Lardo: A Solid Neighborhood Hang

There are restaurants you go to for an occasion, and then there are restaurants you wish you had in your neighborhood.

Lardo is the second kind.

It is one of those places that seems to have figured out how to be useful all day long. Come for breakfast or brunch, meet someone for lunch, stop in for a coffee and something from the bakery, have a drink and a plate of something in the afternoon, or settle in for dinner. Lardo is Elena Reygadas' casual restaurant, with a menu built around sharing, local ingredients, and simple, comforting food.

I especially like it when it isn't too crowded.

On a rainy afternoon, Lardo is practically perfect. The big windows can be thrown open, there is greenery everywhere, and at the far end of the beautiful L-shaped bar is a magnificent wood-burning oven. The whole place feels warm and lived-in rather than precious.

And that bar deserves a mention.

It is a perfect place to eat in Condesa alone. The long L-shape makes it feel completely natural to sit by yourself, and I've even seen people working away on their computers in the afternoon. You can have a proper meal, a glass of wine, or just a coffee without feeling as though you are occupying a table meant for four.

In the morning, there is another reason to stop by: the little side kiosk, where you can grab one of the very good pastries from the Panadería Rosetta family and a coffee. The bakery connection makes sense. The bread and pastries are genuinely good, and Lardo has become another place where Elena Reygadas' food feels accessible rather than ceremonial.

We started with the free grilled flatbread they bring to the table, served with really good olive oil. I love this kind of restaurant gesture. It isn't elaborate, but when the bread is warm and smoky and the olive oil is good, I'm immediately happy.

To begin with we had ceviche de robalo, sandía, chile guajillo y chile serrano. It was good and very pretty. The watermelon gives it this almost jewel-like color, not sure how they got it such a deep red. I wonder if they added hibiscus.

I especially loved the idea of adding tiny cubes of kiwi fruit to the ceviche. Kiwi has that same lovely combination of sweetness and acidity, but with its own fresh, green character. I think it could be fantastic with a really good ceviche.

Then came one of my favorite things in the world: deep-fried squash blossoms.

These were particularly good. Fat, crispy and very lightly battered, they were served over a simple tomato sauce with ricotta inside. I loved that they had added a little lemon zest to the ricotta. It gave the filling just enough brightness to cut through the richness of the fried blossom. Crispy on the outside, creamy inside, with the tomato underneath. I could eat these pretty much anywhere, but these were very well done.

We also ordered the Ensalada de frijol ayocote, calabacín, cebolla encurtida y perejil, or ayocote bean and zucchini salad.

I loved this dish. The zucchini was cut into crisp little rounds and paired with the firm, substantial ayocote beans, with pickled onion and parsley. I really liked the contrast between the two textures: something crisp and almost ethereal against something dense and hearty. It was a very simple idea, but the contrast made it much more interesting.

Then there was the Berenjena parmesana, burrata y albahaca. Eggplant Parmesan with burrata and basil. This was the most straightforward of what we ordered: warm, cheesy, comforting and satisfying. Nothing outside the box but solid and good.

And then came the pizza.

Lardo knows how to make pizza.

We ordered the bondiola, radicchio y queso taleggio, with thinly sliced bondiola, bitter radicchio and that wonderfully soft, oozy Taleggio. The bondiola is shaved so thin that it practically melts into the pizza, and the combination of the salty meat, creamy cheese and slightly bitter radicchio is fantastic.

I'm not normally a huge pizza eater unless it is done really well. This one was. The crust had the right amount of chew and char from the wood-burning oven, and the toppings worked fabulously together. Decadent but light.

What I like about Lardo is that the food is solid without trying too hard. You don't have to come here looking for a once-in-a-lifetime dining experience. You come because you want to eat something delicious, sit somewhere comfortable and perhaps stay a little longer than you intended.

And that is exactly what a neighborhood restaurant should be.

There is one caveat: Lardo can get packed. Weekend brunch is particularly popular, and on our last trip to Mexico City, we tried to get a last-minute reservation for a group of six and couldn't. They were completely full.

So my advice is slightly counterintuitive: go when everyone else isn't.

Come on a rainy day. Come in the afternoon. Come at an odd hour when the restaurant is quieter. Sit at that wonderful bar. Have a coffee and a pastry. Or order lunch and stay for a while.

LARDO, MEXICO CITY

Address: Agustín Melgar 6, Colonia Condesa, Ciudad de México 06140

Chef: Elena Reygadas

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner, with brunch and all-day dining.

Hours: Monday–Saturday, 7:30am–11pm; Sunday, 7:30am–5:30pm.

Reservations: Recommended, particularly for weekend brunch and larger groups.

Good to know: There is a long L-shaped bar that works particularly well for solo diners, outdoor seating, an open kitchen and a large wood-burning oven. The restaurant is designed as a relaxed neighborhood gathering place, with food intended for sharing.