Old Money Restaurants in Mexico city / Suntory Del Valle, traditional Japanese cuisine with more than 50 years in Mexico.
In the imagination of Mexico City's residents, if there's one restaurant that comes to mind filled with politicians and men and women in power suits, it's Suntory
By Anna Lagos / Photos courtesy by Suntory
The history of Suntory in Mexico dates back to 1962, a time when Japanese whisky was virtually unknown outside its borders. Keizo Saji, son of Shinjiro Torii, the founder of Suntory Distillery, landed in Mexico with the vision of introducing Japanese-style whisky to the local market. But he encountered a world that was unfamiliar with Japanese whisky, so Saji opted to switch strategies. Shortly after, he decided to open a restaurant that would serve as an embassy of Japanese gastronomy in Mexico.
In 1970, the first restaurant was opened in Mexico City, and over the years, more locations were inaugurated in Acapulco, Guadalajara, and Puebla. Suntory has become an icon and today operates eight restaurants in Mexico, annually welcoming about 700,000 diners. In 2014, Suntory acquired Beam, a strategic move that also brought the famous Casa Sauza tequila distillery into Suntory's portfolio. This acquisition marked the beginning of tequila exports to the United States, further expanding its diverse range of premium beverages.
The menu is an ode to the diversity and richness of Japanese cuisine, featuring a select variety of Japanese whisky and sake, along with a gastronomic offering that includes sushi, tempura, teriyaki, sea bass sashimi, or teppanyaki of fish or thinly sliced rib eye. Each dish is prepared with meticulous care, using fresh ingredients and traditional techniques. The waitresses, dressed in kimonos, prepare the dishes in view, in the Traditional Room, among a parade of meats, seafood, and various vegetables.
Suntory caters to cinematic fantasies where Japanese gangsters settle their scores with swords. As if that mattered, in June 2022, the restaurant made headlines: Jesús Hernández Alcocer, a 79-year-old lawyer, shot his 21-year-old wife, Yrma Lidia, at point-blank range in one of the restaurant's rooms while regular service was being provided. In October of that same year, Hernández Alcocer died of a heart attack in the North Prison of Mexico City, while being processed for femicide. When trying to flee after committing his crime, one of the many bodyguards that abound at the entrance of Suntory Del Valle stopped him until the police arrived.- Location: Torres Adalid 14, Col del Valle Nte, Benito Juárez, 03103 Mexico City, CDMX
- Contact info: 55 5536 9432
- Service hours: 1:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
- Ideal for: Lovers of authentic Japanese cuisine, business meetings, romantic dinners, special celebrations.
- Type of food: Traditional and contemporary Japanese.
- Payment: Credit cards, debit cards, cash
- Accessibility: Braille menu. Wheelchair access. Children's play area (weekends)
- Parking: Valet parking
- Reservations: Recommended, especially for dinners and weekends.
- Nearby public transport: Metrobús Poliforum
