It was almost inevitable that Juárez would emerge as Mexico City’s latest colonia of cool.
Bisected by the Paseo de la Reforma — town’s version of Broadway and the longest avenue on the earth — and north of hip Colonia Roma, Juárez couldn’t be more centrally situated.
It’s also full of increasingly chic and cutting-edge designers, galleries and restaurants. No wonder Soho House selected Juárez as the location of its first Latin American outpost, which is about to debut any day now.
“To be in la Juárez is to coexist with amazing architecture, great restaurants, eclectic and inventive industries and amazing spots for locating unique finds,” observed Mexico City art-world insider Karen Huber. “Juárez is changing daily a lot.”
And Huber should know. Her eponymous art gallery, Galería Karen Huber, opened in Juárez in 2014, and represents each local and global artists with a special concentrate on paintings.
Since then, the gallery has been a pioneer of sorts, adding to the buzzy creative scene that has made Juárez a favourite of culture-minded tourists and expats.
A lot of the Juárez motion is centered along Calle Marsella which — together with the side streets Calles Londres, Liverpool and Napoles — bustle with ornate mansions and early-modernist business buildings from the last century, including the grand, neo-French inspired Edificio Vizcaya, a neighborhood landmark.
It’s inside this old-meets-new urban landscape that Soho House will soon debut.
The space, midway between Juárez and Roma Norte, inhabits a historic traditional casa given latest life by Soho House’s in-house design team and can marry “historic French influences and baroque heritage,” in keeping with the corporate.
There might be a trio of bars and lounges in addition to a stand-alone restaurant and a sprawling al fresco courtyard. Better of all might be the 100-plus artworks from artists who were either born, living in or trained in Mexico, which has certainly one of the most popular contemporary arts scenes today. There may also be a pool with a greenhouse-inspired bar.
Juárez will not be shiny or pretentious, but a living, respiration barrio as much focused on longtime residents as deeper-pocketed newcomers.
The world is a haven for fans of local fashion and design.
A few of the most eye-catching could be found at Utilitario Mexicano, a sleek, gallery-like space on Calle Marsella stuffed with every thing from hip sweatshirts to funky kitchen supplies, hand-made local textiles and highly covetable artwork.
Particularly noteworthy are prints by the contemporary Mexican artist Derellite, who works with colourful geometric shapes and patterns.
Nearby is the bookshop Libreria Jorge Cuesta, which overflows with vintage, collection-worthy books in each Spanish and English.
Juárez has turn out to be especially noted for its bars and restaurants, which skew each local and international in flavor.
Café Nin, as an example, is a Huber favorite — with a every day menu of indulgent baked goods, strong coffee, perfect weekend brunches and finely curated wine list.
Chef Elena Reygadas has turn out to be a near-legend for her perfect poached eggs.
Also great for a fast bite is Blom Café, whose potent brews are best enjoyed sans milk or sugar.
Or for brunch, pop into Masala y Maiz, whose menu explores the culinary migrations and interactions between Europe, Asia and the Americas with dishes resembling black ceviche with charred pineapple or masala fried chicken.
Come night time, do dinner at newcomers CANA and Colonia Bar & Meadery — the previous, an off-the-cuff bistro; the latter, Mexico City’s first meadery, a brewery that makes a speciality of honey wines.
Together with its mead menu, Colonia serves dishes resembling shrimp toast spiced with sambal and crispy pork belly with macha sauce.
Then drink late into the night at Xaman Bar, an under-the-radar, midcentury-styled speakeasy with cocktails based on pre-Hispanic plants and botanicals. Think flavorful teas, native herbs and the freshest juices resembling a thyme-infused Moscow mule or the cocoa-spiked Mayaj (Mexico is the spiritual home of chocolate), together with hearty meat and cheeseboards accented by groovy DJ sets.
Speaking of chocolate, no place takes it more seriously in Juárez than La Rifa Chocolateria, where single-origin chocolates are elevated beyond mere bars (though their bars are sublime) and incorporated into every thing from specialty drinks to inventive-yet-indulgent desserts (those bars make swoon-worthy gifts).
Regardless of the plan, base yourself on the hip Hotel CondesaDF in nearby Colonia Condesa, whose India Mahdavi-designed interiors never fail to dazzle.
“It’s been amazing to see the neighborhood develop, with so many latest restaurants, bars and stores,” said Huber, who arrived in Juárez long before its current embrace of cool. “Now, even the avenues and buildings are being restored.”
