Despite it being located just up the street from my home, it took me a while to get to Hacmans Amatte. There were a few reasons.
I’d watched (and listened and listened and listened) to them building the place for about four years. I thought at first it was a new residential condo. But then the sign went up. Amatte Wellnest Community it said. My guess was an old folks home, people my own age as neighbors. Perhaps I could organize a cribbage tournament.
But then they built this stairway. Very, very impressive. A wonderful, architectural focus. But 70-year-olds are never going to climb that everest of a staircase I thought. What the hell was this place?
Then came opening night. Party central. Beautiful people. Politicians. Disco music, cheering, laughing, louder disco music, strobe lights, fireworks, burns from their cinders in my sunbrella cushions. I guess those holes in my cushions were the only reason it took me a year to get to Hacmans Amatte.
But my granddaughter Frances was in town. It had been six years since I’d been able to lure her from the pleasures of silver sands to the joys of craggly cobblestones. Hacmans Amatte has that seaside resort look. Bottomless mimosas were on the Sunday brunch menu. Don Day’s Wife was willing to walk. And maybe Frances’ partner Eric would pick up the $640 a head bill for the outing.
I wasn’t sure what kind of food to expect at Hacmans. There’s no menu to be found on the internet. They’ve listed themselves on Google as featuring “Mediterranean cuisine”. There’s a sign that reads Cocina A La Leña whomever Leña is. And who or what is a Hacman? A video game?
We climbed the staircase. Counted the 71 steps. Hummed a little Led Zeppelin as we did it. Paused for a look at the pool below and the rest of the architecture. Passed three of the four different bars. Not sure why there’s four. There wasn’t a single sipper at any of them.
Arrived at the dining area, nicely positioned in the northwest corner with one of the best sunset views in town. In the middle was a giant-sized platform laden with mostly sweet goodies.
The server brought the menu, detailed how brunch worked at Hacmans, confirmed that, yes, the mimosas were bottomless and went off to bring our first (of three) rounds.
Brunch is divided into three sections. The first section goes under the title De La Omakase and detailed what was on top of the big, wooden-sided, self-serve buffet table. The oysters, charcuterie and cheeses were, unfortunately, nowhere to be found. The salad, perfectly ripe fruit and pastries were found and fine.
The second section is called Especiales A La Carte and offers you a choice of one of eight different mostly Mexican dishes. Mostly vegetarian Frances chose the chilaquiles; Eric had his first ever barbacoa tacos with a side of consomé; Don Day’s Wife and I chose the pescado zarandeado.
This citrusy chile zarandeado rub is hard to find in San Miguel. We liked that we got a whole head-and-all huachinango (red snapper) rather than a fillet and appreciated the fries made from fresh, peel-on russets.
The third and last section of the brunch menu is called Del Comal and offers quesadillas, huaraches and sopes stuffed with an imaginative choice of things like oxtail, sweetbreads, cauliflower, mushrooms and huitlacoche. We couldn’t quite decide what and when to order from the grill and I headed back up to the buffet for some chocolate balls for our finale.
So, would I go back to Hacmans Amatte for Sunday brunch? Absolutely. The look is lovely. The service is superb. And if you get your moneyworth’s from the bottomless mimosas, $640 for brunch (which Eric did pick up for the four of us) is a deal. Next time, I might even get to meet Hacman and Leña.
Amatte Wellnest Community is located at Salida Real a Querétera #168 in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. The restaurant is open for Sunday brunch from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm.
Any idea of what happens in the evenings?
I know there’s no corkage if you bring your own wine on Tuesdays.
$640 USD You are kidding, yes?
Donate that to Patronato and eat at any number of great Mexican venues for far less.
Not sure where you’re getting that the price is in U.S. funds. Can’t see anywhere that I wrote it.
With my bum hip there was no way I was climbing those stairs. Fortunately a nice young man at the entrance walked me to the elevator, located in the garage!
lovely review. leña is firewood
Yes. Roasted over a wood fire.
Is it possible to taxi there to avoid the stairs?
There’s also an elevator.
The name DOES sound a bit like a seniors’ home. Not at all, right?
Definitely not at all.
Outstanding foie gras, too! Didn’t try the $150 (USD) hamburger but hear it’s pretty spectacular. Try their breakfast sometime, that’s not upstairs at Hacman’s but next to the pool. Did you check out the wine cellar which is also upstairs?
is this a hotel or what with a restaurant and pool?? Is the brunch a one price brunch?
Yes, a hotel with pool and restaurant. And one price for brunch.
We ate dinner there in Feb 2022. It’s sort of a spin off from Hackmans in Valle de Guadalupe which is famous for cooking over a wood burning grill. Most of the other patrons that night seemed to be having cocktails and starters.
The wood grilled quail (which we had enjoyed in the Baja restaurant) was tasty
The only problem was when we entered the elevator to descend it shuddered and jolted and ground to a halt! We could hear the sounds from waiters and patrons filming a video around the corner from the elevator but they couldn’t hear our yelling and banging
The emergency phone in the elevator was answered by a call center in Mexico City. They hadn’t a clue. Our cell phones couldn’t establish a connection.
Then the lights in the elevator went out!
After half an hour someone heard our banging and it took a while to pry the door open. We had to inch our way down that staircase.
The elevator apparently was seldom used. It originates in the back of the garage and had we been stuck there who knows when we would have been discovered.
Fortunately the elevator worked well when I was there. And I think it gets a pretty good workout these days…
I often read an issue of Don
Day ………..and sometimes follow up with a eat at a restaurant recommended. But this review absolutely does not encourage me to even be curious to go to the stairs, the elevator or sample the food. With all the places in our town to dine…or nibble why was this place chosen???????
I thought it was at least worth checking out. And thought you might like to too.
$640 USD per person?
Oops, sorry if I put a U.S. in there by mistake. No, just local Mexican dollars.
$640 is high for mimosas isn’t it? The Restaurant charges $250 and you can choose from different flavors. This review didn’t have much information. How much is brunch? It sounds fabulous but maybe for a special occasion?
$640 is the total brunch price (plus service) including bottomless mimosas and other drinks. The $250 price at The Restaurant is just for drinks with food extra.
It was originally intended to be condos. Part way through construction, someone bought it and turned it into a hotel.
I thought so. Thanks for confirming.
Somebody commented that the hamburger was $150 USD so I figured that meant the brunch and mimosas was also USD. Is the burger really $150 USD? 640 pesos seems reasonable for what you’re getting for the brunch.
Don’t know about the burger but agree that the brunch is quite reasonable for all that you get.
Don Day Saves The Day. Turns darkness into light! For many months I saw these lavish full color ads in the Atencion for Hacmans. Very circumspect on what it was, one could guess a restaurant but……..
And there was no address. I know I could have gone on line to figure it out but if they didn’t care why should I? I think Hacmans should let it’s ad agency go and write Don Day a fat check.