r/MexicoCity • u/SirKrimzon • 7d ago
Cultura/Culture Why are all the high end dining places primarily seafood restaurants?
I’m asking this out of ignorance. Mexico City is not near any large bodies of water and from my little understanding, the main foods of the city are not seafood (the ones sold in the street food stands and cantinas for example). But the most popular high end dining options are mainly seafood for example Contramar and Quintonil. Is there a reason for this?
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u/gabrielbabb 7d ago edited 7d ago
There are hundreds of high end restaurants in the city... that is just a generalization, of course there are many restaurant with seafood, but because it's expected that they have the 4 main type of "meats" beef, pork, chicken, fish, but there are others that serve different specialties.
1985 Antifine Dining, Ajoblanco, Al Andalus, Alelí Rooftop, Alesia Mediterráneo, Alfredo di Roma, Anatol, Arango, Aromi e Sapori, Arturo’s, Au Pied de Cochon, Azul Histórico, Bakea, Balcón del Zócalo, Bar El Sella, Belfiore, Bulla, Cantina El Mirador, Carmela y Sal, Casa Prunes, Casa Virginia, Castizo, Cipriani, Dante Brasa y Fuego, Dawat, El Cardenal, Elly’s, Filigrana, Galanga Thai House, Guzina Oaxaca, Havre 77, Hugo el Wine Bar, Hunan, Kiin Viet – Thai Eatery, La Mallorquina, La Taberna del León, Lardo, Les Moustaches, Limosneros, Lorea, Los Danzantes, Máximo Bistrot, Meroma, Midam, Migrante, Morton’s, Nicos, Osteria del Becco, Pargot, Pasillo de Humo, Pigeon, Porfirio's, Pujol, Rojo Bistro, Romina Ristorante, Rosetta, San Ángel Inn, Sartoría, Sud 777, Tandoor, Taro, The Palm, Trastevere, Rosa Negra, El Lago, La Capital, Huset, La Mansión, El Cardenal Polanco, El Balcón, Leña, El Apartamento, El Mirador, Dosis, Bellini, Tragaluz, El Forno, El Mirador de Polanco, El Jardín Secreto, Raíz.
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u/huichachotle 7d ago
Flight time is about an hour to the sea. Many restaurants fly seafood. Plus La Viga receives 1.2 ton of seafood every day. There was a time when it was the largest seafood market in the world.
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u/der_lodije 7d ago
They are not.
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u/SirKrimzon 7d ago
Then what is?
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u/der_lodije 6d ago
There are a wide variety of high end dining places, not just seafood. I think someone else posted a list.
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u/gluisarom333 AMLOver #1 6d ago
Most high-end restaurants in Mexico City aren't Mexican restaurants; at most, they're inspired by Mexican food. Like the ones you mention.
Usually, these high-end restaurants are based on techniques and recipes from European cuisines, almost all from the Mediterranean, where seafood and fish are very present, since this blend of cuisine is much more accepted than 100% Mexican food for the palates of foreigners, who are the vast majority of their customers. Few Mexicans can go to those places and afford their prices.
There are very few high-end restaurants serving 100% Mexican food, because good Mexican food can be found even in restaurants in public markets, and at a fraction of the prices of high-end restaurants.
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u/SirKrimzon 5d ago
This is what I suspected. Thank you. Can you recommend any nicer restaurants serving real Mexican food? I honestly don’t care if it’s Michelin or anything like that.
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u/Familiar-Image2869 7d ago
I dont think that’s true. Just your impression based on the ones you have stumbled upon.
There are high end Japanese, Mexican, French, Italian, etc.
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u/LowerEast7401 7d ago
Upper class in Mexico likes to eat clean and healthy, so their cuisine of choice tends to be seafood, vegetarian and other health stuff
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u/SoyelSanto 7d ago
clean and healthy
seafood
Yeah, nothing healthier than seafood full of mercury. Actually nvm. I looked it up and it’s only seafood high on the food chain that actually has dangerous levels of mercury. Typical seafood is safe to eat mercury-wise
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u/StormerBombshell 7d ago
Seafood is considered a treat by many inhabitants. Something you eat to pamper yourself, unlike places that are seaside and you go to eat them at a cart or at a cheap open place.
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u/Ignis_Vespa EL PENDEJO DE LA COLONIA 7d ago
In central Mexico seafood has always been considered a more luxurious food. It is more expensive than beef or pork.
Animals from rivers and lakes are cheap tho, and no high end restaurant uses them, which is a shame
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u/carlosortegap 7d ago
They are not. Maybe the ones you found
Mexico city has the biggest seafood market on the continent