Don’t give up your nightlife and
stay at home just because there’s a chill in the air. Here’s a list of SMA restaurants
with a fireplace when you need more than a layer or two of cashmere to stay
warm.
Buen Apetito!
Andanza
at the Sierra Nevada, Calle Hospicio #35
With the most fireplaces in a single restaurant, you’ll never
have to worry about getting the warmest seat in the house. Every room is cozy
with stately ambiance and beautiful décor. Chef Antonio Arzola is in the kitchen,
ready to serve you a number of delicious dishes off his winter menu. This feast
is well worth going out in the cold for.
Aperi Restaurant, Quebrada #101
Catch the corner table in the inside dining room for a toasty
warm up and some of the best, Mexican food by SMA’s favorite chef, Matteo
Salas. The nippiness of winter gives you an excuse to order more than one dish
with his impressive list of offerings; food for the soul worth savoring. Don’t
forget a bottle of wine to complement the mix.
Café Monet, Calle Zacateros #83
This long table in the center of the restaurant
sits in front of a grand, stately fireplace. Toss in some interesting artwork
to admire while you’re hiding out from the cold. Order an Irish coffee; it’s certain
to give you a thawed out glow and will recharge your batteries.
Casa
1810, Hidalgo #8
A
large fireplace dominates the lobby, next to a tiny bar. A perfect spot to stay
warm and experience welcoming drinks with friends. If you’re really into the
vino, wander down to the wine cellar for another glass of red. It definitely
sets the mood. Warm and cozy may just be an understatement.
Café Muro, 1
Cerrada de San Gabriel St, El Barrio del
Obraje
Come celebrate Café Muro in
a new location. Warm up at the fireplace between bites of mouth-watering comida.
Savor the views; Gerardo’s built a stunning place with curved glass walls to
take them all in. It’s an instant warm up; the casual feel will thaw you out in
a matter of seconds.
Café Rama, Calle
Nueva #7
People never want to leave Café Rama in the
winter. In both the front and back room are much loved, wood burning
fireplaces. Warm up in this casual atmosphere with a glass of wine and some
cold weather conversation. Since you’re going for the warmth, leave politics
and religion at home. No argument here that this is a great place to get the afterglow.
Hanks New Orleans Café and Oyster Bar, Hidalgo #12
No excuse not to stay warm; Hanks has a
fireplace in every dining room to park yourself in front of with a large bowl
of hot, New Orleans-style gumbo. If you’re lucky enough, you’ll hit it just
right for the 2 for 1 happy hour. Now the only warm up that’s missing is the karaoke.
Hecho en Mexico, Ancha de San ntonio #8
Grab one
of two tables in the upper level that are right in front of the fireplace. The
warmth is provided by a curved hearth that makes any long night of eating and
drinking the preferred spot to be.
La
Canica, Pila
Seca #2
Winter’s
perfume; the smell of wood smoke hits you when you first walk in the front
door. This beautiful, old mansion, built in the late 1800’s was one of the
first homes in SMA. It has the original, wood burning fireplace in the front
dining room. Sip a glass of wine while tasting small plates created by SMA’s
youngest chef, Luis Pablo Dominguez and his father Bricio. Be fussy; take the
seat closest to the fire and enjoy the glimmer.
La
Parada, Recreo
#94
Chef
Alexandra Gutt’s food is warmth enough; mouth-watering Peruvian flavors that make
you forget it’s actually, really cold outside. A small fireplace in the front
of the restaurant will keep you warm while you wait for a table. Heaters on the
patio make for pleasurable winter dining.
Luna
Rooftop Tapas Bar, Calle Nemesio Diez #11
Go
for one of the tables with the fire pit in the middle. It’s bound to be a balmy
night if you order up one of their premium tequilas to match the best panorama in
town. A don’t miss spot no matter how cold it is.
MARSALA, cocina con
acentos, Hernandez Macias #48
A
beautiful, old wood burning fireplace is the focal point of this new restaurant
that’s opening soon. If you come too late to get a table inside, blankets will
defrost you while enjoying the food from one of SMA’s favorite female chefs,
Marcela Bolano.
MiVida, Hernandez Macias #97
Bundle up in your warm Italian
wool and snug up in the front dining room with a fireplace, particularly on
Sunday when the homemade pizza with sausage makes for a fabulous dinner along with
a glass of top quality, Italian wine. Chefs Greta Ortega Casanas, Davide
Giribaldi and Ana Cecila Alvarez provide both the teamwork and heat in this
kitchen. You’ll crave every one of their inspired, Italian dishes no matter
what the weather does outside.
Moxi and Mui Bar, Hotel
Matilda, Aldama #53
A dramatic warm up in the
main dining room of Moxi, along with the lobby, where you can sit and sip a
glass of brandy. In upstairs Mui bar, you can’t miss the homemade pizzas made
from scratch or the fireplace. It’s a welcoming night with no invitation necessary
to keep you comfy. Chef Carlos Zamora Larios creates dishes to
keep you warm.
The Nena is the ideal place
to warm up when a cold, SMA winter blows in. In addition to the fire bowls on
the downstairs patio outside of Nextia, where Chef Alonso Dominguez presides, you’ll
also find a fireplace in the indoor lobby where you can sit and enjoy a glass
or two of your favorite Valle de Guadalupe wine. There are plenty of heaters on
the upstairs, rooftop bar, where wedding fireworks are colorful and
in-your-face spectacular. It’s a thaw out you wouldn’t forget any time soon.
Quince Rooftop, Cuna
de Allende #15
In the downstairs dining
room, the flames will keep you warm all night along with the outstanding food
created by Chef Gonzalo Martinez. You’ll forget the blustery weather with a spiked, hot
coffee. Leave room for
dessert; make sure that anything with chocolate has your name on it.
Rosewood
1826 Bar and Patio, Calle Nemesio Diez #11, Zona
One of my favorite bars in
the winter, sushi is served on weekends by expert chefs who trained in Japan.
People love the indoor, double-sided fireplace that also opens to the outdoor
patio. Those wanting extra heat can look to a long list of cocktails to
supplement the flames.
Tacos Don Felix, Fray Juan de San Miguel 15, St. San Rafael
The indoor dining room has a
fireplace that’s filled with folk art in the off- season. The food is so consistent,
you’ll never think about the chilly conditions outside. The Maestra, Chef
Gloria Espinoso Brijeno, has been cooking since she was 8 years old. Her food
will keep you as warm as her smile.
The Restaurant, Calle
Solano 16
Cozy up and get through the
cold winter months in The Restaurant’s dining room with your favorite winter
cocktail and a blazing fire. Chef Donnie Masterton prepares an assortment of
menu items that are certain to keep you in good spirits even on the nippiest of
nights. Before dinner, order a glass of hot brandy or rum to take off the chill.
You’ll want to come right back and do it all over again the following night. Go
for it; it’s only November.
Villa Santa Monica, Calle Fray José Guadalupe Mojica # 22
The
roaring blaze of this oversized fireplace will thaw you out in a hurry. Split a
bottle of vino with friends who were brave enough to wander out on a night even
we ex-Chicagoans call frosty.
Zumo Restaurant, Orizaba #87-9, San Antonio
A few
steps up from the bar is a custom fire pit made for conversation. Bring a large
group of friends and enjoy a toasty seat inside the second floor dining room
where a sizeable fireplace is one of the main attractions. Chef Stewart Haverlack
dishes up Asian fusion; guaranteed to create some additional heat from all the hot
and spicy ingredients. Count stars while sipping a cocktail on this rooftop
restaurant; it will keep your mind off the fact that it’s cold…and it’s only
November.