As one might expect from a university town, Guanajuato is awash with incredible street food low in price and high in quality, from mom-and-pop cafés to stalls at Hidalgo Market. How do you justify shelling out extra cash for a restaurant meal, especially when it should have more than magical ambience? Casa Mercedes, perched on the second floor of a bungalow-style building, has the requisite ambience from its luminous interiors to views of Santa Cecilia Castle and the expanse of downtown Guanajuato City. Executive Chef Jesús Cárdenas and his staff do a fine job filling in the food elements and following through with founding chef Luz María González’s vision.

While Cárdenas’ resumé includes stints in Europe, seeing and tasting how he’s applied those skills to native seasonings and produce makes the experience near priceless. There are several renditions of the chile relleno — stuffed peppers — considered a Guanajuato staple, none of which resemble the deep-fried snacks served at Mexican restaurants outside of Mexico. These alone could comprise a whole meal, from a tempting appetizer plate of bite-sized banana pepper to elegant main course-sized peppers filled with braised lamb or pork, baked and dressed in different savory sauces. Soups are another strong suit. A delicate black huitlacoche, or corn truffle soup, pairs beautifully with rosé or white from a San Miguel Allende winery. The Dos Cremas, a gravity-defying dish pairing thick bean and pork soups in the same bowl and topped with chicharrones, or pork cracklins, pairs with a red, or sipping Añejo tequilas from the nearby Hacienda Corralejo.

Casa Mercedes

De Arriba 6
San Javier, Guanajuato City, Mexico
tel 47 37 33 90 59