With different locations across the city, Mi Gusto es (which translates to “My Pleasure Is”) is one of the few spots in Mexico City that serves seafood dishes with a northwestern tradition.

In Mexico, it’s very common that the same ingredients are cooked very differently from place to place, which gives us a great variety of dishes across the country. One perfect example is seafood. 

In southern states like Guerrero and Quintana Roo, pescadillas (fried quesadillas filled with fish) are incredibly common, whereas in the northern states of Sinaloa and Baja California, aguachile is one of their signature dishes. Which brings me back to Mi Gusto Es, where aguachile is also their signature dish, served in a molcajete and accompanied with tostadas. 

Aguachile, which translates literally to “chili water” is a dish consisting of raw seafood (most commonly shrimp) cooked in a lemon, coriander, cucumber, onion and green chili sauce which we eat on top of a tostada (very similar to a nacho) with mayo. I know it might sound weird, but trust me, the flavor is incredible! It’s pleasantly acidic from the lemon, crunchy from the tostada and a little bit spicy.

So far, I’ve discovered that the tastiness of an aguachile has to do with the balance between the flavors of the sauce and freshness of the seafood, both of which, in my opinion, Mi Gusto Es has mastered, making it the perfect spot to travel through Mexico’s exquisite cuisine without leaving the city.