RESTAURANT SIN NOMBRE || Vegan Recipes Infused with Traditional Oaxacan Regional Flavours
Rooted in a deep respect for local produce cultivation and harvesting cycles, Chef Israel Loyola has crafted a new plant-based offering at Restaurante Sin Nombre, located in the heart of Oaxaca City, Mexico.
Nestled within a restored 17th-century mansion that is now home to the sophisticated new boutique hotel, Hotel Sin Nombre, the principles of Restaurant Sin Nombre, is mirrored in the design of the renewed hotel, which retains the tradition and history of yesterday while adding a modern twist.
The experience of rediscovering authentic and traditional cuisine from distinct Oaxacan communities is showcased in Chef Israel Loyola’s menu at Restaurante Sin Nombre, where he highlights the freshness of seasonal organic ingredients.
The restaurant venerates vegetables and fruits as an integral part of vegan gastronomy, a key pillar of the menu. Exalting a healthy diet and wholesome ingredients, Chef Loyola takes an avant-garde approach, which manages to preserve the multi-generational transmission of Oaxacan culinary traditions.
Restaurante Sin Nombre values the fundamental joy of quality time spent with friends and relatives in a peaceful and comfortable environment. Between the arches of the central patio of the seventeenth-century mansion, guests sit on the ground — savoring nutritional dishes around low tables of oriental inspiration — as if a way of paying homage to the profoundly rich Oaxacan earth from which the ingredients were born and simultaneously it’s deep culinary culture.
Chef Israel Loyola –who is originally from Huajuapan de León– fulfills one of his dreams in Hotel Sin Nombre’s restaurant — creating a healthy, vegan concept that corrals his career successes, which include working alongside well- known chefs such as Enrique Olvera, Alejandro Ruiz, and Mateo Salas, as well as with several famous restaurants in Mexico and the United States.
From appetizers to desserts, the menu takes epicureans on a gastronomical journey through different regions of Oaxaca, bringing together the colors, freshness, nature, and quality of organic seasonal products grown by local farmers. Diners discover mouth-watering vegan interpretations of authentic Oaxacan dishes, such as the black mole with roasted cauliflower; the tlayudita with grilled vegetables on a bed of guacamole; and the pumpkin seed pipián – a type of green mole made with a balanced mixture of hierba de conejo, almonds, and dried pumpkin seeds – accompanied by a roasted aubergine stuffed with beans and aromatic herbs.
Vibrant spread of vegan dishes showcasing seasonal organic ingredients
For savvy sybarites, Chef Loyola presents a seven-course tasting menu, which includes, but is not limited to, an avocado and cauliflower ceviche with roasted lentils, aromatic herbs, local chlorophyll, and seaweed; infladita with a tapenade of capers, olives, and mushrooms; and, for dessert, nixtamalized papaya served with citrus granita.
The food pairing follows a sophisticated selection of spirits that combine a wide range of artisan-produced mezcals, including Gem & Bolt, Rey Campero, La Última y nos Vamos, and Los Amantes. The drinks menu is complemented by an outstanding collection of craft beers, fine Mexican wines, and house kombuchas – scented with avocado or hierba santa leaves.
Out of respect to land-preservation and harvest cycles, Restaurante Sin Nombre’s menu changes every three months – according to the produce in season –, offering different traditional flavors throughout the year.
Guests dine seated on the ground to pay homage to the profoundly rich Oaxacan earth
