Em (restaurant)

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Coordinates: 19°24′55″N 99°09′43.3″W / 19.41528°N 99.162028°W / 19.41528; -99.162028
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Not to be confused with Eem (restaurant).
Em
Refer to the caption
The restaurant's kitchen entrance (#133) and the restaurant's entrance (#686)
Map
Restaurant information
Established2018
Owner(s)Luis "Lucho" Martínez
Head chefLuis "Lucho" Martínez
Food typeMexican and Japanese
Rating1 Michelin star (Michelin Guide, 2024)
Street addressTonalá 133, Roma, Cuauhtémoc
CityMexico City
Postal/ZIP Code06700
CountryMexico
Coordinates19°24′55″N 99°09′43.3″W / 19.41528°N 99.162028°W / 19.41528; -99.162028
Seating capacity52[1]
ReservationsYes[2]
Websiteitsemilia.rest

Em (formerly Emilia) is a fine dining restaurant in Colonia Roma, Cuauhtémoc, Mexico City that serves contemporary Mexican cuisine mixed with Japanese influences. It has daily à la carte options and an eight- to nine-course tasting menu. It is owned by Luis "Lucho" Martínez. Food experts have given the restaurant favorable reviews. Em was awarded one Michelin star in 2024 in the first Michelin Guide covering restaurants in Mexico.

Description[edit]

Em is open in the evenings only; reservations are required, and it has space for 52 diners.[1][3] The eatery offers both à la carte and an eight- to nine-course omakase tasting menu selections.[3][4] The former is updated weekly, with the restaurant providing daily options, while the latter is replaced every three months.[1] Diners who chose the tasting menu are placed in the center bar, while those who order à la carte are seated at the surrounding tables.[3] The food served is Mexican with Japanese influences.[4]

History[edit]

Em is a restaurant owned by Luis "Lucho" Martínez. He trained at Quintonil, Máximo Bistrot, and Mia Domenicca restaurants. The restaurant was named after Martínez's daughter.[5] The restaurant's style was planned by him and his associate, Ebo Kobayashi, along with the Japanese designer Kanako Ishida, with materials that feature copper, quarry and marble.[3] It opened in 2018 as Emilia[6][7] at Río Pánuco Street, Colonia Cuauhtémoc,[8] but it was later renamed and relocated due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the food industry.[1] The former site of Máximo Bistrot at Tonalá Street, Colonia Roma, was chosen as the location for Em restaurant.[4] Above the restaurant, Martínez opened a bar named 686 Bar.[9] According to Martínez, he did not want to create a traditional Mexican food restaurant, which would be associated with Pujol or Quintonil.[10]

Reception and recognition[edit]

On their selection of the top twenty-three restaurants in Mexico City, Time Out ranked Em at number fifteen.[5] In her review for the same magazine, Regina Barberena rated the restaurant with five out of five stars, adding that "Emília [sic] is profiled in world cuisine with surprising techniques, tasteful finishing touches that are not necessarily bound to delight every palate. It is about the divergence of flavors and appreciation of nature wrapped in a single dish".[3] Guillaume Guevara described the plates as amusing and saw Em as a more approachable restaurant than Pujol.[2]

Marco Beteta recommended the omakase options.[11] Juan Carlos Gamboa wrote for Caras that the "origins in the chef's home state of Veracruz translate into dishes that surprise with their elegance and simplicity".[12] A writer for El Universal enjoyed the experience except for the flavors, which he found to be intense.[8] The Michelin Guide debuted in 2024 in Mexico. It rewarded 18 restaurants with Michelin stars. Em received one star—meaning "high-quality cooking, worth a stop". The guide added that "[b]oth the à la carte and the tasting menus overlap well enough, so no need to fret. Refined, bold flavors come through clearly in both".[13]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d Fernández de Angulo, Javier (27 October 2023). "Lucho Martínez: 24 horas con el chef del año" [Lucho Martínez: 24 hours with the chef of the year]. Gentleman (in Spanish). Excélsior. Archived from the original on 11 December 2023. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
  2. ^ a b Guevara, Guillaume (21 June 2022). "Em". The Infatuation. Archived from the original on 27 September 2023. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e Barberena, Regina. "Emília". Time Out (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 22 February 2024. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  4. ^ a b c "Em". Restaurant. Archived from the original on 21 May 2024. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
  5. ^ a b Barberena, Regina (30 October 2019). "The 23 best restaurants in Mexico City". Time Out. Archived from the original on 21 February 2024. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  6. ^ Barrientos, María del Mar (29 May 2024). "Lucho Martínez, el gusto por la cocina y por crear experiencias únicas" [Lucho Martínez, the love for cooking and creating unique experiences]. Caras (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  7. ^ Toledano, Mariana (5 June 2023). "Dónde come y bebe Lucho Martínez, chef de EM y Martínez" [Where Lucho Martínez, chef of EM y Martínez, eats and drinks]. Quién (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 31 May 2024. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
  8. ^ a b "Conoce Emilia, el nuevo restaurante de Lucho Martínez" [Meet Emilia, the new restaurant by Lucho Martínez]. El Universal. 9 June 2019. Archived from the original on 27 May 2020. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
  9. ^ "686 Bar". Restaurant. Archived from the original on 10 December 2023. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
  10. ^ Oviedo, Anabel (15 March 2024). "Conoce al chef Lucho Martínez" [Meet Chef Lucho Martínez]. Food & Wine En Español (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 June 2024.
  11. ^ "Em". Marco Beteta (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 29 September 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  12. ^ Gamboa, Juan Carlos (15 May 2024). "Em, otro de los restaurantes reconocidos por la Guía Michelin" [Em, another of the recognized restaurants by the Michelin Guide]. Caras (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 16 May 2024. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  13. ^ "Em". Michelin Guide. Archived from the original on 18 May 2024. Retrieved 20 May 2024.

External links[edit]

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