Salón Apache

How did this place come about and what made it different from the start?
Salón Apache was born from a desire to share Mexican craft done right. We wanted a cantina that honored tradition, but from a contemporary perspective.

The bar has always been the center. We’re the only cantina—probably the only space of its kind—with a curation that is 100% Mexican clear distillates.

What part of the day, space, or creative process do those who work here enjoy the most?
The space flows. It’s designed to serve well and look good. When I asked the team, they all agreed on one thing: opening time. Preparing the stations, doing the briefing, adjusting details before opening the doors. It’s that contained energy right before everything starts moving.

If someone is coming in for the first time, what should they not miss?
A ranch-style bacanora water, the scallop tiradito, beef-fat-fried tongue tacos, and carne con chile with freshly made flour tortillas.

What has been an interesting challenge that has made you rethink something about the project?
People don’t talk much about the effort behind opening a place. The process of getting to that moment was the biggest challenge: construction delays, labor issues, decisions that seemed endless. There were moments when we wondered whether it should even exist. But that very process made it clear how much we wanted it to happen. Today we enjoy it differently because we know what it took.

What influence, idea, or reference continues to shape the way you work today?
Quality above all. In the product, the service, the experience, and the team’s quality of life. Also in how we work. We’d rather close the day feeling satisfied with the effort, not just the financial result. If the team is well, the space feels well—and when that happens, the guest feels it too.

What place, project, or person has inspired you recently and why?
We’re deeply inspired by our own team. Each person lives different things outside the restaurant, but everyone shows up with willingness and attitude. That everyday consistency, that quiet commitment, is a real inspiration.

For this project, the reference has been very close: El Pelón Villa at the municipal market in Hermosillo; Mariscos El Warananear the airport; the classic cantinas of Mexico City; and my mom’s traditional homemade Sonoran cooking. These are places and flavors that are part of our memory and the way we understand Mexico from the northwest.

If your space could invite someone to collaborate for a day, who would it be and what would you do together?
It would be El Gallo Altanero. To create a dialogue between bars: clear distillates, technique, and territory from two different regions.

Is there an object, corner or detail of the place that has a story that few people know?
My grandfather’s cowboy hat on the bar shelf. It’s nearly a hundred years old and has a bullet hole. It literally made it through.

If this project were a city, a book, or a record, which would it be and why?
The album Acid from Ray Barreto. It has rhythm, character, and a raw yet elegant energy at the same time. A classic that always feels alive.

Answers by Fernanda Navarro, co-founder and creative director of Salón Apache