Hijo de Mendez (CLOSED)

'Our idea was to have a loft that seemed like it could be in Poblenou but located uptown and with good vinyl music. And that it would be a restaurant serving healthy, low-fat Mexican food,' says Montse Soler of Tribu Woki about Hijo de Mendez, which opened up in early 2019. And it's a good description. This lovely loft, located between the vintage furniture store and the bar featuring select music, is a joint venture from Tribu Woki and the Raval Group. The chef is Mexican Alex Bizarri, who says that at Hijo de Mendez, 80 percent of their recipes come from the Yucatan province, which brings citrus flavours and mildly spicy sensations.

You get simple recipes prepared with haute cuisine styles and high-quality product. For example, they make their own tortillas and tortilla chips, and the guacamole is made using a molcajete – a Mesoamerican version of the mortar and pestle – on a tableside trolley. And you can add chapulines (grasshoppers) or chicharrones (pork rinds). Their pork 'tacos al pastor' are also excellent and they have vegetarian tacos made with hibiscus flower; and if you're not out for an overly healthy meal, a great guilty pleasure is the melted cheese with chorizo ​​and mushrooms.

When it comes to their cocktails, the combinations – versions of classics from around the globe with mezcal, by Luis Fernando Osorio – are out of this world. Cocktails are discounted if you get them with food, and there's a well-priced set lunch menu.