Isabel Castillo is the restauranteur behind some of my favorite spots in Mexico City (which says a lot because there are so many of great restaurants!). Cafe Milou, Hugo and Bar Nino occupy half a block of Avenida Veracruz and they are such special, neighborhood mainstays. We got to spend golden hour with Isabel in Bar Nino and every detail is impeccably considered—just like her personal style. It is so exciting to introduce her to you here.
Can you tell me a little bit about your background? How did you end up as a restaurateur in Mexico City?
I don’t even know how it happened. I think it had to do with growing up in a home where hosting and entertaining was an important part of our lives and the closest thing I could study related to that was Culinary School. So I did that and ended up working in New York City. My years in NY were magical, I met people from all over the world, I ate food from all over the world. I saw every museum, wandered the streets, made so many friends. I think about those years often.
I came back from NYC in 2016 and started a small catering company where I did private events where I would take care of the flowers, table styling, the drinks and of course the food. I soon started fantasizing about opening a little restaurant. So I kept looking for a space in the meantime.
What year did you open Cafe Milou? And then how did you evolve to include Hugo and eventually Bar Nino? How do you define the differences between the three?
One day I came across a listing for a 37 square meter storefront in Condesa and when I visited it I fell in love with it right away. The street was full of trees and there was space to have a small terrace, so I took it. And that's how Cafe Milou started, it opened in August 2017. A tiny little restaurant for the neighborhood where you could have a nice breakfast, a glass of wine or lunch with friends. It became an important part of the neighborhood and I spent a lot of time there in the years that followed. Wine was always a big part of it. The more I learned and tasted, the more I was into it. So we started thinking of opening a winebar where people could grab a bite and sit at the bar. We saw a bunch of spaces and nothing really caught our attention. One day out of the blue, our neighboring restaurant told us he was moving. It was honestly meant to be. We started renovations and the pandemic hit so it took us longer to finish it but we were finally able to open at the end of February 2021. And once again the stars aligned because by then Michael Crespo, my dear friend and amazing chef, was able to join us as the head chef.
A couple of years later the corner space where there had been a dry cleaner for years became available. We weren’t looking for a space this time but I had secretly imagined a beautiful corner restaurant with white table cloth and curtains by the windows every time I dropped my dry cleaning there. So, once again I had to take it.
Bar Nino opened in October 2024 in that dream corner.
The three of them are unique in their own ways. Café Milou is open everyday from 7:00 am to 5:00 pm– breakfast is the main thing there and the coffee is great.
Hugo is a winebar. It’s the perfect spot to grab a glass of wine and a snack by yourself or a full bottle of wine and a delicious dinner as I have done plenty of times with friends. I especially like to sit there in the evenings and see it turn into the night mood– candle lit and fun music. We have over two hundred labels of wine, all made by small producers.
Bar Nino is more of a full restaurant – European inspired, white table cloth, great wine and a full bar. The cooking there is all about simple, honest food—we just try our best to source really good ingredients.
Can you tell me how the food scene in Mexico City has changed since you first began working in it? What has changed for the better? What has felt like a loss?
There are so many new projects, it's hard to keep up. I feel like younger people are very entrepreneurial and there is so much talent out there. I love how Mexican food is getting the global recognition it deserves. But at the same time, it sometimes feels like some new spots in the city are designed for an algorithm first and the guest second. They focus on design and branding, but the food can feel a bit hollow at times. That’s just my personal opinion.
What is it about restaurants that makes you passionate? Where do you draw inspiration from?
I love traveling and do it as much as I can, so I always bring back ideas from my travels. I have always been inspired by small restaurants that have been around for a long time. From the way they present the check with some cookies to the glassware they use for their digestives. They always inspire me in a unique way.
Are there unique challenges in your business that you can share with us? Are there moments you have wanted to give up? How have you overcome those moments if so?
There are always challenges—they never really disappear. At the beginning, I feel like I would make a mountain out of a molehill. But time has given me confidence, and my dad, who is my biggest support, always tells me that everything has a solution. So, I always tell myself that.
What restaurants in Mexico City have inspired you? Where do you eat if not at your own places?
Contramar. That place feels like home to me—the food, the warmth of the people who work there. It’s effortlessly incredible every single time; it’s the most consistent, timeless place I know. There is no other place like it, and I could truly eat there every day.
I also love Havre 77. Gabriela and Lalo are such an inspiring duo—their attention to detail and his cooking is unmatchable.
I love the food at Cana too. I crave that burger often, and their wine list is incredible.
If I’m out with friends, we’ll go to Cantina El Bosque. We'll sit there for hours, eat the whole fish baked in salt, and have the trío sing boleros to us until we’ve had one too many tequilas.
What is your favorite dish on the menu at Milou, Nino and Hugo?
At Café Milou, soft scrambled eggs with tomatoes and goat cheese.
I crave the radicchio salad at Hugo often, but I also love the boquerones on toast with parsley salad and any wine that Sofia has chosen to pour by the glass.
At Nino lately I’ve been into the octopus salad with potatoes and celery or the fettuccine al pesto but everything is so good, it’s hard to say something is my favorite. I guess it depends on the mood.
You have such incredible taste. How do you define it? What kinds of clothes do you like to wear?
That's such a compliment coming from you. Thank you! I don’t know how to define my style exactly but I like timeless pieces and love when they're made carefully. Fabrics are very important to me, I look for non synthetic ones. I love shirts, all kinds of them. Oxford shirts, white cotton shirts, shirts with a little bit more structure that are almost like work jackets… I wear shirts pretty much every day. Sometimes in the summer I’ll wear long dresses. I love oversized jackets, I have lots of oversized jean jackets too. In Mexico City you need to be prepared for everything, so I always carry a light sweater or a jacket in case it gets chilly.
Is there a difference between what you wear when working and what you wear when you’re off?
I feel like I wear similar things but I wear more comfortable shoes, often sneakers when I’m working and when I’m off I try to wear nicer shoes, although I do love sneakers. Cause I love walking everywhere. I do like dressing up a little if I’m going out at night but it often ends up being some kind of dressier shirt, sometimes a blazer or jacket, maybe earrings and small pumps.
Isabel was photographed by Alexia Puga Ramirez Garrido at her restaurant, Bar Nino, in Mexico City. She wears the Beti Rugby Oversized Shirt, The Ines Oversized Shirt, and The Elisa Oversized Denim Shirt.
