By Randolph Rogers Just below the Rosewood Hotel and at the corner of Ancha de San Antonio and Nemesio Díaz is perhaps the best liquor store in the state of Guanajuato. The supermarkets have impressive wine sections, but I choose Cava Sautto for the good selection of vinos locales. When talking to local winemakers and winery owners, the question of distribution comes up. Local wineries depend on the retail sales at their locations. Only a few large wineries like Tres Raíces a

By Natalie Taylor You can find the taco just about anywhere in the world, and it screams out “México!” The origins of this humble food are pre-Hispanic, going back almost three thousand years. The indigenous peoples of México used freshly made corn tortillas as vessels or utensils to hold food. There are various stories about its name, but most likely it comes from “tlahco” a Nahuatl (Aztec) word meaning “in the middle.” This perfectly describes the action of placing a fillin

By Catherine Marenghi Among the sacred foods of México, chocolate stands out. Cacao trees were first domesticated in present-day Ecuador and later in Mesoamerica, where cacao became an elite elixir some 4,000 years ago. The Maya and Aztecs, possibly even the Olmecs, considered cacao a gift from the gods and used it as currency, medicine, and in ceremonies. Spanish conquistadors encountered cacao in 1519 and brought it to Spain, where it was used in medicine. Cacao spread acro

By Jonathan Lockwood You may already know Alejandro Vasconcelos. If you've been around San Miguel long enough, you probably visited Mezcal-Art, his place near centro, before it closed. Beautiful outdoor courtyard, serious mezcal selection, food that kept getting better. While plenty of local spots were content to coast, Alex kept building — literally. He put a roof over the main seating area, perfected the menu and pumped up the mezcal list even further. I was always impresse

By Susan Knight York There are many reasons why Chef Donnie Masterton is at the top of his game, leading San Miguel de Allende into the ranks of one of México’s favorite food cities. Eighteen years ago, nobody was booking flights to San Miguel just to eat, but a funny thing finally happened when artists arrived, writers, weekenders from México City and others travelers who were captivated by San Miguel’s mix of visual beauty and creative energy that felt somewhat inseparable

By Amy G. Rothlin Tucked away just beyond the familiar rhythms of San Miguel de Allende, there is a place where time slows, flavors deepen, and every detail feels infused with intention. Sikelia Gastronomy Club & Garden is not just a restaurant, it is a story of love, nature, and authentic Italian cooking, brought to life in one of the most unexpected corners of town. At the heart of Sikelia are Chef Laura and her husband Justino, an Italian couple whose journey feels almost

By Frank "Sugar" Hudson It’s Friday morning and my phone begins to ring. Sure enough, it’s one of the guys wanting to know if the group is going to be visiting a winery that afternoon. The question alerts me that they have something in mind. Is thirty miles too far to travel? How about a small winery, quaint and out of the way? Have you ever heard of Viñedos Los Arcángeles vineyard? The plan develops: a visit to a local vineyard, a glass of wine, and a few unhurried hours t

By Randolph Rogers From this semi-arid plain in the shadow of Las Picachos is the San Francisco and San Lucas development off Salida a Querétaro, just 15 minutes from Centro. The trinity of this oasis is lavender, olive trees, and vineyards. It was our destination for a delightful spring afternoon. Specifically, we landed at the rustic brick production facilities, tasting room, gift shop, and restaurant at San Lucas. It was my third time here, and it always delivers a movabl

By Jonathan Lockwood For around a year Mezcal Spotlight has stayed politely close to home — local bars, local restaurants. Fine. But mezcal doesn't start in a bar. It starts in the ground, in fire, in a family argument about whose abuelo did it better. Cecilia and I have known the unbelievably sweet Alejandro and Bethy of Hacienda Vergel de Guadalupe for several years, but only a few weekends ago finally visited them at their hacienda in San Luis de la Paz, about an hour and

By Catherine Marenghi A woman newly arrived in San Miguel shared a complaint on Facebook: She had sampled her first ear of local corn, and she bitterly proclaimed, “Mexican corn is terrible!” To say her statement was sacrilegious would be an understatement. After all, corn is one of the sacred foods of México. It was first cultivated in México thousands of years ago, producing hundreds of varieties, of which this woman had tasted only one. Corn is integral not only to Mexican

By Judith Jenya In the welcoming kitchens of San Miguel de Allende, visitors from around the world gather to learn the secrets of traditional Mexican cooking from a woman whose life has been defined by caring for others. Long before she began teaching travelers how to prepare family recipes, Isabel García built a career as a pediatrician, hospital administrator, widow’s advocate, and mother of three. Her story begins in México City, where she was born the eldest of four siste

By Amy G. Rothlin There are places in San Miguel de Allende that become more than restaurants, they become part of the rhythm of our lives. Ten Ten Pie has been one of those places. This April, as the beloved Ten Ten Pie prepares to close its doors for the final time this coming May, it feels less like the end of a business and more like the closing of a chapter in San Miguel’s collective story. Thirty-three years ago, when Ten Ten Pie first opened on Cuna de Allende, San

By Jonathan Lockwood A YEAR of monthly M ezcal Spotlight articles? Almost every one aimed at a local, mezcal -focused establishment? That wasn’t exactly the plan... But if we go back to right around 10 years ago all these mezcalerías just didn’t exist. So I started my own thing: the Friday Mezcal & Cigar Club . I’d only been in San Miguel de Allende for a couple of years, and it didn’t take long to realize I needed to get out more. I’m grateful for voiceover work, but four a

By Liam Stidham When I was 7 years old they were opening a market in my neighborhood, and my parents asked me if I wanted to sell something. My response was a three letter word "Yes" . My parents and I started to think about what I could sell, and finally we decided to sell coffee: the brown substance that kids think tastes bad, but adults love. When I started at the market, my booth was just a small rinky dinky set up. I was really shy at the time, so I didn't exactly have

By Randolph Rogers The Bajío Wine region, which we will explore from Querétaro to Dolores Hidalgo, is in its infancy, which is ironic given that this state, Guanajuato, is known to be the first place in the Americas where wine grapes were planted. The new wineries represent vast investments in plantings, production facilities, and impressive hospitality venues. The entrepreneurs are betting that the ascendant middle class in México will outpace the rest of the continent and

With Atencion News Publisher Camie Fenton. Just minutes from City Market – where free transportation will pick you up at 1:00 p.m. Viñedo Los Remedios is a boutique winery located just 15 minutes from City Market, situated in a beautiful Hacienda - “Rinconcillo de los Remedios”. Founded in 2017, it specializes in artisan wines made from grape varieties such as Tempranillo, Merlot, Syrah, and Moscatel, with an annual production of around 40,000 bottles. The winery received a

By Natalie Taylor In San Miguel de Allende we have street food, and we have “wow” street food! This is the category where Prime Baguettes falls into, and the long lines prove it. The stand is on the edge of Mexiquito and does not have a street address, but you can spot it as you go around the Zeferino Park roundabout. Lower your windows, and the aroma will guide you. And make sure that you are at Prime Baguettes , not the taco stands that sometimes appears on the side. Luis

By Amy G. Rothlin I mean… who doesn’t love tacos , really? Tacos are the true essence of México, one of the many delicious reasons we all fall in love with this country. This time, San Miguel Taste ventured to Taquiños , located on lower Ancha right across from the Crunchy Chicken spot - Ancha de San Antonio 28B. The visit came highly recommended by a friend who swears by it as his post-gym protein stop, and honestly, he was onto something. Taquiños describes itself as pre

By Jonathan Lockwood "I ran 20 years in the wrong direction," Ricco Kabande told me, a smile spreading across his face. He's happy to be back in México. Ricco is a partner and the chef behind Coyote Fuego Mezcalería , brand new in San Miguel de Allende, on Hernández Macias near Insurgentes. His career reads like a passport full of stamps: Cancún, Playa del Carmen, Puerto Vallarta, Bali. He even spent 11 years in Houston after the world-famous chef Paul Friedman convinced him

By Susan Knight York Creating hallowed ground for people who love to eat is a full-time job. When competition gives way to collaboration, creativity explodes, rules get rewritten, traditions are reimagined, and the results aren’t just better restaurants but a culture built by people who know their future depends on just how well they take care of each other. The risks for chefs are real; betting their reputations on ideas that don’t come with safety nets. What we found when w