Essential restaurants in Mexico City

Mexico City – or CDMX, as locals call it – is a constant contrast of high and low: on one hand, it is home to historic restaurants that have written the history of Mexico City around their tables; on the other, it is bursting with new casual concepts run by young chefs with an eclectic approach to cooking.

Any comprehensive itinerary of the city’s restaurants should include a requisite mole (a classic Mexican sauce) and an elevated taco. You would be remiss not to explore the city’s thriving culture of natural and low-intervention wines from local producers, paired with creative small plates. Add to that a crop of forward-thinking cocktail bars and a vibrant street food scene, and it’s easy to see why Mexico City is one of the most exciting food destinations in the world.

Restaurants in Centro Histórico (Historic Centre)

El Cardenal

Best for: Traditional Mexican dishes in a Porfirian-era mansion
Location: Calle de la Palma 23, Centro Histórico, Cuauhtémoc, Mexico City, 06000
Price: $$$

With 40 years of history, El Cardenal is Mexico City classic in the Centro Historico neighbourhood, and it was one of the first restaurants in the city to emphasise the provenance of its ingredients. The service and ambiance are traditionally formal, with white tablecloths and a pianist playing in the background, yet the restaurant has a relaxed atmosphere, which makes it a local favourite for breakfast and lunch.

The seasonal menu features traditional Mexican dishes such as escamoles, chile en nogada (chillies stuffed with a walnut cream) and cod a la vizcaina (salted cod). Be sure to try escamoles (ant larvae): they are carefully sourced and served sizzling in a clay pot, alongside freshly made tortillas. El Cardenal has six locations across Mexico City, but we recommend the outpost on Palma Street – it’s housed in a beautiful turn-of-the-century mansion.

Masala y Maíz

Best for: Cross-cultural cooking in a brutalist-inspired room
Location: C. Artículo 123 116, Colonia Centro, Centro, Cuauhtémoc, 06040 Cuauhtémoc
Price: $$

Mexico, India, and East Africa converge at Masala y Maíz. Chefs Norma Listman and Saqib Keval draw on techniques, ingredients and family recipes from their respective culinary heritages, resulting in fusion dishes such as brisket samosas, esquites Makai Pakka and uttapam gordita. Masala y Maíz also advocates for improved working conditions within the industry, while highlighting the cultural and political intersections embedded in the food system. The result is as intellectually engaging as it is delicious, based in a brutalist-inspired building with raw concrete and generous natural light.

Restaurants in Claveria

Nicos

Best for: A family-run institution serving heritage Mexican cuisine
Location: Avenida Cuitláhuac 3102, Claveria, Azcapotzalco, Mexico City, 02080
Price: $$$

Founded in 1957, Nicos is one of Mexico City’s most revered restaurants. The family-run institution offers an elevated menu built on ancient recipes, with a commitment to local, organic ingredients.

Located in the Azcapotzalco neighbourhood in the northwestern area of the city, it sits slightly further out but is well worth the Uber ride. It stands in contrast to the capital’s many hip, modern restaurants and is everything that a great restaurant should be: attentive service, dishes prepared tableside, an excellent selection of Mexican wines, a focus on fair and local ingredients and, above all, a charming, traditional atmosphere. Order the dried nata (bean) soup, a 19th-century recipe that the restaurant continues to preserve today.

The best restaurants in Roma Norte

Contramar

Best for: Cult-status seafood with Roma Norte views
Location: Calle de Durango 200, Roma Norte, Cuauhtémoc, 06700 Ciudad de México, CDMX
Price: $$$$

Chef and restauranteur Gabriela Cámara opened this longstanding seafood restaurant in 1998. Its menu pays homage to the Mexican coastline, with popular orders including tuna tostadas, spicy fish soup, green shrimp aguachile and soft shell crab. The Instagram-famous pescado a la talla comprises a whole grilled fish brushed with a red chilli and parsley marinade. Interiors are bright and airy, while outdoor seating offers a view of Roma Norte. Reservations at Contramar are hard to come by, so plan accordingly.

Lina

Best for: Informal fine dining in a low-lit, mellow space
Address: Av. Yucatán 147, Roma Norte, Cuauhtémoc, 06700, Mexico City
Price: $$$

Lina is chef Mariana Villegas’s first solo project, a light-filled restaurant in Roma Norte. Begin at the bar with the Cattivo negroni before moving to the open kitchen area, where you can watch Chef Villegas and her team cooking over flame. Seafood and vegetable-centric dishes mostly lead the menu, such as the grilled clam with bone-marrow and corn and the delicate tuna crudo with apple and tangerine. The menu changes depending on ingredient availability, meaning you’ll likely always find something new.

MUX

Best for: A living archive of regional cooking
Address: Jalapa 189, Roma Norte, Cuauhtémoc, 06700, Mexico City
Price: $$$

Chef Diana Lopez opened Mux in Roma Norte with the purpose of preserving traditional recipes collected from Mexican cooks across the country. A thoughtful menu reinterprets home-style dishes from varying states, with each plate accompanied by details about its origin. Storytelling is central to the experience, enhanced by warm hospitality and attentive service, making Mux a one-of-a-kind restaurant in Mexico City.

Ultramarinos Demar

Best for: A global take on Mexico’s seafood in a smart setting
Address: Mérida 21, Roma Norte Cuauhtémoc, 06700, Mexico City
Price: $$$$

Ultramarinos Demar takes inspiration from European seafood restaurants, while showcasing a breadth of produce from Mexico’s shorelines. The result is a high-end seafood menu with International themes, where a grilled seabass shares space with a clam chowder, a New England lobster rolls, a Mexican clam aguachile and Sicilian-style crudo. Ultramarinos Demar’s space evoques old-school Portuguese seafood eateries, with pistachio-colored titles, stainless steel tables and sharp-looking staff with white jackets and aprons. A generous raw seafood platter is among the best in Mexico City.

Maximo Bistrot

Best for: Thoughtful sourcing and French finesse
Location: Av. Álvaro Obregón No. 65 Bis, Col. Roma Norte, Ciudad de México, 06700 CDMX
Price: $$$$

At Maximo Bistrot, chef Eduardo García applies French techniques to Mexican culinary traditions and flavours, using locally sourced ingredients from organic farms and small-scale producers across Mexico. Light pours through the vaulted roof during the day, while brick walls are offset by tapestries and trees for an ambient, always buzzing setting. The upscale menu changes with the seasons, but a handful of dishes remain fixtures, including sweet onion cooked in whey with comté cheese, lamb birria and buttered stone crab.

Migrante

Best for: Renowned tasting menu inspired by culinary migration
Location: Chiapas 186, Roma Norte, Cuauhtémoc, Mexico City, 06700
Price: $$$$

Migrante’s acclaimed tasting menu explores the intersection of regional Mexican ingredients and global culinary traditions. The restaurant’s name reflects its philosophy: culinary migration and cultural exchange.

The nine-course menu (priced at USD 95) takes diners on a journey through Mexico, Europe and Asia. Request a table by the open kitchen for a front-row view of the action, from slow-braised lamb cooked over embers to blue crab tartlets artfully topped with edible flowers. Dishes change according to seasonality and ingredient availability, so arrive with an open mind and allow at least two hours for the experience.

Expendio de Maiz

Best for: Globally-renowned indigenous cooking served streetside
Location: Avenida Yucatan 84, Roma Norte, Cuauhtémoc, Mexico City, 06700
Price: $$

Expendio de Maíz has gained international acclaim for its distinctive approach to dining, one that is both casual and deeply reverential. Food arrives when it’s ready and is served on the street, yet every dish reflects a profound respect for traditional rural cooking.

Chef Jesús Tornés works closely with small-scale farmers and corn growers from his home state of Guerrero and cooks dishes using pre-Hispanic techniques. His house-made nixtamal corn dough, for example, is central to his tortilla preparation.

There is no menu and dishes change according to ingredient availability. Upon arrival, guests are asked about dietary requirements before a procession of beautifully prepared plates begins to arrive, showcasing crisp vegetables, molcajete salsas, regional cheeses, mole and exceptional corn-based dishes. There are no reservations, so arrive early to secure a seat at one of the small communal tables out front for one of the best dining experiences in CDMX.

The best restaurants in Condesa

Esquina Común

Best for: Intimate rooftop dining overlooking Condesa
Location: Fernando Montes de Oca 86 Colonia Condesa
Price: $$

Esquina Común started life as a pop-up project in a secret location. While its current home – a leafy rooftop terrace in Condesa – is no longer hidden, it remains one of Mexico City’s most sought-after dining destinations.

Chef Ana González Serrano creates a menu inspired by Mexican, Spanish, and Peruvian influences, artfully presented with handpicked garnishes and edible flowers. The atmosphere is convivial and intimate, as if you were invited to a dinner party at a cool friend’s house. Open only on Fridays and Saturdays, tables are in high demand, so book in advance.

Plonk

Best for: A neighbourhood wine bar by Parque Mexico
Address: Iztaccihuatl 52, Hipódromo, Cuauhtémoc, 06100, Mexico City
Price: $$$$

Plonk has gained loyal fans for sommelier Romina Argüelles’s meticulously curated wine list and chef Flor Camorlinga’s creative mash-up of Mexican and Asian flavours. Expect dishes such as spicy, creamy udon alongside seabass crudo with matcha and green chilli, or a marlin tamal. Indoor seating is limited, but the restaurant’s coveted location just steps from Condesa’s Parque México makes an outdoor table one of the neighbourhood’s most appealing perches. Service is warm and attentive, while each dish is thoughtfully matched with selections from a wine list focused on organic, low-intervention producers, predominantly from Europe.

Gaba

Best for: Michelin-starred cooking in a converted Condesa home
Address: Av. Mazatlán 190, Condesa, Cuauhtémoc, 06170, Mexico City
Price: $$$$

Gaba is the first restaurant from LA-born chef Victor Sánchez, recently awarded a Michelin star for its bold flavour and intricate texture, using locally sourced ingredients. The menu rewards exploration, with dishes such as pâté, pig’s ears and tongue carpaccio elevated by delicate sauces, edible flowers and perfectly charred vegetables. Housed in a converted Condesa family home, the restaurant retains an intimate feel, with a mezzanine dining room, exposed brick walls and a semi-open kitchen. Reservations are essential.

Restaurants in Juárez

Havre 77

Best for: Oyster and Champagne Sunday brunch
Location: Havre 77, Juarez, Cuauhtemoc, Mexico City, 06600
Price: £££

Weekend brunch at Havre 77 is renowned, with Champagne and oysters from Baja California. Set in a restored Porfirian-era mansion in Colonia Juárez, the atmosphere is intimate and classic. Grab a seat at the kitchen bar or, for a more romantic setting, ask for a table near the ornate turn-of-the-century windows. The onion soup and escargots Bourguignonne are among the finest French dishes in the city.

Imbiss

Best for: Grooving wine bar for late-night dining
Location: Oslo 8, Juárez, Cuauhtémoc, 06600 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico
Price: $$

Imbiss is a longstanding local favourite, positioned on a quiet street in the Juárez neighbourhood. Open until 2am, go for relaxed late late-night dining with an indie soundtrack. Chef Filipe Neves and his partner Ramsés Luevano present a seasonally changing menu based on ingredient availability. Mediterranean influences run throughout, from wedge salad topped with chicken crackling and cured egg yolk to red curry farro with charred carrots and pistachios. Among the restaurant’s sought-after dishes are the fried chicken and roasted bone marrow glazed with XO sauce, often served as a bone luge for a shot of rye. The wine list has a reasonable degree of funk and skin contact, complemented by a solid cocktail menu. Imbiss is a great option for Sunday night dinner as most restaurants in Mexico City close relatively early.

Sushi Kyo

Best for: Intimate sushi counter in a Juarez mansion
Location: Havre 77, Juárez, Cuauhtémoc, 06600 Ciudad de México, CDMX
Price: $$$$

Sushi Kyo occupies the same turn-of-the-century mansion as Havre 77, listed above. Behind an unassuming wooden door, you’ll find a low-lit hinoki-wood counter specialising in Edomae-style sushi. Guests sit within arm’s reach of sushi master Yoshimasa Aoki as he prepares both short and long omakase menus. Tuna, red snapper, kampachi, sea bass and uni are sourced from premium suppliers and transformed with meticulous Japanese technique. Pair the experience with selections from Kyo’s thoughtfully curated sake collection.

Restaurants in Polanco

Malix

Best for: Laidback creative cooking and natural wine
Location: Avenida Isaac Newton 104, Polanco, Miguel Hidalgo, Mexico City, 11560
Price: ££

If you’re exploring the polished Polanco area, Malix is a must. Chef Alonso Madrigal draws on culinary traditions from the Yucatàn Peninsula, combined with maturation and fermentation techniques, using responsibly sourced local and organic ingredients. Try the lamb tartare, duck with parsnips and plums, or for something lighter, grilled lettuce with black garlic and furikake. The wine and cocktail lists are aligned with Madrigal’s cuisine, with a particular emphasis on low-intervention and natural wines. Dine at the U-shaped central counter or snag a table outside for a view of the neighbourhood.

Make the most of Mexico City with our insider guide, brimming with beautiful, boutique hotels and must-visit cultural attractions.