I hadn’t seen this spot reviewed on r/finedining, so on a whim I decided to give it a try. Some thoughts below:
*Note: I wasn’t able to get a pic of two courses: the first, a potato croqueta, and the third, a tiny parsley salad with dashi flakes. I comment on them both below.*
**Food: Overall, 8/10**
In general, the majority of plates were delicious. There were a few flunks, named the parsley salad with dashi which I truly did not think tasted good at all, and a white fish soup which was somewhat flavorless albeit warming and alright. **The non-sushi/sashimi/hot courses were in general lower quality than the fish courses**, which were all pretty spectacular. **Highlights include the salmon roe and otoro tuna**, both of which gave that wonderful transported-to-some-far-off-beach-memory-somewhere feeling. **There was a nice ebb and flow to the meal, which I really appreciated; the sequence of flavors/textures all flowed extremely well and was delightful**. Still, a few plates were just “okay” in addition to the negatives I listed.
**Service, Ambience, etc.: 9/10**
The service and overall experience of this place was really what made the meal for me, and why I would recommend it to anyone in CDMX. Walking in, the transition from busy Roma is jarring, in a good way, and the decor is comforting, not overly-posh (as many high-end spots in CDMX tend to be), and well thought out. The experience is intimate, even if the place was full it only seats a dozen or so diners. **The waitstaff were lovely and unpretentious, and the chef was wonderful. Trilingual, we chatted our way through dinner in whichever language he could best describe the dish in**, which was impressive. He also showed great interest in everyone in the room, asked us all about our experience with sushi, where we were from, etc., **which then provoked conversation between all of us in this exciting, chatty, and happy-to-be-there way that is so deliciously rare.**
My only negative here was that for a few dishes (see: photos) I wasn’t told what the actual fish/food was, which was a little annoying.
Coming from the US, this was a great deal. Granted, there are much, much cheaper meals in CDMX, but this was overall a 10/10 experience that I would certainly have again.
Notable: There are 2 omakase options, one which was $2,000 MXN and one which is $2,500 MXN. I opted for the latter, since I was quite hungry, and, well, when in Rom(a/e).
**Bottom Line: 9/10, Highly recommended; While some courses were lackluster, the experience and price were wonderful and I would happily go back.**
**Other Notes:**
The chef knew his shit, to put it frankly. He had ran a restaurant in Ginza, Tokyo, for ~30 years, and was clearly experienced. Also, he was extremely friendly; **I stuck around a little later even after the bill to chat and sip (complimentary) tequila, which was of course a bit casual, but still a nice treat.** I also really appreciated his ambition to combine local/Mexican flavors with his food, which is an homage I feel many higher-end non-Mexican restaurants in CDMX choose to not make.
The staff speak Spanish, English, and Japanese all pretty well. The main waiter was very fluent in English & Spanish, while the non-main waitstaff had a little friction in communication. Overall, you won’t miss out on much if you only speak English, and the staff were very okay with catering to foreigners.
ScoopsAndSkips on
UPDATE: Sorry that the pictures came out quite fuzzy, here’s an Imgur like, whoopsies https://imgur.com/a/gFYlPZ2
Aztec_Mayan on
Been there twice and it is indeed very very good! The chef indeed super friendly and also shared drinks with him at the end of one of our meals. I really enjoyed Kyo. It still feels like a bit of a hidden gem, doesn’t it? Especially cause you’d never expect that amazing intimate place in that area or in that building!
Nice photos!
MachineryoftheHeaven on
Looks good! If you happen to go to Puerto Escondido, there is a mindblowing omakase there, at the beach, outside.
4 Comments
I hadn’t seen this spot reviewed on r/finedining, so on a whim I decided to give it a try. Some thoughts below:
*Note: I wasn’t able to get a pic of two courses: the first, a potato croqueta, and the third, a tiny parsley salad with dashi flakes. I comment on them both below.*
**Food: Overall, 8/10**
In general, the majority of plates were delicious. There were a few flunks, named the parsley salad with dashi which I truly did not think tasted good at all, and a white fish soup which was somewhat flavorless albeit warming and alright. **The non-sushi/sashimi/hot courses were in general lower quality than the fish courses**, which were all pretty spectacular. **Highlights include the salmon roe and otoro tuna**, both of which gave that wonderful transported-to-some-far-off-beach-memory-somewhere feeling. **There was a nice ebb and flow to the meal, which I really appreciated; the sequence of flavors/textures all flowed extremely well and was delightful**. Still, a few plates were just “okay” in addition to the negatives I listed.
**Service, Ambience, etc.: 9/10**
The service and overall experience of this place was really what made the meal for me, and why I would recommend it to anyone in CDMX. Walking in, the transition from busy Roma is jarring, in a good way, and the decor is comforting, not overly-posh (as many high-end spots in CDMX tend to be), and well thought out. The experience is intimate, even if the place was full it only seats a dozen or so diners. **The waitstaff were lovely and unpretentious, and the chef was wonderful. Trilingual, we chatted our way through dinner in whichever language he could best describe the dish in**, which was impressive. He also showed great interest in everyone in the room, asked us all about our experience with sushi, where we were from, etc., **which then provoked conversation between all of us in this exciting, chatty, and happy-to-be-there way that is so deliciously rare.**
My only negative here was that for a few dishes (see: photos) I wasn’t told what the actual fish/food was, which was a little annoying.
**Bang for Buck: 10/10 (Incl. 15% tip, Omakase & 2 beers – $3,163MXN // $178 USD // 162 Euro**
Coming from the US, this was a great deal. Granted, there are much, much cheaper meals in CDMX, but this was overall a 10/10 experience that I would certainly have again.
Notable: There are 2 omakase options, one which was $2,000 MXN and one which is $2,500 MXN. I opted for the latter, since I was quite hungry, and, well, when in Rom(a/e).
**Bottom Line: 9/10, Highly recommended; While some courses were lackluster, the experience and price were wonderful and I would happily go back.**
**Other Notes:**
The chef knew his shit, to put it frankly. He had ran a restaurant in Ginza, Tokyo, for ~30 years, and was clearly experienced. Also, he was extremely friendly; **I stuck around a little later even after the bill to chat and sip (complimentary) tequila, which was of course a bit casual, but still a nice treat.** I also really appreciated his ambition to combine local/Mexican flavors with his food, which is an homage I feel many higher-end non-Mexican restaurants in CDMX choose to not make.
The staff speak Spanish, English, and Japanese all pretty well. The main waiter was very fluent in English & Spanish, while the non-main waitstaff had a little friction in communication. Overall, you won’t miss out on much if you only speak English, and the staff were very okay with catering to foreigners.
UPDATE: Sorry that the pictures came out quite fuzzy, here’s an Imgur like, whoopsies https://imgur.com/a/gFYlPZ2
Been there twice and it is indeed very very good! The chef indeed super friendly and also shared drinks with him at the end of one of our meals. I really enjoyed Kyo. It still feels like a bit of a hidden gem, doesn’t it? Especially cause you’d never expect that amazing intimate place in that area or in that building!
Nice photos!
Looks good! If you happen to go to Puerto Escondido, there is a mindblowing omakase there, at the beach, outside.