Two months ago, a place that embraces the authenticity of Spanish food and brings it to Mexico opened in La Condesa. At La cocina del Bizco you are allowed Sundays of house vermouth, Wednesdays of gildas or Fridays of Iberian ham. Each item on the menu is carefully selected to offer the diner an escape from the hustle and bustle that is often found on Nuevo Leon Avenue.
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Actually, it is not easy to get into La cocina del bizco. Since its opening, the line to get a table, or even a place at the bar, does not go below two or three hours. Impossible to go from Thursday to Saturday. So, what was our secret? We arrived on a Sunday at the time they open: at 1 pm, punctual. Without many demands, we cornered ourselves at the bar and began to order. Two guildas: one traditional, one bizca, tomato bread; and a Spanish sangria, a sort of clericot without that slightly annoying sweetness. A word of warning: the flavors of the food are strong, so if you're not a fan of vinegar or brine, this may not be your favorite place.
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Very soon, we were captivated by the aesthetics of the place: white and red mosaics, cans behind the bar, bottles of wine behind the tables, on the left wall. There are televisions in every corner that are not indifferent to the events of the occasion: that day the Mexican Grand Prix was on, and several fans had already begun to snack on ham, Spanish tortilla, anchovies and tomato bread to watch the drivers do their 71 laps around the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.
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The menu is very extensive and without much care. There are printed sheets with the dishes, the cost and the logo of the place. We don't count them but we can easily guess that there are a little more than ten. Diners can choose between different cans (anchovies, anchovies or a marriage between the two) accompanied by tomato bread as a starter. Then, "for real food", there is quite a large variety of main courses: from fried padrón peppers or patatas bravas, perhaps the only thing for vegetarians, to black pudding burgos type, rice with different types of meat, Galician octopus, among other sophisticated dishes.
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Drinks are a case apart: when the sangria was finished, we ordered a bizco martini. Made with white Yzaguirre, green Chartreuse, yellow lemon, this drink is all you need for a Sunday without a slump. In addition, there are house cocktails including drinks made with tequila (Madre mía) or gin (Campfire). However, what is worth trying at La cocina del bizco is their house vermouth: Yzaguirre rojo de grifo. There is, of course, a wide selection, ranging in price from 85 pesos to 275.
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If you still have room left for dessert, often forgotten among so many delicious eating options, the best thing at La Cocina del Bizco is the Basque cake. This burnt cheesecake, as it is also known, is smooth, creamy and generally not so sweet, which counteracts everything you might think of a dessert. It pairs very well with the house vermouth or any red wine. It has been several days since we left that restaurant and that tart is still in our minds.
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With all that it has, there are also cans and Serrano or Iberian ham to take away, in case you have an event or you want to satisfy your craving at home. Of course, the prices at La Cocina del Bizco are quite high, so it is not a place you can go every week; however, it is better to reserve it for special occasions. And it's better that way.
Tuesday to Sunday | 1:00 to 11:00 pm
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