Guide to Cantinas in Mexico city / Salón París, a classic cantina with generous snacks, one of those places where the chamorros gain fame over the years.
Founded in 1934, within those four walls debuted with his songs the King of Ranchera Music, better known as El Hijo del Pueblo, the great José Alfredo Jiménez.
By Anna Lagos / Photos Courtesy by Salón París
The history of the Salón París
They say José Alfredo Jiménez used to come to Salón París, in the central Santa María la Ribera, to refresh himself with tequilas after playing amateur soccer with his team, El Oviedo.
"In memory of José Alfredo Jiménez, beloved singer, character from the novel La casa de las mil Vírgenes by Arturo Azuela, and to the cantina Salón París, the place where he began to sing," reads a plaque from the Plaza & Jane publishing house, preserved in the cantina, which confirms the legend along with various photographs and newspaper clippings of the singer hanging on the walls.
"You invite me a drink or I invite you / We have to toast for our things / We are not going to get drunk / We will just have four drinks," can be heard in the background at Salón París, a place for the nostalgic. Although it changed its address to move a few meters, it remains parked in the past, complete with its jukebox, which surely plays Cuatro copas, Camino de Guanajuato, Amanecí en tus Brazos, or Si nos dejan more than once.
The snacks change daily and it seems that sauces are their specialty. The chamorro arrives marinated and tender accompanied by some chilaquiles or an Aztec soup. There are charro beans, tortas, tlacoyos, and quesadillas that actually have cheese. And music, lots of music.
Customers indulge in beers, tequilas, and cubas, but this bar is well stocked and ready to serve classic drinks. In this cantina, time stands still. Above the bar there is a clock that always reads the same time: it's almost 8:00 p.m. at all times, to disorient the customers.
"My father gave me that clock, so that the drunks don't realize what time it is. It's not a trap. It's to show that there's time to drink here," confesses Don Fernando, the owner of Salón París, to the Cantineros channel.
The clock keeps showing almost 8. It's almost time to leave. Meanwhile, another ranchera plays. One by a certain José Alfredo Jiménez. "Tómate esta botella conmigo / y en el último trago nos vamos / Quiero ver a qué sabe tu olvido, sin poner en mis ojos tus manos" ("Take this bottle with me / and with the last drink we'll leave / I want to see what your forgetting tastes like, without putting your hands on my eyes"). It's called The Last Drink. And it seems like time stops.
- Food Police Recommends: the cubas.
- Location: Jaime Torres Bodet 151, Santa María la Ribera, Cuauhtémoc, 06400 Mexico City.
- Contact info: +52 55 5547 3710
- Service hours: Monday to Saturday from 12:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Sundays close at 8:00 p.m. It's one of the few cantinas that opens on Sundays.
- Ideal for: The nostalgic and lovers of rancheras and Santa María la Ribera.
- Cuisine: Mexican.
- Payment: Cash and cards.
- Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
- Parking: No.
- Beer price: $55
- Reservations: No.
- Nearby public transport: Metro or Metrobús Buenavista.
- Pet friendly: No.
- Suitable for children: No.
