Comal Brings a Taste of Mexico City to the Lower East Side

1. It’s a casual venture from chefs with serious credentials.

Herbert has worked in some well-known kitchens both in the U.K. and in the United States, including the River Café and Ikoyi in London, Jupiter and Casa Cruz in New York, and the Todos Santos hotel in Baja California.

When he found out that Gem Wine’s lease was up on Forsyth Street, he jumped at the opportunity to return to New York to pursue his dream of opening his own restaurant. And to do so, he’s brought along his former chef de cuisine from Ikoyi, Canadian chef Scott McKay, who’s worked at Atomix and Acru in New York, as well as Sweden’s acclaimed Fäviken and Copenhagen’s Amass.

2. This is personal for Herbert.

To some, it might seem arbitrary for Herbert and his team to open a Mexican restaurant, but his ties to the country where he was born and its rich culture are strong. “I was born an hour outside Mexico City in Cuernavaca, the city of eternal spring,” he says.

Rather than open a new restaurant focused on French or American cuisines, he also wanted to challenge New Yorkers’ definition of what Mexican food can be. To develop Comal’s menu, he drew on inspiration from some of Mexico City’s best restaurants like Máximo Bistrot, Rosetta, Em, Ultramarinos Demar, and Lardo — restaurants where the emphasis is on local ingredients and chefs feel comfortable taking inspiration from cultures other than their own.

“We want the diner to say, ‘Well, that was a really interesting meal,’ and to not be pigeonholed by certain menu items that they’d expect to find,” he explains.

3. This is not your typical Mexican restaurant.

Comal’s menu is built into different sections, starting with snacks and progressing to larger dishes where everything is meant to be shared and goes together well. It’s the kind of place where you come in with a group and order just about one of everything. And while you might recognize ingredients like cotija, or preparations like mole and salsa macha, they’ll be showcased in unexpected ways at Comal.

To start, they’ve got al pastor (pork), mushroom, and lengua (slow-cooked beef tongue) skewers, as well as aguachile with striped bass or layered potatoes with hoja santa and salsa macha. The al pastor, Herbert says, is a bit of a metaphor for what he and the team are trying to do at Comal. “It’s seen as such a typical Mexican dish, but its roots are from a faraway land, from the Arabs who came to Mexico and brought spit-roasted meats with them. That’s sort of what we’re trying to do, too, in terms of inspiration. Cooking is about making things your own and making them delicious, ultimately.”

Composed dishes include mussels with a corn custard and potato crumb; grilled broccoli with toasted pepitas and tonnato; and local Montauk surf clams with a spiced cascabel dressing and herbs. They’ve also got a beef crudo, or tartare, with chapulines (grasshoppers) served with a sauce made of huitlacoche.

Larger dishes include crispy sweetbreads with chile and summer cabbage inspired by baja fish tacos, a spicy smoked half chicken with hot sauce and a stuffed wing, and a monkfish guiso (stew) with green chickpeas. For sides, expect housemade tortillas made with masa from Sobre Masa, served with a side of avocado, and a rotating rice dish that at opening will be flavored by roasted vegetables, cacao, and spices.

Dessert is simple, with just three dishes to start: a seasonal fruit plate, a guajillo chocolate flourless torta, and soft-serve ice cream in flavors like Tahitian vanilla and passionfruit to start, but will rotate seasonally.

4. Don’t sleep on the mezcal list.

At opening, pending a full liquor license, Comal will serve beer and wine to start, but you should certainly keep an eye out for their list of hard-to-find varieties of mezcal as well as Tequila once they get their full license. Herbert has also partnered with Yola Jimenez of Yola Mezcal to build out their list.

The wine list is small and classic, complementing the spicy, punchy flavors that dominate the menu, so expect to see plenty of wines from France, Spain, and the Americas.

As for cocktails, they plan to keep things simple, with variations on classics like margaritas, Negronis, and martinis.

5. You’ll want to take a closer look at the walls.

Mexico City also inspired the restaurant’s interior. Herbert partnered with friend and designer Elena Martinoni Caleppio to consult on the overall feel of the space, and he tapped Roma Norte, Mexico City-based firm La Metropolitana for custom furniture, including chairs, for the space. La Metropolitana has collaborated with many celebrated Mexico City restaurants like Contramar, but Comal will be their first commercial U.S. project.

The art on the walls is notable, too. The restaurant will host a rotating display of work from Mexican artists, curated by Elisabeth Johs and JO-HS gallery, which has locations in both Mexico City and New York. The artworks will change every two months or so, and all works will be for sale.

There are also some elements of Gem Wine that Herbert is keeping, like the columns that ran down the center of the restaurant, the glass bricks, and the open kitchen. He’s also toying with the idea of having a chef’s counter.

Anyone who carries a bag with them will also appreciate another Mexico City detail he’s importing: a ubiquitous tableside rack to keep your belongings off the floor, and from encroaching on a neighboring diner, called a perchero.

6. Go early, and go often.

Above all, Herbert wants to be an accessible neighborhood fixture, so he plans to keep half of the dining room and the bar available for walk-ins and last-minute reservations. Most dishes, aside from the larger entrées, are $23 and under.

And he hopes he’ll more than exceed New Yorkers’ expectations, and maybe even surprise them a bit.

“What we’re doing doesn’t need a name or a label,” he explains. “We want to just be a restaurant. No need to infinitely explain where we’re coming from, or where we’re going. It’s just a passion for food, for all sorts of different cuisines, and it’s bringing them together in a way that makes sense while also respecting the cultures.”

Comal is open Tuesday through Saturday from 5 p.m. to midnight. Brunch service may follow in the near future.

Kyle Beechey is a New York-based freelance writer and dinner party enthusiast who lives on the Lower East Side. Follow her on Instagram. Follow Resy, too.