- Where
- La Docena Oyster Bar & Grill, Álvaro Obregón 31, Roma Norte, 06700 Mexico City (also Homero 135, Polanco)
- @ladocenaoysterbar
- Reviewed
- June 21, 2026 · updated September 17, 2026
Mexico City · seafood
La Docena Oyster Bar & Grill
La Docena, Mexico City: the New Orleans oyster bar with two branches
On Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants list, a New Orleans-inspired oyster bar from chef Tomás Bermúdez, who trained under a three-Michelin-star legend. A huge raw bar, grilled & smoked oysters, the cult crab roll. Two locations, your pick.
Chef Tomás Bermúdez's oyster bar and grill, born in Guadalajara in 2012 and now in Roma Norte and Polanco, built on a raw bar, a wood grill and New Orleans habits. Here is what to order, what it costs, the hours of both branches and how to book.
Quick facts
- What it is
- Oyster bar and wood grill, New Orleans influenced · raw bar, open kitchen
- Price
- About 28 USD average per person · Polanco listings put it near 800 MXN
- Hours
- Roma 12:00 to 01:30, Sunday to midnight · Polanco 12:00 to 01:00, Sunday to 23:00
- Booking
- OpenTable · ladocena.com.mx · 55 5255 2066
- Two branches
- Álvaro Obregón 31, Roma Norte · Homero 135, Polanco
- Standing
- La Roma was No. 95 in Latin America's 50 Best 2024, Guadalajara No. 42 in 2022
What La Docena is
La Docena Oyster Bar & Grill is a seafood restaurant with two branches in Mexico City, one in Roma Norte and one in Polanco. The name means the dozen, which is how the oysters are sold. The concept borrows openly from New Orleans and from Buenos Aires: a long raw bar at the front, a wood and charcoal grill at the back, po’ boys and Tabasco on one side of the menu, whole grilled fish and cured meats on the other.
The rooms are industrial and deliberately casual. Both have an open kitchen with stools in front of it, which is the best seat in the house if you are eating alone or as a pair, and both run late, to 01:00 or later, which is unusual for good seafood in this city.
The original La Docena opened in Guadalajara in 2012 and the group has since grown into Mexico City and the Riviera Maya. The Mexico City branches are not satellites of a formula; they run the same menu and the same standard.
Who cooks here
Tomás Bermúdez is the chef and founder. He is from Durango, learned to cook at home rather than at school, and started at the bottom of professional kitchens washing dishes. His first restaurant job was at La Parrilla del Pueblo in Buenos Aires, which is where the Argentine grill influence in his cooking comes from.
He then went to Europe and worked in Andorra under Martín Berasategui, the Basque chef whose flagship restaurant in Lasarte holds three Michelin stars, and later at Le Chateaubriand in Paris with Iñaki Aizpitarte. He opened La Docena in Guadalajara in 2012 with partners Alejandro de la Peña and Claudio Javelly, and has since opened So’ol in the Riviera Maya and worked with Edition Hotels alongside the chef Paco Ruano.
Awards and press
- Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants 2022: La Docena Guadalajara at No. 42.
- Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants 2024: La Docena La Roma at No. 95, on the extended 51 to 100 list.
- 50 Best Discovery: listed as a Mexico City establishment, with an average of about 28 USD per person.
- Covered by Expansión Life and Style, Dónde Ir, Marco Beteta and Milenio, which have all profiled Bermúdez.
No Michelin star and no Bib Gourmand. The credential here is the 50 Best family of lists.
How the menu works
Order à la carte, and order for the table. The house line is that most dishes are built for sharing, and the recommended opening move is a dozen of something from the raw bar.
- Raw bar: oysters by the piece or the dozen, clams, abalone, shrimp. This is the part of the menu the restaurant is judged on.
- Cooked oysters: grilled with clarified butter, shallot and parsley, or smoked and dressed with Tabasco.
- Cold plates: aguachiles, ceviches, tostadas, salt-cured fish served with lemon.
- New Orleans side: po’ boys, and the crab roll, which is the sandwich I would order.
- From the grill: whole fish over fire, rib eye al Josper, and freshly sliced cured meats.
- Drinks: natural wines, Mexican labels including Baja California, European bottles, craft beer and Japanese-style highballs.
What I ordered
My visit was built around the raw bar: a spread of oysters served raw, then grilled, then smoked, with the crab roll alongside. If you only do one thing here, compare the three oyster preparations side by side. That contrast is the reason the restaurant exists.
What it costs
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Average per person, 50 Best Discovery | About 28 USD |
| Full meal at the Polanco branch, local listings | Around 800 MXN, about 43 USD |
| Oysters | Priced by the piece and by the dozen |
| Drinks | Charged separately |
| Service | Not included, 10 to 15 per cent is standard |
The gap between those two figures is the raw bar. A couple of tostadas and a beer is a cheap meal here; two dozen oysters, a grilled fish and a bottle of Baja wine is not. Prices move, so read the current menu at ladocena.com.mx.
How to book
- OpenTable: both La Docena Roma and La Docena Polanco are listed.
- The restaurant’s own site, ladocena.com.mx, takes reservations.
- Phone: 55 5255 2066.
Book for dinner Thursday to Saturday and for groups. Walk in if you want the raw bar stools, which are hard to reserve and easy to get. Both branches serve continuously from noon, so the mid afternoon is the quietest window.
Getting there
- La Docena Roma: Avenida Álvaro Obregón 31, Roma Norte, Cuauhtémoc, 06700 Mexico City. Metrobús Álvaro Obregón on Line 1 is a two minute walk, and Metro Insurgentes on Line 1 is about ten minutes away.
- La Docena Polanco: Avenida Homero 135, Chapultepec Morales, Polanco V Sección, Miguel Hidalgo. Metro Polanco on Line 7 is the closest station.
- Parking: valet at Polanco. In Roma Norte, street parking on Álvaro Obregón is difficult after 20:00, so use a ride app.
Before you go
- Sit at the raw bar if there are two of you. You see the shucking, and it is the easiest seat to get without a booking.
- Order the oysters three ways. Raw, grilled and smoked is the comparison worth paying for.
- Use the late hours. Kitchens in this city close early. La Docena Roma runs to 01:30.
- Pick the branch by neighbourhood. Same menu, different rooms. Roma is louder and later, Polanco is smoother.
- Pair it with the street. La Docena Roma is on the Álvaro Obregón strip, a short walk from the rest of the Roma Norte dining cluster. See my URSO review for another sea and wood fire option nearby.
- Check the hours before you go. The hours on this page come from the venue’s public listings, which drift, so confirm on Google Maps or the venue’s own channels before a special trip.
Watch the visit
The reel above is the short version of this visit, plate by plate. For everything else I have filmed here, open my map or browse the rest of the Mexico City recommendations.
Frequently asked questions
Is La Docena on Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants list?+
It has been, and it is worth being precise about which branch and which year. La Docena in Guadalajara, the original, ranked No. 42 on Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants in 2022, and the La Roma branch in Mexico City entered the extended 51 to 100 list at No. 95 in 2024. La Docena is also carried in 50 Best Discovery, the guide's permanent directory. It holds no Michelin distinction.
Where are the La Docena branches in Mexico City?+
There are two. La Docena Roma is at Avenida Álvaro Obregón 31, Roma Norte, Cuauhtémoc, 06700, and La Docena Polanco is at Avenida Homero 135, Chapultepec Morales, Polanco V Sección, Miguel Hidalgo. The Roma branch is closest to Metrobús Álvaro Obregón on Insurgentes, and the Polanco branch is a walk from Metro Polanco on Line 7. The original La Docena is in Guadalajara.
How much does a meal at La Docena cost?+
50 Best Discovery lists an average of about 28 USD per person for La Docena, and Mexican listings for the Polanco branch put a full meal closer to 800 MXN per person, roughly 43 USD. Which one you land on depends almost entirely on how many oysters you order, since the raw bar is priced by the piece or the dozen. Wine and cocktails are charged separately.
What should I order at La Docena?+
Start with oysters at La Docena, since that is the whole premise: raw from the bar, grilled with clarified butter, shallot and parsley, or smoked and hit with Tabasco. Then the crab roll, the po' boys, an aguachile or a ceviche, and something from the wood grill, such as a whole fish or the rib eye al Josper. Clams, abalone and shrimp are all sold by the dozen for the table.
What are La Docena's opening hours?+
The Roma Norte branch of La Docena is listed as open Monday to Saturday from 12:00 to 01:30 and Sunday from 12:00 to midnight. The Polanco branch runs Monday to Saturday from 12:00 to 01:00 and Sunday from 12:00 to 23:00. Both serve straight through the afternoon, which makes La Docena one of the more useful late night seafood options in Mexico City.
Do I need a reservation at La Docena?+
It is worth booking for dinner, especially Thursday to Saturday, and for any table of more than four. La Docena takes reservations on OpenTable for both the Roma and Polanco branches, through ladocena.com.mx, and by phone on 55 5255 2066. If you are eating alone or as a pair, a stool at the raw bar in front of the open kitchen is usually available without a booking.
Who is the chef behind La Docena?+
Tomás Bermúdez, a chef from Durango who started by washing dishes and had no formal cooking school. He cooked at La Parrilla del Pueblo in Buenos Aires, then in Andorra under Martín Berasategui, the Spanish chef whose flagship holds three Michelin stars, and later at Le Chateaubriand in Paris with Iñaki Aizpitarte. He opened La Docena in Guadalajara in 2012 with his partners Alejandro de la Peña and Claudio Javelly.
Which La Docena branch should I choose?+
The menus are the same, so pick by neighbourhood and mood. La Docena Roma sits on the Álvaro Obregón restaurant strip, is the branch recognised by Latin America's 50 Best in 2024 and stays open latest, until 01:30. La Docena Polanco is the more polished room and the easier one for a business lunch. Both have the raw bar and the open kitchen.
