On the stony ground in front of Televisa San Angel is one of the most famous restaurants in the city. Its orange and egg-yellow facade, with a sign that reads "DELICIOSOS DESAYUNOS" (DELICIOUS BREAKFASTS), catches the eye of any car passing by on the Periferico Sur. Inaugurated in 1996 in El PedregalEl Charco de las Ranas is a classic restaurant not only for its witty amphibian decoration, but also for being the scene of a murder.
An unforgettable "charcazo" in El Pedregal
The story is already well known. Paco Stanley, a famous television host, went to breakfast at El Charco de las Ranas on June 7, 1999. He was accompanied by two of his colleagues, Mario Bezares and Jorge Gil. These outings were so common that waiters and cooks already knew Stanley. They saw him as a very funny man, but mysterious and, according to some former workers, a bit perverse.
However, the occasion of June 7 would mark the fame of El Charco for posterity. As he left the restaurant, a volley of gunshots took Paco Stanley's life.
Immediately after the attack, both Mario and Jorge were suspected of being the masterminds of the crime. The suspicions were dismissed for lack of evidence, at least judicially. Disoriented, the Prosecutor's Office accused Stanley's driver. There were those who ventured a link between the attack and drug trafficking. The case reached the hands of the then Chief of Government of the Federal District, Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas Solórzano. Little, if anything, was resolved. Despite the investigations, the place continued to operate as if nothing had happened. El Charco de las Ranas became a city landmark due to the murder of one of the most famous men on Mexican television.
El Charco de las Ranas, 25 years later
Today, El Charco de las Ranas is a classic stopped in time. Its batracia décor, untouched since the nineties, gives it away. A shepherd's spinning top welcomes visitors; the lobby has wooden benches and shelves for magazines and books, just as before. Giant frogs, like guardians of the place, occupy the center of the interior, from where the kitchen can be seen. In a pertinent chromatic outburst, the bathroom is decorated with white and orange mosaics. In the heart of Pedregal, there is a view of an increasingly famished stream.
Twenty-five years after the event that brought El Charco de las Ranas unusual publicity, the place is practically full from breakfast to dinner. Every day, entire families, young people looking for a piece of CDMX history and, of course, the occasional Televisa executive come here. The restaurant is not the only thing that is frozen in time. Su sitio also looks charmingly out of another era, even geologically.
The secret is perseverance
The specialty of the menu is typical Mexican food. The best are the quesadillas, sopes, flautitas, and the sauces that accompany them. The breakfasts have a certain well-earned reputation and their café lechero is also memorable. The tacos are nothing remarkable, despite being the specialty of El Charco de las Ranas, but the truth is that they do the job. The aguas frescas are served in little plastic cups with the restaurant's logo and the waiters usually serve quickly, without mishaps.
Perhaps that is the most remarkable thing about El Charco. More than that fateful episode or those famous names that once frequented it, it is the regularity of the timer that amazes. The waiters are prompt and efficient. The consistency of the dishes would be the envy of a Henry Ford restaurateur. Perhaps the confidence generated by this constancy is the key for El Charco de las Ranas to survive so many years.
El Charco de las Ranas suc. Pedregal
Blvd. Adolfo López Mateos 2772, Jardines del Pedregal
Monday to Thursday | 8 am - 12 pm
Friday to Sunday | 8 am - 2 am
