A Tiny Eatery in Mexico With Just Four Dishes on the menu earns a Michelin Star

The Michelin Star is like a seal of approval in the world of culinary arts that certifies a chef as an established gastronomic maestro. Although popular belief is that only elite establishments can earn this honor, El Califa de León in Mexico has broken this misconception, as reported by Euro News. This tiny, three-meter square kitchen won a Michelin Star rating purely based on its marvelous taste. This bustling restaurant has just four dishes on its menu but is still popular among its loyal clientele. 

Arturo Rivera Martínez is the head chef of this establishment and was personally visited by the Michelin representatives, who gave him the heavy, full-sleeved, pristine white chef’s jackets. But Martinez was so busy dishing out perfection that he did not have the time to put it on. For two decades his restaurant has just served beef tacos in different varieties, but his unique taste helps the establishment stand out. According to Martinez, the special attention given to ingredients is the secret sauce behind his success. "There is no secret, there is nothing special. The secret is in the quality of the taco, the meat, the tortilla, everything. There is no secret," Rivera Martínez says.

El Califa de León is one of the smallest restaurants to garner this honor, as reported by the Associated Press. The customers have no place to sit and hence eat while standing with plastic plates in their hands. Despite its cramped space, the restaurant charges a high price for its food with a single taco priced at $5. They have been able to do so, because of the quality they have maintained over the years, which makes people come back again and again. For many, it is the shop with the best beef taco in Mexico and one of the establishment's regular customers José Castañeda adheres firmly to this belief. "I am from Mexico City and I know a lot of taquerias and this one is very good. The flavor and the service are incredible," Castañeda said.

In its initial days, most of the cafe's customers were politicians of the old ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) party. The place was easy for the party members to access as it was just five blocks away from its main office. The PRI has been on a steady decline in the country, and now it is very rare to see the members of that particular party frequenting the restaurant. But that hasn't led to any major impact on the popularity of the eatery. The Michelin star is bound to give the establishment a major popularity boost. 

Though the establishment will not deviate from its core values, the eatery wants to expand its options and try new things. The honor will bring them new challenges and they want to meet the expectations. "It was our turn to be awarded, to be recognized with such an important international award and we are more than committed because from now on this award will drive us every day to be more competitive, more original, and to be competitive in all aspects," Mario Hernandéz Alonso said.