My title is a bit misleading. El Mero Mexicano is actually in Fellbach, about fifteen minutes outside of Stuttgart by S-bahn. But when you've been deprived of Mexican food as we have in Germany, then it's worth the extra travel time to get to the restaurant. It is (especially since Mezcal^2 closed this year) probably the best Mexican food that that you can get in this city. The head chef and owner hails from Mexico, and you can taste the authenticity in the corn tortillas.
I was reminded of how good they are last week when I joined a group of coworkers for dinner there on a whim after work. To be totally honest, though, that was my second visit to El Mero Mexicano. My first one was about two or maybe three years ago with my husband. On that occasion, I remember the food (especially my enchiladas in a mole sauce) to be delicious, but we were really turned off by the high prices.
Now that I have a better understanding of what kinds of foods are available in Southern Germany, I realize that Mexican food, when we can find it, tends to be on the pricey side. Of course you could go to the chains downtown, but I've been too spoiled by fresh guacamole and homemade sauces to give those places a second glance.
With a better understanding that I have to pay for quality in a geographically distant location, I've warmed up to the idea that authentic Mexican food will cost me. And so on this occasion, I was ready to indulge. We started with a round of drinks. Not having to worry about driving in a country with an excellent public transportation system, I decided to have a Margarita. Though the serving was small, the mixture was strong and the glass perfectly rimmed with salt -- yum! The restaurant also has a long list of virgin cocktails, and so my friend and colleague ordered a lovely frozen strawberry daiquiri that was picture perfect.
To start, we shared a few platters of baked tortilla chips with cheese and guacamole. The chips were, without a doubt, homemade, and they held up well when dipped into the chunky guacamole sauce.
For mains, they prepared a number of dishes, including steak, tacos, flautas, enchiladas, and combination platters. I was a bit disappointed that they didn't have the enchiladas in mole sauce that I enjoyed so much last time (apparently it's only sometimes on the weekly specials menu), but took the opportunity to try something new: Enchiladas Suizas.
These enchiladas stuffed with shredded chicken were made of the same, homemade corn tortillas that I remembered, and were served "swimming" in green sauce with sour cream and baked with cheese. The spice level was "mittelscharf" (medium hot), which could have even been turned up a notch for my tastes. Overall, they were fork-soft and flavorful, and I savored them to the last bite. The dish also came with Mexican tomato rice and brown beans (my choice over a salad) on the side.
Though I found the flan on the dessert menu tempting, I decided to be good on this occasion. Next time, though, I'll skip the appetizer and try the flan. The bill was no less than I remembered last time at about 15€ for a my main course, but this time I was prepared and more than willing to pay for such a deliciously homemade meal.
El Mero Mexicano is located on Cannstatterstrasse 117 in Fellbach, just a ten minute ride on the S-bahn from the Hauptbahnhof (S2 or S3) and then a ten minute walk. The restaurant is a bit hard to locate (it's inside of a nondescript white building), so be careful not to miss it. They are open from Wednesday through Saturday from 18:00 until 23:00 and on Sundays from 17:00 until 22:00.
Have you discovered any other good Mexican restaurants in Stuttgart? Leave your suggestions in the comments below.