Two Mexico City restaurants are on the 2021 list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
Pujol ranks ninth, three places higher than in 2019, while Quintonil took 27th place, down three places from two years ago.
No list was released last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Located in the upscale neighborhood of Polanco, Pujol captures “the spirit of Mexico” on a plate, according to judges of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards, widely recognized as the Oscars of gastronomy.
Founded by chef Enrique Olvera in 2000, the restaurant offers “a varied seven-course tasting menu that packs an incredible punch,” the awards website said.
“While the selection changes with the seasons, the signature Mole Madre, Mole Nuevo – two concentric rings of the traditional Mexican preparation, one of which is aged for 2,500 days – is a stable feature, alongside a steaming dish baby corn with chicatan ant mayonnaise,” he said.
The website also notes that Pujol moved in 2017 and is now located in “a chic setting” with an “elegant interior… lit by gorgeous natural light that floods the windows.”
Pujol said on Instagram that he was “happy to be in the top 50 in the world, with an amazing group of restaurants.”
“We thank our community: the producers, the suppliers, our kitchen and dining room team, our customers and our friends,” he added.
Another Olvera-founded restaurant, Cosme in New York, ranks 22nd on the 2021 list.
Five points below Cosimo is Quintonil, also located in Polanco. The restaurant offers “a taste of pure Mexico from a talented young chef,” according to the World’s 50 Best Restaurants website.
That chef is Jorge Vallejo, who previously worked at Pujol as well as Rene Redzepi’s Noma in Copenhagen, which took the top spot on this year’s list.
Quintonil, the awards website notes, “is the name of a green Mexican herb that features in some dishes and cocktails and pretty much sums up this restaurant: fresh, authentic, and bursting with flavor.”
“…Although there is an a la carte option, those with the time should choose the tasting menu for the true Quintonil experience. From braised oxtail to black recado with mashed almonds and red onions to Atocpan-style mole with organic vegetables and sourdough bread, there’s a taste of many things that make Mexican cuisine so unique,” did he declare.
The website also notes that much of the restaurant’s produce comes from a nearby garden. “…Vallejo and his team keep their carbon footprint so low that many of their ingredients travel just 30 meters from origin to plate,” he said.
The restaurant also acknowledged its inclusion on the list and thanked its customers, suppliers, friends and “the Quintonil family”.
“In the midst of these difficult times due to the pandemic, it is thanks to you that we are on this renowned list again,” he said on Instagram.
Two other Mexican restaurants are on a long list of the world’s 100 best restaurants. Mexico City’s Sud 777 ranks 56th while Guadalajara’s Alcalde took 68th place.
Geranium, also located in the Danish capital, was deemed the second best restaurant in the world after Noma. Asador Extebarri in the Spanish Basque Country, Central in Lima and Disfrutar in Barcelona complete the top five.
With reports from Reforma
