We want to try something new when we decide to go to Yumas Frankfurt Westend on this Friday evening. The Yumas restaurant website sets the bar high: “Mexican, fresh, delicious and of high quality”, “modern but respects traditions and customs” are the attributes with which the Mexican restaurant describes itself.
Yumas has three locations in Frankfurt (soon again)
Speaking of the website. Here we learn that Yumas has other locations in Frankfurt. In addition to the restaurant at Feuerbachstr. 46 in Westend, there is also a location at Baseler Platz, near the main railway station. This was managing director Nikolas Peters’ first restaurant, but it is only open during the lunch break.
And then there was another location in Nordend, the Yumas Mezcaleria & Cocktail Bar. “Doesn’t work on Berger Strasse”, the bartenders told us the evening before last – we were alone in the bar. A new location for the concept, where mezcal and homemade cocktails are served with Mexican snacks, is planned for 2020 in the station district. Just where the hip Frankfurters are. Let’s wait and see!
Back to Yumas Frankfurt in the Westend. We visit the restaurant purely by chance on one of the most important Mexican holidays, Día de Mueros. On this day, the deceased are traditionally commemorated. Unlike the German days of silence, Mexicans celebrate the Day of the Dead extensively. A shrine with colorful skulls is set up that evening. Next to it, a DJ plays Mexican music to create a good atmosphere at Yumas.
Drinks menu at Yumas Frankfurt with a huge selection of mezcal
We didn’t make a reservation – but luckily there are still a few tables free at Yumas Frankfurt. We are kindly allocated a table and brought the menus straight away.
As I browse through them, I notice: The selection of tequila is enormous. I count through – 18 different varieties of the agave brandy from Mexico have made it onto the menu. The selection of mezcal is even more extensive. This Mexican spirit is also made from agave. The difference, however, is that tequila is only made from the blue agave or Weber agave, while mezcal is made from more than 28 different agaves from different regions of Mexico. This is why mezcal tastes much smokier than tequila.
In addition to soft drinks and fruit water, the drinks menu also includes beers, wines, long drinks, margaritas and cocktails. Many of the cocktails are also available in non-alcoholic versions.
We stick to beer and order four Kronenhof Hell, which is on tap at Yumas and, according to the brewery, is freshly brewed every week and delivered from the Bad Homburg brewery “Kronenhof Graf Zeppelin”.
From a selection of nine starters, we opt for a classic: nachos, guacamole and salsas.
For the main courses, we opt for burritos and tacos. Burritos are large, filled wheat flour tortillas, which are complemented with a small side salad at Yumas Frankfurt. If you have to eat gluten-free , you can also have the burritos without a wrapper: As a bowl with nachos, creamed beans and homemade salsas.
Taco vs. burrito
Tacos are also folded or rolled up tortillas, but slightly smaller. At Yumas, they are served with creamed beans, fresh lime, freshly chopped coriander and Mexican salsas. While the burrito is a full meal, the taco can be considered a snack – or you can simply eat several of them to replace a meal.
The Tacos de Barbacoa that we order that evening are filled with beef marinated in mild Mexican chilies and stewed in red wine for hours. We order the burritos with different fillings. I opt for the chicken burrito.
We don’t have to wait long for the drinks and nachos to be served. In addition to the delicious cream of beans, garnished with a little cheese, we are served four salsas. The friendly waitress, who is also chatting to other guests in Spanish that evening, briefly explains the different flavors and spiciness levels.
The restaurant fills up and the temperature in Yumas rises accordingly – or is it the slight spiciness of the salsa? Either way, we have to wait a while for our main courses that evening.
My burrito finally arrives. It is appetizingly presented, lightly grilled, cut in half and draped with a chilli and coriander. The burrito tastes fresh, very juicy and is well seasoned. The accompanying salad with shredded carrots, corn and tomato salsa complements the burrito perfectly.
With the Tacos de Barbacoa, the tortillas come in a separate warmer and can be topped with meat, creamed beans and salsa as desired. In my opinion, the meat is a little under-seasoned, but with the salsa it tastes great.
We share a slightly spicy brownie, baked with almonds and chili and covered with sea salt. Unfortunately, we had to wait an unreasonably long time for dessert. Apart from that, we had a lovely evening during our visit to the Yumas restaurant in Frankfurt’s Westend.
- Official website of Yumas Frankfurt: http: //www.yumas.de/