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Mexico City

Azul y Oro

Mexican history in a bowl at this breezy University City restaurant
Image may contain: Bowl, Food, Dish, Meal, and Curry
Photo by Matt Taylor-Gross

GO: to Azul y Oro for chef and culinary historian Ricardo Muñoz Zurita’s thoughtful takes on traditional Mexican recipes from around the country.

ORDER THE: Oaxacan tortilla soup, a rich broth brimming with tender chicken, guajillo chile paste, and fresh crema that will put the watery varietals you’ve had before to shame. It’s served in a giant colorful bowl with a top shaped like La Calavera Catrina, the fancy lady skeleton of Día de los Muertos. Follow it up with cochinita pibil, melt-in-your mouth pork roasted slow and low and served on a crisp tortilla under a tangle of red onions. Oh, and then get the mole!

THE VIBE IS: super chill, yet reverent of the surroundings. After all, you’re eating under umbrellas smack dab in the middle of a university campus, National Autonomous University of Mexico, which happens to be a UNESCO World Heritage site. But instead of cafeteria plastic, there’s beautiful plateware sourced from local artisans.

PRACTICAL STUFF: Open every day: Monday to Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Wednesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Sunday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

—Hilary Cadigan