We had dinner at Salon Gallos last week when we were in Merida over the Thanksgiving holiday and had a great meal. Salon Gallos couldn't be cooler - located in an old oat mill, it has amazing architecture and decor. Its menu is Yucatecan-Lebanese fusion, which is both delicious and reflective of an interesting aspect of Merida's history! Lebanese immigration to Mexico began in the 19th century, made up 5% of Mexico's immigrant population and half of the immigrant economic activity in Mexico in the 1930s, and has influenced and shaped Merida since for decades.
So now that I've covered the history, onto the meal! We shared several dishes: Labne Gallo Negro (Lebanese yogurt sauce with black recado and olive oil and served with pita bread tortilla chips); Kibi Maya (mixture of beef and pork with mint, rustic sauce, black labne mirror, and pickled onion); flautas de calabaza maya (crispy tortilla rolls stuffed with local pumpkin, served with papadzul and rustic tomato sauce); and the huarache de pulpo (Grilled Mayan octopus with green pipian, pickled onions, beans, and radish). Every dish was good, but the kibbeh and the flautas were to die for.
I asked for wine menu because their website refers to a wine bar and so I assumed you could have the wine from the wine bar at the restaurant. Not so. They had a house white and a house red, both from Chile, which was kind of a bummer, because their wine bar menu has several natural wines on it, many from Mexico, that I was really looking forward to trying. To be honest, I'm not even sure where the wine bar is located! I did enjoy the white Chilean wine I was able to order by the glass but switched to a cocktail after that.
The service was good - friendly, fast, helpful. So, overall, the meal was good - interesting, delicious, and fun. And the restaurant is beautiful. I just wish I could have tried some of those wines listed on the wine bar menu! read more