Top 10 Mexican Restaurants in Rome

Tostada from a private Mexican dinner in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

One of the constant questions I get on my blog is, “Where is the best Mexican restaurant in…?” Most of my readers are hankering for Tex-Mex or Chipotle, so I follow the trend of Tex-Mex for my readers. When I lived in Dhaka, Bangladesh, there was only one Mexican restaurant and avocados were not easy to find. I recall once going to that restaurant with my restaurant group, only to find that they had no avocados. That night was epic in many ways as due to road works and Dhaka traffic, it took 90 minutes to travel one mile. So to arrive hungry at 9 p.m. to find that the place had no guacamole, was a let down. We ended up setting up our private Mexican restaurant at a different restaurant. In Dhaka, I also recall buying avocados for party and paying $50 for them, only to find that they were rock hard and no amount of time in a paper bag with bananas, or even boiling, made them edible. When I live in Bogota, I went to the Mexican restaurants as they opened up, and in Lima, I also followed the trend.

Carnitas taco from El Mexicano in Lima, Peru.

To get ahead of the question for Rome, I have googled the question. I have a friend who has great faith in the collective opinions of Google reviewers, on the assumption that if 300 people have reviewed a restaurant, then their collective rating is probably reliable. So here are the top ten (okay, eleven) Mexican restaurants in Rome.

Amigos Mexican Grill, 5 stars

Sabor Latino, 5 stars 

Il Calavera Fiesta, 4.8 stars

Mr Tabu Tacos e Burritos, 4.8 stars

Coney Island Street Food Roma, 4.8 stars

Casa Sanchez, 4.7 stars

El Jalapeno, 4.7 stars

Quiero Tacos, 4.6 stars

Pico’s Taqueria, 4.5 stars

Gustamundo, 4.5 stars

Maybu – Margaritas y Burritos, 4.5 stars

Fish taco from Jeronimo restaurant in Lima, Peru.

When I’m in Rome, I’ll check some of these places out… maybe. I will have lots of other things to try, so maybe not.

Take-out tacos, including fish, Korean barbecue, and carnitas, in the USA.

Dhaasu = Buenazo. Awesome Indian Food in Lima

IR33OySPr3S-PxSsCn7pWpnEQ8f1LMq7ad1geUORh3VqGcc83leQSvag50Lpkoqy4GMnM-pzWiNvHxg7PHKZwJp4SWVxogs1bYGexDSGjNRLHjUbnwYLRNsZeg46bTOTaqRBD6awzJ6yp92laigcu0mkKaJezNijFgBSytGaW2KnD8BuwEdziZd5jNDhaasu=buenazo=awesome! Really, that is the definition of the name (“DAW-ah-sooo” is my best guess). Dhaasu, Av. República de Panamá 245, Barranco (between Avenida el Sol and Salazar). Step down into the eatery located on the side of the BRT Metropolitano line. Open 1-4 and 7-10 on Wednesday-Sunday, closed Monday, and open 7-10 on Tuesdays.

L9yxOsHdAnNKOhLG_TmPW3XhzF9J4hb00_pQzGf_Mr5knVtpMyrQv0ZwgDbp7aN1jLneYFpYrIxt4h2DMrI6yciKZWjIgnR25lLstArYXf-2F2FIiyif_esSibmJ2efl1pxOFtJI-MJaEvootxIlH2QFFPTJ7R7KjbLFRinqux5Wf-CYs8Sw2Pgg3nApparently, in Arequipa, there is an Indian guy named Roy who has a restaurant named “India Indian” — just to make clear that the food is Indian. In Peru, the term for Indian food is “comida hindu.” In Lima, there are four restaurants claiming to be this kind of food: Dhaasu opened in just recently (instagram) and will conquer South America with its yumminess; Guru out in La Molina and is run by a Pakistani; Mantra is acceptable if desperation takes you there; and Masala is not worth the desperation. But, now back to talking about awesome!

OBFvLu4EjrV8HUvuSdML8nEb35I8pMXpF9KLSDtuQIFk_WY2bXmyxhisc_VlpmDn43llwLbhCYwhzHg3KEZa0AF6R0QPe2eD-kiemUPRfHb6WQYQBYZMooTeWUQ5SBWUN3ig-yNzTvN-SMEPlM1XWZ8Or3pC6tAQIBODCyJhJO3Fq8xvLueFg-R_NxDhaasu is a hole-in-the-wall or huarique (Peruvian term for a hole-in-the-wall) with eight stools. No tables, no tablecloths, no reservations. Dhaasu translates to “effing awesome” or “buenazo” in Peruvian Spanish. It describes how delicious the food is at this newly opened eatery run by Rish and Camilla. They both speak English and Spanish, the chef has over ten years of experience from cooking in Delhi, and yes, there are vegetarian versions of everything. Currently, the menu is a few types of wrap sandwiches and curries. Those words are pitiful descriptions of the yummy spicy (but not spicy) meat in masala sauce (or curry by another name), the warm and fresh baked flatbread (naan) sandwiches wrapped around tender, marinated, caramelized juicy meat…

… where was I? Oh, yes. Possibly my highest accolade is to compare something to ice cream. The butter chicken is like a meaty ice cream. To be eaten by spoon (or dessert shovel?). In terms of spiciness, Rish has not developed the top level of spiciness. To many people, the food here will seem spicy. It didn’t make me sweat but I did enjoy the deliciousness of the food, even if it wasn’t vindaloo spicy.

SxgZjr6tsSGkvi5Jwsqpzcb1ufRW2FsVXLHiyPLbP6jcAkO7r4T8IF0XPzGFfTuC924G7u0l8bl6QkL5yvf3VB4yjHHY774Ovnnmw-VVP1BCtrzbjlhEiw3Sbw1i0BBHcktE6KApa82Yt_BLfGGRfW5_wvve2EaWvvY4R2jPcWcXPFFRCWh_x63XffRish comes from a family of restaurant owners and Dhaasu is just the beginning of his empire. Dhaasu uses biodegradable containers and utensils for those who feel better knowing this.  I plan to take my own lunchboxes next time and load up.

D-9kNZIvhqFVcABA7hDH_dheve5gLbU6hnhtcmMEGIpuUYe0vWNznkljPSkXzIZX9Zg_0Gd9d6CLtl1IdNAriwr4aoXBiBKl3OW_nCGnDBTRYk5q-dIvfzLa0YA3YbgmpuHKYZ--MwHB6MA4YDyX6x_KcSzGHp4tMCNhJ4jyyR4w54f4d9Q7X5jn7CRish plans to expand, take his tandoor on the road, cater, and can he hurry up already? Speaking of India food, I asked about dosa which is from south India. Rish said that he had a friend who was thinking about this too… Here’s to the rise of the Indian Indian food in Lima!