Where to Eat in Mexico City: 11 Must-Try Restaurants & Bakeries
- 9 hours ago
- 4 min read
Mexico’s capital is one of the world’s great food cities, from its humble taquerÃas to fine-dining establishments that consistently rank among the world’s best. Read on for a guide to help you scratch the surface of the amazing depth of food that the city has to offer.
Contramar
Mexico City is landlocked, yet one of its most famous restaurants serves only seafood. Contramar is a lovely restaurant with charming ambience and a wide variety of fresh and creative seafood dishes. Two of the most famous are the tostadas de atún (tuna) and the pescado a la talla estilo Contramar, a whole grilled fish with a rub of red adobo on one side and parsley on the other.
Make sure you leave room for dessert, too, as at least a couple of things from their rotating dessert plate will surely tempt your eye.
Reservations at Contramar are notoriously hard to come by, but there is a trick: the reservations open on OpenTable exactly thirty days in advance, typically at 11pm local time. If you are ready, you should be able to snag a lunch reservation.
La Bonvi
La Bonvi is different from most taquerÃas that you will find in Mexico City, both for its upscale ambience in swanky Polanco as well as its exceptionally delicious tacos. I recommend starting with their incredible tostadas de atún before ordering a wide variety of tacos—some standouts include the campechano (steak and crumbled chorizo), pescado frito (fried fish), and Mishima Reserve America Wagyu ribeye, a steak of the utmost quality. Finish it all off with a slice of perfectly moist tres leches cake for dessert.
La Esquina del Chilaquil
If you want to eat like a chilango, as the locals here are known, grab your breakfast on the go from one of the street stands that pop up all over the city in the morning hours. This one is probably the most famous, with a line that always stretches down the block.
It’s easy to see why—the sandwich they make is simply heavenly. It’s a milanesa de pollo (breaded chicken cutlet) topped with chilaquiles (tortilla chips simmered in a broth-like salsa) and cheese; all you have to decide is whether you want roja (red) or verde (green). I recommend las dos (both).
Comal Oculto
This chic restaurant has a very modern feel, yet its menu is centered around the most fundamental element of Mexican cuisine—corn.
The basis of nearly all of their dishes is a wonderful, handmade corn tortilla prepared on their comal (griddle), whether handheld like a quesadilla or gordita or bathed in mole (rich, slow-cooked sauce with several variations) or salsa like enchiladas and chilaquiles. This is a great place to experience a modern take on the roots of Mexican cooking.
Gala PanaderÃa
Mexico City has no shortage of great bakeries, and Gala is one of the best. The location is a bit hard to find—it’s almost like a speakeasy, where you ring the small buzzer next to the door and then make your way down the narrow hallway.
Once inside, you’ll be greeted by gracious service and the wonderful aroma of baked goods being prepared right before your eyes. I highly recommend the cruffin de frambuesa (raspberry) and the croissant de almendras (almond)—these are really unforgettable pastries.
PanaderÃa Rosetta
Rosetta is the most famous bakery in the city, and while it’s often filled with tourists, the hype is deserved.
The wait for a table is long, but you can grab some pastries to go with just a short wait in line. Their most famous is the rol de guayaba (guava roll); it’s also a good place to try a concha, the famous Mexican sweet bread with a crunchy sugar crust and a fluffy, doughy interior.
ChurrerÃa El Moro
Though Rosetta is the most popular bakery, the most popular dessert institution in the city is without a doubt El Moro, open in the city’s historic center since 1935. Their churros—long, thin pieces of fried dough dusted with cinnamon sugar and served with hot chocolate for dipping (and drinking)—are glorious. They have locations around the city, but I recommend visiting the original in the Centro Histórico for the full experience.
Restaurante El Cardenal
El Cardenal is another Centro Histórico institution, open since 1969. The restaurant prides itself on showcasing popular cuisine from across the country, offering something of a culinary tour of Mexico with classic preparations of homestyle dishes from different regions of Mexico.
If you’re up early, visit for breakfast, when you can try their selection of freshly baked pan dulce, Mexican pastries often eaten in the morning to start the day with something sweet.
Máximo
Máximo is a staple of Mexico City’s high-end dining scene, albeit without as much tourist draw as Contramar (though it is still necessary to reserve a table in advance).
Housed in an appealing, airy space with an industrial aesthetic, each detail of the restaurant is highly curated, from its charming ambience to the elegant presentation of its dishes. The restaurant prioritizes farm-to-table ingredients and riffs on traditional Mexican cooking with modern, refined techniques.
TaquerÃa Orinoco
When it comes to tacos, simplicity is often best, allowing the quality of the meat to shine through. This place offers three choices of meat: trompo (also known as al pastor, pork cooked on a vertical rotisserie in a style akin to shawarma that was introduced by Lebanese immigrants to Mexico), res (thin-sliced steak), and chicharrón norteño (a meaty chunk of pork with a deliciously crispy layer of fat on top).
If you feel like mixing it up, try the costra style, where the tortilla is topped with a crispy layer of melted cheese before the meat is added on top.
La Pezciosa
Most of the tacos you will find in landlocked Mexico City are filled with meat, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t some great places for fish tacos here, too. This is the spot for perfectly crisp, beer-battered fish tacos, a style that originated in the city of Ensenada on the Pacific coast of Baja California.
You’ll be handed simply the fish in the tortilla and are left to your own devices to fill it to your liking from their extensive toppings bar. I highly recommend pairing the tacos with a light, crisp PacÃfico beer for a real taste of the coast.