Lounge
Tasting Mexico in Mussoorie
Summary
A Mexican restaurant run by expats brings new flavours to Dehrudun’s growing food scene
On our last trip from Mexico, we brought back chillies instead of clothes," laughs Ricardo Vargas. A steady supply of dry chillies is a must, among other Mexican spices and seasonings, for the Dehradun-based Vargas who is co-founder of México Lindo – a Mexican restaurant that opened in the Uttarakhand capital three months earlier.
Dehradun may retain the charms of a quiet town out of Ruskin Bond’s short stories, but its transformation into a state capital has come with several buzzy additions to the city’s retail and culinary scene. Neighbourhoods such as Rajpur Road are dotted with cafes and restaurants, offering everything from artisanal coffee to craft cocktails. It is however still somewhat surprising to find a place like México Lindo in the city, serving authentic delicacies cooked by a team of Mexican expats.
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Located in Mussoorie Road, next to Pestle Weed College, México Lindo means “Beautiful Mexico" and gets its name from a popular song. The cosy glass-fronted restaurant seats 23-25 people, and is filled with decor elements from the North American country: Papel picado (decorative paper cutouts), Marias dolls, traditional embroidered cushions and curtains. Vargas manages guest relations while Satsuki Midori, his wife, helms the kitchen with Dámaris Medina.
Neither Vargas, who is a Spanish teacher by profession, nor Satsuki had a restaurant in mind when they moved to Dehradun in 2021 with their baby daughter. Both were familiar with India, having visited a few times over the last decade; Vargas recalls proposing to Satsuki in West Bengal in 2014. “A friend in Dehradun said there are opportunities to teach Spanish in india. A lot of my work is online [virtual] and I told my wife it would be an adventure to move for a year," he recalls. “It started feeling like a second home and we made friends here. When a year passed, we decided to stay for another."
Satsuki had a background in hotel and restaurant management. Her experience came handy when friends, who Vargas and Satsuki would invite for home-cooked Mexican meals, suggested that the couple open a restaurant. Since last year, they began planning the venture in earnest. Medina, a trained chef, travelled to India for a limited period to help set up the kitchen and train the local staff. To decide the menu, the team hosted meal tastings and gathered feedback. Some classic recipes, like the mole – a sauce made using chillies, tomatillos, and chocolate – did not find favour, but many other traditional fare made the cut. Vargas adds, “We do dishes that are available across Mexico. Preparations may differ, but you find tacos, quesadillas, and sopes in every city."
The menu spans these dishes, along with other familiar names: aros de cebolla (onion rings), totopos (tortilla chips), churros, and huaraches. The Taco Birria, stuffed with mutton and cheese is a must-have; for vegetarians, Vargas recommends the Taco Serenata, filled with paneer, potato, and creamy beans. Also, try a horchata – cinnamon-infused rice drink – or the hibiscus-based Jamaica, available as a cold beverage or hot tea. Famous Mexican figures christen many of the dishes. Take for instance the Taco Neri Vela, named after Rodolfo Neri Vela, the first Mexican astronaut to go to space, who convinced NASA to stock tortillas onboard the Space Shuttle. The Sope Camarena gets its name from Guillermo González Camarena, an engineer who invented a colour-wheel television. New dishes are added every few months, with soups forthcoming this winter.
Offering an unusual cuisine amid a profusion of North Indian and Himalayan restaurants, México Lindo is a hidden gem. “Dehradun is a small city, but the good thing is that people are used to dining out here," Vargas says. “Most of our customers come through word of mouth, and after three months, we are beginning to get regulars." The location of the restaurant can also draw tourists travelling from Delhi and other places towards Mussoorie and further. With bootstrapped operations and a team of seven across the kitchen and serving staff, the restaurant uses Instagram for promotion, its page filled with food-meets-culture content. In one post, Satsuki, posing as a customer, asks for salsa with her meal. In response, Vargas breaks into a dance. A cheeky caption reads, “We bring the heat—on the dance floor AND your tacos!"
