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Corima

New York

Thoroughly modern Mexican from a rising star

The backstory: Having clocked time at nearby inventive bistro Contra (now Bar Contra) and at Spain's avant-garde Basque restaurant Martín Berasategui, Fidel Caballero opened Corima in 2024 – its name meaning 'circle of sharing' in Northern Mexican culture. The intimate restaurant honours Caballero's heritage through a modern lens, drawing on inspiration from the Chihuahuan desert and the culinary traditions of Ciudad Juárez and El Paso with nods to Asia and Europe. The menu showcases Northern Mexican ingredients and techniques, reimagined with precision and creativity.

Dining design: This rustic Lower East Side haunt blends clean lines with exposed brick, wooden accents and an overall unadorned, earthy look. A buzzy front cocktail bar and dining area leads to a rear dining room with wooden tables and a six-seat chef's counter that offers a direct view into the goings-on of the open kitchen.

Going global: Offering both a la carte dining and a 13-course tasting menu, Caballero's Mexican menu blends global touches with progressive technique. Razor clams in a shrimp consommé are finished with a kimchi ice, a grilled chicken tamale calls for fresh sansho, while the chef's wheat tortillas – served with a charred chile butter – are made with sourdough.

On the bar: Naturally, Northern Mexican agave spirits including tequila, mezcal, sotol and more, anchor the fruit-forward cocktail list, but much like the food menu, global influences weave their way in. Alongside fermented tomatillo and tres leches cake, sip-seekers will find ingredients that nod to Japan like cherry blossoms and ume sake.

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