Americans, Canadians, Brits, and Aussies, known for their love of egg-based breakfasts, will find a welcoming array of options in Mexico City, mirroring their own culinary preferences. The St. Regis Terraza Restaurant stands out as a top breakfast spot, offering stunning views, impeccable service, and delicious dishes like the traditional Huevo Motuleños, all at surprisingly reasonable prices.
Quintonil, under Chef Jorge Vallejo’s guidance, offers an unassuming yet charming atmosphere in Polanco, diverging from nearby high-end eateries by providing an elevated menu without a fixed tasting course. With dishes like the stone crab tostado and sea bass with chipotle rub, Quintonil delivers gourmet interpretations of Mexican classics at a reasonable cost, ensuring a satisfying dining experience with impeccable service and ambiance.
At Huset, dining transcends Michelin stars as ComaBeba embraces global culinary trends, offering comforting fare in a garden oasis free from formalities. Amidst fairy-tale surroundings, attentive staff in signature attire curate a menu catering to all tastes, showcasing top-quality ingredients and flawless execution. Desserts like cheesecake with berry sorbet elevate the experience, solidifying Huset as a standout gem in Mexico City’s vibrant culinary scene
Mexico City welcomes Lorea, an upscale restaurant offering a tasting menu reminiscent of Monaco or Vegas, focusing on showcasing chef talents through flawlessly executed dishes. The elegant ambiance, attentive service, and unique choreographed course delivery enhance the dining experience, featuring exquisite tapas-sized offerings and inventive desserts that highlight the chefs’ creativity. Lorea establishes itself as a premier upscale dining destination in Mexico City, alongside Polanco’s Raíz, offering a sophisticated yet comfortable setting to enjoy traditional European techniques with local ingredients.
Hacienda de los Morales in Mexico City’s Polanco neighborhood offers an elegant dining experience steeped in tradition, attracting both locals and visitors alike. With its impressive architecture, diverse menu featuring classic Mexican dishes and European-inspired fare, and impeccable service, it’s a must-visit for anyone seeking a quintessential Mexican culinary experience.
International casual dining chain, The Cheesecake Factory, with multiple locations in the city’s top shopping malls, executes the franchise concept flawlessly, with near perfect service and execution of the world’s lengthiest menu full the world’s favorite foods, from the USA to Asia. It’s the great American bistro, executed with precision.
Romina earns praise for its simplicity and focus on quality ingredients, creating a refined atmosphere blending fine dining with trattoria charm. With attentive service and a diverse menu showcasing dishes like grilled octopus and stuffed chicken breast, Romina proves its culinary prowess and ability to elevate humble ingredients.
Fondas, known for affordable meals, have evolved in Mexico City to represent establishments like Fonda Fina, offering high-quality food in a casual setting. Situated in Roma Norte, Fonda Fina offers traditional Mexican dishes with innovative twists, appealing to both casual diners and those seeking a refined experience. Despite minor flaws, such as temperature issues with the main dish, Fonda Fina stands out for its creative approach to classics and exceptional service, making it a top choice for those looking for a relaxed yet sophisticated dining experience.
With its elegant ambiance and flawless execution of a sophisticated menu featuring unique local ingredients, it’s become one of our top picks in Mexico City.
Famed chef Enrique Olvera bring his notoriety and skills to a small restaurant seating a little more than a handful of patrons that focuses on the three things most central to Mexican cuisine … corn, corn and corn. Take your tacos, tamales, corn milk and tortillas to go or sit at the counter-height bar on a stool to gobble down a few corn-centric plates of food. Staff is friendly but due to an overabundance of publicity the small restaurant can be crowded, and service slow at peak hours.
Maque has a pleasant ambiance. Great for people watching. And a young, friendly, and attentive staff. Good food with high-quality ingredients. Reasonable prices. Great for breakfast, brunch or dinner. But get there early or expect a wait.
Taquerarte is Mexico City’s largest chain of casual-dining taquerías offering a diverse menu with lower prices than competitor El Califa. The décor is clean but basic. Lots of locations so likely there’s one close to you.
El Califa, with stylish décor, some one-of-a-kind menu items, attentive service and consistently good execution of the core menu items, is perhaps the best choice in Mexico City in this casual dining taquería format. It’s hands-down, the best place to chow down in the wee-hours.
Saks restaurant in Mexico City, with near-stellar service and execution of a menu boasting more variety than its peers and impressive décor in all locations, lives up to its good reputation. Varied menu will appeal to larger groups.
Tamales Madre is a homage to corn that honors Mexico’s most iconic foodstuff in grand fashion. Tamales Madre is proof that good things come in small package. Full of heart and soul with artisanal tamales and atole at better than reasonable prices.
At Guzina Oaxaca, chef Alejandro Ruíz, offers his interpretation of the cuisine of Oaxaca, elevating rustics dishes to gourmet status. Ruíz is dedicated to authenticity and brings ingredients daily from the state Oaxaca to Mexico City for use in the restaurant’s iconic Oaxacan dishes. The restaurant recently underwent a face-lift and now offers a more sophisticated ambiance to accompany this well-executed menu.
Ballaró’s decorated cakes and pies are beyond impressive. But Ballaró also offers a full menu of savory Italian dishes, well-executed in a comfortable, sophisticated ambience. Ballaró is recommended highly for breakfast, antipasto over cocktails, or a cup of coffee with a heavenly pastry.
Que sería de mi is quaint little café offering a full range of local and international breakfast ítems. Clearly worth a visit.
At Lur, the chefs at failed upscale restaurant Biko, have found their niche, where diners can enjoy gourmet cuisine in a casual and comfortable setting. Good service and execution of short, but creative menu make Lur a top choice in Mexico City for casual dining.
Blanco Colima offers acceptable service, a menu that successfully bridges traditional Mexican cuisine with elements of European style, and a trendy, sophisticated decor. It’s worth a visit just to see the beautiful restored mansion it calls home.
Merkavá’s gourmet slant on traditional middle-eastern fare in a sleek, contemporary ambiance with a lively vibe make Merkavá a rare and welcomed addition to the dining scene in Mexico City.
Temporal offers an earthy, rustic menu with gourmet overtones in a simple, but pleasant ambiance.
Villa María, located in Polanco, is one of the best choices in Mexico City for traditional Mexican cuisine. Expansive menu at reasonable prices.
Fonda de los Recuerdos is about classic as Mexican cuisine can be. Pleasant ambiance. Live mariachis. And prices on par with more favorably located restaurants in Polanco.
El Mayor is a rooftop restaurant overlooking the excavation of the Templo Mayor. Excellent service. Tortillas and salsas are made on the spot by Tia Maria. There’s a wide variety of choices for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Worth a trip from anywhere in the city.
Le Creperie de la Paiz offers a full range of French menu items for breakfast, lunch and dinner, in a quaint sidewalk-cafe atmosphere with better than acceptable service.
Sonora Grill Prime is a premium-grade steakhouse targeted to a younger and more energetic customer than your typical steakhouse. If you like martinis, dance music with a heavy bass beat and high-quality steaks, Sonora Grill Prime has you covered.
Morimoto, in Mexico City, follows the strategy laid out by celebrity chef, Masaharu Morimoto at his other successful ventures. A unique and flawlessly executed menu with a Japanese personality coupled with outstanding service.
A good idea, haphazardly executed. Decent sausages, horrible side dishes, and a great assortment of imported beers in an unimaginative ambience. Go for the beer. Not the food.
Off the beaten path but a good spot for imported German beers and unique German cuisine.
Pinche Gringo has brought the classic Texas-style barbecue to Mexico City. Delicious smoked brisket, ribs and sausage in an attractively decorated dining area.
Porco Rosso is one of handful of new restaurants in DF offering US-style barbecue (smoked meats) in a comfortable, casual atmosphere. Great food.
Despite a minor error in execution on a dessert, the classy surroundings, the quite, shady location for dining on the sidewalk, the sophisticated patrons, and the flawless service still leave us with a positive impression of Primos.
Nonna (which is Italian for grandmother) is a casual-dining Italian-food restaurant located in the trendy Hipódromo neighborhood just a couple of blocks from Parque México.
Azul offers a unique and pleasant twist on traditional Mexican cuisine elevating enchiladas and tacos to gourmet status in a casual atmosphere.
Ambiance is part hipster, part aspiring young professional. Menu is creative. Service friendly and attentive. Great food. Super experience.
The restaurant specializes in Oaxacan cuisine and offers a variety of Oaxacan dishes, many prepared in a wood burning oven in a large open kitchen, overlooking the dining area.
Hot Dog Ramirez offers good dogs in a “build your dog” format with a variety of sausages, buns and condiments. We like the classic chili-dog called the Chili Beans Ramirez.
Central de Pizzas is Mexico City’s version of the great American pizza-chain restaurant, only with lower standards, lack of decor and worse pizza at a higher price. Not bad, but not good!
California Pizza Kitchen, a popular US based pizza chain, loses something in translation in Mexico City. Barely scored above average on our rankings.
The décor is attractive. The place is usually busy in the evening and during the peak of the lunch hour, but there’s rarely a wait for a table.
We think Lampuga is the best option in Mexico City for quality seafood in a slightly upscale setting.
El Tapeo is a hidden gem. A small tapas restaurant in Zona Rosa with authentic Spanish tapas. It’s the real deal. And reasonably priced.
Chef Enrique Olvera’s acclaimed restaurant, Pujol, is regarded by some as the city’s best restaurant. We beg to differ. It’s a great restaurant, but no better than a dozen others in the city. We tell you why.
Monsieur Croque is a small, quirky café cum bistro in the heart of La Condesa offering classic French bistro fare. Something different. That’s good!
In summary, my salad, although good, was excessive. And the expensive steak and lobster were both poorly executed.
were it not for the failure on the rice dish and the unusual slow-down in service near the end of the meal, this would have been one of the best dining experiences I’ve encountered in Mexico City.
La Pescadería is a seafood restaurant chain with at least three (and possibly four) locations in Mexico City, allegedly specializing in seafood.
Spot-on. Eggs perfectly cooked. Everything done just right. Those strips of smoky poblanos and sweet caramelized onions were great. One of the best salsa verdes I’ve tasted.
Yume. More like, “Yummeeeee”. Quirky ambience “that works”, as does the internet. Unique menu with mix of great egg dishes, waffles, sandwiches, soups, and salads. This is a hidden gem.
Local mezcal producer, Alipús, has opened three restaurants in CDMX. Ambience and service were good but execution of the flautas fell short of expectations. Good but not great.
Bola de Oro is not likely to knock Starbucks or local favorite, Cielito Querido, off the map anytime soon, but it’s still an acceptable choice for a cup of coffee.
Café Emir won’t win any awards for ambiance, but it’s got some unique coffee that will be of interest to coffee fanatics. And the prices are a bit more reasonable than those at many of the cafés in the neighborhood.
Chimiburger offers gourmet burgers with juicy beef patties, fresh buns, and all the good fixins. Spicy? Try the Chila Burger with a Minerva craft beer.
Burger Bar Joint offers unique burgers, beer and cocktails in a fun “retro” environment with American pop and light rock music. Five locations in CDMX.
We Love Burgers offer handcrafted gourmet burgers. Hot Dogs and all-day breakfast too, including a variety of egg dishes, chilaquiles, waffles and pancake
Butcher & Sons create gourmet burgers with a host of exotic ingredients. But the faltered on the French fries on our recent visit to the Polanco location.
The service was good. And the prices are slightly less at Cancino than Café Toscano. And of course, you have to give it extra points for the plentitude of French bulldogs in the audience.
Capital Grille’s franchise location in Mexico City offers highest-quality steaks and seafood, albeit with a hefty price-tag. It’s “the” place in CDMX to entertain clients.
This dining experience was so bad, in fact, that we’re adding Nicos to our list of overrated restaurants in Mexico City. It can proudly join Maximo Bistrot, and Biko on that list.