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Friday, January 22, 2016

Taking a Bite Out of Mexico: 40 NEW Reasons to Eat Out in San Miguel

If you’ve come to San Miguel de Allende to eat, you picked the right place.

San Miguel is now on Mexico’s list of culinary hotspots and it’s about to move up a few places. A wealth of notable restaurant and food vendor openings, around 40 of them in the next few months, will go a long way to feed your food obsessions.

Many restaurants are new and others are satellite locations of existing restaurants. Some of the owners already have successful restaurants or food/beverage related ventures under their belt.
New, multifunctional marketplaces, Dôce-18 and Mercado Centro-San Miguel, will house multiple restaurants and vendors. That’s good news for day-trippers looking to sample a variety of culinary options in a matter of a few hours.

Food for thought that already has me headed to the gym.

Buen Apetito!
Dôce-18
Pinch me. Am I dreaming? Call it SMA’s most famous restaurateurs, all under one roof:
                                             Photo: Angela Lewis Serrano
Tacolicious AND Birdie’s Burgers from Chef Donnie Masterton;
Daniel Estebaranz’s (B’ui cocina de campo) milpa, a farm to table concept;
                                                            Photo: Aperi
Chef Matteo Salas of Aperi has a new venture with Architect/Entrepreneur Alberto Laposse. It is yet to be named.
With these restaurants, another café from Laposse, and other food projects launching in the same space (the old Casa Cohen), it will definitely be one of city’s top culinary gems.
Get ready to line up. Dôce-18 is on track for a late winter opening.
Mercado Centro-San Miguel
San Miguel is finally getting its own version of Mercado Roma located in the old Espino’s market at Codo 36.
Mercado Centro –San Miguel will open January 29th with authentic, upscale gourmet and organic offerings.

Chef Marko Antoine Cruz Sanchez of B’ui cocina de campo is opening Porchetta, a stylish burger spot AND Nomada cocina de interpretacion, which will feature the span of his creative talents along with wife, pastry chef Sofia Antillon, who has been putting out some of the most amazing desserts at Bui cocina de campo lately.
Nomada’s hours are 9 AM – 10:00 PM on Friday and 9:00 AM – 11:00 PM on Saturday. The good news is that you will still be able to enjoy Marko’s cooking at B’ui cocina de campo in Otomi where he is the Executive Chef.
Manny Flores, pictured on the left, also of B’ui, will bring Mexican street food to this upscale market with masa offerings at Centli. Watch for innovative adaptations of Gorditas, Huaraches, Sopes, Tacos and Quesadillas.
Jorge Alarcon L, wine expert and one of the owners of Carnevino, partners with Private Chef Julian Garcia and Aana Goded to open Vino y Comino, featuring soups and salads along with wine and mezcal by the glass. Jorge will also be opening Carnevino Grill inside Carnevino at Ancha de San Antonio #22 in March, 2016.
Look for Sunday Marie Witte’s new restaurant called Soul Kitchen SMA which will offer soups, pot pies and braised meats; delicious home cooking to go.
Many other well-known vendors will be at this market as well including Casa Chiquita Pizza, Cent'anni, Cervecería Allende, Tapas SMA and Cumpanio. The market will also have a government tourist office to support out-of-town visitors.  
With 27 vendors, the official hours will be 10 AM – 10:00 PM, although most will set their own schedules. The rooftop space will feature weekly events with visiting guest chefs. The market will be closed on Tuesdays.
Also Opening…
Shifting San Miguel’s food scene into fast forward will also be the opening of a new rooftop, 15 (Quince), at Cuna de Allende 15 and El Vergel SMA Bistro and Market on the road to Dolores Hidalgo, 300 meters from Candelaria. Partners Daniel Hernandez and Houston Harte have joined forces with Chef/Partner Donnie Masterton to bring top-quality French food to San Miguel. Why is it I love French food? Grab a bottle of wine and give me an hour.

Funny how one trendy, pop up dinner back in 2012 transformed a quaint mountain town into one of Mexico’s hottest culinary destinations.
And the rest is history.