Cosme

Cosme opened in October 2014 as Chef Enrique Olvera’s first restaurant outside of Mexico, and it immediately transformed the perception of Mexican cuisine in the United States. Located in Manhattan’s Flatiron District at 35 East 21st Street, Cosme presents an evolved, ingredient-driven interpretation of Mexican culinary traditions that is neither reductive nor pandering. The restaurant sources heirloom corn, dried chiles, and specialty beans directly from Mexico while drawing on the abundance of local and seasonal produce from the Hudson Valley. The result is a menu that reads simultaneously as deeply Mexican and undeniably of its New York moment. Iconic dishes like the corn husk meringue, a dessert of burnt corn husk powder folded into meringue with a rich corn mousse beneath, and the duck carnitas, glazed and slow-cooked to extraordinary depth of flavor, have become defining plates of a generation of New York dining. The beverage program is equally thoughtful, featuring an extensive selection of mezcal and tequila alongside inventive cocktails and a wine list that balances Mexican and international producers. Cosme has appeared consistently on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list and was a formative influence on the wave of serious Mexican fine dining that followed. The restaurant also operates a bar area where the full menu is available in a more casual setting, making it accessible for walk-in diners as well.