Mezcaleria Alma
Mexican restaurant · Highland ·
Mexico City-inspired dishes, extensive mezcal list, stellar cocktails
Mexico City-inspired dishes, extensive mezcal list, stellar cocktails
"Conceived as a “love letter to Mexico City” and opened next door to Alma Fonda Fina, Mezcaleria Alma captured its own MICHELIN Star; I also noticed the deep team camaraderie — one of the chefs even has the MICHELIN logo tattooed on his arm — and the concept leans into Mexico City flavors (images highlight dishes like Arroz a la Tumbada de Hongos and cocktails such as the Corn Sour)." - Katie Shapiro
"Behind the bar at Mezcaleria Alma, there's a glowing dry-ager filled with hunks of bright red tuna. It's right next to a towering wall of mezcal that looks like an alcoholic 19th-century baron replaced his home library with booze. Remember that tuna. There may one day be statues erected to that tuna. Because while everything at Mezcaleria Alma is exceptional, the tuna tostada is otherworldly. Thin slices sit atop a marsh of guacamole and habanero mayonnaise and are then doused with an amount of chives that could only be described as Chia Pet-esque." - Jonathan Smith
"Sitting at the counter to watch the plating is part of the experience, and the dry-aged toro tostada is not to be missed: a crisp tortilla gets a smear of smashed avocado and charred habanero mayo, then a blanket of dry-aged toro finished with sesame chili oil and a generous smattering of thinly sliced chives, so each bite feels simultaneously indulgent and fresh." - ByThe Bon Appétit Staff
"Mezcaleria Alma struck me as a spirited, transportive bar-restaurant where a focused one-page menu (masa pockets, smoked-tuna bites, kanpachi ceviche) pairs with an encyclopedic mezcal and tequila selection—crafted cocktails like a corn sour featuring elote mezcal and pox showcase deep spirit knowledge, while the food remains vivid and complementary to serious drinking." - ByThe Bon Appétit Staff
"This “love letter to Mexico City,” as its irrepressibly talented chef and owner Johnny Curiel bills it, is the whole package. The decor: dark and sexy. The food: stellar, as you’d expect from the next-door sibling of the Michelin-starred Alma Fonda Fina. And the cocktails: inspired. True to the name — and the collection of over 100 bottles lining the back bar — they’re mostly mezcal-based, but they’re laced with all sorts of surprises, including epazote leaf, dillweed, and lapsang souchong tea. All of which goes to say that stopping by for a quickie is missing the point here — book a reservation and make a night of it." - Eater Staff