Raíz

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

Alta Cocina Mexicana Contemporánea in the Heart of Polanco

On Schiller 331, in one of Mexico City's most polished neighborhoods, Raíz takes the depth of Mexican culinary tradition and runs it through a contemporary fine-dining lens. The name says it plainly: this is cooking rooted in origin, in the flavors and ingredients that form the taste memory of those who grew up in this part of the world.

The menu reads as both an exploration and a homecoming. Starters move confidently between land and sea — scallop aguachile with chiltepín pepper, kampachi tiradito finished with sake and chintextle mayonnaise, stone crab infladitas with pickled vegetables and creamy avocado, and a foie gras pyramid stuffed with caramelized onion and apple, served with morels and brioche. Indigenous ingredients appear throughout without ceremony: escamoles, huitlacoche, quelites, grasshoppers, and huauzontle are woven into dishes as naturally as any luxury product.

Main courses carry the same ambition. A la talla fish from sustainable fishing gets guajillo chile adobo and nixtamalized cherry tomatoes. Braised and smoked short rib arrives with butter pumpkin purée and crispy corn. The New York Wagyu cross is paired with the house's black mole, a preparation that signals just how seriously Raíz takes its sauces and slow techniques. Desserts are inventive and grounded at once — the Elotl brings popcorn cream, white chocolate, dulce de leche, and corn ice cream together in a single plate; the Chocolate Tamal wraps mousse in a mini tamal with meco chili ice cream.

For those who want the full picture, tasting menus of six or nine courses are available, each with an optional wine pairing that draws from Valle de Guadalupe, Burgundy, Rheingau, Tokaji, and even Hokkaido sake. It was this thoughtful approach to the cellar that earned Raíz a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence — recognition that reflects the care applied to every glass as much as every plate.

The kitchen's philosophy, stated on the menu itself, is one of "search, experimenting and rediscovering" — and that spirit is evident in a list that never feels static. Contemporary Mexican cuisine here is not a concept but a practice, revisited with each season and each new ingredient.

Raíz also offers catering and private event services for those who want to bring this level of cooking beyond the dining room.