Dia de los Muertos with Perron

Give me a reason to dress up and to celebrate with friends and I’m in! Add some delicious food, refreshing drinks and latino music to this mix and you make 1x Ilaria a very happy girl.

The end of October is most famous for Halloween celebrations, and although it still is very much an American tradition, we are definitely seeing it gain momentum in SA. Equally famous in that sphere of the world is the Mexican holiday ‘Dia de los Muertos’ meaning Day of the Dead; a tradition which is supposed to honour the dead by way of festivals and lively celebrations and is usually celebrated over the first two days in November.

Assured that the dead would be insulted by mourning or sadness, Dia de los Muertos celebrates the lives of the deceased with food, drink, parties, and activities the dead enjoyed in life.

A few thousand miles away from its origin, the increasingly famous and quirky Perron managed to conjure up the perfect formula this past Sunday so as to make all its gringo guests feel as if we were sitting in a traditional cantina, chanting to the sounds of a Mariachi band and celebrating all our loved ones that have passed.

Think beautiful bright flowers, latin music, sugar skulls, piñatas, a few too many tequila’s, friends and a ton of laughter!

It was such a stunning and different way to spend a Sunday afternoon in Jozi – the restaurant extended its tables all the way out onto the parking lot in front of it. Umbrellas and marquees were erected and vibrantly decorated, a face painter was available to paint intricate sugar skulls and a very talented Mexican singer provided huge entertainment.

There was a specific ‘day of the dead’ menu which included delicious spicy chicken quesadillas and hard to resist churros.

We even ended up winning a bucket filled with craft beer!

Although this celebration only happens once a year, it by no means implies that you have to wait until Novemebr 2016 to experience this awesome restaurant. The food is divine and the drinks are seriously some of the best Mexican inspired drinks I have ever tasted (even non-tequila drinkers will be blown away at the frozen margaritas!) It is a little on the pricey side, but it’s a complete experience and it’s definitely worth it. If you’re interested, you can get hold of them on 011 880 7296 or visit their website for more info.

Thank you to Perron and their staff that were so involved in making the day such a memorable one.