Bistro 8 Brings Fine Dining Poise and Mexican Flavors To Calle Ocho

There’s some serious talent leading the kitchen.

The kitchen’s ethos at Bistro 8 is “simple pero no sencillo,” which means “simple but not easy” in Spanish. The kitchen is helmed by Ibáñez, Shōwa Hospitality’s director of culinary operations, who hails from Xalapa, in Veracruz, Mexico. His noteworthy 30-year career has spanned training at the Centro Culinario Ambrosía and the renowned Pujol in Mexico City, the latter of which he worked as chef de cuisine.

Ibáñez’s culinary background has informed the menu of Latin comfort food dishes at the restaurant. Dishes typically feature thoughtful ingredients sourced from various Latin American regions, expertly prepared with Mexican and French culinary techniques. What Enrique Olvera brought to the world’s attention at Pujol, launching a frenzy of interest in mixing the indigenous and the modern, is relevant in Bistro 8’s kitchen. Here, he’s contextualized that culinary approach in a relaxed Little Havana setting. In other words, expect high-end cuisine that takes familiar flavors and preparations, and sheds new light on them.

Though the menu is ambitious, it’s very approachable. 

To that end, starters set the stage for the colorful and carefully prepared dishes ahead: A kampachi crudo is made with serrano chile, preserved lemon, and a bright citrus-olive oil sauce. The “Cangrego, Brioche, Ikura” is a hefty slice of buttery brioche topped with lightly-dressed lump crab meat and a layer of red caviar.

A glass jar of salsa taquera, a house-made hot sauce made with smoky and spicy chipotle pepper, is presented with the starters and happens to be an elite condiment, perfect for kicking up the spice level on dishes. Meanwhile, salads here are as thoughtfully composed as mains — don’t miss the restaurant’s take on a Caesar salad that marries butterhead lettuce, green beans, green peas, roasted almonds, and an avalanche of shredded Parmigiano for a nutty, salty complement to the grassy greens.

“We use organic corn flour to make all our corn-based products. The tortillas are made to order, always fresh from the comal,” explains Ibáñez. Those tortillas accompany mains like the roasted catch of the day, seasoned with Mexican adobo and served in tomato salsa, or the filet of Wagyu, served on a platter with fixings of guacamole and salsa for an upscale steak taco worth the drive to Calle Ocho. Large format mains also include the chuletas de cordero (lamb chops with mashed potatoes, fermented lemon, chile morita jus, and carrots), and a short rib dish with almond mole that gives an acidity and fruity character to the rich meat it accompanies.

Desserts are led by the flan de naranja (creamy orange flan judiciously topped with Ossetra caviar) and the Berlinesa, a vanilla creme-stuffed Berliner doughnut topped with truffle shavings. For the kitchen’s chocolate mousse, an airy confection accompanied by grapefruit segments, Ibáñez elaborates: “I like to go a little towards the bitter, but also balanced. We use a 75% chocolate, cacao nibs and 70% extra brute cocoa. It is an aerated mousse, without gelatin or gelling agents, and in the center of the dish a peak of salted caramel.”

The dining room is an oasis on busy Calle Ocho.

At 1,700 square feet, the dining area offers an intimate setting with 40 seats in the main room and an additional 10 seats at the bar. Designed by Minoru Oyamatsu of Tokyo’s award-winning Oyamatsu Design Studio (who have previously partnered on Shōwa’s other restaurants across the nation), the décor integrates warm colors and refined details to create an inviting and relaxed atmosphere. Art Deco details like terrazzo flooring, pink pastel bar stools, a gold vaulted ceiling and soft lighting exude date night energy while also offering a sanctuary from the restaurant’s busy urban setting.

Adding to the unique atmosphere, the restaurant’s sound system was built by Kazunori Taguchi of Taguchi Craft in Japan. The speakers have been designed to work with the room’s acoustics to enrich the dining experience – but all you need to know is that you can enjoy the restaurant’s playlist without skipping a beat in your dinner conversation.

The cocktail game keeps pace with the cooking.

Meanwhile, the cocktails have been crafted by Pujol’s former beverage director and mezcalera, Eli Martinez Bello, who was also recently named Best Bartender of North America by The 50 Best Bars list. The list of signature cocktails is mostly mezcal or Tequila-based and work in Mexican ingredients like xoconostle, a sour cactus fruit, and totomoxtle, the husk of Mexican heirloom corn. Try the Mex-Tlan, a smoky, spicy drink served up with a crusty rim of sal de colima or the mezcal-infused espresso martini, a smoky take on the ubiquitous coffee-spiked drink.