Wooden chairs decorated with colorful flowers, tablecloth-style walls, paintings of Frida, plants and flowers; all this makes El Encanto, a restaurant with real Mexican decorations. But the menu is international, and it ranges from pizza to enmoladas—similar to enchiladas but with a mole sauce—their star dish. And that is not simply what Nicolás Bustamante, the owner and chef, tells you; it’s what diners say because they return again and again to enjoy the dish. The presentation is classic, but the flavor has secret ingredients that makes it quite different from the usual.

 

The place was the dream of Nicolás, proud member of the LGBT community, who had been studying gastronomy at the university. For many reasons and due to various circumstances, his studies were truncated and he left his career behind. But he retained his love of cooking and the fact that in it he found refuge from various circumstances related to his orientation. He continued to work because he had a dream that one day he would own his own restaurant. “I worked in various kitchens.

 

One day I shared my idea with Francine Lori Llano, and she supported me with the paperwork, since we had started hunting for a building. We found this building, and it was perfect.” At the restaurant there is an area for smokers; and you can enjoy a cocktail with regular or flavored mezcal, from guava to berries, all accompanied of course, with chili powder and orange. “They bring it to me from San Luis Potosí, and from Guadalajara, it’s virgin mezcal. Here we prepare the rest,” says Bustamante.

 

Open Tuesday through Sunday, from 9am-1pm for breakfast, and from 1-9pm for lunch—comida. They are located at Recreo 84.