Urbano 116 Marks Opening In Alexandria

ALEXANDRIA, VA—Urbano 116, a Mexican restaurant with dine-in service and a takeout window, opened on Monday, Jan. 21 with a ribbon cutting ceremony. The restaurant offers with lunch and dinner service, while brunch will be added in the coming weeks. Patrons can also order churros from the walk-up window on King Street.

The menu offers moles, tacos, ceviche and more. Guests can choose from a variety of starters like grilled tlayuda, pollutes (plantain croquettes), scallop aguachile and rockfish ceviche amarill, and entrees like almond mole with braised short rib, black mole with grilled chicken breast and a black bean tamale, and a vegetarian mole made with cashews.

Taco options range from tlacolula lamb barbacoa on a corn tortilla with Morita and avocado sauce, tomatillo, cabbage, and cilantro, to the vegetarian cauliflower with cashew mole or butternut squash with pipian sauce and goat cheese.

The variety of moles take at least two full days to make. Ingredients are individually cooked before being joined in the sauce, and Oaxacan corn is used in the moles and fresh tortillas.

The drink menu features cocktails such as the Old Oaxacan with Altos Repa tequila, mezcal, cardamom, agave, angostura, and orange bitters. Other offerings include wines, drafts and bottled beers.

The restaurant will be award-winning Chef Alam Méndez Florián's first in the United States. Originally from Mexico City, he studied at the Culinary Institute of Mexico in Puebla and apprenticed under Chef Angel Vazquez at Intro. He went on to work at Michelin star restaurants like Noma Mexico, Fabes and Arzak. In 2016, he opened Mexico City's Pasillo de Humo, which became a local favorite and international dining destination. Méndez Florián takes inspiration from his mother, Celia Florián, a renowned chef known as "La Madre de Mole."

Common Plate Hospitality, the team behind Urbano 116, teamed up with Méndez Florián after meeting in Mexico City and sharing the vision for an Alexandria restaurant. The Common Plate Hospitality team also operates Catch on the Ave, Augie’s Mussel House, and Mason Social.

Urbano 116 seats 160, which includes a 45-person private dining room and a bar. The restaurant is located at 116 King Street.

Visit www.urbano116.com for more information.

Ribbon cutting image by Emily Leayman/Patch, all other images courtesy Urbano 116