The 16 Best Restaurants in Mexico City

The Centro Histórico's grand dame of traditional Mexican breakfast — house-baked conchas split and slathered with natas (clotted cream) from their own dairy, Doña Oliva hot chocolate, and serious classics like escamoles and chiles en nogada in season. Family-run since 1969, beloved by locals and politicians alike. Expect a weekend brunch line; it closes by early evening.

A hole-in-the-wall on Bolívar with a bubbling vat of slow-braised beef that produces the Centro's most famous suadero and campechano tacos — Anthony Bourdain ate here, Michelin lists it, and cabbies always knew. Open from morning until nearly dawn. It's greasy, glorious, standing-room street food; the adventurous can try tripa, ojo, or lengua.

A 1912 institution in a former convent — Talavera tiles, brass lamps, waitresses in traditional dress, and estudiantina musicians serenading tables. The enchiladas, tamales, and famous hot chocolate are good, not transcendent; you're paying for one of the most atmospheric dining rooms in Mexico. Open daily 8am-11:30pm. Skip if you want cutting-edge food.

A curated gourmet market hall that brings together some of the best small food producers and chefs in Mexico City under one roof — think artisanal tacos, craft beer, excellent coffee, Japanese-Mexican fusion, and much more. It's ideal for grazing and sampling widely rather than sitting down to a single meal. It skews slightly touristy and can get crowded on weekends, but the quality of individual vendors is genuinely high.

Gabriela Cámara's Roma seafood temple, running since 1998 — the tuna tostadas and the half-red, half-green grilled fish are modern Mexico City classics, served in a big sunlit room that turns weekend lunch into a party. Lunch-focused hours (closes 8pm). Book days ahead or show up at opening; it's expensive by CDMX standards and worth it.

Open since 1957, Nicos is a pilgrimage destination for traditional Mexican cuisine — chef Gerardo Vázquez Lugo has spent decades preserving and researching recipes from across Mexico's regions. The mole de olla, chiles en nogada (in season), and bacalao a la vizcaína are benchmarks of their kind. It's far from the tourist trail in Azcapotzalco, which is precisely the point; take a taxi and plan for a long, leisurely lunch.

The original 'little hole in the wall' that's been carving tacos al pastor on Ayuntamiento since 1959 — a founding shrine of the pastor style, where the meat comes off the trompo already sauced, no pineapple. The tiny standing-room original is the pilgrimage; the sit-down branches nearby are comfier but less magic. Open daily 9am-10pm.

Chef Jorge Vallejo's restaurant is a perennial World's 50 Best fixture and a more ingredient-forward, vegetable-centric counterpoint to Pujol. Dishes like hoja santa with chicatana ants and seasonal herb-driven plates showcase Mexico's biodiversity with technical precision. It's slightly easier to book than Pujol but still requires advance reservations; the à la carte menu offers more flexibility than the tasting menu.

Chef Edgar Núñez's restaurant in the southern suburbs is a benchmark for contemporary Mexican cooking with a strong focus on local and seasonal ingredients from small producers. The tasting menu is inventive without being gimmicky, and the garden setting amid volcanic rock is genuinely beautiful. It's a trek from Roma or Condesa but absolutely worth it; the lunch tasting menu offers excellent value.

A Guadalajara-born oyster bar and mariscos restaurant that has become one of the most popular spots in Condesa for fresh seafood. The raw bar is excellent — oysters, aguachile, and ceviche are the stars — and the grilled fish and shrimp dishes are equally reliable. It's loud, festive, and perpetually packed; expect a wait on weekends even with a reservation.

A tiny, standing-room-only Yucatecan taquería that has been serving cochinita pibil tacos and panuchos to Polanco residents for decades. The cochinita — slow-roasted achiote pork — is some of the best in the city, and the habanero salsa is ferocious. It's a hole-in-the-wall with no seating and a perpetual line; come before 2pm or risk them selling out.

Orinoco is the gold standard for norteño-style tacos in Mexico City — think perfectly charred carne asada, costilla, and chorizo cooked over mesquite on a massive parrilla. The flour tortillas are made fresh and the salsas are excellent. It's a small chain with several locations but maintains consistent quality; the Roma Norte branch on Insurgentes is the most convenient for most visitors.

This unmarked, reservation-only spot in a crumbling Centro building is one of the most singular dining experiences in the city — a set menu of ancient corn preparations cooked over wood fire by a family collective. There is no sign, no printed menu, and no phone; reservations are made via Instagram DM. It's not for everyone, but for those who seek it out, it's a profound encounter with pre-Hispanic Mexican foodways.

Chef Jair Téllez brings Baja California's wine-country cooking to Condesa in this relaxed but serious restaurant with a beautiful tree-shaded terrace. The menu leans on wood-fire techniques, excellent seafood, and an outstanding natural wine list with strong Baja and Mexican selections. It's one of the best spots in the city for a long, leisurely lunch; the terrace fills up on weekends so book ahead.

Enrique Olvera's flagship is one of Latin America's most celebrated restaurants, consistently on the World's 50 Best list. The tasting menu centers on the iconic Mole Madre — a mole aged over 1,000 days served alongside a fresh mole — and the omakase taco bar is a more casual but equally thrilling option. Reservations must be booked weeks in advance and cancellation policies are strict; walk-ins are essentially impossible.

A Scandinavian-influenced restaurant in the up-and-coming Juárez neighborhood that has become a favorite of Mexico City's creative class. The menu is concise and changes frequently, with a focus on fermentation, pickling, and clean Nordic technique applied to Mexican ingredients. The natural wine list is one of the best in the city; the space is small and intimate, so book ahead.