A Restaurant with a History

Last week when I was downtown, I had lunch at a place that I have been meaning to visit for a long time.  I didn't go there for the food, which most reviews rank as so-so, but for its atmosphere and history.  I went to Bar La Opera.

The establishment, which dates back to 1876, was originally located where the Latin American Tower stands today.  Its name comes from the fact that it was next door to the National Theater.  Then, in 1895, it moved to its present location on Avenida Cinco de Mayo.  It was a high-class cantina, patronized by the cream of Mexico City society.  Even President Porfirio Díaz was a regular here.  As befits that era when French styles held sway, the interior is a fantasy of gold-gilt art nouveau.

Then the Mexican Revolution came.  In 1914 Pancho Villa marched into Mexico City with his 60,000 troops.  The bar was invaded by a less gentile set of patrons.   General Villa shot his pistol and left a bullet hole in the ceiling.  One version of the story, dramatic but probably untrue, says the Villa entered the bar on horseback with pistol in hand.  A more likely story is that the general was in a booth trying to confer with his aides, and he fired his gun to quiet down the rowdy crowd at the bar.  Today, every tourist coming into Bar La Opera looks for the bullet hole.  I didn't even have to search.  I was seated at a table, and I looked up.  There was the infamous hole, marked with a black circle on the ceiling.

After the Revolution the bar / restaurant once again served the elite of Mexican society.  It is said that nearly every post-Revolution President has been here, and it was a gathering place for intellectuals including Nobel Prize winners Octavio Paz and Gabriel García Márquez.  Today some deride the place as a "tourist trap".  I did see a few other "gringos" while I was there, but most of the clientele was Mexican.  (I didn't see anyone, however, that appeared to be famous or important or surrounded by bodyguards.)

So, how was the food there?  I was tempted to order Veracruz-style red snapper, but because of the lackluster reviews I had read, I stuck to more basic, less expensive items.  I started with guacamole and cream of poblano soup.

The guacamole was very good, and, unlike some places, they served plenty of chips to go with it.  The soup was excellent.  Although the presentation wasn't special, it tasted just as good as what I have had at "Angelopolitano".

For my main dish I ordered "enchiladas suizas" (Swiss enchiladas).  No one knows exactly why they are called Swiss; perhaps it's because they are served "au gratin" with cheese.  My enchiladas were OK.  I thought they went a bit overboard with the cheese.

So, would I come back here?  I satisfied my curiosity... I saw the elegant interior and the bullet hole. I would probably not return by myself.  However, if I were playing tour guide with friends, I would probably take them here to see one of the most historic restaurants in the city.