Slow Boat Sails Into the Gulf of Mexico With New Restaurant, Las Musas

After hosting a margarita-fueled housewarming party last month – sans food – Slow Boat’s newest Mexican venture Las Musas officially opened for business this week. Located downstairs from their Sanlitun location, it’s a departure from the gastropub’s award-winning burgers. However, the menu has been crafted with no less heart and attention to detail, resulting in a well-executed homage to the cuisine’s country of origin. The venue's interior is bathed in a light teal and bright red color scheme complete with requisite sugar skull, as jars of fermenting chilis and pickled vegetables line the shelves above an open kitchen, altogether reflecting the freshness of the ingredients and the restaurant’s commitment to making everything from scratch.

Whereas Beijingers can pop over to Q-Mex or Pebbles for any number of Mexican dishes – from fajitas to burritos and tortas to enchiladas – Las Musas has, at least for the time being, chosen to focus their entree efforts entirely on tacos, which are accompanied by a range of sharable sides and an extensive menu of margaritas, agave spirits, homemade horchata and sodas, and a few Slow Boat Drafts including the Las Musas Horchata Cream Ale (RMB 50). What’s more, the team has a few other tricks up their sleeve and will continue rolling out new additions such as agave spirit tasting flights over the coming months.

Like any international restaurant worth its salt nowadays, the menu appeals to diners of every dietary stripe. Appetizers and shared plates include pork belly or roasted peppers quesadillas (RMB 50 and 45, respectively), fried baby corn elote fritters with homemade queso fresco and a side of lime aioli (RMB 38), and potato and cheese taquitos topped with a drizzle of salsa verde, a scoop of pico de gallo, and queso fresco crumbles (RMB 30). The stand out appetizer, however, has to be the smoked guacamole with chips, made fresh to order in the kitchen’s prized charcoal oven (RMB 63). 

For now, Las Musas only has flour tortillas on hand as they continue to refine their corn-flour recipe. Nevertheless, like the guacamole, they too are made-to-order and possess that perfect imperfection indicative of truly homemade food. Most of the tacos include the essential onion, cilantro, and queso fresco trio, with unique flourishes added to each. Meat eaters can indulge in classics like the Asado steak with roasted tomato salsa (RMB 65), shredded chicken tinga with pickled onion, a dollop of guacamole, cabbage, and crispy chicken shreds (RMB 55), or traditional lengua served with salsa verde and radish.

Meanwhile, vegetarians can choose from charcoal roasted pumpkin with mole pepian, pickled onions, and pepitas (RMB 50) or the vegan taco de Jamaica, made from roasted hibiscus flower, avocado, and tinga sauce – with a faux-chicharrones addition coming in the near future (RMB 55).

The menu has a few other notable inclusions, however, none may catch the attention of patrons quite like the Escalade Margarita, which runs an eye-popping RMB 388. Given that it’s made with a tequila of which there are only 12 bottles floating around China and topped with gold flake, it’s about as pure luxury and decadence that can fit in a glass.

If that's as out of your price range as it is for us, then know that unique twists on margaritas are another key attraction of Las Musas, with flavors like jasmine and strawberry-basil that work surprisingly well. If you're planning on sipping for yourself, now would be the time, as they'll be offering discounts on a different margarita every day of this week in celebration of the Day of the Dead, beginning with the Dragon Fruit margarita on Halloween, the classic on Sunday, and the Roasted Coconut on Monday.

Despite being open less than a week, Las Musas is not only a formidable player on the city’s expanding South American food scene but a testament to the versatility and talent of Slow Boat’s chefs, proving that – beyond a reasonable doubt – this crew knows more than just burgers and beer. 

Las Musas
Sunday-Thursday 11am-midnight, Friday and Saturday 11am-2am 6 South Sanlitun Road (next to Slow Boat Brewery) Chaoyang District
朝阳区南三里屯路6号 悠航鲜啤旁

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Images: Drew Pittock, Las Musas, Zeus Zou