Pablito

There are not many restaurants in Luxembourg which serve Mexican food, and even fewer places which serve good Mexican food. So, when I saw that Pablito had opened near town center I was excited: it looked hip and the pictures on their website promised delicious food and cocktails. They see themselves as "a bar serving small plates for lunch and dinner."

Located in Belair, the restaurant is just a shot of Luxembourg's city center, but still conveniently accessible by foot, bus or car. You can usually get a parking spot in one of the adjacent streets or Monterey car park, which is just a couple of minutes away on foot.

I have visited Pablito on a number of occasions, for lunch and dinner, and I really do enjoy their food and drinks. It is different and the food is home-made, two things which can't really be said about most other Mexican places in Luxembourg.

The menu is small and changes regularly and is based on a "sharing philosophy". Choose one or two small plates per person and just split them with your table in order to taste and experience as many dishes as possible. They have meat and seafood options as well as vegetarian dishes. (No vegan options.) For lunch, they also serve a daily special. All service personnel I have encountered so far, has always been very polite and friendly and either spoke English or Luxembourgish (and probably some more languages).

The restaurant itself is quite small, with a nice, large bar area. Reservations are recommended, and they have a convenient instant online booking tool on their website. The decor is very tastefully done, incorporating a lot of wood, colorful tiles and dimmed lights, to create a hip and welcoming atmosphere.

But let's have a look at some of the food and drinks they offer:

Pablito has a nice selection of drinks and cocktails on their menu. Classic flavors such as Caipirinha and Margaritas, but also more trendy cocktails, such as the Munich mule, which is my personal favorite. A gin-based drink, this cocktail is mixed with their home-made ginger beer, a refreshing and slightly spicy mixer. Their cocktail prices range from 9 to 13 Euros and a glass of (non-alcoholic) ginger beer goes for 6 Euros. So, this might be a place to enjoy a drink or two but surely not a place to get drunk on a budget.

The menu offers a variation of tacos, salads, quesadillas, tapas and of course, guacamole and salsa, with home-made Tortilla Chips. I love the fact that they make their tortilla chips in house. The salsa and guacamole are fresh and simple, no fuss, just dip in and enjoy.

The dishes will come to your table as soon as they are done, so you can end up with a table full of food, which might be overwhelming for some and make the food experience feel a bit rushed. So, in case you prefer to take it step by step, just let the waiter know, or order your food in rounds.

Next up, Tacos. They usually have meat, seafood and also a vegetarian taco on the menu. The corn flour taco shell is homemade and you can really taste it. This cannot be compared to your average chewy flour tortilla wraps and I highly recommend you get at least one dish with one of those homemade shells.

First up was a shrimp taco, topped with mango, cactus, pico de gallo, some avocado crema as well as fresh radishes and parsley. These tacos were well-filled and the cook did not skimp on the shrimps, that were unfortunately overcooked and dry, which was a bit of a shame. But overall great, balanced flavors and fresh ingredients.

Second up were the pork tacos, spiced with chilies and topped with pickled red onion and fresh pineapple. As you can see from the picture, these were not ass well-filled as the shrimp tacos, however, the meat was very delicious, very well-spiced and tender. The acidity from the pineapple was very well-balanced and nicely complemented the pork. The whole thing was topped with a lot of cilantro. If you do not like cilantro, let them know, as they use it in quite a few of their dishes.

My personal favorite is the classic quesadilla, with three different kinds of cheeses, corn, onions and pickled jalapenos in their homemade taco shell; grilled up so the cheeses get nice and gooey. The jalapenos give it a nice kick, just a thing to be aware about should you not like heat. It comes with a chipotle sour cream dip, which is slightly spicy and smokey and goes great with the cheese.

As a side order we had a huge portion of sweet potato fries, which also came with the same chipotle sour cream dip. They were simply amazing, probably the best sweet potato fries we have ever had and I can really recommend you grabbing a portion for your table, there is enough for a couple of people.

As the menu is very small, they usually have two dessert options. This time we went with the Mojito cheesecake. A very simple but delicious desert, with a shortbread cookie base, topped by a fluffy cream. In the cream itself were whole mint leaves. On the one side, having the actual mint leaves got you the really natural minty flavour, which was not too overpowering. On the other side, it was kinda awkward having to chew around on those leaves and after finishing, it kinda had you checking in the mirror to make sure that you did not have anything left hanging in your teeth.

Ok, let´s talk money. Considering that Mexican food is often quite affordable in many countries, Pablito´s prices are up there, even for Luxembourg. Compared to the competition, whose dishes are usually around the 10 Euros mark, Pablito´s prices are often 2, 3, 4 Euros more expensive.

For example, take the Munich Mule at 13 Euros, consisting of the homemade ginger beer and gin. Considering that the ginger beer costs 6 Euros per glass, you end up paying 7 Euros for the shot of gin, plus, there is a lot of ice in your glass. The cocktail is absolutely delicious but compared to the Caipirinha at 9.50 Euros, which had quite a bit of alcohol in it, the price does not seem justified. Another example is the Shrimp Taco. It was loaded with shrimps but for 15 Euros for 2 Tacos, so 7.50 per Taco, expectations were really high, and the dry shrimps just underperformed.

Considering the location in Belair, which is one of the most expensive location´s in the city and probably in the country, their rent is probably no joke. Combine that with their use of really fresh, quality ingredients, the care they take to prepare and cook their food and the overall atmosphere in the restaurant, it is not cheap, but you get one of the best Mexican food experiences in Luxembourg.

That said, we really enjoy Pablito, there is nothing like it in Luxembourg and if you like Mexican food, be sure to give it a try. I see going to Pablito as a treat for myself but it is not something I could afford every day. When you go, get the whole package, get a couple of cocktails, order various dishes of the menu and just hang out and chill.

Should you be money-conscious, the prices are just something to keep in mind, but the food is fresh and homemade with care, so, from time to time, I think it is absolutely worth it and you also do need to treat yourself. So, grab your partner or your friends and head to Pablito for a fun night with your loved ones.