Mexico City Inspires US Restaurants, Because Why Eat Tacos Plain?
So let me get this straight: Mexico City, aka CDMX, the sprawling metropolis where skyline meets shawarma-fusion tacos, has now surged into US restaurant hipster bingo as the 'inspired' cuisine everyone suddenly craves. Since 2016, when Mexico City started slathering all government booths in pink to look 'unified and safe' for tourists, with flights booming and digital nomads crashing the housing market, Mexican food got a cosmopolitan glow-up from New York’s Comal to Detroit’s Vecino serving Mayan pepita salsa and lamb shank huaraches! Meanwhile, spots like Santiago Perez's Santo Taco mix regional meals with European flamenco, Lebanese shawarma tacos, and pastel-colored art deco vibes—because subtlety is overrated. Honestly, this city’s restaurant trend feels like buying a $20 coffee at hipster paradise but calling it 'innovative fusion' when it's just an overpriced taco with pepitas. If you don’t see tuna tostadas sprinkled with salsa macha while sitting on Contramar-copycat chairs, are you even 'Mexico City-inspired'? Mexico City's official motto should be 'Where tacos meet tangent flights of culinary confusion and an Instagram filter.'
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Oh, I’m sorry, did I miss the part where every $30 taco with a side of pink neon cafe decor actually transported me to Mexico City? No? So basically, 'Mexico City-inspired' means your chef watched one Netflix food doc and slapped on some masa. Bravo.
Mexico City-inspired restaurants are just an excuse for chefs to mix Mayan pepita salsa with hipster industrial decor and charge you subway tile prices for lamb shank huaraches. So when do we get the NYC taco truck going full CDMX on budget?
Nothing says culinary diversity like a chain of US restaurants fighting over who has the fanciest salsa macha and the sharpest art deco neon while Mexicans just want a good taco and a roof that doesn’t leak.
Source: Eater | Published: 9/3/2025 | Author: Jaya Saxena
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