NICOS: IS THIS HIGHLY ACCLAIMED MEXICO CITY RESTAURANT WORTH THE TRIP?
The Cost -$28 per person
The Atmosphere – Looks like a traditional Mexican fine dining restaurant from the 1980’s with white tablecloths and wooden chairs that hasn’t been updated since it opened.
Featuring locally sourced ingredients and traditional Mexican cuisine, Nicos in Mexico City is ranked 31 on the Top 50 in Latin America list and has been serving customers for over 60 years.
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The Order - Cucumber Mezcalita to drink. Guacamole, Shrimp Tamale, Tlacoyo, Sopa, Pork Ribs in Pipián Sauce to eat and Buñuelos for dessert.
The Great - The tlacoyo, a traditional Mexican dish from the Oaxaca region, was very good. Stuffed with beans and cheese and topped with cheese, this was definitely the best dish of the evening.
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The Good - The pork ribs in pipián sauce, a green molé thickened with pumpkin seeds, was good but not amazing. The sopa was absolutely not the sopa I intended to order. Wanting a chicken soup (what you would normally see as “sopa” on a menu), I instead got a lasagna like dish that had chicken in it. Luckily, it was good but definitely a surprise.
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The Not So Good - The cucumber mezcalita did not have a good flavor to it and was super acidic. The guacamole had no kick to it and was not mashed well and had tomatoes in it (to each their own but I’m not a fan). The shrimp tamale was also a disappointment, especially after having some great tamales over the course of my trip. Finally, the buñuelos, fried dough with sugar, were too plain and didn’t taste like much - I would not recommend them.
The Verdict - Though it was a lot of food for the price, I do not believe that it deserves to be one of the Too 50 Restaurants in Latin America. Frankly, it’s not a restaurant I would be excited to visit again despite it serving some traditional and regional Mexican dishes. With so many other amazing options in Mexico City, I would try others before dining at Nicos.
Nicos
Av. Cuitláhuac 3102, Claveria, Azcapotzalco, 02080 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico