served with tortillas; and a crispy dough fritter with cream fraisch ice cream (!) - compliments to the chef! I’m sure I will be returning many times to this place, looking forward to the new dishes on the menu. I hope Mexican wines will make their way to the restaurant at some point ;). To mention as well, a great service. 10/10 experience....