Mexico City’s culinary landscape is as vast and varied as its regions and recipes. Home to some 57,000 places to eat, this gargantuan city is brimming with roadside taquerías and curbside cantinas on every street corner, at every hour. These are the best restaurants in Mexico City.
Mexico City – or CDMX – is a city of contrasts, with tiny-but-incredible taco stands neighbouring stellar Michelin-star establishments. Traditional restaurants that have been around for decades are wedged between a new wave of no-frills taquerías. Some restaurants even double as immersive listening bars, offering a multi-layered mealtime that’s as experiential as it is delicious.
Whether you’re looking for the perfect taco, authentic chilaquiles for breakfast or a seafood fix, the sheer variety on offer is extraordinary. Read on to discover our favourites.
Elora Restaurant, Reforma
For a sophisticated outing, the sleek and moodily lit Volga Hotel in Reforma is home to the low-key Elora Restaurant. Opt for a drink by the fireplace first to take in the building’s hulking brutalist façade. Headed by chef Juan Manuel González, the menu features a contemporary take on Mexican cuisine, with a focus on local produce. Feast on plates of ceviche to start, covered in a zesty cilantro dressing, served with a light Caesar salad and Mayan octopus. The wine list features a varied selection of Mexican and international wines. After dinner, venture downstairs to Minos, the hotel’s subterranean Hi Fi sound room, where immersive, electronic soundscapes take you into the night.
Tacos del Valle, Roma Norte
Tacos del Valle is an intimate, new-style taquería in the Roma Norte neighbourhood of Mexico City. You’ll know it when you see it from the perpetual queue outside that often stretches out onto avenue Alvaro Obregon. Customers sit shoulder-to-shoulder at the slim countertop, which overlooks a small retro-chic kitchen. One of their signature tacos, La Tijuanita, is stuffed with cheese, avocado and cubes of carne asada (beef). For sides, the flautas de papa, a dish originally from Jalisco in Mexico, are a must-try.
Expendio de Maíz, Roma Norte
With only four tables and no menu, the dining concept at Expendio de Mais is centred on food and conversation. The owner, Jesús Tornés, transported parts of his rural kitchen from the state of Guerrero, where he grew up. The chef will take a mental note of your dietary requirements and rustle up a few personalised dishes all made from maize (corn) in some form. Vegans and vegetarians are more than looked after, with dietary requirements taken very seriously here. A stream of dishes come out one by one, starting with an amuse bouche. As for drinks, there’s a refined list of artisanal beers, fermented Tejuino and a few seasonal aguas frescas.
El Cardenal, Centro
El Cardenal, housed in an old Parisian-style mansion in Centro, is the place to be for a big breakfast. Start your day with escamoles or an egg and black bean breakfast, prepared with locally sourced ingredients. The restaurant’s famous hot chocolates are deliciously decadent, served ritualistically with pastries, and the conchas with natas. There’s an old-world elegance to the interior, luring a mix of tourists and big Mexican families around grand round tables. Be sure to enquire about the seasonal dishes on offer, which can vary from month to month.
Taqueria Orinoco, Roma Norte
A popular spot in Roma Norte, Taqueria Orinoco delivers stellar northern-style tacos in a lively but laidback cafe-style restaurant. The standout here is the birra tacos, garnished with fresh cilantro. Served on silver trays, three tacos are served with four fiery dips, each with varying levels of spice and a tub of freshly cut limes. Open until 5:30am at the weekend, this lively, faux-retro taquería, covered in bold red typography, transforms from a laidback daytime spot to a late-night gathering spot after a night out on the razzle.
Sala Gastronómica, Museo Nacional de Antropología
A trip to Mexico City’s Museo Nacional de Antropología is one of the best ways to grapple with seven centuries of cultural history. Home to the world’s largest collection of ancient Mexican artefacts, the museum is vast. As you move between different centuries, rooms and eras, the sheer size and scale of the museum is likely to make you work up an appetite, so come prepared with snacks or settle down in the museum’s planty, sun-dappled courtyard restaurant. On the menu, you’ll find classic Mexican dishes, including hearty tamales and enchiladas stuffed with seasonal vegetables.
Choza, Roma Norte
Choza is the sort of establishment that’s passed on through word of mouth. Open three days, queuing is guaranteed on arrival, even if you happen to arrive early to try and beat the dinnertime rush. On arrival, a playful-slash-cryptic Haruki Murakami quote in Spanish sets the tone, scrawled across the warehouse-style door that reads: “¿Por qué me gustan las medusas?” (“Why do you like jellyfish so much?”). Once the queue diminishes, you’re ushered into the listening room and bar for a cold beer on the first floor, before a spicy Thai-Mexican feast at the rooftop restaurant.
Contramar, Condesa
For a long, leisurely lunch, Contramar in leafy Condesa is the one restaurant in Mexico City that everyone raves about. No matter who you speak to, it’s up there for its impeccable seafood and standout tuna tostadas with chipotle mayonnaise. The interior emerges in a sandy, beach-chic interior with a cerulean and beige colour palette. An open-plan kitchen faces the main dining room, where tables fill up at every hour, imbuing the space with a permanent vibrancy. Gabriela Cámara, the chef and owner of Contramar – and the president’s culinary advisor – whips up whole grilled fish “a la talla” (to size) and colourful plates of ceviche and aguachiles served with warm tortillas.
Lead image: Expendio de Maiz, Nicolas Wachter
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