The largest city in North America, Mexico City is a unique, elastic, ever-changing patchwork of food traditions. As a native of the city and a food writer covering the scene for the past 14 years, I’m still amazed by CDMX’s captivating energy and scale.
The 38 Best Restaurants in Mexico City, According to a Local Culinary Guide
From tacos to tortas, Eater’s on-the-ground dining expert recommends the essential restaurants in Mexico City
Natalia de la Rosa is a Mexican food and travel writer, mezcal collector, and culinary guide based in Mexico City. For over 15 years, she has covered the restaurant industry for leading Mexican publications and international outlets, including Eater since 2016.
Since Eater first started reporting on Mexico City’s dining scene in 2016, the way people travel and dine out has changed. Food-obsessed travelers visiting CDMX are often guided by opaque and controversial award systems, such as the 50 Best and, since 2024, the Michelin Guide. But there’s a lot more going on in restaurants here. I’ve witnessed CDMX’s growing openness to regional cuisines and its fascination with trends. I’ve also watched as the chefs who launched Mexico City onto the international stage more than 20 years ago have begun quietly passing the baton to a new generation of chefs and restaurateurs, who have traveled the world, worked in the best kitchens, and returned home to continue their cooking journeys.
In the spirit of sorting out what is worth visiting, this list includes 38 restaurants and experiences for first-time and seasoned diners in Mexico City, focusing on projects that have distinctive culinary point of views, clear commitments to hospitality, and/or young local talent in the kitchen.
Eater updates this list quarterly to make sure it reflects the ever-changing Mexico City dining scene.
New to the map in July 2025: Bar Nino, Gia, and Bar Mauro, all frontrunners of the Italian wave in Mexico City; traditional English cuisine from the Lamb; veggie-forward Charco with its beautiful rooftop in Centro Histórico; Lagerbar Hércules, a refreshing, much-needed option for craft beer; Bajel, a new tasting menu experience at the Sofitel Mexico City Hotel; and literary bar La Americana in Condesa neighborhood.
In this latest refresh, we’ve revamped our write-ups to include even more relevant info for diners, including a rough range of pricing for each destination — ranging from $ for quick, inexpensive meals with dishes largely under $10 (or the equivalent in pesos), to $$$$ for places where entrees exceed $30.
Natalia de la Rosa is a Mexican food and travel writer, mezcal collector, and culinary guide based in Mexico City. For over 15 years, she has covered the restaurant industry for leading Mexican publications and international outlets, including Eater since 2016.
Additional reporting by Daniela Galarza.
The 38 Best Restaurants in Mexico City, According to a Local Culinary Guide
From tacos to tortas, Eater’s on-the-ground dining expert recommends the essential restaurants in Mexico City
Natalia de la Rosa is a Mexican food and travel writer, mezcal collector, and culinary guide based in Mexico City. For over 15 years, she has covered the restaurant industry for leading Mexican publications and international outlets, including Eater since 2016.
The largest city in North America, Mexico City is a unique, elastic, ever-changing patchwork of food traditions. As a native of the city and a food writer covering the scene for the past 14 years, I’m still amazed by CDMX’s captivating energy and scale.
Since Eater first started reporting on Mexico City’s dining scene in 2016, the way people travel and dine out has changed. Food-obsessed travelers visiting CDMX are often guided by opaque and controversial award systems, such as the 50 Best and, since 2024, the Michelin Guide. But there’s a lot more going on in restaurants here. I’ve witnessed CDMX’s growing openness to regional cuisines and its fascination with trends. I’ve also watched as the chefs who launched Mexico City onto the international stage more than 20 years ago have begun quietly passing the baton to a new generation of chefs and restaurateurs, who have traveled the world, worked in the best kitchens, and returned home to continue their cooking journeys.
In the spirit of sorting out what is worth visiting, this list includes 38 restaurants and experiences for first-time and seasoned diners in Mexico City, focusing on projects that have distinctive culinary point of views, clear commitments to hospitality, and/or young local talent in the kitchen.
Eater updates this list quarterly to make sure it reflects the ever-changing Mexico City dining scene.
New to the map in July 2025: Bar Nino, Gia, and Bar Mauro, all frontrunners of the Italian wave in Mexico City; traditional English cuisine from the Lamb; veggie-forward Charco with its beautiful rooftop in Centro Histórico; Lagerbar Hércules, a refreshing, much-needed option for craft beer; Bajel, a new tasting menu experience at the Sofitel Mexico City Hotel; and literary bar La Americana in Condesa neighborhood.
In this latest refresh, we’ve revamped our write-ups to include even more relevant info for diners, including a rough range of pricing for each destination — ranging from $ for quick, inexpensive meals with dishes largely under $10 (or the equivalent in pesos), to $$$$ for places where entrees exceed $30.
Natalia de la Rosa is a Mexican food and travel writer, mezcal collector, and culinary guide based in Mexico City. For over 15 years, she has covered the restaurant industry for leading Mexican publications and international outlets, including Eater since 2016.
Additional reporting by Daniela Galarza.
Pujol
Open for: Lunch and dinner
Price range: $$$$
Over the past year, Pujol has undergone some changes in anticipation of its 25th anniversary. Chef Daniel Nuñez took over the position of CDC in late 2024, following more than a decade of guidance under chef Enrique Olvera. The signature experience at Pujol has also evolved, departing from the set tasting menu and transitioning to a malleable six-course menu that includes snacks, cold and hot appetizers, main course, the iconic mole madre, and desserts. Each step offers two options, allowing guests to tailor their experience to some extent. Seasonal menus are also entering the conversation, designed to explore different regional Mexican cuisines, and the taco omakase is also getting a seasonal overhaul.
Know before you go: To book a meal at Pujol, you will probably need to look at least two months in advance for the regular menu and three months for the taco omakase.
Book a table:
Pujol
Saint-Jacques Bistrot
Open for: Lunch and dinner; Sunday brunch
Price range: $$$
French cuisine has been on the rise in Mexico City, and Saint-Jacques Bistrot was the latest addition to the category in 2024. Inspired by Provence, chefs Karina Mejía and Israel Montero focus on dishes best shared during long, comforting meals among intimate or large parties. Start with the pate en croute and the oyster platter with mignonette, followed by classics like the catch of the day a la meuniére or the organic chicken with morel sauce, and finish with a creme brulee or apple tarte tatin. It’s all familiar fare done right in a blue-and-white Provencal setting ideal for a laid-back weekend lunch. The cherry on top is the personalized, dedicated service typical of the Polanco neighborhood.
Vibe check: The restaurant is in Polanco, Mexico City’s poshest neighborhood, and has a dressier aura;even when the weather in CDMX is sunny, locals don’t wear shorts, so avoid the faux pas.
Saint-Jacques Bistrot
Er Rre Un Bistró
Open for: Lunch and dinner
Price range: $$$
This small bistro, on a quiet street in Polanco, might go undetected if it weren’t for the quality of its food. The restaurant has a distinctive European vibe, with a tiny, packed salon and bar seating. Menu-wise, expect bistro flavors like grilled sardines, white asparagus with horseradish and mint, orzo with crab, and, of course, an onglet de boeuf with frites. The wines by the glass, mainly from Europe, offer quality for a good value. The restaurant is a five-minute walk from some of Polanco’s major museums, so it’s a good option if you happen to be in the neighborhood.
Best for: Er Rre Un Bistró is ideal for a casual date night, especially at the bar.
Er Rre Un Bistró
Gaba
Open for: Lunch and dinner
Price range: $$$
After cementing his career in acclaimed kitchens like Bestia in LA and Arca in Tulum, chef Victor Toriz Sánchez is finally flying solo at Gaba, consistently drawing diners to the outskirts of Condesa with his exceptional execution. The menu builds on carefully sourced ingredients like acoyote beans, chicatana ants, and Ocosingo cheese, all enhanced with a dose of experimentation for especially sophisticated results. Make sure to order the sweetbreads with green chileatole (corn masa porridge mixed with green chiles and herbs) and the wagyu cecina tartar.
Must-try dish: Chicken liver pate.
Book a table:
Maizajo
Open for: Lunch and dinner
Price range: $$
Chef Santiago Muñoz founded Maizajo in 2016 as a corn-centric research project, sourcing native corn from small communities in Mexico to produce quality tortillas from 100-percent nixtamalized dough. After several years of operating in the Azcapotzalco neighborhood, Maizajo opened a new space in Condesa, where the corn-grinding operation is joined by a counter-service taqueria and a terrace on the second floor for dining in. The menu includes tacos made with rib-eye, brisket, and longaniza (sausage), as well as volcanes (corn tostadas with various fillings covered with a cheese crust) and gorditas. Weekends are especially lively on the terrace, where wine and craft beer pair with an elevated menu of dishes like black mole, brisket, and roasted leak, or oxtail with cegueza, an Oaxacan sauce thickened with red corn.
Know before you go: Maizajo is also a tortilla shop, if you’re looking for a nixtamal hook-up in Condesa.
- Fernando Montes de Oca 113, Colonia Condesa, Cuauhtémoc, 06140 Ciudad de México, CDMX
- 55 9197 9461
- Visit Website
Maizajo
Jowong
Open for: Lunch and dinner
Price range: $$
Mexico City is an increasingly diverse dining destination. Take restaurants like Jowong, which has gained popularity in part thanks to a blossoming Korean community. Historically, Zona Rosa has been the Korean enclave in the city; in 2023, however, Jowong secured a home in Condesa in what was formerly a Chinese cafe. Now, with a minimalist approach and keen attention to detail, Jowong captures the attention of diners with dishes like a Korean Caesar salad with seaweed and yuzu or crispy corn with Sichuan pepper. The main dishes are also a treat, so order the Korean feast — marinated prime rib, bulgogi, banchan, rice — as well as the fried chicken with gochujang.
Best for: Sunday brunch with friends to enjoy a family-style meal.
Bar Nino
Open for: Lunch through dinner
Price range: $$$
Restaurateur Isabel Castillo and chef Michael Crespo took their time opening their latest restaurant, located just a few steps from their highly successful first project together, Hugo El Wine Bar. They’ve created a charming establishment, renowned for its New York-style hospitality and elegant approach to Italian cuisine. A recent lunch reservation revealed local patrons are loving dishes like asparagus with anchovy butter and Parmesan, served with just the right amount of cheese and butter; the perfectly cooked artichoke risotto; the veal meatballs with velvety mashed potatoes; and the seabass with lime and capers. The wine list is a good match for the menu, and you should focus on the options by the glass. Most of the seating in the restaurant is outdoors, typical of a Roma Norte establishment, and reservations are highly encouraged.
Must-try dish: Leave some room for the tres leches cake.
Bar Nino
Castacán
Open for: Lunch and casual dinner
Price range: $
Tapping into diners’ interest in Yucatecan cuisine, restaurateur Gabriela Cámara opened Castacán in spring 2024. The menu’s stars are the traditional cochinita pibil, the roasted suckling pig, and the crispy castacán (Yucateco pork belly). Order a taco of each to try the full range or go for a torta if you feel more ambitious, along with side orders of black refried beans, cheese, or longaniza sausage. The quality of the tortillas and salsas match Cámara’s care and respect for Yucateco traditions, but the look and feel of Castacán is entirely CDMX: bright pink floor tiles, eye-catching signs, and walls lined with intricate mosaic tiles.
Know before you go: For the IYKYK Mexico City souvenir, grab a tote, a trucker hat, or a T-shirt from Castacán’s hot pink collection.
Castacán
Caracol de Mar
Open for: Lunch and dinner
Price range: $$$
After opening in the Centro Histórico neighborhood in late 2021, Caracol de Mar has adopted Condesa as its new home. Gabriela Camara’s hospitality and vision shine the brightest at the newest iteration of the restaurant, which welcomes guests with bar seating and cocktails on the first floor and a stunning salon filled with natural light on the top floor. The culinary ethos remains, with sustainability and seasonal seafood at the core and all-time menu favorites in tow. Order the green mole risotto, the grilled octopus, and the braised short rib with black sauce. Caracol de Mar also offers Contramar’s most beloved dish: grilled fish with red and green sauce.
Must-try dish: Gabriela Camara’s restaurants are also famous for Carajillos, a beloved cocktail in Mexico City prepared with espresso and Liquor 43, usually prepared at the table.
Caracol de Mar
Gia
Open for: Lunch through dinner
Price range: $$$
After nailing the contemporary bistro concept with Cana, chef Fabiola Escobosa teamed up with Isabela Freydell, former beverage manager at Enrique Olvera’s hospitality group Casamata, to welcome diners to their vision of Italian American cuisine at Gia. Inspired by the New York-style red sauce joint, Gia’s menu offers several saucy options, including pappardelle Bolognese, bucatini pomodoro, and meatballs with focaccia, as well as an array of thin-crust pizzas, ranging from classic pepperoni and margherita to mortadella and Italian sausage. Be sure to include the tangy green goddess salad, generously topped with Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Vibe check: Casual and unpretentious, with sidewalk seating and a chill atmosphere.
Gia
Baldío
Open for: Lunch and dinner
Price range: $$$
Baldío merges two progressive projects. On one side, Arca Tierra has been a major player in Mexico City, building restorative agricultural connections between farms and restaurants. On the other, chef Douglas McMaster of pioneering London restaurant Silo brings his zero-waste cooking approach. Together, they create a menu where the seasonality and freshness of the ingredients truly shine through. Portions run small, so you can order an array of options from the open kitchen. Start with esquites with epazote oil, the grilled pork and hoja santa dolma, and chinampa veggies with green pipian. Continue with the grilled trout with native tomatoes and the amberjack sashimi with pickled chayote. The beverage program includes corn-based drinks like pozol and house fermentations such as pulque and tepache. Because of the hyperlocal nature of the operation, the menu can change daily, meaning Baldío can pleasantly surprise you every visit.
Best for: Baldío is a perfect option for vegetarians and pescetarians, with dishes heavy on produce and greens.
Baldío
Lagerbar Hércules
Open for: Lunch through dinner
Price range: $$
The Querétaro-based project Hércules has carved out a niche in Mexico’s craft beer community for its diverse variety and quality lagers, a style that locals love. Located on a busy corner of Campeche Street, Lagerbar focuses on lagers on tap, offering an array of regional takes on the golden pint, including a Czech pilsner, a lager made with corn, a pale lager inoculated with brettanomyces, and a Kolsch-style ale. The staff is quite knowledgeable, down to the minutiae of how foamy your pint should be according to Czech traditions. Pair the hops with a pork shank served with pickled peppers, a weisswurst sausage, or schnitzel with mash.
Vibe check: The crowd is very local, packed with creative and 9-to-5 Chilangos looking for a chill beer after office hours.
Plonk
Open for: Late lunch and dinner
Price range: $$$
Located in Condesa, Plonk shines for its attentive hospitality and wine geekiness. Sommelier Romina Argüelles and chef Flor Camorlinga joined forces to open the space in fall 2023. Plonk’s dishes hint at Mexican flavors with strokes of Asian influence, like the smoked marlin tamal with morita chile sauce or the spicy shrimp udon with peanuts and cheddar. Camorlinga’s work in the kitchen is constantly changing, allowing Argüelles’s wine expertise to shine through creative pairings from small, Old World wine producers. If you’re interested in trying a variety, Plonk’s wine selection by the glass is reasonably priced, while the cocktail list offers versions of classics. The best seating is at the bar.
Best for: A casual dinner date or small group.
- Iztaccihuatl 52, Hipódromo, Cuauhtémoc, 06100 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico
- 55 2953 0255
- Visit Website
Plonk
La Americana
Open for: Casual afternoon snacks and cocktails
Price range: $
At La Americana, you’ll find books, fanzines, and magazines for browsing or purchasing while sipping a pre-batched Negroni, dry martini, margarita, or glass of wine. The bookshop meets bar also offers a casual menu of snacks like a corned beef sandwich, farro salad with charred sweet potato, or mackerel salad with tomatoes and fermented mango. Check out the reading clubs, which often evolve into social, neighborly hangouts.
Know before you go: Remote workers are welcome, but video calls are not permitted.
Bajel
Open for: Dinner
Price range: $$$$
Bajel lures diners with a nine-course tasting menu that combines contemporary cooking techniques with traditional Mexican accents. Chef Alonso Vidal offers two different menus, one titled Clarity and Depth, and another called Purity and Refinement, the latter catered to vegetarians. On a recent visit for an early dinner, both menus presented unique, beautifully plated dishes. Clarity and Depth included an octopus with a chintextle (smoked chile paste) sauce and epazote oil, while the same course for Purity and Refinement offered a bowl of tender corn and beurre blanc. Both menus featured white mole served with cauliflower and nutmeg, a highlight that cuts a stark contrast from darker, thick moles. The service is personalized and super attentive, and the elegant setting is worthy of a two-plus-hour dinner occasion.
Best for: Fancy dinner celebrations for couples and big groups, who should book the large table in the middle of the salon that seats at 18.
Bajel
Voraz
Open for: Lunch and dinner
Price range: $$$
For years, the Servicio Becerra autoshop stood on the corner of Aguascalientes and Manzanillo in Roma Norte. The shop’s hand-painted sign still signals the entrance, but the concrete-heavy interior now houses Voraz, a gastropub by chef Emiliano Padilla. The restaurant makes the space feel welcoming with pristine white tablecloths and a busy open kitchen, where Padilla produces conversation-starting apps like a salty churro served with cotija cheese sauce and chile powder. Meatless main dishes include options like roasted broccoli with pumpkin seed sauce or an uchepo, a sweet corn tamale made here with cheese foam and tomatillo sauce. There’s a bar area where you can have a snack alongside cocktails like the Melipon Sour with gin, honey, and xtabentún.
Know before you go: Sunday dinner can be tricky in Mexico City, as most restaurants close early; Voraz, which closes at 10, fills that gap.
Voraz
Handshake Speakeasy
Open for: Cocktails
Price range: $$$$
With sleek 1920s decorations in a hidden, speakeasy-inspired space, Handshake offers a cocktail menu by award-winning Dutch bartender Eric Van Beek. Known for drinks like a clarified piña colada, along with takes on modern classics like the pornstar martini, the bar won the top spot in North America on the 50 Best Bars list in 2024. The basement, where a cocktail lab produces syrups, clarified juices, and other beverage magic, also seats guests, and you should jump at the opportunity to drink down there if you get the chance. As of late, reservations are challenging, so plan ahead with a reservation.
Know before you go: The Handshake cocktail experience lasts strictly two hours and allows you to enjoy about three to four rounds of drinks, so show up on time to get the most out of your reservation.
Handshake Speakeasy
Propio
Open for: Lunch and dinner
Price range: $$$
Located in the heart of Roma Norte, Propio is an ambitious project led by chefs Shary Romo and Alex Chávez, whose impressive resumes include household names like Mexico City’s Quintonil and EM and New York City’s Eleven Madison Park. The Propio space is midcentury chic, with a salon divided in two sections, a luminous open kitchen, and a sundeck at the back. Since Propio opened in mid-2024, the chefs’ skills have been consistently on display with favorites like soft-shell crab with red rice, vuelve a la vida seafood cocktail, and pork belly with yellow corn mayo and bourbon glaze. The cooking is relatable yet highly elevated and contemporary, anchored in Chávez and Romo’s Northern Mexican heritage. Propio has quickly become a sought-after reservation, so plan in advance.
Must-try dish: The monkey bread with caramelized vanilla ice cream and the strawberries with cream fraiche.
Propio
El Gran Abanico
Open for: Breakfast and lunch
Price range: $
Considered one of the best places to eat carnitas in Mexico City, El Gran Abanico is a local gem in the Tránsito neighborhood. While the taquería serves pastor, grilled steak, and longaniza tacos, focus on the carnitas. Order a surtida taco — a mix of lean and fatty pork meat — or, if you’re feeling more ambitious, order a pork shank served with fried beans, guacamole, and tortillas.
If you take a car: Uber is the best way to get there, and be sure to bring pesos.
- Gutiérrez Nájera s/n (Francisco Javier Clavijero), 62900 Ciudad de México, Ciudad de México
- 55 8078 1884
- Visit Website
Salón Palomilla
Open for: Night out with cocktails and small bites
Price range: $$$
Palomilla Delicias is a comforting deli offering bacon breakfast sandwiches, tuna salad sandos, and brisket baguettes. While you can get wines by the glass and craft beer there, as evening comes on, head upstairs to the sister cocktail lounge, Salón Palomilla. The emerald moonroof allows customers to enjoy Mexico City’s temperate weather with cocktails in hand. The classic, well-executed drinks and attentive service hit all the marks. Access is by strict reservation; however, there’s also a small bar in the back for walk-ins.
Know before you go: Book in advance for seats under the moonroof; walk-ins are welcome, but it can take a while to get seated.
Panadería Gala
Open for: Morning coffee and pastries
Price range: $
To access Panadería Gala, you must ring the doorbell of an unassuming building on Tonalá Street in Roma Norte, head through a second door, and pass through a corridor filled with the aromas of freshly baked bread before reaching the pastry workshop. Inside, visitors can enjoy a cup of coffee or hot chocolate along with one — or several — of Panadería Gala’s delicious pastries, while taking in the shop’s operation: the bakers rhythmically rolling out bread, the hypnotic smell coming out of the oven, the comings and goings of staff. Panadería Gala’s seating is limited, but the experience is a dream for pastry lovers.
Know before you go: Saturday and Sunday are Panadería Gala’s busiest days, and pastries run out around noon.
Panadería Gala
Fugaz
Open for: Thursday to Sunday lunch and dinner
Price range: $$
Chef Giuseppe Lacorazza sources seasonal seafood from Mercado de la Viga (Mexico City’s largest seafood market) and uses it to make effortless, homey dishes that mix Mexican influences with some global flair. The avocado tostada with furikake is one of Fugaz’s most popular dishes, and it’s always on the menu, but check out other house specialties like the chilpachole (a corn and seafood soup), gnocchi with mussels, and white bean stew with clams. Lacorazza’s menu reflects his ongoing culinary research, which he shares periodically in his newsletter, Gula. The restaurant sits on a busy avenue in Roma Norte and works best for a casual late lunch or dinner.
Know before you go: Pair your meal with wines from the sister bar/wine shop project next door, Fantasma.
Fernando Farfán
Kill Bill
Open for: Lunch and dinner
Price range: $$$$
Omakases have been trending in CDMX for a while now, as chefs meet the demand for high-end culinary experiences with easily accessible fresh seafood, including sustainable options from Baja California. The 12-seat bar Kill Bill is a less stuffy addition to the scene, combining elements of sushi omakase, robata, and hi-fi jazz music. The casual atmosphere is ideal for enjoying the three, well-thought-out omakase options — Kill, Bill, or Kill Bill — the last including super premium ingredients like certified Japanese wagyu and caviar. The pairings include sake by the glass or bottle and an elegant wine selection with crisp oranges and whites.
Best for: Pin this one for a date night celebration, but make sure you book ahead of time.
Kill Bill
Vigneron
Open for: Lunch and dinner
Price range: $$$
After a short closure to revamp the space and menu, wine bar Vigneron made a comeback this summer under chef Aram Abisahi, who stewards the kitchen, and sommelier Mario Luna, who showcases small wine producers from the Old World. For wine lovers looking to explore hidden gems from Burgundy, Catalonia, and Champagne, Vigneron delivers great value by the glass; for everyone else, the beverages pair well with a food menu heavy on French technique and seasonal ingredients. Abisahi highlights his northerner culture in dishes like wagyu brisket with flour tortillas and pico de gallo, but he also shows range with items like fish rillette with pickled vegetables, or the catch of the day with beurre blanc, chicatana (ants), and beets.
Know before you go: Vigneron offers a seven-course tasting menu with optional pairings for indoor seating. Sit outside to order the regular a la carte menu.
Vigneron
Lina
Open for: Dinner only on weekdays, with lunch on weekends
Price range: $$$
Lina is the first solo project of chef Mariana Villegas after spending time in world-renowned kitchens like Cosme in New York, Fulgurances L’Adresse in Paris, and Contramar in Mexico City. Lina’s dinner menu combines international flavors and local ingredients, with options like trout tartare with hibiscus creme fraiche, tuna sashimi with carrot aguachile, and wagyu with salsa borracha. For dessert, Villegas’s tres leches with guava cream is an elegant take on one of Mexico’s most beloved cakes, and the chocolate mousse with pataxtle (white cacao) is excellent. Lina’s open kitchen and dining room feel cozy, and the restaurant offers bar seating for diners to kick off dinner with a Sake Splitz (Mexican sake, Oaxacan poleo, prosecco) or a glass of biodynamic wine.
Vibe check: Lina feels casual yet elevated for the quality of the menu, ideal for dinner parties among food-focused friends.
Lina
Sarde
Open for: Lunch and dinner
Price range: $$$
Oregonian chef Jacob Harth and restaurateur Enrique Lascuráin run Sarde, which is inspired by the cuisine of Corsica and Sardinia. The restaurant’s menu is primarily focused on seafood, including elegantly plated dishes like totoaba tartare, mackerel with celery vinegar, or tuna carpaccio with schmaltz and pickled chile. Simple preparations highlight the team’s efforts to select sustainable items for their pantry and source seafood fished responsibly. The wine program focuses on underappreciated wine regions, with an exciting selection of bubbles and whites by the glass. The restaurant is small and well-edited in ambiance, and the open kitchen lets out noise from the service rush, so expect to hear plenty of “Yes, chef!” throughout your visit.
Must-try dish: Even though Sarde’s menu is heavy on seafood, the rib-eye is exceptional.
Jacob Harth
The Lamb
Open for: Lunch through dinner
Price range: $$$
The Lamb shines like a beacon of culinary enlightenment in Roma Norte. Everything about the restaurant is on point: A little white lamb emblem welcomes guests to a cozy space inspired by British pubs, while the menu draws from flavors of the English countryside. It’s the third project of restaurateur couple Poppy Powell and Federico Patiño, and it feels like their most personal. Chef Patiño’s take on English cooking incorporates wild game, fresh produce from organic farms, generous amounts of butter, and exceptional European-style cheeses produced in Mexico. The result is a selection of classics, including a Scotch egg with homemade ketchup, a mackerel pate that may be best in class in Mexico City right now, beef liver with caramelized onions, Welsh rarebit, bangers and mash, fish and chips, and rabbit pie.
Know before you go: Even though the menu relies heavily on animal protein, vegetarians will be well-served at the Lamb. Order the glassed carrots, the chayote with fennel and cheddar salad, and the wild mushroom pie with baby corn and cheese.
The Lamb
El Tigrillo
Open for: Weekend brunch and cocktails at night
Price range: $$
Mexico City is obsessed with everything Norteño, from banda music and cowboy boots to velvety flour tortillas. El Tigrillo fits right in. The tiny bar in Roma Norte offers a short menu of hardy Norteño breakfasts on Saturday and Sunday. Try the scrambled eggs with chorizo and potatoes, the grilled cheese with carnitas, the chile güero taco, or the chicharron burrito. It’s hard to go wrong. In the evenings from Wednesday to Saturday, El Tigrillo serves as an aperitif bar pouring vermouth, cider, Mexican wine, and mini cocktails.
Know before you go: El Tigrillo is walk-in only, so plan ahead.
El Tigrillo
Bar Mauro
Open for: Cocktails from evening through midnight
Price range: $$
Bar Mauro reasserts Mexico City’s romance with cocktail bars grounded in storytelling, and has been rewarded for it — it debuted in the 14th position on North America’s 50 Best Bars list in spring 2025. Mixologist Ricardo Nava and his brother Eduardo centered the concept around their grandfather’s love for the Italian aperitif tradition. Ricardo’s long mixology career and experience behind the bar are evident in a cocktail list featuring options like the Banana Adonis, which combines rosso vermouth, sherry, and banana, and the Sbagliatto Bianco, with both dry and white vermouth, Prosecco, and pine bitters. Bar Mauro has become the place to be for cocktail hour in Roma Norte, with excellent light bites like prosciutto arancini.
Best for: A catch-up with friends or a casual romantic night.
Bar Mauro
La 89
Open for: Lunch and dinner
Price range: $
In the past year, Northern-style tacos have flooded Mexico City streets, and now Baja California Norte has yet another representative in LA 89. The small, unpretentious taco joint focuses on birria and carne asada tacos and tortas, with substantial doses of guacamole in a very Tijuana fashion. The flour tortillas come from Hermosillo, and the cheese from Sonora. If you can’t actually travel to the north of Mexico, a visit to LA 89 on Colima Street is the next best thing.
Must-try dish: Order your tacos with flour tortillas.
LA 89
Ultramarinos Demar
Open for: Lunch and early dinner
Price range: $$$$
Seafood is at the epicenter of Ultramarinos Demar, the most recent project of chef Lucho Martínez. It’s hard to pinpoint all the culinary influences at play on the menu; there’s zarandeado (the classic Mexican-style grilled fish), but also velvety clam chowder, perfectly moistened crab cakes, lobster rolls, caviar with chips, and seafood platters. The restaurant appears casual, with a relaxed, no-frills dining room and bar seating, but servers draw inspiration from classic European restaurants, delivering polished table service in crisp, white jackets. The cosmopolitan, indulgent experience is a good choice for lunch or an early dinner (the restaurant closes at 7 p.m.).
Know before you go: While you wait for your table, grab a coffee across the street at sister project Café Tormenta.
Diego Padilla
El Minutito
Open for: Morning coffee and casual evening cocktails
Price range: $$$$
El Minutito is a small, Italian-inspired coffee shop that moonlights as a wine bar after dark. Located just a few steps from Plaza Washington in the Juarez neighborhood, the business focuses on the social aspects of European coffee culture; the place has no seating — except a tiny bench on the sidewalk — instead encouraging customers to stand at the bar (and discouraging remote workers setting up shop with their laptops and phones). It makes for an intimate space to start the morning with caffeine, a croissant, or a grilled cheese sandwich. Once the sun sets, the bar kicks in, offering aperitivos, espresso martinis, vermouth, and natural wine.
Best for: El Minutito has become a social epicenter of the Juárez neighborhood, so expect fun people watching.
Cananea
Open for: Night out with cocktails; Sunday daytime drinks
Price range: $$
Juárez’s buzziest new drinking spot, Cananea is the wood-paneled bar of the Posada Viena hotel. The bar felt abandoned for years until Baja chef Jair Téllez took over the space, revamping the menu and beverage program. The original character (and lore) of the bar remains: a mezzanine with a pool table, a jukebox by the cocktail bar, dimmed red lights. The new menu offers bar snacks and small Northern-inspired dishes like quesabirria, Sonoran dried meat, and chivichangas, alongside well-balanced classic cocktails like margaritas, whisky sours, gimlets, mezcal spritzes, and natural wine.
Vibe check: Cananea has become the go-to bar for hospitality industry insiders.
Cananea
Travieso Travieso
Open for: Dinner
Price range: $$$
After several months of pop-ups across the city, Travieso Travieso’s Roma Norte location adds a small but intimate patio to enjoy weekend nights with natural wine, cocktails, DJ sets, and the ultimate CDMX scenester vibes. The restaurant welcomes visiting chefs, who rotate on and off weekly with short but sweet menus of bar snacks and appetizers to pair with plentiful bottles of wine. Travieso is Spanish for “naughty,” so pin this one for a night on the town. The reservations are via DM on social media, so be patient.
Best for: A night out with friends with lots of wine and eclectic music.
Taverna
Open for: Lunch and dinner
Price range: $$$
Taverna sits in a restored townhouse built in 1906 on Juarez’s General Prim Street. After years of family inheritance disputes, neighborhood disarray, and neglect, the property was eventually acquired and restored by Archipiélago restaurant group to house a Mediterranean-inspired spot. The food does deliver — but it’s almost beside the point. Most people come for the candlelit setting, which blends vintage details, greenery, and fine tableware into a kind of elegant ramshackle vibe. Needless to say, pin Taverna for a romantic dinner. The menu offers smoked and fire-cooked dishes like whole fish with potatoes and citrus salad or roasted cauliflower with mustard cream. The space also includes cozy lounges to enjoy a cocktail or two, with options like aged Negronis or dirty martinis.
Best for: The restaurant is a good fit for larger celebrations.
Taverna
Makan
Open for: Lunch and dinner
Price range: $$$
After relocating to the Juárez neighborhood in fall 2023, Makan received diners in a revamped space overlooking one of Mexico City’s iconic roundabouts, El Reloj Chino. Chefs Maryann Yong and Mario Malvaez have kept Makan’s most popular dishes on the menu — like the fish larb and the Singaporean chicken with rice — while adding a few more fun options such as the chili king crab with sambal, lacquered duck, and char siu pork belly. The restaurant has come a long way from the small courtyard that served as its original home in Roma Norte; the new dining room is focused on an open kitchen, and there are two private rooms for intimate parties. The updated cocktail menu complements the usual funk from their natural wine selection.
Best for: The best way to do Makan is to order a bunch of stuff to share.
Makan
Charco
Open for: Lunch through dinner
Price range: $$$
Located on a rooftop behind Mexico City’s Metropolitan Cathedral, Charco is the best restaurant in the Centro Histórico neighborhood right now. Chef Ricardo Verdejo leads the project with a clear vision of what casual dining in CDMX should be: neither fussy nor overcomplicated, solid and friendly service, and genuinely delicious food. Start the meal with the farmer’s market crudite, paired with a gorgonzola dip sprinkled with cured egg yolk. Other standout dishes include the grilled catch of the day with peas and fresh fava beans over a seafood-based beurre monté, and the leeks and asparagus with a meunière sauce and olives, a reminder of how rich and savory vegetarian food can be. Don’t miss the Charco martini and the Tokio Cobbler.
Best for: A sunset meal following a full day of activities in Centro Histórico. The Templo Mayor and the Cathedral are within a short distance, and the Diego Rivera murals at the SEP building are also nearby.
Charco
Taco crawl in Centro Histórico
Open for: Lunch
Price range: $$$
For a rapid-fire overview of Mexico City’s ever-growing street food scene, join a walking tour of the curb-side gems that make the city a mouth-watering metropolis. One good option is Club Tengo Hambre, which offers a multi-stop parade through the best taquerías and hidden stands downtown.
Best for: Food geeks and those who find eating in the streets of Mexico City intimidating will both enjoy the experience — this is a great option for first-time visitors who wish to cover a lot of ground in one day.
Club Tengo Hambre
