David Lida

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Chicken King, part one

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The Colonia Condesa is the most resolutely trendy neighborhood in Mexico City, with its boutiques for twenty-somethings who have the slender bodies that can support jeans imported from Argentina, myriad restaurants with “fusion” cuisine, three Starbucks, wine bars and so forth. However, in this neighborhood you will also find the resolutely old-fashioned restaurant Tio Luis, which has been in continuous service since 1939 on the quiet corner of Cuautla and Montes de Oca.

 

For about 60 years, the proprietor of Tio Luis was Pedro Yllana, who had been a bullfighter in his youth, and as such the restaurant is decorated with posters and photos of la fiesta brava. (Unfortunately, Yllana passed away a few years ago. He was well into his 90s and now his heirs run the place.)

 

The menu at Tio Luis is eclectic, from enchiladas to paella to milanesa Holstein (a breaded cutlet with a fried egg and an anchovy on top). However, the place's nickname is el rey del pollo – the chicken king. Of the varied chicken dishes on the menu, the standout is Pollo Tio Luis (pictured above). It is the closest approximation to authentic Southern fried chicken that you can find in Mexico City.