Eat: Contramar

I’m sure you’ve noticed by now, I watch a lot of Netflix shows and listen to podcasts that are about food. When I was researching where to eat for the trip, I had just listened to Gabriela Camara’s podcast episode with David Chang and it’s clear from the moment she speaks she is a bad*ss woman, chef, social justice activist and so much more. Not only does she serve as advisor to the President of Mexico but she’s also on the Council of Cultural Diplomacy. And, as previously mentioned, you can watch the short film on Netflix about her restaurant Contramar and the sister restaurant Cala that is in none other than, San Francisco.

Contramar is one of the first restaurants that pops up on the list of must visit restaurants in Mexico City. We snagged a late lunch reservation and it did not disappoint. Not only is the food delicious but Camara focuses on treating all her employees fairly, hiring previous convicts that are starting over and providing fair benefits and pay in the chaotic and typically unfair environment that is the restaurant industry.

Back to the food. My dear friend Clarence is one of my favorite eating buddies. He can eat a crazy amount of food so it’s great to go with him because you can over order and always be sure that Clarence will be there to polish everything off. Plus, you get to try more things than you even imagined. And, that’s exactly what we did.

I’d recommend the tostadas, I actually preferred the shrimp tostadas over the famed tuna ones (those were delicious too though). Skip the rock crab and al pastor tacos (you can get those at El Vilsito) but definitely try the red and green grilled snapper and octopus (if octopus is on the menu, you should always order it). Although they were not as tender and moist as they could have been, the flavors were still delicious. Maybe they were having an off day. I always like to give places the benefit of the doubt.

Location: Calle de Durango 200, Roma Nte., Cuauhtémoc, 06700 Cuauhtémoc, CDMX, Mexico

For reservations - email info@contramar.com.mx (they are so nice and will get back to you ASAP)

On a side note, we were taking many pictures of our food (because it’s beautiful and that’s what Asian people love to do) and a guy at the table across from us maybe hadn’t seen this before or was just being rude, but I caught him taking photos of us and laughing. I stared at him, smiled and he stopped. I hope that maybe one day he reads this blog and realizes that 1) that was incredibly rude and 2) if we want to take photos of our food, it’s not weird and because of all my food photos, I’m able to share them with people who are actually interested in learning about other people’s cultures, histories and the way that food brings them together. Most importantly, food is much more than sustenance to many of us, and has such a great significance in many of our lives. Tiny rant over.