Yes, I came all the way to France and ate Mexican food. And you know what? I have absolutely no shame. Coming to Candelaria proved to be an excellent choice, although I liked the speakeasy bar more than the restaurant.
THE RESTAURANT:
The restaurant is extremely tiny with not much seating at all. The menu rotates and is mostly comprised of various tacos and guacamole. On the day I came, they had Al pastor, pepper and cheese and some type of mashed potato taco. The Al pastor taco was good, but could have been served a bit more warm. There was a bit of confusion going on about whether or not the taco came with cheese (I know al pastor tacos don't come with cheese, but the waitress told me that this one came with cheese). Long story short, it did not. I asked if I could add it and pay extra and the cook told me he would ask the waitress since she was the one who took my order. The waitress went back and asked the cook again. Then she came back and said "it's not possible". O rly? Why is it "not possible"? I told them I would pay for it, but she kept saying that it was "not possible" and that she couldn't do it. Now, I get it, some chefs will not like to make any additions or substitutions to things because they don't want to compromise the integrity of the dish; I get that. But that is not what was said. They simply just said that it "wasn't possible" even though it clearly was since they have cheese there. I would have much more respected them just saying that they didn't want to do it instead of making up some excuse that didn't make sense.
They then told me that I had to order the peppers and cheese taco ($5) if I wanted some cheese. At this point, I really just wanted some cheese since the waitress had been talking about it, and I figured I would just try the taco. Big mistake! That taco was just as disgusting as I had imagined. They should take that taco off the menu and never put it back on again. Luckily, the guacamole was very good, even though it looked nasty and came out of a huge plastic tub. The margarita I ordered was very tiny but was also very tasty and potent. At this point, however, I was ready to head to the back of the restaurant, into the bar.
THE BAR:
I love speakeasy bars. They make me feel cool and hip and as if I am somehow more privileged than other people. Located to the back of the tiny tacqueria restaurant, right next to the stove, is a tiny white door with no sign. This is the entrance into the bar. There is no sign or any indication of a bar back there, so don't look for one.
The bar is very dark and very sexy. Low tables, couches and candlelights. They also play nice music. It was packed when I got there around 9pm on a Monday, but luckily I was able to grab the last seat at the bar. Surprisingly enough (and to my disappointment), this bar was packed with Americans. It seemed like everyone around me, sans two or three people, was American (or British). Oy vey! Nevertheless, I guess it was nice to finally have a full conversation with people who I could understand, and who could understand me. The French bartender, Sebastien, however, was very sexy, very sweet and actually did speak a good amount of English (with a sexy accent, of course). He explained to me that most of the trendy restaurants and bars try to employ people who can speak English since most tourists, visitors and expats are English-speaking.
The drinks were fantastic: crafty, potent and made with excellent ingredients... oh yeah and of course, expensive. I think the drinks were about $16 (USD) each, which is pretty much on par with the speakeasy bars back home. The first cocktail I had, La Guepe Verte, was made with pepper-infused tequila, cucumber, coriander, agave and lime; this drink was my favorite, it was perfect. The next drink I tried was called Into the Sun, made with cachaça, mezcal cream, coconut syrup and citrus. This drink was done well, but not really what I was in the mood for. The last drink I had was similar to the first one, and while I can't remember the name, it was made with mezcal, Chipotle peppers and agave; this drink was very good as well.
Overall, the tacos here are good, but definitely come here for the bar. Just make sure you know what to expect for the prices. read more