La Polar

Mexico has a lot of so called "cantinas". Cantinas used to be the meeting places for men with some food, lots of alcohol (mainly tequila and mezcal) and domino games on every other table. Women were not allowed to enter and perhaps it was not that bad of an idea. Today there still are many cantinas; however, with more equality among the sexes, everyone is welcome.  Come and drink until you drop.

If you want to go back in time or escape the tourist traps of Mexico City and see how the “Chilangos” recover from a rough Friday night, come to La Polar.

I went there with someone who certainly knows about the real treasures of the Mexican cantinas and I knew from the beginning that it was going to be an amazingly “local” afternoon; however, I have to admit that La Polar exceeded my expectations from the very moment we entered.
It was a sunny Saturday afternoon, around 4pm, and we have spent the whole day walking around Mexico City’s historic center so we were already absorbing the local sites, sounds, and flavors. Thirsty and tired we headed towards La Polar. As we entered the place, an elderly waiter greeted us instantly and offered a table on the other side of the long and narrow room. We walked across the restaurant and I could not stop looking at people’s eyes. It was only 4pm and everybody seamed to be from another planet. When did they come here? Did they sleep at all? Was there something we had missed? Don’t take it the wrong way; it was really interesting experience. Even all the stuffed game animal heads seamed to be looking and admiring the crowd. We sat at a table next to the singing group of Mariachis, dressed in white suites with golden accessories of an eagle a the snake straight from the Mexican flag singing about life, love and history. 

The best part about La Polar is that there is no menu. You can have “barbacoa” in a taco or in its juices and side orders of avocado or cheese. The motto: do what you do best and don’t waist time and energy on fancy fusion dishes. The simpler the better. Barbacoa is a goat that is wrapped in banana leaves and cooked overnight in an underground oven covered with charcoal. Yum, yum, yum. The meat just melts in your mouth by itself and you can taste the land with the strong flavor of the goat meat. It is smooth, soft and full of flavor that stays with you to tackle your senses for a while. For drinks, we started with a “michelada”, cold bear with ice and lime juice in a salted rim mug. Michelada does wonders when you are thirsty.

So what’s so special about this place? I can just sit there whole afternoon and watch people. One room was full of families and various types of Mariachis were coming and going from one room to another. Mariachis from the central part of Mexico were playing the last song talking about death of a parent and the young man who ordered the song was crying and singing along. When the song stopped the Mariachis from the Northern part of Mexico begun their much livelier show and the young man who ordered the song was standing in the middle, singing along and dancing. We just had to order a tequila. The poison of choice was “Cazadores”. I don’t normally drink tequila as it does tend to have a strong effect and flavor but this particular brand is a prince of tequila. Smooth and friendly in comparison to its cousins that tend to betray you when you least expect it.

In summary, if you want to have a taste of a real Mexican flavor and are not afraid to have a few tequilas along the way, La Polar is the place to be. Escape the popular, escape the tourist trap and dive into the undergrounds of one of the largest cities of our beautiful World.

Needless to say I left the La Polar happy as a calm and was informed that it's just the beginning of my cultural deep diving course.  Watch out for the upcoming adventures :)

La Polar

Address: Guillermo Prieto 129, corner with Circuito Interior, Col. San Rafael
Tels: 5546-5066 & 5546-2908
Hours: 24h

Cazadores: mxn 65
Bottle: mxn 870

Cheers!!!

Selected reading and listening: