El Candelero

El Candelero is the most expensive Mexican food restaurant in Mexico. It is luxury at its highest, and high cuisine at its best. From pre-hispanic dishes rescued from history, to nouveau Mexican cooking, this place will not disappoint. The decor of the place is baroque, and grand, and reservations at the Salon Espejillos can be hard to get. This mirror hall is reminscent of Versailles, and every bit as luxurious.

A great night at el Candelero begins by dropping your car with the valet parking at the door of the restaurant, located on of the most prestigious streets in Mexico City. A walk inside takes you past a stone staircase that spirals upward, and into an indoor garden with beautifully set tables. A couple of private rooms sit off to the side. Upstairs is the famous espejillos room, with over-the-top elegance in the Old World style.

Thursday nights are the best time to go since this is Danzon night. After dinner, a small band of musicians plays the traditional Veracruz beat in the corner of Espejillos, while upper class couples dance the night away. The effect is a mixure of a Waltz and a Salsa party, with movie stars and Mexican moguls swaying the hips. Danzon is an especially difficult dance to perfect, and to just watch the rituals and steps performed to perfection, is a treat in and of itself. The ambiance is formal, yet intimate. To spend a Danzon night at el Candelero is to step back into a lost world of etiquette and propriety. But with the tropical beat to the songs, it is more fun than anything the European nobility ever experienced. This is Latin America at its best, great food, great wine, and great dancing!