Venencia Restaurant in San Miguel de Allende
A Newer Mezcal Themed Spot with a Familiar Face
A Sunday or two ago I met friends Barb and Fred at El Carajo Mezcaleria here in San Miguel de Allende. I wrote about this place a little over a month ago—but already owner Omar has moved to a new location inside Johnny’s Velvet Cabaret, crooner Johnny Favourite’s new spot. I need to go to Johnny’s again—maybe at a busier time—so I can write about it too.
But that’s not what I’m here to type about.
You see, I was hungry when we left El Carajo, but Barb and Fred weren’t; so I headed out on foot in centro, looking for a restaurant still open. A couple I was hoping for weren’t, but I wasn’t far from Venencia Restaurant; so I ambled to Zacateros 81B, finding it open for business!
My friend Mario Iribe-Benítez used to own Salon Oaxaca, formerly in centro too. In fact, it was the first place where I started our Friday Mezcal/Cigar meetup. There was a great terraza—excellent for cigar smokers, as the open-air environment ensured no heavy smoke accumulation. Plus, since Mario is actually Oaxacan, he hooked himself up with some great artesanal mezcal from back home. And Cecilia and I loved the food!
But like many businesses a few years ago, Salon Oaxaca had to close. 😢
So I was pretty geeked when Mario messaged me in March of 2022 to let me know he and a business partner were about to open a new Oaxacan mezcal themed place in town. It took them awhile to get the permit to serve alcohol, but that happened. Cecilia and I stopped briefly for breakfast one day; then we met Barb and Fred there a not long after.
From what I understand, some people who write about food and drink establishments have a policy of never being critical. So I guess that’s why I didn’t write about it here at the time. I liked the food there, but my Mezcal Maniac friends and I found the mezcales quite light. I could tell it was good artesanal mezcal—but we thought the grado (ABV) had been lowered more than we’re used to.
Well… Not anymore!
As Mario told me, a restaurant in San Miguel de Allende needs to try and please more than just hard-core, dyed-in-the-wool Mezcal Maniacs. I can’t disagree. No matter how long I’ve worked on some people, it’s undeniable that they really do prefer softer, less bold flavors in their distillations. 🧐 And even though “to each his own” is a policy fewer and fewer seem to abide today, I still embrace it dammit!
So the idea that a mezcal establishment might offer options mas suave is ultimately understandable, but I’m happy to share that I found plenty of choices for folks like us too! 😃 I had outstanding, full-flavored mezcal this night!
It was the Tepextate I started off with, and it was banging! I also enjoyed the Ensamble of Espadín, Tobalá, Cuixe and Pulquero. I messaged Mario to tell him how great these were—so he came in and sat down with me for awhile, sharing a couple of other great mezcales.
Now let’s talk food!
Last year the tlayuda at Venencia was served open-face, kind of like the Oaxacan pizza style other places serve. I liked it, but I really like the latest version. Probably because it reminds me very much of the tlayudas we used to get at Mario’s previous enterprise. And the roasted salsa was amazing!
A super tlayuda, good salsa, delicious mezcal—and our local Allende Brown Ale. Are you kidding me? This is my soul food! How lucky was I to find this place on my way to somewhere else?!
Venencia has a number of other delicious-sounding menu items, including Tamales, Duck Confit over Corn Tortillas, A Veggie Ceviche, Flour Tortilla with Beef Birria & Consomé, Seared Tuna Steak in Peanut Sauce—and Porkbelly con Mole.
All I can say is it’s a great time to live in San Miguel de Allende! Years ago it was a mezcal desert. 🏜️ But thankfully not now!
If you’re passing through San Miguel, I hope you take the time to stop into Venencia Restaurant; they have a superb location right on one of the primary streets entering centro.
And message me too, by the way. Cecilia and I would love to have you to the house for a tasting if you have time. Adios for now!
Hey Jonathan, thank you very much for your review. It's really appreciated.
Hey Bill. I thought the consome was typically served in a bowl, but not having ordered this yet, I don’t know.