CRUDO

Japanese restaurant · Oaxaca City

4

"There is nothing quite like this intimate counter, certainly in Oaxaca and possibly beyond. Chef Ricardo Arellano has crafted a creative omakase that fuses Japanese flavors with local ingredients and preparations. What does that look like? It means nixtamalized papaya might come with your kampachi. Or maybe tuna will arrive seared with binchotan and set in a chicory leaf brushed in charred onion puree. An eel handroll is dressed in a smoky-sweet puree made from the pulp of agave. The menu is on the lighter side but the lasting impression and ingenuity is nonetheless impressive and at no point feels forced or generic. Locals have yet to warm to the place, so visitors shouldn’t be surprised when they’re seated with fellow travelers." - Michelin Inspector