By Angelica Medina
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – As the United States gears up for the Super Bowl on Sunday, one Texan restaurant in Mexico City is looking to offer patrons an authentic American experience with a party that promises a stadium-like atmosphere in a renovated warehouse.
The restaurant’s name, “Pinche Gringo,” may sound like an insult to Mexico’s northern neighbors but American owner Dan Defossey said it actually plays on the Spanish word for “chef’s assistant.”
“There’s a lot more that unites us than what divides us, we want to celebrate that,” Defossey said, and on Sunday he hopes to unite people with the complete Super Bowl experience including barbecue and beer.
“Americans can be considered the arrogant brother and we were looking to break the ice with locals. The name gave us a lot of humility and a way to enter Mexico City’s cultural life,” he added.
The National Football League (NFL) has made a big push to promote the sport in a soccer-mad country like Mexico where the interest in baseball and basketball has also been on the rise.
NFL teams have regularly played in Mexico City since 2005 and in November Pinche Gringo became the official ‘Casa de los 49ers’ (House of the 49ers) with a weekend full of events, meets and greets with mascots, live mariachi music and a pop-up store.
“It was such an honor that the team gave us their trust to build a beautiful experience for the fans,” Defossey said. “It was very successful.”
Defossey’s annual Super Bowl party will offer patrons authentic Texan barbecue food as they watch the Philadelphia Eagles take on the Kansas City Chiefs.
“I wanted people to try things that are in the States but not here in Mexico and to bring people together to celebrate American culture, where barbecue and football are the great unifiers,” Defossey said.
Mexico hosts the American Bowl exhibition game series which featured the Dallas Cowboys, Indianapolis Colts, Miami Dolphins and Pittsburgh Steelers playing in the capital.
The Steelers even held a football camp between Cancun and Mexico City, as well as a viewing party in December, which was attended by former players Dermontti Dawson, James Farrior and MVP Santonio Holmes.
Although there will be no NFL game in Mexico next season with the Azteca Stadium undergoing renovation for the 2026 soccer World Cup, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell vowed they would be back in Mexico when the work is completed.
(Reporting by Angelica Medina in Mexico City; Editing by David Gregorio)
