Em

Located in Mexico City’s Cuauhtémoc neighborhood, EMserves a Japanese-leaning tasting menu. Request a seat at the central dining bar to watch chefs prepare dishes like a fun and refreshing Mexican riff on a Japanese temakihand roll (which is nori seaweed assembled with white rice, squash blossoms, and local lettuces spiked with a yuzu dressing and a sprinkle of tart and crumbly cotija cheese). Traditionally in Japan, hand rolls are filled with various types of seafood, but chef Lucho Martinez’s plant-based take incorporates some of Mexico’s most iconic ingredients: squash blossoms and tangy cotija cheese, yielding a playful new way to eat your greens.

At the forefront of Mexico City’s dynamic culinary landscape, Em has quickly made a name for itself as a destination for those seeking innovative Mexican cuisine. Recently awarded one Michelin star, Em is the brainchild of Chef Lucho Martínez, who brings a fresh, contemporary approach to traditional Mexican flavors. What sets Em apart is its minimalist tasting menu, which changes frequently to highlight the best of Mexico’s seasonal ingredients.

Best for: Fine dining omakase-style set menuLocation: Tonalá 133, Roma Norte, Cuauhtémoc, Mexico City, 06700Price: ££££. Chef Lucho Martínez launched EM with his wife Fernanda Torres in the hip Roma Norte neighbourhood. The menu is influenced by Japanese ingredients and flavours, which are combined with a hyper-local and sustainable pantry, sourced from organic farms near the city.

Hidden inside an elegant Polanco townhouse, Em is an intimate culinary experience named after Chef Lucho Martinez’s daughter, Emilia. Before settling into your table, kick things off with a finely crafted cocktail upstairs at the atmospheric 686 Bar. Downstairs, couples and food lovers are treated to a bold, ingredient-driven journey where seafood plays a starring role.

Em is an upscale restaurant in the heart of Roma Norte, from chef Lucho Martínez. The venue is romantic and charming (perfect for a date night), with pink marble tables and adorable design details. There is an à la carte menu offered, but we opted for the omakase, a nine course seasonal tasting menu featuring local Mexican ingredients with Japanese influences.

The next day I decide to level up on the gorging and meet Diego at Em, a Roma Norte farm-to-table where we are ushered upstairs to a small air-conditioned bar. The electricity has failed (which happens often, even in the best neighbourhoods) and the main dining room is out of service. Eating a £100 tasting menu in a small upstairs bar is very Mexico City.

I already wrote an entire article about Em because I love Lucho's cooking. In this article I mention that I have a particular love for fried chicken because my mother is from Belize and my favorite dish growing up was her Belizean-style fried chicken. As a result, I am a qualified critic when it comes to this dish and I am very difficult to please.

Another restaurant we love in the Colonia Roma neighborhood is Em by chef Lucho Martinez. If you’re looking for a Japanese flare with local Mexican ingredients, each plate is creative. Since opening Em, he has opened four more restaurants, all unique flavors from French to fried chicken and seafood spotlighted.

Tonalá 133, Roma Nte., Cuauhtémoc, 06700 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico. Em is a modern, inviting restaurant in Mexico City that highlights fresh Mexican ingredients along with global influences. The dining room feels lively yet laid-back, and the cooking style puts local produce front and center.

For dinner, chef Lucho Martinez’s newly opened Em is a fine-dining fusion that blends the best of Mexican and Japanese ingredients along with an out-of-this-world omakase menu.