Bar Chucho

At Corima, Fidel Caballero cooks up boundary-crossing, progressive Mexican food. Its little sister, Bar Chucho, can't help but do the same, even though things lean more casual here.

Caballero and fellow owners Jesse Kranzler and Sofia Ostos created Bar Chucho as a laid-back hang, originally intended to cater to the late-night industry crowd. This CDMX-inspired cantina surely keeps things fun and incredibly exciting, with Micheladas laced with Maggi and white soy, herbaceous margaritas and meaty, smoky rice cakes that punch above their weight.

The vibe: By day, the front windows at Bar Chucho welcome in plenty of light, illuminating a simple scene of brick walls, wooden booths, and a black marble bar top with an illuminated bar just behind it. Things get a little sexy as the sun sets, as the lights and the neon sign outside drench the bar in red. On a weekend, it's easy to get overwhelmed by the growing crowd inside and keep things moving. Don't do this; instead, head upstairs to the loft for more seating and a small television that plays old telenovelas. 

The drinks: Much like Cabarello incorporates his worldly perspective into his cuisine at Corima, beverage director Edward Hardebeck does the same with the cocktails at Bar Chucho. The classic michelada made with a housemade clamato gets a few glugs of Tabasco and Maggi, while the mangonada version keeps things sweet with mango and mandarin, before kicking you in the back of the throat with a tingling mix of chilies. Each comes with a tamarind straw to stir the flavors together and a few nibbles between sips. The Malvedre was a favorite of the night, a margarita riff with fresh tartness from granny apple and Midori, finishing herbaceous and green with cilantro.

The food: We will say it: Bar Chucho may have some of the best bar food around, even though they try their best to undersell it. Take the Mex-o rice cakes, simply described as "tteobokki, Mex-o sauce, and smoked maple." Bites are gloriously chewy with a hint of sweetness, a certain smokiness, and ... is that meat? That's right: Bar Chucho's take on XO sauce folds in beef hearts marinated in white miso and masa miso sourced from Corima, then smokes and dehydrates it. The burger shows more than it tells, too, as the patties are hit with garum, a fermented fish sauce, with the addition of beef that's been fermented with dry-aged beef bones and black koji for six months. It gets that much richer with a smear of marrow mayo.

Time Out tip: Late-night owls will surely be rewarded. If you show up past midnight on Friday or Saturday night, you can get their classic burger, wrapped up and ready for only $10.