Galea

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

A Modern Trattoria in the Heart of Roma Norte

On a quiet stretch of Sinaloa street, steps from the Glorieta Cibeles, Galea occupies a space designed by Arquitectos Pascal that integrates architecture and quality into one of Mexico City's most characterful neighbourhoods. The restaurant describes itself plainly: a place that honours the ingredient, artisanal technique, and conscious hospitality. "Our language is not based on empty promises, but on the silent craft of doing things well every day." That ethos, consistent and unpretentious, is what earned Galea recognition from Gambero Rosso.

The People Behind the Kitchen

Chef-owner Rafael Zaga came to cooking by an unusual route. A sabbatical year in Israel sparked his passion; he then spent a decade in New York, training at Nobu, Morimoto, and Corton before finding his true direction at Marea, the Michelin-starred Italian restaurant where he rose to sous-chef under Michael White. That kitchen shaped his attention to detail and his commitment to simplicity. His talent was formally recognised with an artist visa — a rare distinction for a foreign chef. In 2021 he returned to Mexico City and opened Galea, named Best New Chef 2023.

Alongside him, Michelle Catarata leads pastry. Raised in Queens with Filipino roots, she trained at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York and spent six formative years at Sorella, an Italian restaurant, before joining Marea as pastry sous-chef. In Mexico City she was named Best Pastry Chef of the Year 2024 by the Guía Culinaria Mexicana. Her philosophy — balance of flavours, seasonality, local ingredients — runs through every dessert she creates.

What's on the Plate

The menu is a careful negotiation between Italian tradition and Mexican produce. All pastas are made in-house using BIOALBERTI heritage-grain flour: garganelli with mushroom ragù and ricotta salata, fusilli with frutti di mare and sea urchin sauce, francobolli filled with wagyu veal brains and brown butter. Among starters, the mil hojas de camote — a millefeuille of sweet potato with pecorino romano and pepita gremolata — has become a signature, its quiet balance a direct expression of Zaga's minimalist style.

Main courses follow the same Mediterranean logic: organic chicken, catch of the day, and a New York strip with roasted pepper purée and jus. The dessert list, shaped by Catarata, includes a tiramisú tart with marsala gelato, a chocolate panna cotta with hazelnut crunch and olive oil gelato, and rotating sorbets and gelatos that change with the season.

A four-course tasting menu is available throughout the week, with an optional wine pairing of three pours plus a dessert wine — a compact, well-considered way to experience the full range of the kitchen. The wine list itself spans Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and Mexican bottles, thoughtfully curated to complement the Mediterranean character of the cooking.

The Atmosphere

Galea calls itself a modern Italian trattoria — warm, relaxed, intimate. The space, private events room included, suits both long lunches and unhurried dinners. It is the kind of place where the craft is visible without being theatrical, and where the service, in the restaurant's own words, is delivered with respect.