By Chris King
Photographs by Katherine Bish
It’s hard not to root for El Mundo Latino. What’s not to love about a startup restaurant owned by young cross-cultural lovers, situated in a charming wedge-shaped building in neighborhood-on-the-rebound Forest Park Southeast and billing itself as “Latin fusion”?
Young owners Onar Calix and Lauren Nagl don’t hide the fact that they’re making it up as they go along. They started with a handsome old mirrored wooden bar in the main room, then added an obscure Craig Downs wall painting and smart, modern light fixtures.
Since opening El Mundo Latino last December, Calix and Nagl have dumbed down the fare a bit for mainstream diners who think that “Latin” means “Mexican,” adding jalapeño toasted ravioli and fajitas. Still, chef Calix’s culinary heart is in Brazil, Cuba and Honduras (Calix’s homeland), so dishes with connections to those cuisines, such as the Honduran beef-vegetable soup, are your best bet. Calix spices aggressively, with the exception of red pepper, which he adds with a light touch; his food is very spicy but not hot.
By throwing everything together and calling it fusion, Calix has passed up a chance to educate the public about the variety of Latin cuisines, but that’s no reason to stop hoping that this little restaurant on the corner finds its niche.
4301 Manchester, 314-533-6969. 11 a.m.–1 p.m. Mon, 11 a.m.–1 a.m. Tues–Fri, 5 p.m.–1 a.m. Sat, 4 p.m.–midnight Sun.
