Mexico City restaurant Pujol has been named the best in the country and No. 3 in Latin America on the 2018 list of Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants.

Pujol was one of 11 Mexican restaurants to make the list this year.

Also from Mexico City were Quintonil in ninth place, Sud 777 in 14th, Máximo Bistrot 20th, Nicos 37th, La Docena 40th and Rosetta 41st.

In Monterrey, Nuevo León, Pangea placed 30th while Alcalde, in Guadalajara, Jalisco, followed in 31st place.

Cancún’s Le Chique, the only new Mexican entry on the top-50 list, ranked 34th and Corazón de Tierra in the Guadalupe Valley, Baja California, 35th.

The best restaurant in Latin America was Maido, in Lima, Peru, for the second year in a row. Another Peruvian restaurant, Central, placed second.

The competition results said Pujol’s Enrique Olvera has proved that rustic Mexican flavors deserve as much attention as any other haute cuisine in the world. “. . . refined and elegant plates built from indigenous ingredients” pay tribute to Mexico’s rich culinary history.

Mexico was also on the list of special awards. Jesús Escalera of La Postrería in Guadalajara won the best pastry chef award.

Judges in the competition are critics, connoisseurs, chefs and experts in hospitality and customer service who look for exceptional dishes and effective use of haute cuisine techniques.

Mexico News Daily