Issue 01 July/August 2024
Mexico is the new Michelin!
What took the Guide so long?
by Ana Pelayo Connery

Gourmet

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The only surprising thing about the recent announcement that Mexico is included in the prestigious Michelin Guide 2024 is how long it took for this vibrant country’s culinary excellence to be recognized. Mexico City snagged the lion’s share of the 18 plaudits, with Pujol and Quintonil gaining two stars and five more of the capital’s restaurants gaining one. This is only good news too for the local chefs and artisans in a host of smaller elegant colonial towns, who are also deserving of wider attention.

Most notably, in San Miguel Allende. Deep in the Mexican highlands, about three-and-a-half hours drive north of Mexico City, San Miguel Allende is a spirited, colorful city known for its impressive 16th-century Spanish baroque and neo-gothic architecture. Originally settled by the indigenous Chichimeca people, then taken over by the Spanish until the Mexican war of independence, the historic center is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

The grand cathedral of the Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel, with its dusty-pink spiked pinnacle towers, commandeers the city skyline above the main plaza of El Jardín. In a labyrinth of narrow stone streets once dense with horses and carriages, private homes shade within courtyards, public plazas brim with markets, exquisitely preserved buildings rub shoulders with the violet blooms of jacaranda trees. The stage is set to cast the spells of the cultural authenticity found here around every bend.

As night falls, life is just beginning in San Miguel de Allende’s historic center, under the watch of Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel. (ferrantraite/iStock)

One of the best ways to get to know a place is by tasting your way through it. And walking these streets is how to discover both the city’s history and the food markets that deliver the most flavorful ingredients to its restaurants every day. Even on his days off, Christian Herrera, executive sous chef at the five-star Belmond Casa de Sierra Nevada hotel, trawls the city’s markets for inspiration. “We bring guests at our hotel’s own Sazón culinary school here to select ingredients before cooking delicious recipes,” Herrera says. From tortas to tacos, an endless color wheel of fruits and vegetables captivates the eye and springs surprises. Agua de betabel is a sweetened beet juice, a local staple likely to capture visitors’ tastes.

Dining to the sounds and scents of nature at La Casa de Sierra Nevada in the heart of San Miguel de Allende. (Courtesy Casa de Sierra Nevada)

Tanto grandes como pequeños

Restaurants and eateries both grand and small flourish in San Miguel de Allende. And the city’s recent awards – including being named one of the world’s best cities by the readers of Travel and Leisure and Condé Nast Traveler magazines – are due in measure to its growing community of culinary talents and artisans. One such is Bertha González Nieves.

San Miguel de Allende’s recent awards… are due in measure to its growing community of culinary talents and artisans.

Originally from Mexico City, González Nieves has forged a stellar career at the highest level, promoting her country’s best known national product: tequila. Named by Forbes as among the 50 most powerful women in Mexico, Nieves was the first woman honored with the title Maestra Tequilera by the Academia Mexicana de Catadores de Tequila. She is a guest professor on the subject at the university in Guadalajara. Keeping it real on a slightly less grande scale, in San Miguel de Allende she has a six-seat tequila tasting room.

Tequila queen Bertha González Nieves of La Casa Dragones.

That’s not to diminish the beauty of the pequeña La Casa Dragones. Once the home of an elite cavalry that masterminded the country’s independence from Spain, the “smallest tequila bar in the world” sits at the end of a narrow lane. The 1671 building itself is a sight to behold. The conversion of it into a luxurious tasting room with obsidian walls and vaulted ceilings is González Nieves’s brainchild. “We wanted to create a space where guests can feel deeply immersed in our commitment to Mexican craftsmanship and discover the nuances of our sipping tequilas,” she says. The brand’s best-selling Joven tequila – a crystal-clear blend of silver and extra-aged tequila – is best savored slowly, giving guests plenty of time to admire the artwork and furnishings of mid-century Bajío and contemporary Mexican design.
The secret passage to the delights of La Casa Dragones. (Douglas Friedman)
La Casa Dragones won an interior design prize at the 2023 Liv Hospitality Design Awards. (Douglas Friedman)

The bounty of the surrounding ranches, farms, vineyards and orchards is on full display in the city’s restaurants and bars. González Nieves namechecks the cocktails at rooftop bar Bekeb in the Casa Hoyos boutique hotel, where one of Mexico’s leading mixologists, Fabiola Padilla, crafts artisanal drinks. Another panoramic favorite with a cathedral view is Quince. Evenings that call for a more sophisticated take on local cuisine can be spent at Moxi at the Hotel Matilda, enjoying the culinary creations of chef Vicente Torres, who helped the Museum of Modern Art in Valencia, Spain gain a Michelin star. His grilled octopus in a tangy piquillo pepper sauce is acclaimed.

So while the Michelin Guide 2024 predictably places the already lauded tables of Mexico City and beautiful beachy Baja California center stage, San Miguel de Allende sits patiently in the wings. Perhaps next year? Meanwhile, its authenticity and warmth continue to provide for its fortunate visitors memorable moments of gastronomic joy.

Main image: AscentXMedia/iStock

Topics in this article

  • Reporter: Ana Pelayo Connery
  • Ana Pelayo Connery is a journalist whose editorial work has appeared in CNN, USA Today, Travel + Leisure, Real Simple, House Beautiful, HGTV and Better Homes & Gardens.