Bygone Restaurants in Mexico City / Mesón del Perro Andaluz: Closed Due to an (Unjust) Electricity Bill
It was a gathering spot for intellectuals, writers, artists, and film critics.
By Alejandro Pohlenz
Those of us who have seen Luis Buñuel’s short film Un Chien Andalou never forget the (indelible) eye scene. I watched the short during my university years in the last century as part of my “training” as a communications student and self-proclaimed intellectual, and the moment when a razor slices a young woman’s eye stayed with me forever. Here’s a photo of the young lady before the cut:
Of course, these were the very beginnings of Buñuel’s surrealist period. Salvador Dalí even contributed to the script—just imagine that. Later, Buñuel came to Mexico and made the brilliant (and harrowing) film Los Olvidados. I mention this because the Mesón del Perro Andaluz, a restaurant in Zona Rosa, took its name from Buñuel’s first masterpiece. (The restaurant across the street was called El Perro de Enfrente.)
Intellectuals at El Perro Andaluz
The Mesón del Perro Andaluz opened in 1968. According to Sergio Sarmiento, this was a meeting place for Carlos Fuentes, Juan José Arreola, José Luis Cuevas, Luis Ibáñez (film and theater director), and Emilio García Riera (film critic). Buñuel himself reportedly dropped by occasionally… imagine those gatherings! Great debates paired with tapas and wine.
The CFE “Adjustment”
Zona Rosa gradually deteriorated, crowded with tables, street vendors, and trash. Copenhagen Street (a pedestrian street) was under construction for a year, “with its guts exposed.” In 2012, a notice appeared outside Perro Andaluz stating that the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) had issued a “bill adjustment” for 500,000 pesos. They requested a hearing, but nothing happened: the power was cut.
The Mesón del Perro Andaluz survived 44 years of Zona Rosa’s decline, the earthquake, and the city’s endless unfinished works. It could not withstand the CFE’s injustices.
Today, at Copenhagen 26, there is a restaurant called Young Bin Kwan.
Permanently Closed.
