We know that there’s nothing better than Mexican food, but we also get that after a while you need to cleanse your palate with something closer to home, especially when the homesickness starts kicking in…
The great thing is that Mexico City, being one of the largest cities in the world, has an amazing international foodie scene. Fellow travelers are always surprised that they find here excellent/authentic restaurants representing their country, let that be India, Japan, Russia or Lebanon. So, if your feeling a little blue, don’t worry. We’ve got your back!
Taro (Japan)
Where: Av. Universidad 1861, Copilco Universidad.
There are many Japanese restaurants in Mexico City, but this is the most authentic we’ve been to so far. The moment they slide the wooden door and you step into the sushi bar you feel exactly 11,302km away from Mexico. But the decoration is only a small part of it, the sushi, the bento boxes and the Shabu Shabu (Wagyu), all really reminded us of our time in Japan.
This restaurant has been open and packed every single day since 1980. What’s incredible is that Mrs. Takeda, the owner, is the only Japanese within the staff. She has transmitted her love for her culture so passionately that you’d never notice that the hands that carefully prepare each sushi or dish are not from Japanese chefs, but from Mexican ones.
Gruta Ehden (Lebanon)
Where: Calle Pino 69, Florida.
Another family owned restaurant (the best kind, in our experience), but this time from Lebanon. The current owner shared with us that his great grandparents migrated to Mexico from a small town up north called Ehden –hence the name– and that all the dishes come from family recipes passed down by his grandmother. Isn’t this wonderful?
Besides the 41 years in business, you know it’s legit when you look around and you are probably the only one in the entire restaurant without Lebanese blood. Plus, you find out that this is the place where Carlos Slim (Mexican-Lebanese business man and one of the richest men on earth) eats.
Hostería de la Selva Negra (Germany)
Where: Juan Racine 108, Polanco.
During World War 2, a young German boy boarded the Orinoco Ship to take refuge in Mexico. Years after, he married a Mexican girl and together they opened this cozy German restaurant with all of his family recipes. Now, 44 years later, their granddaughter still runs the place.
They have around 50 different labels of incredible German beer and many traditional dishes. We highly recommend the ‘Parrillada de salchichas’, a platter that comes with a great selection of sausages (Westafalia, Frankfurt, Vienna and others made with paprika, curry and parsley), Sauerkraut and potato salad. The perfect/easy German meal.
Galanga (Thailand)
Where: Guanajuato 202, Roma Norte.
With only 3 years in business, this Thai restaurant has become a staple of La Roma neighborhood. Somsri left Phuket and met her now husband Eleazar here in Mexico, and after not finding the right flavors that did justice to her country, they decided to open Galanga. Eleazar says that although she’s not a chef, Somsri has an amazing food memory with which she perfects the recipes until they taste authentic.
What we tried and recommend: Tom Kha soup (Maggie’s favorite), Pad Thai (Nils’ favorite), Gang Panang (delicious curry!) and Duck Laab. For dessert try the Kao Yan Muanmang (sticky rice with mango– also Maggie’s favorite!).
Taj Mahal (India)
Where: Francisco Márquez 134, Condesa.
There’s no Indian restaurant more authentic than this one, which was founded by two Indian brothers who came to Mexico more than 10 years ago. And although their butter chicken is not quite what we remember (the best we had was in a small restaurant in Delhi called ‘Havemore’), it’s still one of our go to dishes every time we go. Other favorites: Chicken Tikka Jalfrezi (spicy!) and Vegetable Biryani with lots of Naan or Roti.
Do you get homesick while traveling? We sometimes do and finding a good restaurant to lift our spirit isn’t easy! So, hope this list helps. What other countries would you like to see in Part 2, let us know in the comments…
Thanks for reading! Bon appétit!
