Belforno: Wood-Fired Evenings During ZⓈONAMACO
A few minutes from galleries and fair shuttles, Belforno feels like what everyone secretly wants during ZⓈONAMACO: a warm Italian table, a real wood oven, good wine and a room full of conversation instead of noise.
During art week in Mexico City, the days get long very quickly: openings, studio visits, talks, one more booth “you absolutely have to see.” At some point, the only thing that makes sense is to sit down, share food and let the pace slow back to human scale
With the heritage of more than 20 years of Belfiore behind it, Belforno brings a new Italian alternative to Condesa all centred around a glowing wood-fired oven.
Belforno is exactly that kind of place.
From the street, you first notice the canopy and the row of white-clothed tables spilling onto the sidewalk. There is a small corner-restaurant feeling: greenery on the façade, waiters in leather aprons talking quietly at the entrance, the city moving gently in the background. It already feels like a sce
Step inside and everything tightens around a few essentials: the glow of the wood-fired oven, the rhythm of the open kitchen and the soft, amber light that makes the brick walls and tabletops feel almost cinematic. It’s intimate, but never stiff; you’re here to relax, not to perform.
A kitchen built around the oven
Belforno’s heart is the oven. The flames and the charred wood give the room both its warmth and its tempo: pizzas slide in and out, trays of focaccia appear, and every few moments a pan of pasta arcs through the air over the burners.
The menu speaks fluent Italian comfort:
thin, blistered pizzas with properly chewy crusts,
generous plates of pasta tossed at the last second in the pan,
and mains like roasted lamb with potatoes that feel like they came straight out of a family kitchen rather than a laboratory.
Nothing here is trying to reinvent the wheel; the pleasure comes from precision and timing—good ingredients, high heat, and a team that clearly knows its own classics.
Atmosphere: golden light and long tables
If the kitchen is all energy, the dining room is all glow. Candles and low lighting reflect in wine glasses, illuminating faces more than plates. On busy nights you see couples, groups of friends, people from nearby galleries and, inevitably during ZⓈONAMACO, a table where someone is still scrolling through photos of artworks between courses.
Long tables are often set for groups, which makes Belforno a perfect spot for post-fair dinners or small celebrations. There’s a sense of easy choreography: dishes land in the middle, bottles are shared, conversations cross the table. It’s the opposite of the rushed, anonymous art-week restaurant; here you linger
Why we like it for art week
For THECORE, Belforno works as a counterpoint to the intensity of the fair. It’s human-scale, warm, and deliberately unpretentious, yet clearly designed with care—from the way the terrace invites people-watching to how the interiors frame the oven and bar as the focal points of the room.
In a week dominated by images, booths and agendas, Belforno offers something simple and necessary:
good bread, good wine, real fire and enough time to actually talk about everything you’ve seen.
Whether you’re closing a day of collecting, meeting friends from abroad or just looking for a place where the night can stretch a little longer, this is one of those addresses that quickly becomes your regular stop during ZⓈONAMACO.
📍 Alfonso Reyes 108, Condesa
@belfornoristorante