We’ll be spending 10 days in SMA. Our trip overlaps with one by Frank Murray and his wife. Frankie has been to SMA multiple times and has his favorite places to eat include:
What I’m interested in knowing is if there are other spots to try beyond these, places that locals may frequent. Or maybe FMIII has found all the good spots. We are spanish speakers, so language isn’t an issue.
TIA
Do not miss the chubby mermaid - La Sirena Gorda. The ginger margaritas, artichokes and really inventive gourmet bar food. If we had eaten there the first night we might have ended up there every night! Belly up to the bar and enjoy.
No website but check out the reviews -
http://www.yelp.com/biz/la-sirena-gorda-san-miguel-de-allende
Easy to miss but look for this
Looks great, Tom. Thanks. On the list!!
We are back from 10 days in SMA. What a great town. You can’t walk 1/2 a block without finding someplace to eat. It didn’t matter where we ate–food stalls at the Mercado, street carts, upscale eatery, the farmers’ market–we did not have a bad meal. We had 3-4 dinners with the Drs. Frank and Jill Murray, sharing wine and lots of laughs.
My hands-down favorite place was Mi Vida. Chef Davide, an Italian, regaled us with an amazing chef’s menu. In fact, the two times we ate there, I never saw the regular menu. Young, passionate, he crafted one of the best sequence of courses I’ve had. Each was so precise. The table-side presented fish encased in salt was a highlight. But there was not a single miss. There is live music on the weekends.
Moxi, which I had booked as it is a sister restaurant to Pujol in Mexico City, was a slight disappointment. My tasting menu had a couple of very good courses, but there were more misses than hits. My wife’s chicken was inedible. And the setting is very sterile, in an ultra-modern hotel that is completely out of place in SMA.
A lunch at La Posadita, just 1/2 block from the central El Jardin, was a highlight. There is rooftop dining with a nice view of the city. My chicken ranks with the best I’ve had. Julia’s fish was perfect. The entrance is just a staircase from the street, so if you’re not looking for it, very easy to miss.
The Rosewood is a luxury hotel that I was hesitant to go to. I’m glad I did. The rooftop terrace easily has the best view in town. Good drinks and appetizers. The 1826 restaurant looked great, but it will have to wait til our next visit. But I definitely will go back to that rooftop.
Dinner at The Restaurant (stupid name) lived up to Frank’s hype. Lovely setting with first-rate food. The setting is maybe a bit more staid than Mi Vida, but it’s someplace worth trying.
The food stalls in the Saturday farmers’ market yielded terrific tacos. I had some with potatoes and chorizo that soared. There is a very good cheese stand, too, and Christian has home-made liqueurs, appertivos, etc. that are quite unique. The market (Via Organica) is a nice morning into afternoon stop. Great for kids.
Los Burritos just down the street from El Jardin yielded our most consistently good and cheap fast food. Delicious tacos that you help build.
Anyways, this is a very short list of our food stops. There are about 10 more! It’s easy to spend a week or more here and not even come close to doing all that you wish you could do.
Oh. The Cumpanio bakery on Correo (it has an adjoining bistro) is run by a Frenchman, and the pastries are divine. My wife says the traditional mexican concha was the best she had ever had anywhere. And the chocolate croissant was perfect. Don’t miss this place! You can gain 10 lbs here easily.
#jealous for sure. I wish I had direct flights from here.
I’m bumping this thread from a decade ago.
We are going for a few nights in February. I’ve never been. Would love to hear recs for dining, activities, etc. We will have my 9yo with us, but he’s a super adventuresome and mature eater, so not really a constraint.
Also interested in anyone’s hotel thoughts. We are booked in the Belmond but thinking of switching to the Rosewood.
TIA!