A defunct café has been put out of its misery and replaced with a place that better deserves such a prominent spot: El Remate de Montejo.
Better yet, the roof — which hasn’t been open to the public in decades — is one of the most exciting new places in Mérida to be revealed this year. Very few people have been lucky enough to enjoy its colorful, kinetic vista until now.
El Remate is an upscale and upbeat full-service restaurant with a raw bar that overlooks the busy Montejo glorieta.
Guests on Wednesday night also got a preview of the restaurant within the restaurant, El Gato, a small cocktail lounge that appears inspired by a 1940s film noir movie set. Downstairs, designer Josue Ramos Espinoza on Facebook described the Remate Salon, its main dining room, as “Industrial Mexican Chic.”
While El Remate’s upstairs terrace is seafood-forward, meat-eaters can get a burger at El Gato, says Sean Sant Amour, an investor in the project.
“Almost in the same vein as Pizza Neo, we’re using this opportunity to highlight and bring to the forefront cultural aspects of Mérida, cultural aspects of the Yucatan,” Sant Amour said.
All three venues have a dedicated bar, and the kitchen is visible at the Salon level.
As with sister restaurant Pizza Neo next door, Chef Mohit Bhojwani Buenfil is at the helm.
The Salon will include communal tables and seat 240. Its huge glass doors unfold to open entirely to the sidewalk. Right now, those doors connect a Christmas village to a much more cosmopolitan space.
El Gato, which is up the stairs off to the side, can squeeze in 40 or 50 cocktail lovers. El Remate Terraza, the roof bar, seats 120 and is open on two sides to some of the Centro’s busiest street life at the intersection of the burgeoning “foodie corridor” and the Paseo.
A loyal crowd is already lining up, so to speak. El Remate’s Instagram has yet to feature a post, but as of this morning, it had over 2,000 followers.
