Rubra, Mexico review: Thrilling cuisine from the world’s best female chef

(Image credit: Photography by Rafael Gamo. Courtesy of Ignacio Urquiza Arquitectos)

Hotel restaurants rarely escape the shadow of the properties they serve. Too often, they’re treated as a guest convenience rather than a local draw, and it takes more than a rotating ‘menu of the day’ to compete with an established dining scene. On the north end of Banderas Bay, in Mexico’s Nayarit state, Rubra is rewriting the rules. Part of W Punta de Mita, the restaurant is helmed by Daniela Soto-Innes, who was named the World’s Best Female Chef by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2019. At just 28, she was the youngest chef to earn the accolade.

Rubra, Punta de Mita

Rubra’s architecture blends into its surroundings with ease. Mexican architect Ignacio Urquiza and interior designer Ana Paula de Alba shaped the restaurant as a sand-toned concrete monolith, inspired by the nearby Marietas Islands, with greenery seeping into every crevice. The main terrace frames a cinematic sweep of the Sierra Madre Occidental and the bay’s far horizon. ‘The repeated use of a single material creates a peaceful architecture that eliminates distractions, for a unique, simple and perfectly balanced gastronomic experience,’ explain Urquiza and de Alba.

Inside, an open kitchen, wine cellar and bar are positioned near a sliding glass façade that can seal the dining room without losing the airy, outdoor feel. Overhead, a pergola of wooden lattices – or enramadas – throws patterned light across the space, sheltering the native plants selected by landscapist Thalia Davidoff. Furniture was custom-made in collaboration with Rituales Contemporáneos, joined by stoneware from Chérie Ceramics, handblown glass by Nouvel Glas, and a green onyx sculpture by Carlos Mato.

Chef Soto-Innes calls her approach ‘tropical cooking,’ an ever-shifting palette based on what’s in season, much of it harvested from Rubra’s own garden. Maracuyá, Nunum basil, blossoms, and herbs find their way into four distinct menus: café-style breakfasts, a wine bar menu, and both à la carte and nine-course tasting dinners. Seafood leans into bright citrus and crisp greens: scallops from Los Mochis arrive in a cactus paddle with kombu and cedrón aguachile; a tuna tostada balances fennel, cucumber and red jalapeño beneath a crown of garden flowers.

As Soto-Innes puts it: ‘Rubra is a space where flavours speak, encounters transcend, and each moment finds its meaning.’

Rubra is located at Carr. Federal la Cruz de Huanacaxtle - Punta de Mita Km 8.5, Desarrollo Costa, 63734 Corral del Risco, Nay., Mexico.

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Sofia de la Cruz is the Travel Editor at Wallpaper*. A self-declared flâneuse, she feels most inspired when taking the role of a cultural observer – chronicling the essence of cities and remote corners through their nuances, rituals, and people. Her work lives at the intersection of art, design, and culture, often shaped by conversations with the photographers who capture these worlds through their lens.