9 restaurants are on list of Latin America’s top 50

Nine Mexican restaurants — including six in Mexico City — are among the top 50 restaurants in Latin America, according to The 50 World’s Best Restaurants list.

The three other winning restaurants are located in Cancún, Guadalajara, and Monterrey.

The top Mexico restaurant on the list was Mexico City’s Pujol, which placed fifth. It was also recognized with a special sustainable restaurant award for championing environmentally friendly menus and sustainable restaurant practices.

“In its tireless search for improvement, this restaurant leads the way in sustainability and continues to reduce its carbon footprint and waste,” The World’s 50 Best said on its Twitter account.

Pujol’s haute cuisine establishment in the upscale Mexico City neighborhood of Polanco is known for environmentally friendly restaurant practices like a meatless menu, waste composting, and using collected rainwater.

“Perhaps we are the first, but to take the first step is the only way,” said Pujol’s head chef Alex Bremont in an interview in 2019. “We like to lead by example.”

Pujol was praised for its innovative policies, such as creating its own garden and working closely with suppliers to obtain sustainably grown menu items.

In his acceptance speech, owner Enrique Olvera said, “It’s a goal that we have been working toward for many years. We don’t just want to be one of the best restaurants in the world, we want to be one of the best restaurants for the world.”

Other Mexico City winners were:

• Panadería Rosetta, No. 9, described as one of the most romantic and popular restaurants in Latin America;
• Quintonil, No. 11, named for an obscure Mexican herb similar to cilantro which it uses in many of its dishes;
• Sud 777, No. 17, which promotes simple dishes with high-quality ingredients;
• Nicos, No. 3, whose architect-turned-chef Gerardo Vázquez Lugo specializes in highlighting haute cuisine with traditional Mexican touches; and
• Máximo Bistrot, No. 36, which sources up to two-thirds of its ingredients from local producers such as the gardens of Xochimilco.

Winners from outside the capital were:

• Pangea in Monterrey, Nuevo León, which placed 14^th, which was described as having “put northeastern Mexico on the map for international cuisine.”
• Alcalde in Guadalajara, which was No. 15, was recognized for its aguachile verde with lobster and apple and for octopus in salsa recado.
• Le Chique, Cancún, was No. 30 and known for its tasting menus and for highlighting cuisine from throughout Mexico.

The full list of winners can be seen at The World’s 50 Best.

Source: Reforma (sp), El Financiero (sp)

UPDATE: This story has been updated to clarify that the restaurants are on the list of the top 50 in Latin America.