More than its massive collection of tequilas and a menu that celebrates Mexico, Mamacita is above all a place of connection
Owner and partner at Mamacita Vincent Landais (who is also responsible for Dr. Wine in Poblacion and BGC and Buccaneers Rum & Cocktails) is quite proud of his latest concept.
Mamacita is a vibrant and rustic take of Mexican interiors—niches with colorful calavera dolls, shelves carrying a wide array of tequila bottles, and mosaic tile work that demarcates the long bar. Geometric pendant lamps of pounded metal with perforations that allow beams of light through hang above furniture upholstered in rich terracotta fabric.
“The idea started during a trip to Mexico in 2018 where I found myself in a tiny, family-run mezcal distillery,” recounts Mamacita partner Ulysse Jouanneaud
“This was a lot of research that I did for about a year. I researched what colors and vibe we could find in a Mexican restaurant,” Landais explains in his thick French accent. “If you go to Mexico, it’s full of color like this. I traveled to Guadalajara, Mexico for about a week to get all the little decorations that you see here—the mariachis, the skulls, even the lighting.”
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Landais takes on the role as full designer for Mamacita and credits longtime business partner Ulysse Jouanneaud for sparking the idea of a Mexican joint. “Mamacita was mostly an idea from Ulysse from the very beginning. At Buccaneers Rum & Cocktails, we had a big rum collection. One day, Ulysse approached us and said, ‘Guys, I’m really in love with tequila.’”
“The idea started during a trip to Mexico in 2018 where I found myself in a tiny, family-run mezcal distillery. The owners welcomed me like an old friend, pouring small-batch spirits while sharing the history behind each bottle,” Jouanneaud recounts. “It wasn’t just about drinking; it was also about storytelling, tradition, and connection. I knew I wanted to bring that experience home. So Mamacita became my way of bottling up that feeling and sharing it with my community.”
“If you go to Mexico, it’s full of color like this. I traveled to Guadalajara, Mexico for about a week to get all the little decorations that you see here—the mariachis, the skulls, even the lighting,” says Vincent Landais, owner and partner at Mamacita
Although Mamacita was at one point going to focus mainly on drinks, Landais observed that there has been a decline in people going clubbing post-pandemic. A community-based survey in the UK found that only 25 percent of Gen Z wanted to go out clubbing while it was only 13 percent of millennials. With this in mind, Landais added a stronger menu for food items.
“When we opened Dr. Wine here in BGC, we noticed that we were pushing more food than before. With Mamacita, we are between a restaurant and a bar. And we end the night as a club. So it’s a mix of all of that, actually,” says Landais.
With the intent of serving authentic food, Landais brought in a chef from Mexico at first. “Just before we opened the restaurant, we felt that the food didn’t meet our expectations and it was more complicated to work with the Mexican chef. By pure coincidence, we chanced upon chef Charles Montañez. It was like a gift. He was very enthusiastic about what we were doing.”
Before Montañez got on board, he prepared a tasting for the partners. “I served them tacos and elote. I remember I served a roasted chicken that was stuffed with Mexican rice,” Montañez recalls.
The menu he crafted for Mamacita is divided into three main categories: tacos (a nice variety of beef, pork belly, and seafood), quesadillas, antojitos (appetizers including chips with pico de gallo, the house favorite guacamole, and elote), and platos (hearty mains that can be good for sharing).
An impressive moment is when a variety of sauces and salsas are set on the table—salsa blanco, salsa macha, citrus arbol, and mango habanero among others. “These are meant to amplify the flavor of the food. So we custom-tailored these to complement every single dish on the menu. I kind of want people to experience different flavors every time they bite into the taco for instance. There’s that sense of discovery when a guest makes a personal mix or combination,” shares Montañez.
Mamacita also boasts the largest collection of tequila in the country. “Tequila isn’t just a drink. It’s a craft, a heritage, and a symbol of celebration. At Mamacita, we want to highlight the depth and complexity of tequila beyond the typical shots. Every bottle tells a different story from the highlands to the lowlands of Jalisco,” Jouanneaud explains.
“More than anything, I want Mamacita to be a place of connection because at the end of the day, that’s what great hospitality is all about,” says Jouanneaud
Together with the food, the drinks and the warmth of the interiors, Mamacita is set to open a whole new world for guests. “When people walk into Mamacita, I want them to feel like they’ve been transported to a buzzing cantina, a hidden agave bar, or a friend’s backyard in Mexico. More than anything, I want Mamacita to be a place of connection because at the end of the day, that’s what great hospitality is all about,” says Jouanneaud.
