Especially if you’re staying at the Red Tree House in Mexico City’s Condesa District (and you should), the Rojo Bistro is a lively, convenient spot for snagging a relaxing dinner or sensibly-priced drinks. To get there, take a leisurely fifteen-minute walk through the tree-lined, park-like median of Amsterdam Avenue.
Brightly-lit Amsterdam Avenue is a favorite late-night dog-walking route with locals.
As you get closer to the restaurant, you can’t miss the huge, glowing red letters of the neon sign.
Once inside, you’ll find full bar service and a conservative menu (with copies in English on request). Salads (including the spinach salad, or Siciliana), sandwiches (try the cameron gratinado, or “cheesy shrimp burger”), and the curried lentil soup are all safe bets. My favorite entree by far is the tender, melt-in-your-mouth pork belly served over pureed potatoes.
Clyde prefers the salmon. Friends orders, but did not seem to enjoy, the linguine mediteraneo (a seafood pasta), which they proclaimed simply “average.”
And this, in the end, is the challenge of eating at Rojo Bistro: a troubling lack of consistency. Some nights we were there, people gasped and made yummy noises while noshing, but, when we went back for a second night, the results were simply forgettable.
Prices are about standard for a bistro in the U.S., with sandwiches and salads in the $10.00 USD range, and entrees running closer to $15.00 USD.
If you’re tired after a long day of touring and want something close to home and easy to deal with, Rojo Bistro makes a fine choice.