Guide to Cantinas in Mexico City / El Paraíso, the Most Famous Octopus Torta in Santa María la Ribera.

By Anna Lagos / Photos by FoodPolice and El Paraíso facebook

This snack cantina was born about 75 years ago as a brothel. Locals recount that in its beginnings, El Paraíso was part of a network of bars that transformed their premises into brothels at night. And the reality is that El Paraíso didn't transform: IT WAS a brothel.

"My dad was a very relevant figure in the sex service business in Mexico. Back then, there were about 2500 prostitutes, and the Cordero family had 35 businesses in the industry in Mexico City. He was a close friend of Miguel Alemán and Adolfo Ruíz Cortines," says Don Roberto Cordero -current owner of El Paraíso and son of its founder- to Food Police.

In 1951, when this cantina was founded, businesses didn't have names. In fact, locals called this place The Cemetery "because it was horrible."

"My dad modernized it," says Don Roberto. "And, the delegate in charge who came to give approval said: 'This is El Paraíso.' And the name stuck. It had a restaurant bar license, but Don Roberto's father had it as a brothel. "My dad fought with Uruchurtu -the iron regent, famous for his crusades against brothels and other dens of vice- and they closed all his businesses in 3 months," recounts the current owner, who has been running the cantina for 44 years. "About 25 years ago, I got rid of the girls. It was too much risk because HIV started," he confesses, referring to the sex workers of that time.

But, let's go back to the story of the octopus torta. "My dad was a big eater and traveled all over the world when he was young. He liked to cook," Don Roberto tells us. "The owners of Radiocentro, the Aguirre family, were very good friends of my dad. When they owned the Diplomatic Hotel, they invited him to a food contest, and he won with the octopus torta recipe for three years until he stopped participating because he always got first place."

Roberto's promise is daring: "If you try an octopus torta better than mine, you can eat it for free for the rest of your life," he asserts. "My dad said his octopus recipe is the best in the world. Because it lasts two months in the refrigerator. It takes us 3 days to make it, we put a lot of seasoning and a lot of wine. I make it. The octopus rests for seven to ten days, and then it's served after 3 days, and before it runs out, we make more."

Don Roberto has no one to inherit El Paraíso. His children took different professional paths, and for a year now, there has been a sign that says "For Sale" hanging on a wall of the cantina. "Now we close on Sundays but before we were open 365 days a year," clarifies Don Roberto, who retains his old wooden bar, a jukebox, and the somber yet festive atmosphere.

Snacks are provided in exchange for four drinks. But for those who prefer to start earlier and maybe even without drinking, they can delight in the octopus torta in its ink, the house specialty and one of the few dishes always found on the menu, along with leg sandwiches, turkey sandwiches, and grilled skirt steak. During weekends, tables are rearranged to make space for a musician and his melodic organ. Thursdays are for grilling (which they do right there on the street), and Fridays they serve paella. 

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Una publicación compartida por Food blogger in Mexico City (@foodpolicemx)

• Address: Sabino 245, Sta María la Ribera, Cuauhtémoc, 06400 Mexico City
• Phone: +52 55 5547 2675
• Hours: Monday to Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Closed on Sundays.
• Ideal for: Those looking for a snack cantina.
• Type of cuisine: Mexican.
• Payment: Cash and cards.
• Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible
• Parking: No.
• Beer price: $65
• Reservations: No
• Nearby public transport: Metro or Metrobús Buenavista
• Pet friendly: No
• Suitable for children: No